greg davies wins 95th michigan amateur

3 Catching up with Calvin Peete

by John Berkovich

8 Greg Davies Wins 95th Michigan Amateurby Jack Berry

12 Jud Heathcote and Idaho Golf

by Jason Deegan

16 Scott Hebert Wins His 6th Michigan Open

by Jack Berry

17 Wine and Golf– Sip and Chip

by Art McCafferty

20 Michael Harris Wins His 4th Tournament

of Champions

24 The Final Ford Senior Players

Championship by John Wukovits

27 Kris Tamulis Wins Michigan Women’s Open

by Art McCafferty

29 Hebert Headlines Summer Schedule

by Kelly Hill

30 LaCassie Wins 2006 Western Amateur

33 Gaylord Golf Mecca Struts Its Stuff

by Sam Fullerton

38 Slice of Life by Terry Moore

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In This IssueV O L U M E 24 • F A L L 2 0 0 6 • N U M B E R 3

Cover: 1983 photo of Calvin Peete is by Mark Arpin.

2 S P R I N G 2 0 0 6 • M I C H I G A N G O L F E R M A G A Z I N E

3M I C H I G A N G O L F E R M A G A Z I N E • F A L L 2 0 0 6

by John Berkovich

Every dayis Father'sDay for

Calvin Peete.The winner of 12PGA Tour eventsis now a stay athome dad for his

Catching up withCatching up withCalvin PeeteCalvin Peete

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4 F A L L 2 0 0 6 • M I C H I G A N G O L F E R M A G A Z I N E

daughters Aisha and Aleya and hewouldn't have it any other way. “Ilove being there for my kids now,”says Peete. “When I was on thePGA Tour I was away from homeso much that it was difficult to bethere.” Peete turns 63 in July ofthis year and although it has beentwenty years since he was arguablyAmerica's best, yet definitely itsmost unappreciated golfer, he ismuch happier now. Peete and hissecond wife Pepper live quietly inthe Jacksonville, Florida area.While Pepper manages the localFirst Tee facility, Calvin is thequintessential stay at home dad.His days consist of managing thehousehold, keeping in touch withhis children from his first mar-riage, and occasionally hitting ballsat Sawgrass where he has a life-time membership from winning the

1985 Players Championship. He ison disability and continues toreceive a pension from his days onthe PGA Tour. Peete also givesback to the community with theCalvin Peete Recreation Complexin St. Augustine, Florida. The cen-ter keeps kids off the streets afterschool and gives them an opportu-nity to hone their sports and lifeskills.

The inspirational Calvin Peete

story has been told before butgiven the mountains he has con-quered and the attitude he has dis-played, it bears repeating.

One of nine children born to aDetroit automobile factory worker,Peete's parents separated when hewas 11. He, along with twoyounger sisters, was dropped off athis maternal grandmother's homein rural Missouri along theMississippi. His mother headed toChicago to search for employmentbut never returned to pick up herbrood.

When he was 12, Peete fell outof a cherry tree and shattered hisleft elbow and although surgeonsrepaired the elbow, it remainedfused so that Peete could neverfully straighten his arm. His father

eventually came for Calvin and hissisters along with three childrenfrom his second marriage andmoved the kids to Pahokee, Floridaon the southeast corner of LakeOkeechobee.

Dropping out of school in theeighth grade, Peete spent his dayshustling pool and pulling variousscams to help support the family inaddition to the backbreaking workof pulling crops as a migrant

farmer. Years later, Peete said thathe didn't mind getting sweaty onthe golf course since it made himfeel like he was doing honestwork.

Desperate to move forward,Peete got his peddlers license andwent on the road. “I bought fromthe wholesalers and would hit themigrant worker camps during sug-arcane season,” recalls Peete. “Alot of the workers were fromBarbados and Jamaica. I sold jew-elry, clothing, and stereos, basical-ly whatever they wanted I got forthem. They liked me because I wasone of them and didn't over inflatemy prices.” Traversing the dustyfarm roads from Florida to NewYork, Peete put diamond chips ineach of his front teeth to makehimself memorable while continu-

ing to hustle any game he could.

Some fellow gamesters encour-aged Peete to join them for a roundof golf and he was hooked. Fromthat day forward his goal was thePGA Tour. He practiced and playedany chance he could, often stayingon the range until the lights wentout near midnight.

Three attempts and seven yearslater, Calvin Peete had his tour

His fellow pros used to kid him about constantly being in the middle of the fairway

with the nickname Mr. Accuracy.


card. “The first time through q-school I wasn't disappointed tomiss out because it was all new forme,” explains Peete. “I was readythe second time but didn't playwell. I finally got it the third timeand never went back.” There wasno Nationwide Tour to fall back onbut there was Monday qualifying.The Top-60 and previous tourna-ment winners were exempt for theyear while the rest - includingPeete - were known as the rabbits.They earned the moniker fromhopping from city to city at theirown expense in search of a spot inthe field. Every Monday the rab-bits would battle it out for theremaining spots in the tournament.Peete earned his way in three timesin 1975 but didn't pick up his firstcheck until the 1976 Phoenix Open- a tournament he would win nine

years later. He averaged about$20,000 those first few seasons,most of which went straight intotour expenses.

“I had a few top-tens in theearly days and knew it was only amatter of time before I won sowinning Milwaukee in 1979 wasn'ta surprise,” says Peete of his maid-en victory.

Despite his many weeks on the

road, Calvin Peete's heart was athome. “Dad always had time forus,” observed daughter NicolePeete, an Atlanta third gradeteacher. “He still does even thoughwe're apart. Dad always loved totalk and some of my fondest mem-ories are of sitting around the din-ner table just being a family andtalking. I don't ever remember dadyelling at me-he's always been sosoft-spoken. I used to love watch-ing him fiddling with the grips onhis clubs when he was home andjust listen to him talk about life.”

Calvin Peete Junior, anElkridge, Maryland realtor, echoeshis kid sister. “Dad always had agreat rapport with me. I stillremember the time when I was 16and just him and I went to NewYork. I wanted to get a car so we

visited a dealership,” says the gre-garious 37-year-old. “Dad wasteaching me how to drive standardand instead of getting all impatientlike most people would as I strug-gled with the gears, he just calmlyexplained it to me and never raisedhis voice. At that moment I foundit hard to imagine my dad hustlingproduct on the road.”

Although he wouldn't win againfor three years, Peete continued his

solid play and earned over$100,000 in 1980 and 1981 - a tidysum in those days. “People knewwhat dad was earning because ofwhat he did and everyone thoughtwe were so rich,” laughs Junior. “Ireally didn't grasp the impact ofwhat dad was doing until yearslater.”

Over the next four seasonsCalvin Peete's golf game was inthe stratosphere. He won 11 times -including the 1985 PlayersChampionship - and the undyingrespect of his peers as possibly thebest American golfer during thattime and certainly the most accu-rate. His fellow pros used to kidhim about constantly being in themiddle of the fairway with thenickname Mr. Accuracy. He playedon two Ryder Cup teams and cap-

tured the Vardon Trophy in 1984for low scoring average. The onlyknock against him was his failureto win a major, yet he collected ahandful of top-five finishes. “I wasat the top of my game at ThePlayers and I consider it mymajor,” explained Peete of thosegolden years. “I always felt com-fortable with my fellow pros andwinning brings you the respect ofothers. When I first came out Ideveloped a good rapport with Lee

“The press wasn't ready for a black man to dominate the PGA Tour and

some of them expected me to self-destruct.”


