Plum Hollow To Host 40th Michigan Junior AmateurJuly 22, 2018Plum Hollow To Host 40th Michigan Junior Amateur Classic Plum Hollow Country Club Hosting 40th Michigan Junior State Amateur SOUTHFIELD – Plum Hollow Country Club, a classic course created by the legendary English design team of Colt & Alison, will host the 40th Michigan Junior State Amateur Championship presented by Pepsi Monday through Thursday. The Michigan Junior State Amateur features the top 84 top junior boy golfers in the state as determined by past performance or via sectional qualifiers presented earlier this summer across the state. Plum Hollow, which hosted the 2015 Michigan Amateur, has a rich history that includes being the site of the 1947 PGA Championship and the 1957 Western Open. The club was founded in 1921, and features rolling hills, surprising elevation changes and five par 3 holes that impact scoring with demanding shots and small, undulating greens. The five par 5 holes offer a few more birdie chances. Jim Ferrier won the 1947 PGA at Plum Hollow by defeating Michigan golf legend Chick Harbert in the then match play finals. Also in that tournament legend Ben Hogan lost to Toney Penna, and legend Gene Sarazen fell to Harbert after beating Sam Snead. It was 10 years later in 1957 that Plum Hollow hosted the Western Golf Association’s Western Open, which was considered a “major” championship in that era. Golf Hall of Famer Doug Ford won that one with a 279 72-hole total. George Bayer, Gene Littler and Billy Maxwell were among the other contenders. H.S. Colt and C. H. Alison formed a formidable golf architecture firm in London in the 1900s and partnered for four years with Alister Mackenzie. Plum Hollow is one of over 300 golf courses they are credited with designing or redesigning in the United Kingdom and the United States. Golf course architecture historians point out that Colt was known for starting projects with picking spots for the par 3s and as a result they are often especially strong parts of the Colt & Alison courses. The course is sure to test the field of boys in the field who are age 18-and-under and have not yet attended college. The field will play 36 holes of stroke play Monday to determine a medalist and top seed to lead the low scoring 32 golfers into the match play bracket. First-round or round of 32 matches are Tuesday with second round and quarterfinals on Wednesday and semifinal matches and the championship match on Thursday. Defending champion Ben Smith of Novi has moved on to Georgia Tech and is not in the field, but last year’s stroke play medalist and the GAM Junior Boys Player of the Year Patrick Sullivan of Grosse Pointe returns. Colin Sikkenga of Kalamazoo, who just last week reached the round of 32 in the U.S. Amateur at Baltusrol in New Jersey, is in the field, as is Bradley Smithson of Grand Rapids, who was a semifinalist in this championship two years ago. Max VanderMolen of Richland, who is 10, will be the youngest player in the field having qualified recently at Sunnybrook Country Club near Grand Rapids. The list of champions in the history of the tournament is impressive and includes tour players Ryan Brehm, Joey Garber, Michael Harris and Jeff Roth. Last year Smith won his second consecutive title with a 2 and 1 win over Eric Nunn of DeWitt in the final match at Eagle Eye Golf Club in Bath. He was the first back-to-back winner since the format changed to a match play conclusion in 2000. More information on the championship, including daily results, can be found at gam.org under the championships tab. More information on Plum Hollow can be found atplumhollowcc.com. Mike Bageris is the general manager, John Jawor the head golf professional and John Sabat the superintendent. ABOUT THE GAM: Founded in 1919, the Golf Association of Michigan is the governing body for amateur golf in the state. As a not-for-profit organization, the GAM’s purpose is to promote, preserve and serve the game of golf. The GAM, served by over 250 dedicated volunteers, provides membership to more than 55,000 golfers and more than 470 Michigan golf courses, conducts over 30 amateur championships, oversees 18 USGA qualifying events, administers the GAM/USGA Handicap System and measures and rates almost 70 courses a year for the USGA. Learn more at gam.org....Read More & CommentGeer Wins GAM Women’s Championship July 22, 2018 Geer Wins GAM Women’s Championship MSU’s Allyson Geer Handles Wind, Wins GAM Women’s Championship MUSKEGON – Michigan State University golfer Allyson Geer of Brighton didn’t let swirling winds coming off Lake Michigan cause her much concern, and she isn’t nervous about