GolfBlogger - A Daily Golf Blog Live From Michigan

Golf Club Bluetooth SpeakerMay 24, 2019Golf Club Bluetooth SpeakerRidiculous Golf Item of the Week...
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I’m Enjoying The New PGA TOUR ScheduleMay 23, 2019I’m Enjoying The New PGA TOUR ScheduleHalfway through the Majors, I find that I am really enjoying the new PGA TOUR schedule. The relatively breakneck pace from the Players through the PGA Championship has been exhilarating. I no sooner got over Tiger’s win in Augusta than it was time to thrill at Koepka’s second PGA Championship. Three more weeks and it’ll be time for the US Open at Pebble Beach.Then the Open, and the Tour Championship, and the entire thing is done in time for sports fans to shift their focus to football.The current PGA TOUR schedule is pretty much exactly what I suggested two years before it was announced.In this schedule, every month from January to August has a big event:January: Tournament of ChampionsFebruary: The WGCMarch: The PlayersApril: The MastersMay: The PGA ChampionshipJune: The US OpenJuly: The Open ChampionshipAugust: The TOUR ChampionshipThrow in some of the other big name events, such as the Pebble Beach Pro-am, the Phoenix Open, The Palmer, The Memorial and it feels pretty intense.In my mind, the only thing that could make the new schedule better is if the TOUR abandoned the wraparound schedule. I’m a huge golf fan, but I just can’t drum up any interest in the No-Name Challenge Presented By I Never Heard of It featuring players from the bottom 30% of the list. If I were a potential sponsor, I wouldn’t like my spot on the calendar.There’s simply too much golf at this point. For that matter, I also think there’s too much baseball (go back to 154 games), basketball and hockey. College football is headed in that direction as well, with 41 bowls (about fifteen bowls too many). Just wait until they decide to do a 16 team playoff.If the Fall PGA TOUR schedule is to remain, I’d like to see the PGA TOUR experiment with alternate formats: Team play, Stableford, Celebrity pairings and perhaps even mixed play with the LPGA and Champions Tour. Offering something different would make me pay more attention.The PGA TOUR’s math wizards surely can figure out a way to scale the money and points so that players on the bubble can still earn money toward keeping their cards.Less is often more....
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Pokka Pens – Every Day CarryMay 23, 2019Pokka Pens – Every Day CarryPokka Pens are small enough to fit into your pocket, but extend to full length when needed. As a teacher, I am constantly called on to sign hall passes, absence forms, assignment forms, log in sheets and other endless scraps. I must sign my name fifty times a day — and yet I never seem to have a pen on hand (usually because I’ve lent them to some kid who didn’t have one of their own).I need these.Pokka Pens feature:Compact and lightweight in your pocket, opens to full sized for writing.Patented O-ring closure seals out dust and dirt. They even float!Get 8 for the price of one “nasa pen” – don’t sweat losing them!Medium point black ink. Refills available at pokkapens.comRugged construction – made in the USA....
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The Hogan Statue At Colonial Country ClubMay 22, 2019I shot this photo during my 2011 visit to play in the pro am at the Crowne Plaza Dean & Deluca Fort Worth Invitational Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial.It was without a doubt one of the best vacations Mrs. GolfBlogger and I have ever had. The folks at Crowne Plaza and Colonial treated us like rock stars....
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Nike Dri Fit Vapor CB Golf PoloMay 22, 2019Nike Dri Fit Vapor CB Golf PoloNike Dri Fit Vapor CB Golf PoloIf you watched the PGA Championship, you saw Brooks Koepka sporting these Nike Dri Fit Vapor Color Block Polos. They feature:Dri-FIT moisture wicking technologyRolled shoulder seams for a greater range of motionJerseyRegular fit2-Button placket...