Elder, Charley Sifford and JackNicklaus. Tom Kite, LannyWadkins and I became goodfriends. We all got along but let'sface it, we wanted win.”

Inexplicably, some golf instruc-tors have credited Peete's leg-endary accuracy off the tee to hisbent arm while at the same timeignoring golf's cardinal rule: keepyour left arm straight. “Dad wasone of the best ball strikers thatever lived and certainly the mostaccurate, yet some people refuse togive him the credit he deserves,”chimes in Calvin's son Rick, an ITconsultant and actor. “I think dadwas very underrated as a playerand I wonder if some of the reasonis that he's African American. Idon't think people were ready forhim when he started winning tour-naments.” His father agrees. “Itwas different when Tiger Woodscame along because everyone waswaiting for him. They had beenhearing about him since he was achild. The press wasn't ready for ablack man to dominate the PGATour and some of them expectedme to self-destruct.”

Even with his success, darkclouds were looming on the hori-zon. “Even though I continued toplay well and win after 1982, Istarted finding it tougher to focus,”explains Peete of what would yearslater be diagnosed as TouretteSyndrome. “I was constantlychanging my grip and what wasleft became right on the golfcourse. I literally had to think inreverse when hitting a shot. Hepicked up a pair of victories in1983 but wouldn't win again untilthe tail end of 1984. “I think I triedtoo hard for a while there and the

Tourette's made it worse although Ididn't know what was happening atthe time. Naturally since I hadn'twon in a while I was accused oftaking drugs. You know, everytime a black athlete has a slump it'salways drugs,” stated Peete sarcas-tically. “Those comments reallyhurt.”

He won twice in 1985 and1986 - his last victory at what isnow the Zurich Classic of NewOrleans - before it all started tounravel in 1987. His marriage toChristine collapsed, sending himinto a depression. Feeling as if hefailed, his game plummeted -exacerbating his neurological dis-order.

After a brief stint in Phoenix,Calvin Peete remarried and movedback to Florida, playing theChampions Tour for eight yearswith moderate success while fight-ing the disease that eventuallyforced him to retire. “I thank Godfor Pepper and my family,” saysPeete. “She's been a real blessingas have my kids.” He stays in con-stant touch with his grown childrenand is supportive of their variedcareers.

“Dad and I are very close. Ialways remember sitting on thecouch with him and watchingcartoons. He used to take me forice cream and we would just talkabout things. He tried to teach megolf but all I ever wanted to dowas drive the golf cart,” remi-nisced daughter Calvinetta, aWashington D.C. law schoolgraduate. “I remember at schoolonce I turned in a paper and thelaw professor saw my name andasked if I was related to CalvinPeete. When I told him who I

was he wanted to know every-thing about dad rather than me.”

Over the years Calvin Peeteemphasized the importance of agood education and the kids havetaken dad's advice. “I grew up in achurch and consider myself a spiri-tual man,” says Dad. “My wife andkids attend church every Sunday. Iknow about love and have passedthat on to my children. I haveseven children from my two mar-riages and I have always wantedwhat's best for them. When I wasplaying I used to think that witheach dollar I earned I could sendmy kids to college.”

“What's interesting about dad isthat although he never got the typeof education we did, he has a lifeeducation,” explains son Calvin.“What he has accomplished andlearned and passed on to us is tentimes greater than anything thatcan be written about him. He wason medication for a while withTourette's but he came off it and isdoing great. His mind is extraordi-nary and his advice to us is alwaysright on. He once said to me 'Justremember, you are your wife andchildren.' It really made me realizethe importance of marriage andfamily.”

Nicole Peete concurs with hersiblings. “I talk with dad everyweek. He's a very smart man andI'm extremely proud of him. Dadgrew up poor and how he has risenabove all the obstacles in his life isamazing. It shows what you canachieve despite what life throws atyou. Not only is he a wonderfulfather, he is the greatest and wisestman I have ever known. I love himso much.” MG


Five-foot-seven Greg Davieswas the giant-killer of the95th Michigan Amateur

Championship, knocking medalist

and 2002 champion KoreyMahoney in the quarterfinals, thenMichigan State golf team memberBrandon Cigna, 5-4, in the semifi-

nal and dusting Spartan All-BigTen 6-foot-5 Ryan Brehm by thesame stunning 5-4 margin to earnthe Staghorn Trophy.

The 95th Michigan Amateur Championship was played on the Heather at Boyne Highlands.

Greg Davies Wins 95th Michigan Amateur

By Jack Berry

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“This is the Granddaddy tourna-ment, the one every amateur wantsto win,” said Davies who has beenplaying the Amateur for nearly 20years.

Davies was outdriven by nearlyevery rival but he won with nearlyflawless fairways and greens play.Davies, a 38-year-old financialadvisor from West Bloomfield, isthe oldest champion in the usuallycollegian-dominated Amateur sinceRandy Lewis won in 1999 at theage of 42.

Davies played college golf, too— he graduated from Oklahoma in1990 and was on the golf teamwith Todd Hamilton, winner of the2004 British Open and Craig Perks,winner of the 2002 PlayersChampionship.

“I knew my game didn’t matchthose guys so I figured I’d betterget a job,” Davies said, laughing.

He’s compiled a good amateurrecord including the 2005 GolfAssociation of Michigan Mid-Amateur title which he also won atBoyne Highlands, two SyronMemorials, two Michigan PublinxMatch Plays, and a MichiganMedal Play championship. It was atthe Horton Smith/Michigan MedalPlay earlier this year that a case ofthe yips led him to switch to a longputter. He tucks the end of the grip

into his left armpit and he’s beenmaking nearly everything since.

Davies was 1-under-par indefeating Brehm who rarely usedhis balky driver in favor of a 2-iron. Consequently, Brehm’s teeshots landed in the same area asDavies’ driver. But Davies’ ironshots invariably finished below thehole and Brehm had scary downhillputts. With the Heather course’sgreens firm and sun-baked, any-thing above the hole was fatal.

“I dug myself into a hole,” saidBrehm, 20, who will be a junior atMSU in the fall. “The greens werefaster than they were in the morn-ing (semifinal when he defeatedJohn Barry, 3-2) and they were intough spots but they were fair. “Idug myself a hole early when Gregbirdied the third hole and I was 5down at the turn. I tried to makethings happen, I scratched andclawed and it was pretty much thatway all week.”

But Brehm said he felt goodabout going into the MichiganOpen at the Bear and Davies willbe there too. So will Mahoney, whofinished his college career atEastern Michigan and is turningpro at the Open on the Bear atGrand Traverse Resort and Spa.

This was the second time theAmateur’s been played at theHeather and the jewel of northern

Michigan golf, designed by RobertTrent Jones and celebrating its 40thanniversary, never looked better as itproved once again it is a champi-onship course with its 10 doglegs, 60deep bunkers with sparkling newPGA Tour sand. With no rain sinceMonday, the greens were lightning-quick for putts from above the hole.Davies’ putt on the par 3 sixth sliddown off the green and nearly wentinto the bog. He had to chip back andbogied the hole as did Brehm whothree-putted it.