her upcoming wedding day either. “I’m not a stressful person,” she said after shooting a 1-over 73 to win the 27th Golf Association of Michigan Women’s Championship presented by the West Michigan Golf Show Tuesday at Muskegon Country Club. Geer’s 1-over 145 two-day total left her two shots ahead of Elayna Bowser of Dearborn, a Loyola University-Chicago golfer, who closed with a 74. Defending champion Kerrigan Parks of Flushing, a Marshall University golfer, also shot 74 to finish at 148. Jacqueline Setas of East Lansing, another Michigan State golfer, shot 76 for 149, and a trio of golfers finished at 150, including 2016 GAM Women’s Champion Anna Kramer of Spring Lake and the University of Indianapolis, who shot 74, Traverse City West High School standout Anika Dy, who shot 75, and Michigan State golfer Yurika Tanida of Japan, who shot 75. Setas is battling cancer while competing this summer, and Geer was among those wearing a “Setas Strong” bracelet of support while she played in the same pairing with her teammate. “I really didn’t know what anybody else was doing,” Geer said. “Jacque was playing good, but I was giving myself chances to make birdies, made one on the first hole to get going and made a few more. The wind really kicked up there over the last six holes and made it tough for everybody. It was one of those rounds where you just have to grind it out. You have to take time and make good decisions.” A sliding downhill six-foot par-saving putt proved to be crucial. “I hit it right (off the tee) and had to punch out and take my medicine,” Geer said. “That was a big putt. Those are the kind you have to make coming down the stretch to win.” Bowser, who will be a senior at Loyola in the fall, said she played two consistent rounds and had little to complain about. “I’ve been working hard on my game, and I’m feeling pretty confident with it,” she said. Bowser and Geer are both headed to the U.S. Women’s Amateur at The Golf Club of Tennessee in Kingston Springs Aug. 6-12. “Qualifying for the U.S. Amateur is a big accomplishment,” Bowser said. “I’ve never played in a USGA championship. I will be prepping for that the next couple weeks, and then right after that is the Michigan Women’s Amateur. It will be tough back-to-back like that, but I’m looking forward to it.” Geer, a two-time Michigan Women’s Amateur champion who will be a junior at MSU in the fall, has a back-to-back of a different sort. She is getting married on Aug. 4 to former Eastern Michigan University golfer Nick Park, and then heading to Tennessee and the U.S. Amateur the next morning with a honeymoon to come later. “I’m prioritizing things and Nick fits in perfectly,” she said. “He plays golf so he understands my schedule. He is done with college and working as a consultant now, but he has been my caddie and knows and understands what I want to do with golf. We are a team on and off the golf course. I’m excited about what’s ahead.” RESULTS: Complete scoring can be found under the Championships tab at gam.org via Greg Johnson...Read More & CommentGolf Themed Bread Dough ScraperJuly 20, 2018 Golf Themed Bread Dough Scraper Ridiculous Golf Item Of The Week...Read More & CommentOpen Championship Most Frequent VenuesJuly 19, 2018Most Frequent Venues For The Open Championship St. Andrews – 29 Prestwick – 24 Muirfield – 16 Royal St. George’s – 14 Royal Liverpool – 12 Royal Lytham & St. Annes – 11 Royal Birkdale – 10 Royal Troon – 9 Note that Prestwick has not held a championship since 1925....Read More & CommentGaining An Appreciation For Links Golf At Bandon DunesJuly 19, 2018Gaining An Appreciation For Links Golf At Bandon Dunes I am looking forward to watching this year’s Open Championship with my newly-gained appreciation for links golf. A week playing links golf Bandon Dunes golf resort on the Oregon Coast taught me that links golf is an entirely different — and thoroughly enjoyable — game. Bandon Dunes golf resort has four true links courses: Bandon Dunes, Pacific Dunes, Old MacDonald and Bandon Preserve, a 13-hole par 3. The resort also sports the Bandon Trails course, which although it largely routed through a forest, shares many features with the aforementioned links. Individually and collectively, they are among the best courses I have every played. Before I even teed up the ball for my first shot of the week, I was cognizant of the wind. Coming in from the northwest, the breeze blew steadily that first day at 25 to 30 miles per hour. I have played in winds of that sort before, but never in such an exposed position. At Old MacDonald, the wind blew over a high dune at the north end of the course, then swept