Hebert wins sixth Michigan PGA in seven years

I'd like to take some credit for Scott Hebert's recent win at the Michigan PGA Championship at Oakland Hills University's two courses.

But that would be a little silly. Still, I can't help but think that by dragging him out of the office a week before the championship to play a little golf on The Bear had to help. Hebert, the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa's head professional and director of instruction, talked about how he had been playing poorly, but I watched him make two birdies almost without effort in nine holes from the tips of The Bear.

At the Michigan PGA, Hebert started the day three shots off the lead and shot a final-round 3-under-par 69 on the Katke-Cousins course at Oakland University. It was just one of four rounds under par on the final day, and put him at 8-under-par 208 for the three days, and four shots ahead of Ian Ziska, the head professional at Katke Golf Club at Ferris State University, who closed with a 75.

“It’s nice to be No. 1 among your peers,” Hebert said after collecting a $6,000 first-place check, a crystal trophy and earning another inscription of his name on the Gilbert A. Currie Trophy. “To win at this point in my career when I don’t put as much effort on my game feels great. To come out and get to 8-under on two good golf courses is something to be proud of.”

Matthew Zavadil, a teaching professional with the host Oakland University Golf & Learning Center, shot a closing 71 for 214 and a tie for third place with Tom Harding of Kendall Golf Academy in Ypsilanti.

Hebert, who also has six Michigan Open victories in his career, said he hit his driver well all week, and made critical putts when needed. “I was proud of how I hit it,” he said. “It was nice playing out of the fairway most of the time. That has been my problem all summer, and not to do a commercial, but the new Titleist driver was phenomenal. Plus, I made a lot of four-footers, the kind you have to make when you really need to make them.”

Hebert, as a past PGA Professional National Champion (2008), is exempt for the 2013 club pro national championship. The next 10 golfers earned exemptions, which means Ziska, Harding, Zavadil, Brad Dean, TJ Roberts, Scott Schulte, John Seltzer, Lee Houtteman of Grand Traverse Resort, Kyle Martin of Lochmoor Club in Grosse Pointe Woods and Matt Pesta of Beacon Hills Golf Club will make the June 23-26 trip to Sun River, Ore., for the national event. Houtteman, Martin and Pesta won their spots in a four-golfer playoff for three spots. George Bowman of Oakhurst in Clarkston will be the first alternate.

“We’re going to send a strong group to Oregon,” Hebert said. “We’re all proud of our (Michigan PGA) section, and I’m proud to be on top right now.”

Michigan PGA Championship kicks off at Oakland University this week

The Michigan PGA Championship generally signifies the end of the competitive season for Michigan's top golf professionals.

Held at Eagle Eye in recent years, the 54-hole competitions starting Monday moves to the celebrated R&S Sharf and Katke-Cousins golf courses at Oakland University. The two courses are hosting the annual championship of the top club and teaching professional players for the first time. The field will split and play a round each on the two courses Monday and Tuesday with Wednesday’s closing round on the Katke-Cousins course. An estimated $46,000 purse is at stake.

Scott Hebert, a five-time champion, will defend his title, and the head professional at Grand Traverse Resort in Acme has great memories of the Oakland University golf facilities. He won the 2008 Michigan Pro-Pro Championship there with Mick DeKorver of Sunnybrook Country Club in Grandville.

Hebert, also a six-time Michigan Open champion, has won five of the last six PGA titles, interrupted in that stretch only by 2010 champion Ron Beurmann of the Country Club of Jackson. He said defending the title he won last year at Eagle Eye Golf Club in Bath will require the best golf he has played this year.

“I’ve had such a miserable year, but I hit some balls today and it seemed to be getting better,” he said in a statement. “I’m planning to get geared up to play. I would love to win again, obviously.”

Hebert, the Michigan PGA’s Player of the Year from 2006 through 2010, will be joined in the field by 2011 Player of the Year Brian Cairns of Fox Hills Learning Center in Plymouth. Cairns, a two-time Michigan PGA champion, played with the world’s top golfers in the recent PGA Championship at Kiawah Island, S.C., after earning a spot with a top 20 finish in the PGA Professional National Championship last year. The top 10 of next week’s Michigan PGA Championship earn spots in the 2013 Professional National Championship (PNC) field, the first step in qualifying for the 2013 PGA Championship. Cairns (pictured above) missed the cut at the PGA Championship the past two years, but he'll tell you just teeing it up in a major is every club pro's dream.