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102nd Michigan Open Returns To The BearMay 21, 2019102nd Michigan Open Returns To The Bear. This is the 1st and 18th holes.The Bear Welcomes 102nd Michigan Open ChampionshipACME, Mich., May 21, 2019 — The Michigan Open Championship, the state’s most prestigious annual tournament, returns to The Bear at Grand Traverse Resort and Spa June 10–13. We invite you to come out and watch the 102nd Michigan Open to see golf history in the making!Dates and Details for SpectatorsThe tournament begins Monday, June 10, and ends Thursday, June 13, 2019.The tournament is open for public viewing at no charge.Spectators should follow standard golf course etiquette and dress codes.Results for the tournament will be posted here as scores are available.About the Michigan Open ChampionshipThe Michigan Open was first played in 1916 and won by Leo Diegel, who also played in the inaugural Ryder Cup matches and the first Masters Tournament in Augusta, GA. Many of golf’s famous players have their names listed on the Michigan Open’s James Standish Trophy, including Traverse City’s own Scott Hebert, a six-time winner of the championship.The 2019 championship is presented by Grand Traverse Resort & Casinos, Yamaha Golf Cars Plus, and Lake Trust Credit Union, with additional support from Pepsi and Traverse City Tourism. To learn more about the Michigan Open and the Michigan PGA, visit michiganpgagolf.com.Tournament DetailsThe field is made up of the top Michigan PGA professionals, touring professionals who maintain residency in the state, and the top amateur players. The tournament is a 72-hole stroke play event. A tie for first place will be decided by a sudden death playoff immediately following the completion of the final round. Purse payout is for those who return a 72-hole score.About The BearThe Bear was home to the Michigan Open Championship from 1985 through 2008, then again in 2018, and is often described as one of the toughest golf courses in the state. It is an 18-hole, par 72 course which features terraced fairways, tiered greens, deep grassy roughs, and deep pot bunkers. A true test for even the finest golfers, The Bear plays to 7,078 yards from the championship tees. It has four lakes, ten holes with water hazards, and only one hole with no bunkers. The Bear is a signature design of Jack Nicklaus and opened on June 17, 1985.Volunteering at the Michigan OpenThe success of the Michigan Open is largely due to the volunteers who help make the event run smoothly providing services such as live tournament scoring, leaderboards, shuttle driving, spotting, score verification, and more. The Michigan PGA will be providing volunteer training meetings prior to the event. Volunteers will receive complimentary golf from the Resort and a hat from the Michigan PGA. Those interested in volunteering should contact Kyle Oberstadt at koberstadt@gtresort.com or 231-534-6586.About Grand Traverse Resort and SpaNestled among the freshwater beaches and hardwood forests of Traverse City, MI, Grand Traverse Resort and Spa is miles away from ordinary. Featuring nearly 600 guest rooms and 86,500 square feet of meeting space, the 900-acre property is one of Michigan’s premier resort destinations. The Resort is also home to three championship golf courses, the renowned Spa Grand Traverse, and Wine Spectator Award of Excellence winner Aerie Restaurant & Lounge. Visit grandtraverseresort.com or call 800-236-1577 to learn more....
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2019 Charles Schwab Challenge PreviewMay 21, 20192019 Charles Schwab Challenge PreviewDates: May 20-26, 2019 Where: Fort Worth, Texas Course: Colonial Country ClubPar/Yardage: 35-35—70/7,209 yardsDefending champion: Justin RosePurse: $7,300,000 ($1,314,000/winner); FedExCup: 500 points to the winnerField size: 122 Format: 72-hole stroke playTwitter: @CSChallengeFW; Facebook: CharlesSchwabChallenge; Instagram: Charles_Schwab_ChallengeThings to KnowCharles Schwab takes over sponsorship of the longest-run event on the PGA TOUR to be contested on the same layoutJustin Rose bids to join Ben Hogan as the only back-to-back winners of the Charles Schwab ChallengePrior to T32 in 2018, 2016 champion Jordan Spieth finished no worse than T15 in five previous starts at ColonialNotables making first start at the event: Cameron Champ, Martin Kaymer, Francesco MolinariThe Charles Schwab Challenge raised a record $14.8 million for local charities in 2018Tournament-week festivities include Monday night’s Ben Hogan Award ceremony, with the 2019 winner to be decided between California’s Collin Morikawa and Oklahoma State’s Viktor Hovland and Matthew WolffNotes on the FieldFour of the top 10 in the FedExCup standings: Xander Schauffele (3), Paul Casey (6), Rickie Fowler (7), Jon Rahm (9)Six FedExCup champions: Jim Furyk (2010), Bill Haas (2011), Brandt Snedeker (2012), Billy Horschel (2014), Jordan