down and across the exposed plain where fourteen of the holes were routed. Many of the holes at Pacific Dunes and Bandon Dunes were perched on bluffs directly above the ocean. Shots into the wind fell two and sometimes three clubs short. Shots with it were two and three clubs longer. When the wind blew across the fairway, there was no way to take a straight line to the green. Adding to the difficulty in club selection were the hard fairways and greens. From driver through wedges, balls would hit the ground and take off running. My ball found a lot of bunkers that I thought were safely out of reach. Random bounces (or perhaps not so random) were another part of the equation. Balls would careen down the fairway, hit some previously unseen angle and then bound away from the line. In my case, it seemed as though the deflections were inevitably toward a bunker. The hard ground also played havoc with my irons. Balls needed to be picked, or swept off of the ground. Downward blows skipped off the hard, sandy turf, often sending balls in an unexpected direction. Another interesting twist: there was virtually no difference between the surfaces of the fairways and greens. Only contouring and a slight change in color revealed the border. None of this constitutes a complaint, however. I absolutely loved the challenges presented by the course. Every shot required imagination and planning. Often, I just completely abandoned the usual playbook. I putted to the green from forty yards out. I chipped with a hybrid if I needed to get the ball over a bunker and onto the green surface. I clubbed up four and down three. I aimed fifty yards left of the target, counting on wind and roll to bring the ball back. On multiple occasions, I used a driver on a 120 yard par 3 (all of those occasions worked out well). On every shot I had to imagine the path I wanted the ball to take, and then choose the best club to achieve that result. Often — usually — it was not the one I would have picked for that distance on Michigan’s park- and woodlands courses. Bobby Jones said: Mine may be an old-fashioned view, but I believe that the bounce of the ball should be a part of the game, and when you play a fast, resilient course it is. Then, you must improvise all sorts of shots to cope with the terrain. I know that some of those little pitches and pitch and runs — the ones that came off successfully — gave me as much satisfaction as any shots I have played. After playing links golf at Bandon Dunes, I have a much better understanding of what golf’s players and commentators mean when they say a fairway is “hard and fast,” and that links courses require “imagination.” I also have a great appreciation and newfound love for links golf. I am anxious to take another shot at a true links course. I have much to learn. And much to enjoy. ...Read More & CommentSeiko SARB017 Field WatchJuly 19, 2018 Seiko SARB017 Field Watch This premium Seiko automatic field watch features a Seiko 6R15 caliber movement with 23 jewels. The greendial is offset by goldtone hands and hour markers. The crown in the 4 O’Clock position rotates the inner compass ring. Case diameter is 39.5mm, with a thickness of 12mm. That’s a nice size. The crystal is scratch resistant sapphire. More watches should have sapphire crystals....Read More & CommentOpen Championship Owes American Interest To PalmerJuly 18, 2018It is hard to believe, but until the 1960s, the Open Championship was pretty much a strictly European affair. Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen not withstanding, few Americans made the trip. The first American to win the Open Championship was Jock Hutchison in 1921, That was the start of a thirteen year stretch in which Americans won twelve of the Open Championships: Walter Hagen (4 wins), Bobby Jones (3), Jock Hutchison, Jim Barnes, Tommy Armour, Denny Shute, and Gene Sarazen all were winners. From 1934 to 1961, there were just two US Open Championship winners: Ben Hogan in 1953 and Sam Snead in 1946. In 1946, after his victory at the Old Course, Sam Snead was asked if he would return to defend his title: “Are you kidding?,” he said. “I can’t afford it.” Snead also famously mistook the Home of Golf for an abandoned track: “Say! That looks like an old abandoned golf course,’’ Snead said as his train steamed by. “What did they call it?’’ Later, he would comment that the Old Course was “some acreage that was so raggedy and beat up that I was surprised to see what looked like a fairway amongst the weeds. Down home, we wouldn’t plant cow beets on land like that.’