There was another slipperyslope for slow players during thechampionship. The GAM adoptedthe Pace pf Play policy that’s beenin effect in a number of otherstates. The pace is 15 minutes perhole and if the whole group isbehind that time at the turn, eachone is penalized a stroke. If thegroup finishes the 18th hole afterthe expected time there is a twostroke penalty if it is the secondbreach, a one stroke if the first.

“It takes away officials holdingstop watches,” Director of Rules andCompetition Ken Hartmann said.“There are atomic clocks at the fifth,ninth, 14th and 18th greens so play-ers can see their time.”

Six players were penalized overthe first two days of qualifyingstroke play and the word spreadfast to keep pace. MG

10 S P R I N G 2 0 0 6 • M I C H I G A N G O L F E R M A G A Z I N E

95th Michigan Amateur on the Web:

http://michigangolfer.com/2006shows/boynegolf/


Circling Raven

Jud Heathcote sits in the club-house of Circling Raven GolfClub in Worley, Idaho.

He’s got a wad of money onone side of the table and a load ofscorecards on the other. He’s

laughing and joking with a handfulof guys after a day on the links,miles away from where he cameinto fame.

Heathcote looks nothing like themaniac who roamed the sideline

for decades at Michigan StateUniversity, winning a nationalchampionship with Magic Johnsonin 1979.

As the Spartans coach,Heathcote would rant and rave and

by Jason Deegan

Jud Heathcote and Idaho Golf

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with his signature move, bang hishead with the fist repeatedly after aboneheaded play. But in this set-ting at Circling Raven, roughly 30miles away from his retirementhome in Spokane, Wash.,Heathcote is enjoying a moment ofserenity now.

“It’s a beautiful course, one ofthe best I’ve played,” Heathcotesays.

Circling Raven seems to havethat soothing affect on just abouteverybody. He is among thelengthy list of stars who has vis-ited this unlikely golf outpost inthe northern panhandle of Idahoand come away raving. Moviestars like Samuel L. Jackson andDennis Franz (former NYPDBlue star) and Hall of Famers,such as point guard JohnStockton and baseball’s JoeMorgan, and even pro golfershave gone out of their way toplay Circling Raven, an 7,189-yard amenity of the Coeurd’Alene Casino Resort & Hotel.

PGA Tour star Rich Beem holdsthe record on the three-year-oldcourse with a 65. The most recentcelebrity sighting was the LPGA’sWendy Ward.

“Circling Raven is a lush,beautiful golf course that chal-lenges you from start to finish,”says Ward, a 3-time member of theU.S. Solheim Cup Team. “Thegreens are similar to U.S. Opensetups in that it is helpful to posi-tion your ball in the correct quad-rant of the green. And the settingof Circling Raven, out in thegrassy, rolling hills, is so relaxingand beautiful.”

Circling Raven teams with theCoeur d’Alene resort course, andits famous floating island green, innearby Coeur d’Alene to provideone of the nation’s most uniquegolf destinations. The two are partof the northern loop of the nine-course Idaho Golf Trail, the state’sversion of Alabama’s successfulRTJ Golf Trail.

Idaho’s panhandle offers upwonderful rolling terrain for golfand scenic lake-front settings,much like northern Michigan.Don’t confuse the Coeur d’AleneResort and the Coeur d’AleneCasino Resort & Hotel despitetheir similar names.

The Coeur d’Alene CasinoResort & Hotel(www.cdacasino.com or 800-523-2464) and Circling Raven inWorley are owned and operated bythe Coeur d’Alene Indian Tribe ona reservation covering 345,000acres, spanning the western edgeof the northern Rocky Mountains.

The casino, once just a tinybingo operation, has brought lifeback to the tribe that just 15 yearsago suffered from 80 percentpoverty, according to BobBostwick, director of public rela-tions for the resort.

“There were 75 jobs in 1991(within the tribe),” he says. “Thereare now 1,300, including 800 at theresort. Within (the near future),we’ll have an RV park, 225 hotelrooms and another course. If you’dseen the area 12 years ago, thechanges have been immense.”

While the 202-room hoteland casino are nice, the course is a

blockbuster. It offers up almost asmuch risk-and-reward as the casino.

Florida-based architectGene Bates, who once teamed withFred Couples, let the open, sweep-ing prairie land dictate his routing.Of the 620 acres available, only100 are maintained, giving the lay-out a natural feel.

Wetlands play into 13 holes.There’s no sense in listing the sig-nature holes. At least 10 of themare worthy of such praise, but thepar-5 12th and the downhill par-415th, carved from the pines, arememorable. The course is namedafter Circling Raven, a spirituallypowerful leader from the tribe whoused the raven to guide him onjourneys, warn of danger and showthe way to fish and game.

Your round might turn into aspiritual, soul-stirring journey aswell. Golf Magazine, in its Sept.2006 issue, wrote the course“would have a significant impacton our 2008 Top 100 Courses YouCan Play rankings.”

The 25-acre practice facilityand the clubhouse grub live up toCircling Raven’s high standards.

About 25 minutes away, thelone course at the Coeur d’AleneResort (www.cdaresort.com) hasbeen nationally renown since open-ing in 1991.

The Scott Miller creation pro-vides one of the greatest experiences,or gimmick some might say, in golf.The tee shot and ensuing boat ride tothe floating island green on the par 314th hole should be on everygolfer’s to-do list, much like playing

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Floating Green

Pebble Beach Golf Links and visit-ing Ireland and Scotland.

The 15,000-square-foot greencomplex, decorated with threepines, splashes of red flowers andtwo bunkers, is made of 105 foam-filled concrete blocks. Acting as apontoon attached to computer-operated cables, the whole thingcan be moved on a daily basis,ranging from 100 yards to 175.

But the island green isn’t theonly attraction. The course ismeticulously conditioned withmore than 59,000 flowers plantedthroughout. The carts are custom-built with heated seats. The rakes

for the bunkers are hidden in theground next to each hazard, intelli-gently out of play.

A recent redesign, complet-ed in 2005, stretched the layoutfrom a sporty 6,300 yards to amanly 6,735 yards. Besides being abeauty, it’s now a beast, too.

While it doesn’t have a casino,the Coeur d’Alene Resort, one ofjust 12 to receive a Gold Medalrating from Golf Magazine in itslatest rankings of the country’s topresorts, does have an award-win-ning spa and five restaurants on-site. Two hand-crafted HonduranMahogany water taxis, another

luxurious amenity, shuffle playerson the lake to and from the course.

Are you sold on a visit yet?Contrary to what you mightbelieve, there is world-class golf,and more, in Idaho. As Heathcotemight say, Circling Raven and theCoeur d’Alene resort course are aslam dunk. They’re as good a 1-2punch for golfers as Johnson andGreg Kelser were for Spartan fansback in that magical season of ‘79.