Learn from the best -- Scott Hebert -- at the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa

I guess I picked the right time for a two-day golf school with Scott Hebert at his new Grand Traverse Resort & Spa golf academy.

It was the day after Hebert erased a two-shot deficit on the first hole of the final round of the Michigan PGA Professional Championship en route to his fifth title in six years at Eagle Eye Golf Course. GTR's head professional shot a final round 67 and handily won by five shots over Eric Dovre.

Dovre, the first and second round leader, faltered with a bogey on the first hole while Hebert was making birdie, his first of four in the a row to start the round.

“That was a fast horse to catch,” Dovre said. “Shell-shocked is not the right word, but he came out firing and I was kind of right there with him but I made two bad swings for back-to-back double bogies (on No. 5 and 6 to finish a seven-shot swing on the leaderboard). Right then knew I wasn’t playing for first. It was like watching a Tour event; fairways, greens, no mistakes. Really a pleasure to be out there and watch that.”

Dovre finished with a 74.

“I got off to a fast start for a change,” Hebert said. “I think that rattled Eric a bit. Those first four holes were the difference.”

Only five players broke par in the final round including Brian Cairns with a 71. He finished third. Hebert won $6,500 for his efforts.

I can't tell you much about my lesson with Hebert because there's a story brewing in a major magazine, but I can say the two-day session has changed my game forever. It was a great experience, one I can recommend for others.

Houtteman wins $10,000 at Boyne's Tournament of Champions

Tournament season in Michigan hit its zenith, as several big events proclaimed winners.

Turns out, Scott Hebert, a six-time Michigan Open champ, isn't the only stud teaching out of the Grand Traverse Resort & Spa in Acme.

Lee Houtteman of Traverse City won the Boyne Tournament of Champions on the Alpine course with a birdie on the first playoff hole. The 50-year old teaching professional finished regulation at 5-under par along with Andrew Ruthkoski and Jeff Cuzzort in the 54-hole event at Boyne Mountain Resort.

Houtteman entered the final round tied for third and one shot behind leaders Cuzzort and Korey Mahoney. Mahoney struggled at the finish with bogeys on two of his last 4 holes while Houtteman birdied four of his last seven. Cuzzort birdied the last hole in regulation to earn his spot in the playoff.

All three players laid up on the par-5 18th hole. Houtteman stuck a gap wedge to four inches for an easy tap in birdie, while Cuzzort and Ruthkoski both missed their birdie putts.

“I’ve won pro-ams and chapter events,” Houtteman said after receiving the $10,000 winner’s check. “But this is special. Unbelievable. There are great players in this tournament. Heck, just last week I saw J.R. Roth playing on TV with Hale Irwin at the U.S. Senior Open. I’m thinking I have no chance.”

Mahoney finished with a final round 71 and tied for fourth with Hebert, a former champion.

The Tournament of Champions is a unique 54-hole event that pits men, women, juniors, seniors, professionals and amateurs against each other. They all have won a Michigan major golf tournament. The equalizer for the diverse field are three sets of tees on Boyne Mountain’s Alpine Course. The forward tees play to 5,905 yards and are used by all women and men age 70+. The middle tees measure to 6,562 yards and are played by men 50+ and any junior men with high school eligibility remaining. The back tees are used by all men 49 and under and measure 6,938 yards.

This is the first year Houtteman played from the middle tees. He admits “it helps me on at least 3-holes and is probably good for a couple of strokes per round.”

Not to be overlooked, Christine Meier, a Rochester Hills resident who plays at Michigan State University, won the 95th Michigan Women’s Amateur at Prestwick Village Golf Club by defeating Meagan Bauer, 1 up.

The victory was sweet, considering it came over a current University of Michigan player. “I guess the third time is a charm,” said Meier who was the runner-up last year and was ousted in the semi-finals the year before.