Spieth (2014-15), Justin Rose (2017-18)Seven of the top 13 in the Official World Golf Ranking, led by defending champion Justin Rose (3), Francesco Molinari (7), Bryson DeChambeau (8), Xander Schauffele (9), Rickie Fowler (10), Jon Rahm (11), Paul Casey (13)Eleven past Charles Schwab Challenge champions: Justin Rose (2018), Kevin Kisner (2017), Jordan Spieth (2016), Boo Weekley (2013), Zach Johnson (2010, 2012), David Toms (2011), Rory Sabbatini (2007), Tim Herron (2006), Kenny Perry (2003, 2005), Tom Purtzer (1991), Keith Clearwater (1987)A look back at Justin Rose’s victory at the 2018 Charles Schwab ChallengePos. Player R1 R2 R3 R4 Total 1 Justin Rose 66 64 66 64 260 (-20) 2 Brooks Koepka 70 63 67 63 263 (-17) 3 Emiliano Grillo 64 67 69 64 264 (-16) 4 Kevin Na 62 73 70 61 266 (-14)Reigning FedExCup champion in search of his 11th PGA TOUR victoryWins (10): 2010 the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide, 2010 The National, 2011 BMW Championship, 2012 WGC-Mexico Championship, 2013 U.S. Open, 2014 The National, 2015 Zurich Classic of New Orleans, 2017 WGC-HSBC Champions, 2018 Charles Schwab Challenge, 2019 Farmers Insurance OpenTied career-low 72-hole score (260/2017 Sony Open in Hawaii) en route to victory in 2018Established the second-lowest 72-hole score in Charles Schwab Challenge history (Zach Johnson/259/2010)Tied Nick Faldo for the most PGA TOUR victories by an Englishman since 1983 (9), later adding his 10th title at the 2019 Farmers Insurance OpenRecorded the fifth win by an international player at the Charles Schwab Challenge since 2000 (Sergio Garcia/2001, Nick Price/2002, Rory Sabbatini/2007, Adam Scott/2014, Rose/2018)Became the 25th champion of the Charles Schwab Challenge to have held the 36-hole lead/co-lead and 36th to have held the 54-hole lead/co-leadMoved to 4/14 during his career with the 54-hole lead/co-lead (2010 The National, 2011 BMW Championship, 2015 Zurich Classic of New Orleans, 2018 Charles Schwab Challenge)Is seeking to join Ben Hogan as the only players to win back-to-back Charles Schwab Challenges, with Hogan performing the feat twice (1946-47 and 1952-53).More On Justin RoseThe Charles Schwab Challenge and the FedExCup/Wyndham RewardsThe Charles Schwab Challenge is the 31st event in the 2018-19 FedExCup seasonChris Kirk (2015) is the only past champion of the Charles Schwab Challenge during the FedExCup era (since 2007) who did not qualify for the season-ending TOUR ChampionshipJustin Rose (2018) went on to win the FedExCup the same year he won the Charles Schwab ChallengeWyndham Rewards Top 10Current top 10 in the FedExCup standingsPosition Player Points Wins Top-10s Points Behind Starts Projected Bonus 1 Matt Kuchar 2,110 2 7 — 14 $2 million 2 Brooks Koepka 1,856 2 5 254 12 $1.5 million 3 Xander Schauffele 1,615 2 4 495 13 $1.2 million 4 Rory McIlroy 1,612 1 9 498 11 $1.1 million 5 Dustin Johnson 1,572 1 7 538 11 $1.0 million 6 Paul Casey 1,398 1 5 712 14 $850,000 7 Rickie Fowler 1,217 1 5 893 12 $700,000 8 Gary Woodland 1,182 0 7 928 16 $600,000 9 Jon Rahm 1,136 1 8 974 13 $550,000 10 Charles Howell III 1,100 1 4 1,010 18 $500,000Additional Player Notes12-time TOUR winner and two-time Charles Schwab Challenge champion (2010, 2012) Zach Johnson has finished outside the top 30 just three times in 13 starts at the event, including his first missed cut in 2018. Here’s a look at Johnson’s five top-10 finishes at the event: 3-2013, Won-2012, 4-2011, Won-2010, T9-2009.Ryan Palmer, who plays out of Colonial Country Club, has finished inside the top 15 four out of his last seven starts at the Charles Schwab Challenge (MC-2018, T70-2017, T3-2016, MC-2015, T5-2014, T14-2013, T5-2012).Two-time Hogan Award winner (given annually onsite Monday of the Charles Schwab Challenge) Jon Rahm owns two top-5 finishes in as many starts at the event (T5-2018, T2-2017).Jordan Spieth finished T32 at the 2018 Charles Schwab Challenge after not finishing worse than T14 in five previous starts at the event (T2/2017, Won/2016, T2/2015, T14/2014, T7/2013).Miscellaneous Tournament NotesAdam Scott is the only player to win the Texas Grand Slam (traditional four events – 2007 Houston Open, 2008 AT&T Byron Nelson, 2010 Valero Texas Open, 2014 Charles Schwab Challenge).Zach Johnson set the 72-hole tournament (259) at the 2010 Charles Schwab Challenge to finish at 21-under-par. The previous tournament record was set by Kenny Perry, who shot 261 in both his victories in 2003 and 2005.The Colonial CC course record is 61, set by Kevin Na (2018), Chad Campbell (2004), Justin Leonard (2003), Kenny Perry (2003), Greg Kraft (1999), Keith Clearwater (1993) and Lee Janzen (1993).Jordan Spieth’s victory in 2016 snapped a streak of seven straight come-from-behind winners: Steve Stricker (2009), Zach Johnson (2010 & 2012), David Toms (2011), Boo Weekley (2013), Adam Scott (2014) and Chris Kirk (2015). Prior to those, the last comeback winner