For more information on thesetwo and other courses of the IdahoGolf Trail, visitwww.inidaho.com/idahogolftrail orcall 800-844-3246. MG

If the Michigan Open remains atGrand Traverse Resort, ScottHebert may double Al Watrous’s

record of six Open victories.Hebert, recently named head

professional of Grand Traverse, tiedthe late Oakland Hills Country Clubprofessional’s record Thursday anddid it in high style on a Chamber ofCommerce and Tourism blue sky,total sun day.

With the Navy’s Blue Angelsroaring overhead, practicing fortheir weekend National CherryFestival show, Hebert thunderedaround the Jack Nicklaus-designed Bear in 68-70-67-70—275, 12 under par, and won the$92,000 championship by fourshots over Brian Stuard of Jackson,a 2005 graduate of OaklandUniversity who turned professionallast fall and currently is playing onthe Hooters Tour.

Randy Hutchison, 19, a sopho-more at Michigan State andTraverse City resident who is a bagboy at the resort, bogied the 17thhole and fell into a third place tiewith first round leader Scott Hayesof Ypsilanti’s Miles of Golf.

Watrous, long known as“Michigan’s Most Titled Golfer,”won his six Opens on five differentcourses over a spread of 23 years,from 1926 to 1949. All six ofHebert’s have come at GrandTraverse and they’ve come in aspan of 10 years.

Hebert, a native of Escanaba,likes the north country. Formerlyan assistant professional at Grand

Traverse, he first played the Bearin 1995 and finished 11th, hispoorest finish. Since then he’s beensecond twice, losing a playoff toJeff Roth in 1998, third once andfourth the last two years while hewas working at Sunnybrook GolfClub in Grand Rapids.

Hebert also has played variousprofessional tours but now is set-tled Up North.

“My last day at Sunnybrookwas one week ago so I’ve been onthe job here one week,” Hebertsaid, smiling. “It’s sweet comingback. It hasn’t sunk in yet (sixtitles) but that’s a pretty major featand I’m proud of it. I guess I’mstill young enough that I may winanother one – if it stays here it’dbe prettygood forme.”

The 5-foot, 9-1/2-inch, 170-pound Hebert isn’t a particularlylong hitter, unlike the many colle-gians who play in the Open, buthe’s an accurate driver and astrong iron player, admirable qual-ities on any course but particularlyon the Bear, once the most-fearedcourse in Michigan golf and, backwhen the Open was first playedon it 25 years ago, it was a night-mare for most. The “worst ball,”the highest score on each hole,had nines of 81 and 80 in that firstyear when Randy Erskine won.

Hebert was tied with Erskine formost Open victories until this one

and Erskine, 55, professional atGreat Oaks Country Club inRochester, said “I wouldn’t be at allsurprised to see him run pastWatrous without any problem.

“I was trying to get six and gotclose at one point but I wouldn’t sayI let any get away. The best news forScott is, he’s a head pro now. I don’tsee any stopping him. He may windouble figures,” Erskine said.

While being head pro usually isa restriction on the pro’s playingtime, Grand Traverse wants Hebertto play and fly the resort flag. Hestill has a long way to match theWatrous overall record, though.Watrous won the Michigan PGAtitle nine times, first when he was23 and last when he was 55. Heberthasn’t won one. But then, it hasn’tbeen played on the Bear. MG


Scott Hebert Wins His 6th Michigan Open

by Jack Berry

Scott Hebert

Michigan Open on the Web:

http://michigangolfer.com/2006shows/michiganopen/

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Aloaf of bread a bottle of wine and golf? Okay, thou is pretty hardto replace, but there is a movement to couple the wonderful pur-suits of golf and wine in Sip and Chip events throughout the U.S.

Wine and Golf - Sip and Chip

by Art McCafferty

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and Canada. In fact, at John

Daly’s new course in Niagara,you might see him grip it, ripit, chip it and then sip it.Thundering Waters is nearRockway Glen Golf Course &Estate Winery, one of the fewwineries that have a golfcourse attached

There have been someattempts at a Sip it and Chip itprogram in Traverse City.When John Jessup was at HighPointe, he tried to start such aprogram with some of the localwineries on the Leelanau andOld Mission Peninsulas and atthe time, the Park Place Hotel.

There was a time, whenPaul Nine of Grand TraverseResort fame, was trying to buysome land on Old MissionPeninsula to create a new golf

course there, but was thwartedin his plans. A golf coursethere could have blended innicely with the Bowers HarborVineyards, Brys EstateVineyard & Winery, ChateauChantal, Chateau GrandTraverse and PeninsulaCellars.

The Leelanau Peninsula,however, is a differentmatter. They have the

fine Mistwood, KingsChallenge and The LeelanauClub at Bahle Farms.

The wineries are plentiful onthat side of Grand TraverseBay. The Leelanau Peninsula

wineries include Bel Lago


Bob Begin, President and CEO, Chateau Chantal

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Vineyard and Winery, BlackStar Farms, Chateau Fontaine,Chateau de Leelanau Vineyardand Winery, Cherry RepublicWinery, Ciccone Vineyard andWinery, Gill’s Pier Vineyard& Winery, Good HarborVineyards, L. Mawby,Leelanau Wine Cellars,Longview Vineyard & Winery,Shady Lane Cellars andWillow Vineyard.

The opportunity seems tobe there thinks Bob Begin,CEO of Chateau Chantal. Witha smattering of Bed andBreakfasts in the wineriesthemselves it seems like a nat-ural tie in. I’ll certainly drinkto that. MG


Mark Johnson, Vice President and Winemaker, Chateau Chantal

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BOYNE FALLS, MI (7/26/06) –Michael Harris, a 28-year-old tour-ing professional from Troy, shot 67on the Monument Course in theGoyne Tournament of Championsfinal round to successfully defendthe crown he’s now won four times.Harris commanded the $12,000 first-place check, but his other T of Ctitles had already yielded the tradi-tional green blazer and Country Clubof Boyne membership.

“Maybe they should just donateBay Harbor to me,” Harris joked.“Seriously, I enjoy coming backand my goal is to put my name onthe trophy as many times as I can.I love the competition.”

Harris wrote his name in therecord books by shooting anAlpine course record 62 in the sec-ond round. He began the finalround a stroke behind fellow mini-

tour player Eric Jorgensen. Histhree-round total of 15-under-parwas enough to overcome and thenbest runner-up Jorgensen by fourstrokes. “I was happy I maintainedpoise and didn’t try to force any-thing. I just tried to stay steady andI knew that if I just kept going for-ward I’d be alright. It was kind ofa plodding round,” said Harris,“but it’s my first win this year, andit’s always good to get back into

Mike Harris Wins Tournament of Champions on the Monument Course, Boyne Mountain Resort, July 26

Courtesy of Michigan PGA

Michael Harris WinsHis 4th Tournament of

Champions

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the winner’s circle. Hopefully it’s asign of good things to come.”

Harris previously won theTournament of Champions in 2000,’03, and ’05.

The University of Michiganalum and Troy native who nowlives in Shorewood, WI also wonlast year’s Michigan Open and theCanadian Tour’s PlayersChampionship at Bay Mills Resortin Brimley.

Harris is currently 26th on theCanadian Tour’s Order of Meritand 138th on the Nationwide Tourmoney list. He is hoping to receivea sponsor’s exemption to nextweek’s PGA Tour event, the BuickOpen at Warwick Hills CountryClub in Grand Blanc. If not, he’llplay the same Canadian Tour eventin Montreal to which Jorgensen isheaded.