Bauer played near flawless golf on the back nine, but a couple of bogeys on the front hurt her in the long run.

“I played as well as I could have on the back,” said Bauer. “Christine is very consistent, that is what makes her tough to play against. You have to make birdies if you’re going to have a chance at beating her because she is going to make her pars.”

This month, you'll see fewer and fewer events as the high-school kids gear up for fall sports.

Tournament of Champions returns to Boyne for 20th annual tournament Aug. 1-3

The Tournament of Champions' unique format has provided for some interesting dynamics in recent years.

Last year at Boyne Mountain Resort's Alpine course, a 15-year-old amateur, Hentry Do of Ann Arbor, almost won the whole thing. A female, Alison Fouch, an LPGA Tour player from Michigan State University, was in the final group.

How did these two almost beat eventual champion Andy Matthews, a talented mini-tour player from Ada? Matthews, 31, won by overcoming a four-stroke lead over the last three holes to outlast Do.

The great equalizer is the participants compete at different tees. This unique 54-hole event pits men, women, juniors, seniors, professionals and amateurs against each other. To be invited, you have to win a Michigan major golf tournament. The 20th version of the tournament is set for Aug. 1-3 in Boyne Falls.

Here's the breakdown of the tees: The forward tees play to 5,905 yards and are used by men ages 70+ and all women. The middle tees measure to 6,562 yards and are played by men 50+ and any junior men with high school eligibility remaining. The back tees are used by all men ages 49 and under and measure 6,938 yards.

“It’s hard to believe this is our 20th year,” said Tournament Co-Founder Stephen Kircher.

Kevin Helm, the current Michigan PGA Executive Director marveled, “Twenty years... what an example of how committed Boyne Mountain and the Kircher family are to promoting tournament golf and all that beautiful Northern Michigan has to offer. We are truly thankful as they welcome us for the 20th year."

Seven former winners are in the field: Dan Olsen (1992), Mike Erickson (1993), J.R. Roth (1995, 1996, 1999, 2008), Tom Harding (1997), John Dal Corobbo (1998), Scott Hebert (2009) and Matthews.

There are also a number of family connections led by Peter Green and his daughter Suzy Green-Roebuck. Siblings Ryan and Natalie Brehm are playing, as are Steve and Jeff Cuzzort, Dave and Dan Ellis, John and Dave Nolan and Jerry and Kyle Roman. Two fathers and sons are also in the mix: Frank McAuliffe and Frank IV along with Nick and Jody Berklich.

Other notables in the field are freshly crowned Michigan Open Champion Randy Hutchison. There is a $55,000 purse and the champion receives a green jacket and honorary lifetime Country Club of Boyne membership. The top 70-players and ties will make the 36-hole cut.

Live scoring can be found at www.michigan.pga.com. A special thanks to Tim Hygh for much of the information in this post.

Take a winter golf trip to the Grand Traverse Resort & Spa

How about a golf getaway to Northern Michigan?

No, I'm not crazy. Yes, there's snow on the ground.

It's OK, the Grand Traverse Resort & Spa in Acme, near Traverse City, has you covered.

The resort is offering a Winter Golf Package based on double occupancy that includes two nights accommodations, two hours of instruction and one 45-minute golf clinic per person, costing $214 per person in the hotel and $261 per person in the tower.

This is the fourth winter season that the resort is operating its Winter Golf Center featuring instruction by head pro, Scott Hebert, who won the 2008 PGA Professional National Championship and is a six-time Michigan Open Champion. The center features three heated indoor/outdoor practice tees.

Lessons and practice sessions are available for adults, seniors, men, women, boys, and girls. Regular hours of operation are 10 a.m.- 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Saturday through the end of February. From March to April 3, it's 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Sunday.

Traverse City is a beautiful place to visit in winter. The resort has an indoor pool for the kids and a spa for adults. The resort's restaurants are diverse with different menus and prices, and there are dozens of more choices in the area, known as a budding foodie destination.

FYI, the package prices do not include 8% tax and $14.95 nightly resort fee. The Golf Clinic and Golf Instruction must be scheduled in advance. Check-in begins at 4 p.m. and check-out is by 11:00 a.m.