‘ Snead’s “I can’t afford it” comment reflected the fact that for many American players, the trip to the Open Championship was expensive and the purse not particularly rewarding. For professionals living week-to-week on the tour, money and logistics made the Open Championship unattractive. Further, playing the Open Championship took significant time away from other tournaments. Ben Hogan, who won the Open Championship in 1953 in his only start, missed the PGA Championship that year. It ended one day before the Open Championship began. But in 1960, the telegenic and enormously popular Arnold Palmer made the trip to the Old Course , stamping the British Open Championship into the American public’s consciousness. And on the way over, in a conversation with Pittsburgh sportswriter Bob Drum, Palmer declared that the Open Championship was one of the four “Modern Majors” to parallel Bob Jones Grand Slam of the US and British Amateurs and Opens. Palmer lost the 1960 Open Championship to Australian Kel Nagle, but would return in 1961 to win at Birkdale. After that, there was no question that most of the top American players would make the transatlantic trip to play the Open Championship. From 1961 to present, US players have won thirty of the 56 Open Championships. ...Read More & CommentEarliest Known Footage Of The Open ChampionshipJuly 18, 2018This brief newsreel footage is from Harry Vardon’s sixth Open Championship in 1914. It is the earliest known footage of the Open Championship. ...Read More & CommentFootjoy Hydrolite Short Sleeve Rain ShirtJuly 18, 2018 Footjoy Hydrolite Short Sleeve Rain Shirt I have one of these short sleeve Footjoy Rain shirts and really like it. The short sleeves are much cooler, and thus much more suitable for playing in summer rain storms. ...Read More & CommentAmazon Prime Day Golf DealsJuly 17, 2018 There are lots of deals on golf gear today on Amazon’s Prime Day. The Amazon Prime Day Golf Deals include plenty of bags, gloves, shoes and apparel. Balls, not so much. Here are a few of the more interesting Amazon Prime Day deals as of this writing: Voice Caddie SC200 Portable Golf Launch Monitor NCAA Contour Head Covers for various universities. Garmin Approach X10 Golf Band Bushnell Golf Tour V4 Slope Laser Rangefinder UA Wrap Sunglasses...Read More & CommentKettlebell For Golf ExercisesJuly 17, 2018 Kettle Bell For Golf Exercises I have discovered that the humble kettlebell is a remarkably efficient piece of equipment for a variety of golf related exercises. You can see some videos of kettlebell golf exercises here. The kettle bell is also lots cheaper than a gym membership, so if you don’t have the time or money to go all-in, this is a good place to start. The kettlebells at the link are from Amazon’s “Basics” line and are very reasonably priced....Read More & CommentBritish Open Championship WinnersJuly 16, 2018The oldest of golf’s majors, the Open Championship extends back to 1860, when it was played by eight professionals at Prestwick Golf Club. The initial winner was Willie Park, Sr. He defeated the heavily favored “Old” Tom Morris by two strokes. Harry Vardon holds the record for the most number of victories, with six. Winners of the Open Championship originally received “The Champion’s Belt.” Later, the trophy became the famed Claret Jug. The complete list of British Open Championship winners is below. A = amateur PO = Playoff, a number in parenthesis following a name indicates the number of Open Championships that player had won at that point.British Open Championship Past WinnersYear Venue Champion Country Winning Score 1st Prize2017 Royal Birkdale Jordan Spieth United States 268 (-12) £1,420,0002016 Royal Troon Henrik Stenson Sweden 264 (-20) £1,175,0002015 The Old Course at St Andrews Zach Johnson The United States 273 (-15) £1,150,0002014 Royal Liverpool Rory McIlroy Northern Ireland 271 (-17) £ 975 0002013 Muirfield Phil Mickelson United States 281 (-3) £ 945 0002012 Royal Lytham and St. Annes Ernie Els (2) South Africa 273 (-7) £ 900 0002011 Royal St. George’s Darren Clarke Northern Ireland 275 (-5) £ 900 0002010 St Andrews Louis Oosthuizen South Africa 272 (-16) £ 850 0002009 Turnberry Stewart Cink United States 278 (-2)PO £ 750 0002008 Royal Birkdale Golf Club Pádraig Harrington (2) Ireland 283 (+3) £ 750 0002007 Carnoustie Golf Links Pádraig Harrington Ireland 277 (–7)PO £ 750 0002006 Royal Liverpool Golf Club Tiger Woods (3) United States 270 (–18) £ 720 0002005 St Andrews Tiger Woods (2) United States 274 (–14) £ 720 0002004 Royal Troon Golf Club Todd Hamilton United States 274 (–10)PO £ 720 0002003 Royal St George’s Golf Club Ben Curtis United States 283 (–1) £ 700 0002002 Muirfield Ernie Els South Africa 