Jorgensen, who won theTournament of Champions in 2004,lost the lead by shooting a final

round 72 on Boyne Mountain’s6,785-yard Monument Course.“It’s tough. I haven’t been in con-tention for a long time and I knewI’d be nervous. Why wouldn’t Ibe nervous?” Jorgensen asked.“Once I lost confidence in my teeshots I couldn’t recover. I waskeeping myself calm and makingpars to keep myself in the game,but I was making mistakes, and Iknew it.”

Jorgensen, a Michigan State

University graduate now living inOconee, FL, has been playing onthe Canadian Tour, this year, wherehe ranks 71st, and has won only$4,225 over seven events. The 26-year-old collected $5,300 as TofCrunner-up.

“This tournament usually givesme a boost, but being runner-up isnot as good as being the winner,”said Jorgensen. I thought about thistournament three months ago andknew I wanted to come here andget my confidence up.” He was

likely not looking forward toBoyne’s Monument course. Afterthe opening two rounds were con-tested on Boyne’s Alpine course,the final round of the Tournamentof Champions was held on TheMonument.

“I’m comfortable on the Alpinebut there are some shots onMonument that I just don’t feel com-fortable playing,” Jorgensen admit-ted, even sighting that he was afraidof heights, so elevated tee shots, like

the 565-yard first hole and the 517-yard fifth, made him nervous.

Reigning Michigan Open cham-pion Scott Hebert, at 5-under-par,finished in third place, his seventhtop-five finish in the Tournamentof Champions. Michigan StateUniversity golf coach StacySlobodnik-Stoll was the lowestfemale competitor finishing at 1-uner-par. Ian Harris, of WalledLake, was both low-amateur andlow-senior, with a three-round totalof 3-under-par.

Final:

Overall leaders: Mike Harris 72-62-67 - 201 -15

Low amateur: Ian Harris 72-69-72 - 213 -3

Low Female: Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll 72-70-73 - 215 -2

Low Senior: Ian Harris 72-69-72 - 213 -3

“I enjoy coming back and my goalis to put my name on the trophy

as many times as I can.”


1st Michael Harris Shorewood 72 62 67 201 -15 $12,000

2nd Eric Jorgensen Grandville 68 65 72 205 -11 $5,300

3rd Scott Hebert Grand Traverse Resort 71 71 69 211 -5 $4,000

4th George Bowman Oakhurst Golf Country 73 69 70 212 -4 $1,975Brian Cairns Highland Golf Center 72 71 69 212 -4 $1,975

6th Ian Harris-A Walled Lake 72 69 72 213 -3 $750Gary Smithson Thousand Oaks Golf Club 71 73 69 213 -3 $1,400

8th Randy Erskine Great Oaks Country Club 70 72 72 214 -2 $1,175Charles Pasco Grosse Ile Golf CC 71 70 73 214 -2 $1,175

10th John DalCorobbo Forest Akers GCMSU 71 68 76 215 -1 $1,025Dave Kendall Kendall Academy of Golf 68 72 75 215 -1 $1,025Stacy Slobodnik-A Haslett 72 70 73 215 -1 $500

13th Lee Houtteman Bay Meadows Golf Cou 71 70 75 216 Even $893.75Lynn Janson Egypt Valley Country C 71 75 70 216 Even $893.75Thom Piscopink Wayne 70 70 76 216 Even $893.75Adam Walicki Jackson 71 71 74 216 Even $893.75

17th Bob Ackerman Bob Ackerman Golf 75 69 73 217 +1 $740Kenneth Allard Detroit Golf Club 73 75 69 217 +1 $740Ron Beurmann Country Club of Jackson 74 71 72 217 +1 $740Ryan Brehm-A Mt. Pleasant 70 75 72 217 +1 $490Robert Makoski Van Dyke Sports Center 73 74 70 217 +1 $740Andy Matthews Ada 73 70 74 217 +1 $740Kevin Muir The Wyndgate 76 74 67 217 +1 740Barry Redmond Lenawee Country Club 73 72 72 217 +1 $740John Traub TNT Enterprises 75 72 70 217 +1 $740

26th Mark Black Fortress 75 71 72 218 +2 $670Elaine Crosby Jackson 69 72 77 218 +2 $670Peter Green-A Franklin 72 73 73 218 +2 $480Tom Harding Kendall Academy of Golf 73 75 70 218 +2 $670

30th Ron English Charlotte Country Club 69 75 75 219 +3 $650Jerry Gunthorpe-A Ovid 72 75 72 219 +3 $465Bill McDonald-A Troy 72 74 73 219 +3 $465

119 champions of all varietiesbegan the Tournament ofChampions competing againsteach other for a purse of $65,000from staggered tees. The two-

round cut came at 153, andHarris emerged the winner from aremaining field of 71 profession-als, amateurs, women, men, jun-iors and seniors. While the field

is diverse, the entrants had onething in common: they’d all cap-tured an important, sanctionedstate title at some stage in theirplaying career. MG

Final Scores


33rd Steven Cuzzort-A Grosse Ile 70 78 72 220 +4 $445Bill Zylstra-A Westland 71 72 77 220 +4 $445

35th Shawn Koch Lawrenceville 74 72 75 221 +5 $635Timothy Matthews Scotts 74 72 75 221 +5 $635Mike Ray-A Dearborn 70 80 71 221 +5 $430

38th Steven Brady Oakland Hills Country 74 75 73 222 +6 $610Larry Mancour Life Member 71 75 76 222 +6 $610Jamie Wiest DeWitt Golf Center 72 77 73 222 +6 $610

41st Agim Bardha Red Run Country Club 72 76 75 223 +7 $575Jeff Champine-A Rochester Hills 77 71 75 223 +7 $420David VanLoozen Edgewood Country Club 73 74 76 223 +7 $575Mark Zelazny Dearborn Country Club 70 77 76 223 +7 $575

45th Andrew Bethune The Sawmill GC 74 76 74 224 +8 $557.50Korey Mahoney East Lansing 73 77 74 224 +8 $557.50Kirk Scheerhorn Wuskowhan Players Club 78 74 72 224 +8 $557.50Christian Vozza Grand Traverse Resort 71 78 75 224 +8 $557.50

49th Bill Baldwin King Par Golf Corporat 74 69 82 225 +9 $540Jeffrey Cuzzort Grosse Ile 76 74 75 225 +9 $540John Seltzer The Polo Fields Golf Club 75 72 78 225 +9 $540

52nd Tom Fortuna Shenandoah Golf Count 80 71 75 226 +10 $517.50Jeff Gniewek Prestwick Village Golf 75 75 76 226 +10 $517.50Joe Hill-A Shelby Township 75 75 76 226 +10 $410John Nolan Van Dyke Sports Center 74 76 76 226 +10 $517.50Michael Pearson Crystal Mountain Resort 75 75 76 226 +10 $517.50Robert Pillard Duck Lake Country Clu 73 76 77 226 +10 $517.50David Zielinski DeWitt Golf Center 75 76 75 226 +10 $517.50