For more, visit grandtraverseresort.com.

Jackson's Ron Beurmann wins dramatic Michigan PGA Championship

EAST LANSING - The island green at the Eagle Eye Golf Club claimed another victim and yet again had a hand in the Michigan PGA Professional Championship.

Ron Beurmann of Jackson came from four strokes behind with two holes to play to win the 89th Michigan PGA Professional Championship in a playoff Aug. 25. The 50-year old Director of Golf at The Country Club of Jackson was two strokes behind entering the final round and won the tournament on the second hole of a three-man playoff.

“It’s a miracle, it’s a miracle,” he said. “The key for me winning this week is the fact I only missed two five-foot putts.”

John Seltzer of Ann Arbor held a two-stroke lead entering the final round and looked in control until his one-stroke lead vanished with a wet tee shot on the 142-yard 17th hole, which mimics the island green at the TPC of Sawgrass.

Sean Winters of Bloomfield Hills Country Club started the final round five shots behind Seltzer but got hot in the middle of the round with an eagle on 14 and a birdie on 15 before driving his tee shot into the water on the par five 18th hole. He ended with a double bogey. On the final hole, Seltzer’s layup shot found the edge of a railroad tie, leading to a double bogey. Beurmann birdied the hole as all three players finshed regulation at 10-under par.

Winters was eliminated on the first playoff hole when he again hit his tee shot into the water and ended with double bogey. Seltzer bogeyed the second hole of the playoff and Beurmann’s par was good enough to win the $7,000 first place prize and shake a 12-year draught of winning a major.

“I never gave up but it’s amazing how many times I’ve walked away from a tournament and said this is it because of my putting,” he said. “I’ve seen some crazy stuff over the years but never for me and it’s great to win in front of my friends and peers."

Four-time defending champion Scott Hebert of Grand Traverse Resort & Spa, fresh off an appearance in the PGA Championship, tied for fourth, six strokes back.

Top 10 finishers

*1, Ron Beurmann Country Club of Jackson 206 $7000.00
2, Sean Winters Bloomfield Hills Country Club 206 $3250.00
2, John Seltzer The Polo Fields in Ann Arbor 206 $3250.00
4, Scott Hebert Grand Traverse Resort Spa 212 $1800.00
4, Lee Houtteman Grand Traverse Resort Spa 212 $1800.00
6, Ian Ziska Manistee National Golf Resort 213 $1300.00
7, Eric Dovre Detroit Golf Club 214 $1100.00
8, Brian Cairns Fox Hills Golf & Banquet Center 215 $906.67
8, Christopher Johnson Thousand Oaks Golf Club 215 $906.67
8, Frank McAuliffe Ann Arbor Country Club 215 $906.67

Michigan PGA Championship returns to Hawk Hollow and Eagle Eye

It's been a busy week for golf in Michigan as the tournament scene slowly grinds to a halt as football takes over. Here's catching up on a few things.

MICHIGAN PGA PREVIEW: Scott Hebert will attempt to win his fifth consecutive Michigan PGA Championship at the Hawk Hollow Properties in East Lansing August 23-25. Hebert has been the only winner since the event moved to the Eagle Eye and Hawk Hollow golf courses in 2006. Hebert set the course record at Eagle Eye, eight-under 64, last year and coasted to a 13-stroke win.

It was recently announced that Hebert, a six-time Michigan Open golf champion and the 2008 PGA Professional National Championship, will be inducted into the Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame in 2011. The 40th annual induction banquet is April 23, 2011 at The Danforth Place in Escanaba.

“Scott is our section’s most celebrated player,” Michigan PGA Executive Director, Kevin Helm said in a release. “He just returned home from playing in the PGA Championship at Whistling Straights, he’s played in a number of PGA Tour events this year.”

Hebert’s four titles tie him with Grand Rapids’ Lynn Janson. Legendary golfers Chick Harbert (six championships) and Al Watrous (nine) are the only players in the history of this tournament with more wins. The field will feature 161 players in a 54-hole event. Players in the top 70 positions and ties will be vying for a piece of the $65,000 purse. The winner’s share is $7,000.