was Sergio Garcia in 2001, who came back from five to beat Phil Mickelson and Brett Quigley.In the 71 playings of the Charles Schwab Challenge, the third-round leader/co-leader has gone on to claim victory 36 times, most recently Justin Rose in 2018.Multiple winners of the Charles Schwab Challenge: Five-time winner Ben Hogan and two-time winners Billy Casper, Julius Boros, Al Geiberger, Ben Crenshaw, Bruce Lietzke, Lee Trevino, Corey Pavin, Nick Price, Kenny Perry, Phil Mickelson and Zach Johnson.Players to win the event in their first start at Colonial: Sergio Garcia (2001) Keith Clearwater (1987), Dave Stockton (1967), Clayton Heafner (1948) and Ben Hogan (1946).Players who recorded their first TOUR win at the Charles Schwab Challenge: Roberto De Vicenzo (1957), Dave Stockton (1967), Rod Curl (1974), Dan Pohl (1986), Keith Clearwater (1987), Ian Baker-Finch (1989), Sergio Garcia (2001).Ben Hogan, in 1946, is the only player to win the AT&T Byron Nelson and Charles Schwab Challenge in the same year.Champions’ Choice InvitationsEvery year, past champions of the Charles Schwab Challenge select two deserving young players to compete in the event, who otherwise would not have been eligible. It’s a unique TOUR tradition known as the Champions’ Choice invitation. Pros who made their first start at Colonial as a Champions’ Choice include Tom Weiskopf, Craig Stadler, Curtis Strange, Mark O’Meara, Paul Azinger and Davis Love III. Dave Stockton won the event as a Champions Choice in 1967 and six other choices have eventually won the event during their careers, most recently 2016 champion Jordan Spieth. This year’s recipients are Tucker Wadkins and Dru Love.Charles Schwab Challenge one of the TOUR’s longest running eventsThe Charles Schwab Challenge dates back to 1946 and holds the distinction of being the longest-run event on the PGA TOUR to be contested on the same layout, and the 10th oldest overall. Since its inception in 1946, the Challenge has produced a list of champions that few other events can match, with such legends as Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer having donned the Scottish royal tartan plaid jacket. The TOUR’s oldest non-major events are as follows:Rank Event Established 1. BMW Championship 1899 2. RBC Canadian Open 1904 3. Valero Texas Open 1922 4. Genesis Open 1926 5. Waste Management Phoenix Open 1935 6. AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am 1937 7. Wyndham Championship 1938 Zurich Classic of New Orleans 1938 9. AT&T Byron Nelson 1944 10. Charles Schwab Challenge 1946 Houston Open 1946History Abounds at Colonial Country ClubColonial Country Club is a traditional layout that was built in 1936. Its fame skyrocketed after hosting the 1941 U.S. Open, marking the first time the USGA had hosted their premier event south of the Mason-Dixon Line. That tournament, won by Craig Wood, was such a success that it spawned the creation of what is now the Charles Schwab Challenge in 1946. Among the highlights of the famed club are:Colonial Country Club celebrated its jubilee 75th anniversary in 2011.Hometown favorite Ben Hogan won the first two Challenges on his way to a career-total five wins at the event, earning it the nickname “Hogan’s Alley.”No other course has hosted a U.S. Open (1941), THE PLAYERS Championship (1975) and annual PGA TOUR event (1946-present).The Wall of Champions, located on the first tee, honors the name and score of each champion dating back to the 1941U.S. Open. The Wall was erected in 1975 prior to THE PLAYERS.Charity and the Charles Schwab ChallengeThe Charles Schwab Challenge remains a leader in giving back to communities, generating $13.8 million alone for Tarrant County charities via the 2018 Birdies for Charity campaign. The amount earned from the Birdies campaign were a major aspect of the overall record total of $14.8 million generated overall from the Charles Schwab Challenge.Ben Hogan Award PresentationThe Charles Schwab Challenge will once again host the Ben Hogan Award ceremony, a black-tie event on Monday, May 20, to recognize the year’s top collegiate golfer. The Heisman Trophy-like ceremony will honor three finalists (California’s Collin Morikawa and Oklahoma State’s Viktor Hovland and Matthew Wolff), with the winner revealed at the end of the ceremony. Past award winners include D.J. Trahan (Clemson, 2002), Ricky Barnes (Arizona, 2003), Hunter Mahan (Oklahoma State, 2003), Bill Haas (Wake Forest, 2004), Ryan Moore (UNLV, 2005), Matt Every (Florida, 2006), Chris Kirk (Georgia, 2007), Rickie Fowler (Oklahoma State, 2008), Kyle Stanley (Clemson, 2009), Nick Taylor (Washington, 2010), Peter Uihlein (Oklahoma State, 2011), Patrick Cantlay (UCLA, 2012), Chris Williams (Washington, 2013), Patrick Rodgers (Stanford, 2014), Jon Rahm (Arizona State, 2015 and 2016), Maverick McNealy (Stanford, 2017) and Doug Ghim (Texas, 2018).The 2019 Charles Schwab Challenge Preview is via PGA TOUR....