59th Paul Haase Kendall Academy of Go 77 70 80 227 +11 $495Theodore Kondratko Life Member 78 75 74 227 +11 $495Fred Muller Crystal Downs Country 74 78 75 227 +11 $495

62nd Brian O’Neill Boyne Mountain Resort 77 75 76 228 +12 $485

63rd Aaron Bush Flushing Valley GCC 78 73 78 229 +13 $462.50Josh Fryer Franklin Hills Country 77 76 76 229 +13 $462.50

65th Mike Raymond-A Jackson 75 75 80 230 +14 $395Jack VanEss-A Gand Rapids 80 72 78 230 +14 $395

67th John Gregus Copper Ridge Golf Club 77 74 80 231 +15 $415Gary Robinson Foundation Learning Ce 74 76 81 231 +15 $415

69th Claud Johnston-A Westland 75 77 80 232 +16 $370Luigi Spadafora-A Milford 75 75 82 232 +16 $370Tommy Valentine Lochmoor Club 82 71 N


The Final Ford SeniorPlayers Championship

This year’s edition of theFord Senior PlayersChampionship—the final in

a Michigan run that started in1990—opened on Thursday, July13, 2006 with a burst of birdiesand low scores before limping tothe bogey-marked finale onSunday, July 16. It may not havebeen the most memorable tourna-ment in the long stretch inDearborn, Michigan, but it offeredglimpses why the Champions Tourprovides galleries with amazingartistry from veteran players.

Tournament play started onThursday with a popular veteranand an unheralded performer tiedfor the lead. Fuzzy Zoeller, alwaysa fan favorite with his quick banterand stellar play, registered a seven-under par 65 behind eight birdiesover the demanding TPC ofMichigan course, a Jack Nicklausdesigned layout in Dearborn.

“One thing you want to do on theChampions Tour is get out of thebox,” explained Zoeller after com-pleting his first round. “That’s onething this year I haven’t been doing.I’ve always put myself kind of in ahole the first round. These guys outhere like to shoot and shoot fast.Everybody has got a six-shooter andthey’re all very quick on the trigger.It’s kind of nice to get out of the boxand play under par.”

Journeyman Ron Streck, whowarmed up for the tournament byputting siding on his garage the pre-vious weekend after missing the cutat the Senior Open, matched Zoellerwith his best golf of the year, around that saw him record fivestraight birdies on the back nine.

“I like the golf course,” Strecksaid following his round. “I’msorry we’re not going to play hereanymore. This is only my secondyear to play here, but I like the golfcourse. I think there are justenough difficult shots to make thegolf course go one way or theother as far as the scores.”

A stable of twenty-three talent-ed golfers lurked within four shotsof the lead, including BruceLietzke at 67, Jay Haas and TomKite at 68, and Dana Quigley, TomWatson, and tour newcomer FredFunk at 69.

Sweltering conditions that sawtemperatures soar into the 90s tookits toll on the field during the sec-ond round. Twenty-nine playersstood within four shots of the lead,which moved only to eight-underpar, one stroke better than postedon Thursday. Eight players endedthe day tied for the lead, includingTom Watson and Gil Morgan.

“It’s like that every year here,”

said Tom Watson. “It just seemseveryone’s between five and eight-under par after two rounds.” Headded that he felt excited with thecondition of his game. “That’s thebest I’ve struck the ball since earlierin the year,” stated Watson, “so that’sa good sign. I just can’t wait to getout there again tomorrow to play.”

Joe Ozaki notched the mostspectacular round of the tourna-ment. After parring the first hole,he ran off a string of eight straightbirdies—tying a tour record—topost an incredible eight-under 28on the front nine. After parring thetenth hole, Ozaki birdied theeleventh, then stumbled a bit onthe way in with a one-over 37. His65, however, vaulted him into a tiefor first place.

They were followed one shotback by Fuzzy Zoeller, who camein with an even-par round, twoshots back by Loren Roberts, JayHaas, and Tom Kite, and threeshots by Fred Funk. Rain forcedthe suspension of round two withtwenty players, including Ozaki,still on the course. Those twentyfinished their rounds Saturdaymorning, before play commencedon the third round.

Spectators hoping for someoneto break out of the pack during thethird round were not disappointed.

By John Wukovits


Loren Roberts needed only twenty-five putts in his eight-under par,bogey-free round of 64 to grab atwo-shot lead over Lonnie Nielsenand a three-shot lead over BradBryant and tour workhorse DanaQuigley.

Loren Roberts attributed thework he has recently put in on hisgame for his great results. “I’vebeen working at my game prettyhard for the last four months. Imade a couple of adjustments, onein the golf swing and one in theputting stroke. Yesterday, aboutthe last three or four holes, I hitsome better shots and made somebetter putts.”

Gil Morgan remained in thehunt with a one-under 71, placinghim five shots off the pace, butTom Watson all but shot himselfout of the tournament with a 78.However, as play headed intoSunday’s final round, 14 golferswere within six shots of the lead.A shootout in the grand tradition oftournaments past loomed.

The epic duel failed to material-ize as one after another, leadersstumbled in the blistering heat thatsaw Gil Morgan walk the fairwayswith a wet towel draped around hishead and Jim Colbert leave thecourse on the 13th hole.

Paramedics stabilized the 65-year-old by administering intra-

venous fluids, but they could dolittle for the other golfers whowatched their rounds crumble in aflurry of second-nine bogeys.

Third-round leader Loren Robertsincreased his lead to five shotsbefore losing an errant drive ion thehazard at 11, which cost him a dou-ble bogey. A bogey at the 12th holeand a second double bogey, this timeat the treacherous 14th hole, droppedhim from the lead.

Jim Thorpe, who had lurkedwithin a few shots of the lead allweek, now saw a win within hisgrasp, but a bogey on 18 put himthree shots behind Bobby Wadkins,a longtime player who had never

won on the regular PGA Tour.Consecutive birdies from the 11thto the 15th holes vaulted Wadkinsover his struggling competitors andplaced him in a comfortable spot towin for the first time.

Despite the three-stroke marginwith one hole remaining, Wadkinsalmost squandered his good for-tune. He hooked his drive into thehazard skirting the fairway’s leftside, then plunked his third shortinto a bunker guarding the green.A poor blast out of the bunker lefthim in heavy rough over the green,and had not a mediocre chip hit thepin at full speed, Wadkins mighthave landed back in the originalsand bunker. With his lead evapo-rating, Wadkins had to drain the

13-foot putt to avoid falling into atie with Jim Thorpe. He made theclutch putt to complete a four-under 68 and take the tournament. “All I was thinking was whatLanny was saying out there,” saidWadkins of his older brother,Lanny, busy in the CBS televisionbooth.

Wadkins earned $375,000 forhis victory, plus a spot in nextMay’s PGA Tour PlayersChampionship.

Some fan favorites attended thefinal Michigan version of theSenior Players Championship.Three legends—Gary Player, ChiChi Rodriguez, and Lee Trevino—

flew in as a way of saying thanksto the southeastern Michigan golffans who long made the tourna-ment a special one.

The final edition producedmixed reaction from the players.Most hated to leave such anappealing locale, but understoodthat economics propels everyindustry, including their own.

