Golfers teeing it up in this week's Michigan Amateur will have their hands full with the treacherous greens of the Oakhurst Golf & Country Club in Clarkston.
The 99th Michigan Amateur, run by the Golf Association of Michigan, tees off with stroke play on Tuesday and Wednesday, followed by 64 players who then advance to match play starting Thursday until a champion is crowned Sunday.
Tom Werkmeister, 42, of Kentwood, returns to defend his title.
"It's been a privilege being champion," he said at media day Monday. "I've lived on a cloud the past 12 months. It's something that you can never take away from me."
Werkmeister beat the University of Michigan's Matt Thompson in last year's final, but even he concedes Thompson will be tough to beat this year. Thompson, a sophomore, was all-Big Ten after setting a Wolverine scoring record average of 72 for 18 holes during the season.
"I can't see him staying an amateur much longer," Werkmeister said.
Thompson hopes to seal the deal this summer.
“I was able to compete to (nearly) win some tournaments (within the last year),” Thompson told mlive.com. “I put myself in position and was close to the lead going into the last rounds. Hopefully I can get in position and figure out how to close some of those tournaments out.”
Oakhurst should be a great match-play venue, according to all involved. There are several potential drivable par-4s, notably the 303-yard 16th hole. Dean Horn, the president of Oakhurst, said the course, which opened in 1998, has never been in better shape. The beautiful 40,000-square-foot clubhouse will provide many a comfortable home base for all involved.
Michigan golf legend Dan Pohl, who won twice on the PGA Tour, said the Arthur Hills course has the toughest set of greens he's ever had to read.
"The eyes show you one thing and the ball will go the opposite," agrees Bruce Baringer, a four-time club champion who will have the home-course advantage this week.
Ken Hartmann, the senior director of rules and competitions for the GAM, said the par 3s will make or break the players.
"No. 8 (200 yards), No. 12 (189 yards) and No. 14 (175 yards) are pretty nasty," he said.
Oakhurst plans to use the tournament to showcase its course and facilities. The club has added 35 new members this year, despite the economic challenges of the golf scene in metro Detroit. The club, built inside a 400-home community, boasts 300 members, a large pool, tennis courts and a market next to the clubhouse.
"There is a heartbeat here," Horn said. " ... We like to think the best years are ahead of us."
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