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Pure Silk Championship Winners and HistoryMay 21, 2019Pure Silk Championship Winners and History – LPGAAn LPGA tournament has been held nearly every year since 2003 at the Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg, Virginia. (The tournament missed the 2010 and 2011 seasons.) The current incarnation is the Pure Silk Championship.The tournament began life as the Michelob Ultra Open (2004 to 2009). It was a big deal for the LPGA, with one of the largest purses on tour: $2.2 million, with $330,000 going to the winner. The current purse is $1.2 millionHost course Kingsmill River is a par 71 at 6,340 yards. The PGA Tour hosted an event at Kingsmill from 1968 to 2002Christie Kerr has won the event three times, with victories in 2005, 2009, and 2013. Ariya Jutanugarn won twice: In 2016 and 2018. Lexi Thompson set the event’s 72-hole scoring record in 2017 at 264, 20 strokes under par. Shin set the stop’s single round record in 2012, with a 62 (−9) in the first round.The complete list of Kingsmill Championship winners follows:YearChampionCountryWinning scoreTo parKingsmill Championship 2018Ariya Jutanugarn (2)Thailand66-67-66=199-142017Lexi ThompsonUnited States65-65-69-65=264 -202016Ariya JutanugarnThailand69-69-65-67=270 -142015Minjee LeeAustralia68-67-69-65=269 -152014 Lizette Salas United States 67-68-65-71=271 -132013Cristie Kerr (3) United States66-71-66-69=272−122012Jiyai Shin South Korea62-68-69-69=268−162011No Tournament 2010No Tournament Michelob ULTRA Open at Kingsmill 2009Cristie Kerr (2) United States69-63-66-70=268−162008Annika Sörenstam Sweden64-66-69-66=265−192007Suzann Pettersen Norway66-72-68-61=274−102006Karrie Webb Australia66-68-68-70=270−142005Cristie Kerr United States68-68-68-72=276−82004Se Ri Pak South Korea70-71-69-65=275−9Michelob Light Open at Kingsmill 2003Grace Park South Korea67-68-69-71=275−9...
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TaylorMade M5 Driver – It’s What’s In Brooks’ BagMay 21, 2019TaylorMade M5 Driver – It’s What’s In Brooks’ BagTaylorMade M5 Driver – It’s What’s In Brooks’ BagAn equipment free agent, now-four-time Major winner Brooks Koepka puts clubs in his bag based on what best suits his game. The driver that Brooks Koepka has in his bag is a Taylormade M5.The TaylorMade M5 features:SPEED INJECTED: Every head is individually speed tested and injected with tuning resin to optimize COR across the entire face; The Speed Injection process is designed to maximize ball speed and distance in the M6 driverTWIST FACE: Revolutionary new face curvature with a corrective face angle on off center hits, engineered to reduce side spin and deliver straighter shotsINVERSE T-TRACK: The new, more efficient Inverse T-Track enables two 10g weights to be maneuvered for optimal spin and trajectoryHAMMERHEAD 2. 0: The new, more flexible Hammerhead slot works in conjunction with Speed Injected Twist Face to produce a larger sweet spot and preserve ball speed on off-center strikes...