“I’m sad to see golf leave theDetroit area,” said defendingchampion Peter Jacobsen to theHeritage Newspaper Press &Guide. “It’s a great sports city.”On the other hand, Lee Trevinolaid the reasons to money. “Onceyou start losing the gallery, it’stime to go someplace else.” MG

“I’m sad to see golf leave the Detroit area. It’s a great sports city.”


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CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN RESORT,MI (7/20/06) –- LPGA professionalKris Tamulis shot a final round 70to win the $40,000 MichiganWomen’s Open presented byCentury 21 Wednesday. Tamulis,25, who summers in Onekama, fin-ished two strokes ahead of LeAnnaWicks, a 26-year-old professionalfrom Brighton, MI, who closed

with a 71. Tamulus completed thetournament, staged on CrystalMountain Resort’s Mountain RidgeCourse, with rounds of 72-75-70—217 (1-over-par). She beganWednesday’s final round twostrokes off of the lead.

“I wasn’t ever out of it. As theday wore on, I think maybe it was

getting to some of the other girls.The pressure builds. I just keptdoing what I do. I kept hitting thegreens - letting other people makemistakes,” said Tamulis.“Everyone else was starting to hitit in not so fantastic places. I wasjust going to keep going onbecause I cannot control whatthey’re doing, but I had legitimate

Kris Tamulis WinsMichigan Women’s Open

Kris Tamulis Wins Michian Women’s Open

Courtesy of Crystal Mountain Resort


birdie chances throughout most ofthe back nine.”

Tamulis, who collected $5,500for the victory, has won $54,640playing on the LPGA Tour thisseason. She arrived back in north-ern Michigan at 1 a.m. Sundaynight after competing in theLPGA’s Jamie Farr Classic inToledo over the weekend.

“I guess the pressure of peopleknowing I play on the LPGAmeans people expected me to playwell here, so it’s nice to play hereand win, said Tamulis, who madethree birdies and two bogeys. “I’mproud of the way I kept going atthe end and giving myself chancesto increase my lead.”

The 25 year-old practices regu-larly at Crystal Mountain since shesummers with her parents atAndy’s Point in Onekama.

“She was here for two weeks atthe end of June and came out toplay from time to time,” saidCrystal Mountain’s director of golfBrad Dean.

“At LPGA tournaments theyannounce my name and where Iam from and I’ve always saidMichigan. My parents and sistersstill live here and I am proud to befrom Michigan,” said Tamulis,who attended Florida StateUniversity and maintains a resi-dence in Naples. “I still say ‘pop’instead of ‘soda.’”

Tamulis will compete nextAugust 3 in the British Women’sOpen at Royal Lytham and St.Anne’s in Lancashire, England.

“I’m going to cool it for thenext couple of days and not worryabout it too much. I hit good shotstoday which make me feel better. Ihave some things to work onbefore I go to England, but I’m notgoing to worry about it for the nextcouple of days,” she said.

Wicks, who collected $4,000 asrunner-up, finished T-6 in theMichigan Women’s Open in 2003– her best previous finish. Shewithdrew from last year’s competi-tion during the third round due to apulled back muscle.

“This year is obviously muchbetter. I did a lot of training tostrengthen my back,” said Wicks,a University of Michigan gradu-ate who has been competing onthe LPGA’s developmentalFutures Tour. She began the finalround three shots off of the lead,made four birdie and threebogeys in the final round.

“I’ve been playing well.Everyone was going to do whatthey were going to do so I justfocused on my own game.”

It was a bogey on the 172-yard,par-3 17th hole that sunk Wicks.

“I hit my tee shot pin-high leftabout 40-feet from the hole andthree-putted it. My first putt rolledabout 12 feet past the hole. Thegreens were faster than they havebeen. The wind dried them out.Putting was the key here thisweek.”

She then rebounded with abirdie on the 485-yard, par-5home hole.

Wicks planned to take a fewweeks off before heading east tocompete in more Future’s Tourevents. “The money I won herehelps a lot. I’ll use it to pay mostof the $5,000 entry fee for LPGAqualifying school in September,”said Wicks, who has attempted toqualify in the past.

Wicks and Tamulis were theonly players in the field to betterpar in the final round.

Carolyn Barnett-Howe, a 44year-old head professionalAppleton, Wisconsin, and that’sstate’s reigning Women’s Openchampion, finished the tournamentat 7-over-par in third place.Australian Suzie Fisher, whoattended Tulsa University, wouldhave been tied for third place, butwas disqualified for signing anincorrect scorecard.

Sara Brown, of Tucson, AZ,finished the event as low-amateurwith a three-round total of 9-over-par. Brown, who was runner-up in2005 as well, plays college golf atMichigan State University.

Aimee Neff, an amateur fromCarmel, Indiana, aced the 146-yard, par-3 12th hole with a 5-ironshot. She finished the champi-onship at 13-over-par.

Professional and amateurgolfers from 11 different states arecompeted in the $40,000 MichiganWomen’s Open presented byCentury 21 on Crystal MountainResort’s Mountain Ridge course.First prize was $5,500. Play con-cluded Wednesday after threerounds. MG


Scott Hebert opened the sum-mer by being named thehead professional at Grand

Traverse Resort and Spa. He endedthe summer as co-owner of one ofthe state’s greatest golf records andwon the Michigan PGAChampionship in his first try.

BUICK OPEN

History was made at WarwickHills in Grand Blanc this summerwhen Tiger Woods became theyoungest player ever to win 50PGA Tour events. Woods won his50th PGA Tour title at the BuickOpen, shooting four straight 6-under 66s, Jim Furyk.

Woods reached a season-low 24under and made a career-high 28birdies in the tournament to holdoff Furyk - who closed with a 64 -for his fourth win of the year and acheck of $864,000. Woods becamethe seventh member of the PGATour’s 50-win club after improvingto 21-for-21 when leading by morethan one stroke after three rounds.The 30-year-old Woods beat JackNicklaus' record pace to the mile-stone, which Nicklaus reached in1973 at the age of 33.

MICHIGAN OPEN

Scott Hebert had been the headpro at Grand Traverse Resort andSpa for less than a week when hewon a historic sixth MichiganOpen championship on The Bear.Hebert, 37, shot a 2-under 70 inthe final round and finished the 72-hole event 12-under. He won byfour strokes over Jackson proBrian Stuard, who shot a 5-under67 in the final round. AmateurRandy Hutchison, 19, a sophomoreat MSU who works as a bag boyfor Hebert, and Scott Hayes, 28,who teaches at Miles of Golf inYpsilanti, finished tied for third,five strokes back.

Hebert is now tied with AlWatrous for the most MichiganOpen wins. Watrous won sixbetween 1926 and 1949.

MICHIGAN PGACHAMPIONSHIP

Hebert won the Michigan PGAChampionship with a 15-foot birdieputt on the third hole of a playoffwith Oakhurst Golf & Country Clubpro George Bowman.

Hebert, 36, who won his sixthMichigan Open earlier this sum-mer, shot a 4-under 68 in the final

round at Eagle Eye Golf Club inEast Lansing to finish the 54-holeevent at 3-under. Bowman, 42,who did not record a birdie in thefinal round, drained a 45-foot parputt on the 54th hole to force theplayoff.