“We’re proud to host the championship and house the Michigan PGA Headquarters on our complex” said Alex Coss, General Manager of Hawk Hollow Properties. “PGA Professionals add so much to the game of the golf on the consumer level. It’s a privilege to have them playing here and receive such positive response to the quality of our courses.”

Past champions in the 2010 field include, two-time winners Brian Cairns from Fox Hills Golf Course, Steve Brady from Oakland Hills Country Club and Barry Redmond of Boyne Highlands. Other past champions include, John Traub of TNT Enterprises. Tom Harding of Kendall Academy of Golf, Joe Pollack of Boulder Creek Golf Club, Bob Makoski of Grosse Ile CC and Randy Erskine of Great Oaks Country Club.

HOLE IN ONE? If you celebrated a hole-in-one this year, you're eligible for the annual Detroit News/Golf Association of Michigan Hole-In-One Contest at Whispering Willows Golf Course in Livonia on Sept. 7. The tee opens at 7:30 a.m. and will remain open until there are no more contestants. Each contestant gets two swings for a chance at the grand prize: an Osprey Golf weekend getaway. The contest will be flighted by age. In addition, the Hole-In-One contest will be a fundraiser for the Folds of Honor program in the form of a raffle. Prizes include a stay-and-play package at Muskegon Country Club, golf at Meadowbrook Country Club, restaurant certificates and more. To submit entries, send your name, age, gender, phone number, and when and where you had your hole-in-one to sports@detnews.com. Also indicate what time you would like to participate in the contest (tee times start at 7:30 a.m. and run throughout the day) and if you are a GAM member.

LUCK OF THE IRISH: When Paul Sutherland pulled out of the Travis Pointe parking lot in Saline after playing in the GAM Father & Son tournament and headed home to Cleveland, Ohio, the last thing he expected was a call from his dad telling him he had won the grand prize at the tournament: A trip for two to Ireland from GAM sponsor Sullivan Golf & Travel.

“We had finished playing golf fairly quickly, and I knew we didn’t win our bracket because it was a frustrating day on the golf course, so I decided to head back home before dinner,” said Sutherland. “My dad called me a few hours later to tell me I won the grand prize and what it was. I was shocked! I never win anything!”

LUCKY CADDIE: Point O’Woods member Stan Andrei gave his caddie a nice tip after notching a hole-in-one July 23 at the Robert Trent Jones Invitational. Andrei received a Jeep Wrangler 4x4 provided by Don Brookfield Chrysler for his ace and gave it to his caddie Dave Maxey. Maxey suggested the 5-iron for the 165-yard par 3, and Andrei wasn’t sure it was enough club. Andrei told Maxey before he teed off that if he made the ace, he would give Maxey the choice of a big tip or the Jeep. Maxey, 23, who was driving the same car he has had since high school, chose the Jeep.

SUPER SUPERINTENDENT: Crystal Mountain Golf Course Superintendent Adam Ikamas has earned the credential of Certified Golf Course Superintendent (CGCS) from the Golf Course Superintendent’s Association of America (GCSAA). There are approximately 17,000 golf courses in the United States yet roughly 1,700 superintendents have earned the CGCS distinction. Ikamas, who has been Crystal Mountain’s golf course superintendent for seven years, is one of just 68 to earn certification in the state of Michigan, which has over 800 courses. An extensive certification program is required in order to earn this credential. Each applicant must submit a portfolio consisting of their responses to skill statements, case-study scenarios and submission of work samples. An on-site inspection of their golf facility is required as well as a rigorous six-hour examination covering everything from equipment and irrigation systems to project management and ethics and values. As we all know, Crystal Mountain's two courses are always in excellent shape. We can all thank Ikamas for his hard work.

Hebert prepares for 2010 club pro national championship at eye-popping French Lick Resort in Indiana

Scott Hebert got his first look at the intimidating Dye course at French Lick Resort & Casino, the host of the 2010 PGA Professional National Championship. And the head professional from Grand Traverse Resort and Spa near Traverse City liked what he saw.