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GAM History 1980 – 1989 #GAM100May 20, 2019Jeff Rivard is retired and living in Las Cruces, N.M.GAM History 1980-1989 #GAM100 – Michigan Native Jeff Rivard Guides Changing Associationby Greg JohnsonEditor’s note: This is the seventh of a 10-part series celebrating the Golf Association of Michigan’s 100th year of service to the game. #GAM100Other articles in the series:1970 – 19791960 – 19691950 – 19591940 – 19491930 – 19391919 – 1929 FARMINGTON HILLS – One of Jeff Rivard’s favorite moments in golf happened late in his tenure as the executive director of the Golf Association of Michigan. Just prior to the introductions of the final match participants in the 1992 Michigan Amateur Championship hosted by Oakland Hills Country Club on its North Course, Rivard, in a short ceremony, handed out medals to the two golfers who had fallen in the semifinal matches. Gary Cauzillo, a local plumber, was one of those semifinalists headed home after the morning play, and before Randy Lewis of Alma would turn back Dean Kobane of Livonia 3 and 2 in the championship match. “When we did that the semifinalists going home usually didn’t feel like talking, but we would ask them,” Rivard said. “Gary wanted to say something. He told everybody he had done a lot of plumbing work in the buildings there, been in and out of the clubhouse a million times. Then he said something I will never forget: He said: ‘To get the chance to play here for five days and play like I did; it is something I will remember the rest of my life.’” Rivard said that moment and those words of a plumber and public facility golfer stuck with him as a lesson in appreciation, honor and the way amateurs should conduct themselves win or lose. “That was just a great Michigan Amateur,” he said. “It had some rain, but we were at Oakland Hills, and it was perfect, and Randy Lewis was such a great player destined obviously to go on and do other things, and it was my last one with the GAM.” Rivard, a Michigan native, came to the GAM as its third executive director following James D. Standish III and Bud Erickson in 1984, served through 1992 and was on the scene for the most significant change in the association’s history. In 1985 the GAM changed its bylaws to include public golf facilities in the GAM family and services. Previously, and for 66 years, it has been an organization of private golf clubs only. “We feel we are now truly identified with all golfers in our state,” then GAM President Jere B. Gillette of Orchard Lake Country Club said at the annual meeting of delegates. Rivard said it didn’t change the membership numbers of the GAM dramatically because public golf facilities didn’t bring in large groups of new individual members, but instead made it available to their customers and leagues. “It was the most significant change in terms of being the right thing to do,” he said. “Adding public facilities didn’t have a big effect on the bottom line at first, but it did affect the culture.” Rivard remembers there were GAM governors and committee members resistant to adding public facilities, but that it happened without contention. “Those who didn’t want it to happen knew they didn’t have the votes and stayed quiet,” he said. “Those who thought it was the right thing to do had worked on it behind the scenes presenting that case.” It led to Paul Beaupre, the owner of Plum Brook Golf Club in Sterling Heights, becoming the first from a public facility to be a representative, governor, board member and finally president in 2003. “I first met Paul Beaupre in 1958 or ’59 at summer camp, Camp Sancta Maria in Gaylord,” Rivard said. “My brothers and I went to camp and he and his brothers went to camp. Great guy. He was a golf course owner who gave back, and those kind of people were great additions to the GAM.” Rivard said being executive director during the addition of public golf facilities to the membership proved fruitful once again in his career. After leaving the GAM in 1992 to direct the Western Pennsylvania Golf Association, he was asked to oversee adding public golf to that association, too. “I remember asking the president there if when he walked out on the range at our amateur championship, he could tell which golfer was from a private club and which one was from a public facility, and of course, he couldn’t,” Rivard said. “So, I went through doing it again, and again the association was better for it.” Another significant change during Rivard’s Michigan tenure involved the Michigan Amateur Championship. Rivard thought it needed site changes and a format change to maximize it as the flagship tournament, and some board members, most notably Thomas W. Chisholm, who is in the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame for his administrative golf efforts, agreed. The Amateur had been played at Belvedere for 26 consecutive years at that point. “My feeling was that the Michigan Amateur at Belvedere for all those years in a row was too clubby for my tastes,” he said. “Belvedere is a great golf course, and a great host site, but it’s not Augusta National. It’s not Oakland Hills for that matter. There are a lot of great golf courses, a dozen Donald Ross courses right in the Detroit area, and so many great courses across the state. I thought the state championship should move around to all the great courses and give more opportunity to players from all over the state a chance to play.” Rivard said the GAM does it right these days. “The Michigan Amateur is now one of the largest state amateurs in the country, a whole bunch of people build their summer golf schedule around it, want to compete in it and want to win it,” he said. “And now the fact it moves to various sites, including back to Belvedere once in a while, enhances that. To me the Michigan Amateur to the GAM is like the U.S. Open to the USGA. It is your most visible event, most-publicized product, most-popular tournament for players and that gives it a lot of reason to get it right and run it well.” In terms of format for the Michigan Amateur, Rivard lobbied for a change to the qualifying. The large list of entrants had played in qualifying rounds at two sites near the host site to determine the starting field for stroke play. “I called the week up in Charlevoix a Buffalo Shoot, which was harsh I guess, but like the U.S. Amateur and the U.S. Open, it is served better by having qualifiers around the state leading up to the tournament week,” he said. “It makes it a more open championship, gives more people a chance to qualify because they can play in a local qualifier.” In 2012, a record 1,034 golfers entered the Michigan Amateur. It was hosted that year by Oakland Hills on the North