Hebert was making his firstappearance in the Michigan PGAChampionship as he joined the sec-tion just eight months before thechampionship.

MICHIGAN WOMEN’SAMATEUR

Lindsay Davis, a WhitmoreLake resident and junior on theUniversity of Michigan golf team,avenged a loss her younger sister,Katelin, suffered when she defeat-ed Michigan State senior MandiMcConnell in the championshipmatch of the Michigan Women’sAmateur Championship at BartonHills Country Club in Ann Arbor.While McConnell defeated KatelinDavis in the tournament’s openinground of match play, LindsayDavis, 20, defeated McConnell 4and 2 in the championship match.“She beat my sister, so there was achip on my shoulder,” Davis said.

McConnell was the defendingchampion, while Davis was play-ing on her home course. MG

Hebert Headlines Summer Schedule

By Kelly HillManaging Editor


BENTON HARBOR,MI (8/6/06) – BronsonLaCassie held on todefeat Spain’s PabloMartin on Sunday toclaim the 2006Western Amateur titleand become the firstAustralian in the tour-nament’s 104-year his-tory to have his nameengraved on theGeorge R. ThorneChampionship Trophy.

LaCassie, 23, ofBrisbane, Australia,joins a list of golfsgreats who have wonthe prestigious nation-al title, includingTiger Woods, PhilMickelson and Jack Nicklaus. Butthe names of his fellow country-men absent from the trophy giveLaCassie confidence he can livehis dream of success as a profes-sional golfer.

Australians Geoff Ogilvy, AdamScott, Aaron Baddeley andMathew Goggin, who all haveprospered as professionals, areamong the Australians whoreached the Sweet 16 at theWestern Amateur at PointO’Woods G. & C.C. in BentonHarbor, yet were unable to claimthe championship.

“It definitely makes you believeyou can go on and do what they’ve

done. It is really special,” saidLaCassie, the Western Amateur’sfirst international champion sinceMichael Kirk, of Johannesburg,South Africa, won in 2000, andonly the third foreign champion inhistory. Jim Nelford, of Canada,won in 1977.

“Definitely winning a trophyTiger’s won feels special and issomething I’ll never forget.Individually, its the biggest thingthat’s happened to me in mycareer.”

LaCassie, 23, a junior at theUniversity of Minnesota, tookcommand of the match on the backnine after he and Martin, 20, of

Malaga, Spain, madethe turn all-square.LaCassie won the par4, 10th with a 12-footbirdie putt, then cardedback-to-back birdies onthe par 5, 13th and par4, 14th to take a 3-uplead. Martin answeredby winning the par 5,15th, with a concededeagle putt, and the par4, 16th, also with aconceded birdie putt,after LaCassie missedthe greens on both ofhis approaches.

Undaunted,LaCassie answered onthe 208-yard, par 3,17th, hitting a 5-iron to

eight feet below the cup and curl-ing the putt in for a birdie and the2 and 1 victory.

“I felt on 15 I got a littleunlucky with a flier over the green,and on the 16th I had an awkwardyardage,” said LaCassie.

Not much else went wrong forLaCassie. “I really felt confidentout there,” he said. “I never gotnervous. I pretty much knew whereall my shots were going to go.”

LaCassie, who was beaten byMartin by four strokes when theywere paired in the third round ofthis year’s NCAA championship,knew he would have to play his

LaCassie Wins 2006Western Amateur

Courtesy of Western Golf Association

2006 Western Amateur champion Bronson LaCassie holds theGeorge R. Thorne trophy with Western Golf AssociationPresident Rich Peterson after his 2 and 1 match play win overPablo Martin Sunday, August 6.

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best. “He’s a great player. He’swon a lot of college events and isvery experienced,” LaCassie said.“I knew he was going to be toughto beat.”

Martin, a first-team All-American and a member ofOklahoma State’s 2006 NCAAChampionship team, creditedLaCassie’s clutch putting as thedifference in the match. “I had mychances,” Martin said. “You canalways hit it closer and make moreputts. I had birdie chances. He justplayed better than me.”

Forced to withdraw from his firstWestern Amateur a year ago due tomuscle soreness in his arms afterbeing introduced to water-skiing acouple of daysbefore the com-petition, Martinmade the mostof his secondchance. “It wasa great week, afun week,” hesaid. “It’s awe-some to be at atournament likethis. It’s as goodas it gets.”

With three of the final four hail-ing from outside the United States,the internationals were heavyfavorites to prevail. “Golf’s gettingmore and more popular every-where in the world,” saidLaCassie, who chose to attend col-lege in the United States so hecould compete in the summer ama-teur circuit. “The ones you seehere (at the Western Amateur) arethe best amateurs in the world.They want to come and play here.”

Although LaCassie intends to

turn professional after he finishesschool next year– he has just oneyear of eligibility remaining– heindicated the timing depends onwhat happens. “If I’m still an ama-teur, I’ll definitely be back nextyear,” he said.

Morning SemifinalsIn the morning semifinals,

Martin defeated the lone semifinal-ist from the United States, ScottPieri, 38, of Fort Wayne, Ind., 5and 3, and LaCassie edged DawieVan Der Walt, 23, of Cape Town,South Africa, 3 and 1.

Martin moved in front of Pieriearly with a birdie on the par 5,525-yard second, then methodical-ly built the lead to 5 up through 12

en route to the win. Martin finallyclosed the door with an eagle onthe par 5, 15th after hitting a 197-yard 6-iron eight feet from the holeand making the putt.

“It was a good match,” Martinsaid. “He’s a great guy.”

“I felt great today,” said Pieri, aformer PGA professional whoregained his amateur status inMarch. “I was just a little bit off. Ididn’t play my best, and I got beat.”

Despite the loss, Pieri embracedthe experience. This was the expe-

rience of a lifetime to me, saidPieri, who played as a professionalin thee PGA TOUR tournaments in1997. “I always felt that nothingwould top my PGA TOUR events,but this was the best week I’veever had in golf.”

On Saturday, Pieri defeated twoof Martin’s teammates on the OSUCowboys national title team, 2006NCAA champion Jonathan Mooreand Tyler Leon. On Sunday, Martingot revenge. “I certainly was theunderdog, playing three collegeAll-Americans at age 38,” Pierioffered.

In the second semifinal, VanDer Walt took a 2-up lead afterLaCassie bogeyed the short, par 4

eighth. ButLaCassie wonthe par 3, 11th,then pulled all-square with aneagle on the550-yard, par 5,13th. He birdiedthe par 4, 14thto take his firstlead in thematch.

Van Der Walt, a senior at LamarUniversity, gave LaCassie a nod forplaying the better round in theirmatch. “Bronson was playing good,”he said. “I knew it was going to be atough match. He made a good putton nine not to go 3 down, and madethat eagle on 13.”

Although he plans to turn pro in2007, Van Der Walt left the dooropen for a return appearance at theWestern Amateur. “I have onemore year in school, then I’ll turnpro next summer. Maybe I’ll comeback next year,” he said. MG

“I always felt that nothing would top my PGA TOUR events, but this was the best week

I’ve ever had in golf.”

greg davies wins 95th michigan amateur

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