“All the Pete Dye stuff is tough,” he said, just moments after listening to Dye talk about his latest course at a recent media day for the tournament. “(But) I do better on modern courses. They fit my game better.”

Hebert, the six-time Michigan Open champion, says he didn’t get to play much golf over the winter, instead settling for banging balls out of the impressive winter practice facility at Grand Traverse Resort.

Even so, Hebert is among the defending champions expected to contend at the 43rd edition of the tournament set for June 27-30. Hebert won the PNC in 2008 and was a member of the PGA team that smothered its international competition from Great Britain and Ireland last fall in the PGA Cup, a Ryder Cup competition for club pros.

The PNC will feature one round on the resort’s Donald Ross course and one of the Dye course before moving strictly to the showcase Dye course on the weekend. Hebert believes it will be a challenge to walk the Dye course.

“It’s a good course for me. You can’t overpower it,” he said. “It’s similar to The Bear. There’s a premium on irons. I look forward to playing. I hope it’s playing fast and firm.”

The event serves as a coming-out party for the resort, which has undergone a massive $500 million renovation since 2005, spearheaded by the Cook Group Inc. of nearby Bloomington, Ind. The West Baden Springs Hotel, circa 1902, once again shines as “the Eighth Wonder of the World,” thanks to its awe-inspiring six-story atrium and ornate decor. Even Al Capone, once a regular guest, would be impressed at its opulence.

The nearby luxurious French Lick Springs Hotel, another historic building dating to the turn of the last century, now offers a monstrous 51,000-square-foot casino featuring 1,300 slots and 41 table games.

As grand as the hotels are, the golf is even better.

No golf resort in the country delivers such a range of playing experiences as French Lick. Purists drool over the restored par-70 Donald Ross course, built in 1917. Its terrain ambles to and fro with endless variety … dog legs left and right, short holes, par 4s longer than 460 yards, uphill approaches, downhill tee shots. There are virtually no forced carries, but crooked lies on hillsides challenge even the best of ball strikers. It will play 6,885 yards for the 312 club pros from 43 states who have qualified for the PNC.

Dye delivers the modern ying to Ross’s old-school yang. He took a rugged, almost mountainous, site that is one of the highest points in the state, offering expansive views 40 miles in either direction, and imposed his will to find a course on it. The terrain he carved is reminiscent of Whistling Straights, host of this year’s PGA Championship.

The master of visual deception, Dye peppered ribbon-thin fairways with danger … a lateral water hazard here, a waste bunker there. Or maybe it’s a falloff zone or set of mounds that suck your ball into oblivion.

He used every trick in his bag except his signature railroad ties. He molded “volcano” bunkers – sand hazards perched atop mounds -- along the fairway of the second hole. He added “church pews,” ala Oakmont Country Club, in the fairway waste bunker on the 18th hole. Three par-5s boomerang left around steep drop-offs filled with juicy rough. Almost every green seemingly rests on stilts, surrounded by shaved collection zones. He stretched the course to a mindboggling 8,102 yards, but it will play a mere 7,174 yards in the tournament.

Todd Smith, who won the 2009 Indiana PGA Championship at The Pete Dye Course with a 9-over-par 223 for 54 holes, calls the layout “really special.”

"Mr. Dye gives you a chance to play a hole with ample room in a fairway, but when it comes to making a score on a hole, you have to be precise,” said Smith, a 47-year-old PGA head professional at Rock Hollow Golf Club and a nine-time Indiana PGA Player of the Year. “I love to play his courses."

Even by Dye’s standards, this is diabolical golf at its over-the-top best. Dye, who lives near Indianapolis, admits to being nervous how it will be received by top club pros. It’s only been open slightly over a year. And at $350 a round, it’s not for everybody.

The 84-year-old architect shouldn’t fret too much about what a few club pros might think. This course should only enhance the legacy of his hall-of-fame career. A statue of Dye guards the entrance to the course and his picture is prominently featured on every tee marker.

“This golf course is always in the eye of the beholder,” Dye said. “You always worry how it will be received. The ambience is so dramatic. … I’ve never done anything like this before. We’ll see what happens (at the tournament), for better or worse.”