Course and won by Drew Preston, who beat Tom Werkmeister in an all-Grand Rapids final match. The Amateur returns to Oakland Hills and the North Course this June 18-22. David Graham, who will retire as the GAM’s sixth executive director in June following the Michigan Amateur and an unprecedented 18 years of service, has become friends with Rivard over the years at national conferences and invited him to attend the recent annual meeting of the delegates at Detroit Golf Club. “Jeff has been a friend and an advisor and resource,” Graham said. “He’s from Michigan, so I think we have a special place in his heart and his mind.” Rivard said Graham deserves accolades for his service to the GAM. “David was a business guy and exactly what Michigan needed when he was hired,” he said. “I think he has done a great job. Even his golf game has gotten better.” Rivard, who in his career has served as a rules official for multiple USGA national championships in addition to his Western Pennsylvania championships, retired after 24 years serving that association in 2016. He lives now in Las Cruces, New Mexico. “It’s great if you like sunshine and golf three or four days a week all year,” he quipped. He keeps an eye on golf, especially amateur golf and golf in Michigan. He grew up in Detroit, earned a teaching degree from Central Michigan University and was teaching in Holland at West Ottawa High School when he decided he would rather do something else. He went back to college, this time at Michigan State University and earned a broadcast journalism degree. Then it was back to CMU for a master’s degree in broadcast journalism. “Then I ended up in golf and realized it was where I wanted to be all along,” he said. Fritz Balmer, president emeritus of the GAM, said Rivard was perceived by some during his GAM tenure as a little rough around the edges. “But he got people to look at things from a different perspective, and he was all about fairness,” he said.#GAM History – Did you know?Meg Mallon in 1980 was 17, a junior at Farmington Hills Mercy High School and GAM member through her parents’ membership at Edgewood Country Club in Commerce Township. She asked teacher Vicky Kowalski to help her and some of the other girls start a women’s golf team. With Mallon leading the way that first Mercy team won a regional championship and finished third in the state championships. In 1983, Meg Mallon won the Michigan Women’s Amateur Championship and soon embarked on a professional career that included four major championship wins, including two U.S. Open titles, 18 LPGA wins and eight Solheim Cup teams. She is a member of the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame and the World Golf Hall of Fame.-Greg Johnson...
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Made In Denmark Golf Tournament Winners and History – European TourMay 20, 2019The Made In Denmark tournament debuted in 2014. The current presenting sponsor is FREJA, a transportation and logistics company.The only previous European Tour event held in Denmark was the 2003 Nordic Open.The 2019 edition will coincide with the European eTour Championship. Eight top players of the online golf game “World Golf Tour” by TopGolf will compete in a virtual match play for a price fund of $5,000. More than 15 million play WGT around the world.The Made In Denmark is played Himmerland Golf & Spa Resort’s Backtree course. For the tournament, the course is a 7,033 yard par 71....
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Charles Schwab Challenge Winners and HistoryMay 20, 2019Charles Schwab Challenge Winners and HistoryThe Charles Schwab Challenge is the latest incarnation of one of the longest running tournaments in PGA TOUR history. The Charles Schwab Challenge began life in 1946 as The Colonial National Invitational at The Colonial Golf Club.Charles Schwab, a financial services firm, also sponsors PGA TOUR Champions events. This is their first PGA TOUR regular event.The inspiration for a professional golf tournament at The Colonial came from the 1941 US Open, which was held at The Colonial. It was the first US Open held south of the Mason-Dixon line, and was thought to be a huge success. Local organizers hoped to capitalize on that goodwill, and in 1946 launched The Colonial Invitational.Much of the appeal of the Colonial is that it has been played on the same classic course since its inception. Indeed, it is impossible to imagine the tournament not being held there. The club, which dates to 1936, was designed by John Bredemus and Perry Maxwell and has among its memorable vistas holes that extend along the length of the Trinity River.The Colonial National Invitational had no title sponsor until 1988, when it became the MasterCard Colonial Invitational. In 2003, it was picked up by Bank of America. In 2007, it became the Crown Plaza Invitational At Colonial. Dean And Deluca signed a six year agreement starting in 2016, but was unable to continue. The tournament has no title sponsor in 2018.The Fort Worth Invitational winners’ list looks like a Hall of Fame roster. Ben Hogan won the Invitational five times (1946, 1947, 1952, 1953, 1959). In addition to Hogan, there’s Palmer, Snead, Casper, Bolt, De Vicenzo, Stockton, Crenshaw, Nicklaus, Price, Watson and Mickelson (Tiger is curiously absent). The strength of the winners’ roster is in part due to the strength of field: The Fort Worth is an Invitational, with only the top 80 players on the previous year’s money list guaranteed a spot.If there was a tournament named for Ben Hogan, it would be the Fort Worth Invitational. Hogan was raised in the Fort Worth area and considered The Colonial to be his home course. He won there five times. Hogan is omnipresent, from a statue near the entrance, to a museum of his office in the clubhouseA unique tradition at the Colonial is the “Champion’s Choice.” Each year, former Fort Worth Invitational Champions selects two young players to join the field who otherwise would be ineligible. Among the Champions Choices were Al Greiberger, Tom Weiskopf, Craig Stadler, Curtis Strange, Mark O’Meara, Paul Azinger and Davis Love. Dave Stockton won the tournament in the year he was selected.While the Masters has the Green Jacket, the Colonial offers a Scottish tartan plaid jacket for its champions and committee chairmen. The tournament and Colonial Golf club also is marked by the engraved marble Wall of Champions near the first tee, which features the name and score of each of the tournament’s winners.A random note: In 2003, Annika Sorenstam played the Colonial Invitational, becoming the first women to play a PGA Tour event since Babe Zaharias entered the Los Angeles Open.A list of Charles Schwab Challenge winners follows:...
