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.
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