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Mizuno JPX919 Forged Irons – They’re What’s In Brook’s BagMay 20, 2019Mizuno JPX 919 Forged Irons – They’re What’s In Brook’s BagMizuno JPX 919 Forged IronsBrooks Koepka — now the winner of four of the last eight majors — is amazingly a golf equipment free agent. Since he’s not signed to an equipment deal, he plays what he wants.So what’s in Brook’s Bag? Mizuno JPX 919 Forged Irons, to start with. They feature:Back milled face: CNC milled from the sole up, the JPX919 forged boasts a larger area of minimum face thickness for consistently increased ball speedsStability frame: open at the heel portion to enhance stability and launch, while producing a Tour preferred vibration and soundGrain flow forged HD: enhanced grain flow forging process that increases grain Density in the impact area for the ultimate soft, solid, consistent feelA small addition of boron makes our steel billet 30% strongerPearl brush finish: chrome plating with a more durable Pearl finish to soften the jpx919’s precise lines in sunlight...
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Golf Caddie Decorative AccentMay 17, 2019Golf Caddie Decorative AccentRidiculous Golf Item of the Week...
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2019 PGA Championship TV TimesMay 16, 2019Here are the 2019 PGA Championship television times on TNT and CBS. Both networks also will offer live simultaneous streaming. You will need to authenticate with your cable or satellite provider to watch those.The PGA Championship also has an app on which you can follow the tournament.Thursday, May 161 – 7 pm TNTFriday, May 171 – 7 pm TNTSaturday, May 1811 am – 2 pm TNT2 – 7 pm CBSSunday, May 1911 am – 2 pm TNT2 – finish CBSCBS and TNT also will have live online simulcasts....
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Shinola Runwell Chronograph – Made In DetroitMay 16, 2019Shinola Runwell Chronograph – Made In Detroit“Made In Detroit” generally doesn’t bring up the mental image of watches, but there it is: the Made In Detroit Shinola Chronograph Watch. This one is called the Runwell.I think the entire line is beautiful. The watches are made at the historic Argonaut building (the former General Motors Research Laboratory) in downtown Detroit, and in my mind represent Detroit’s real potential. Here’s the beautifully written speel from the company’s website:Why not accept that manufacturing is gone from this country? Why not let the rust and weeds finish what they started? Why not just embrace the era of disposability? And why didn’t we buy a warmer coat before we moved here?Through two Detroit winters, we’ve asked ourselves these questions. And worked not to find our answer, but to build it.Because we don’t think American manufacturing ever failed for being too good. Our worst didn’t come when we were at our best. It happened when we thought good was good enough.It’s a tall order to return to form, but we’re up for it. We’re starting with the reinvigoration of a storied American brand, and a storied American city. Because we believe in the beauty of industry. The glory of manufacturing.We know there’s not just history in Detroit, there is a future.It’s why we are here. Making an investment in skill, at scale. Creating a community that will thrive through excellence of craft and pride of work. Where we will reclaim the making of things that are made well. And define American luxury through American quality.Shinola, for those under a certain age, was a brand of shoe polish made until 1960. It’s the source of the WWII era saying: “You don’t know shit from Shinola.” The current company purchased the name for their brand of watches, bikes and leather goods.As Michigan’s Official Golf Blogger, I heartily endorse their efforts. Maybe one of these days I’ll be able to get downtown to visit the facility....
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GolfBlogger.Com is a daily golf blog featuring golf news, golf course reviews, golf equipment and golf book reviews, golf lifestyle, golf fitness, golf history, Michigan golf news and reviews, photography, cigars, food and beverages, the PGA Tour and the LPGA with essays and musings.

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