278 (–6)PO £ 700 0002001 Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club David Duval United States 274 (–10) £ 600 0002000 St Andrews Tiger Woods United States 269 (–19) £ 500 0001999 Carnoustie Golf Links Paul Lawrie Scotland 290 (+6)PO £ 350 0001998 Royal Birkdale Golf Club Mark O’Meara United States 280 (E)PO £ 300 0001997 Royal Troon Golf Club Justin Leonard United States 272 (–12) £ 250 0001996 Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club Tom Lehman United States 271 (–13) £ 200 0001995 St Andrews John Daly United States 282 (–6)PO £ 125 0001994 Turnberry Nick Price Zimbabwe 268 (–12) £ 110 0001993 Royal St George’s Golf Club Greg Norman (2) Australia 267 (–13) £ 100 0001992 Muirfield Nick Faldo (3) England 272 (–12) £ 95 0001991 Royal Birkdale Golf Club Ian Baker-Finch Australia 272 (–8) £ 90 0001990 St Andrews Nick Faldo (2) England 270 (–18) £ 85 0001989 Royal Troon Golf Club Mark Calcavecchia United States 275 (–13)PO £ 80 0001988 Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club Seve Ballesteros (3) Spain 273 (–11) £ 80 0001987 Muirfield Nick Faldo England 279 (–5) £ 75 0001986 Turnberry Greg Norman Australia 280 (E) £ 70 0001985 Royal St George’s Golf Club Sandy Lyle Scotland 282 (+2) £ 65 0001984 St Andrews Seve Ballesteros (2) Spain 276 (–12) £ 55 0001983 Royal Birkdale Golf Club Tom Watson (5) United States 275 (–9) £ 40 0001982 Royal Troon Golf Club Tom Watson (4) United States 284 (–4) £ 32 0001981 Royal St George’s Golf Club Bill Rogers United States 276 (–4) £ 25 0001980 Muirfield Tom Watson (3) United States 271 (–13) £ 25 0001979 Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club Seve Ballesteros Spain 283 (–1) £ 15 0001978 St Andrews Jack Nicklaus (3) United States 281 (–7) £ 12 5001977 Turnberry Tom Watson (2) United States 268 (–12) £ 10 0001976 Royal Birkdale Golf Club Johnny Miller United States 279 (–9) £ 7 5001975 Carnoustie Golf Links Tom Watson United States 279 (–5)PO £ 7 5001974 Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club Gary Player (3) South Africa 282 (–2) £ 5 5001973 Royal Troon Golf Club Tom Weiskopf United States 276 (–12) £ 5 5001972 Muirfield Lee Trevino (2) United States 278 (–6) £ 5 5001971 Royal Birkdale Golf Club Lee Trevino United States 278 (–10) £ 5 5001970 St Andrews Jack Nicklaus (2) United States 283 (–5)PO £ 5 2501969 Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club Tony Jacklin England 280 (–4) £ 4 2501968 Carnoustie Golf Links Gary Player (2) South Africa 289 (+1) £ 3 0001967 Royal Liverpool Golf Club Roberto De Vicenzo Argentina 278 (–10) £ 2 1001966 Muirfield Jack Nicklaus United States 282 (+2) £ 2 1001965 Royal Birkdale Golf Club Peter Thomson (5) Australia 285 (–3) £ 1 7501964 St Andrews Tony Lema United States 279 (–9) £ 1 5001963 Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club Bob Charles New Zealand 277 (–7)PO £ 1 5001962 Royal Troon Golf Club Arnold Palmer (2) United States 276 (–12) £ 1 4001961 Royal Birkdale Golf Club Arnold Palmer United States 284 (–4) £ 1 4001960 St Andrews Kel Nagle Australia 278 (–10) £ 1 2501959 Muirfield Gary Player South Africa 284 (E) £ 1 0001958 Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club Peter Thomson (4) Australia 274 (–10)PO £ 1 0001957 St Andrews Bobby Locke (4) South Africa 279 (–9) £ 1 0001956 Royal Liverpool Golf Club Peter Thomson (3) Australia 286 (–2) £ 1 0001955 St Andrews Peter Thomson (2) Australia 281 (–7) £ 1 0001954 Royal Birkdale Golf Club Peter Thomson Australia 283 (–5) £7501953 Carnoustie Golf Links Ben Hogan United States 282 (–6) £5001952 Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club Bobby Locke (3) South Africa 287 (–1) £3001951 Royal Portrush Golf Club Max Faulkner England 285 (–3) £3001950 Royal Troon Golf Club Bobby Locke (2) South Africa 279 (–9) £3001949 Royal St George’s Golf Club Bobby Locke South Africa 283 (–5) £3001948 Muirfield Henry Cotton (3) England 288 (E) £1501947 Royal Liverpool Golf Club Fred Daly Northern Ireland 293 (+5) £1501946 St Andrews Sam Snead United States 290 (+2) £1501940–1945: No Championships because of World War II1939 St Andrews Richard Burton England 290 £1001938 Royal St George’s Golf Club Reg Whitcombe England 295 £1001937 Carnoustie Golf Links Henry Cotton (2) England 290 £1001936 Royal Liverpool Golf Club Alf Padgham England 287 £1001935 Muirfield Alf Perry England 283 £1001934 Royal St George’s Golf Club Henry Cotton England 283 £1001933 St Andrews Denny Shute United States 292PO £1001932 Prince’s Golf Club Gene Sarazen United States 283 £1001931 Carnoustie Golf Links Tommy Armour United States 296 £1001930 Royal Liverpool Golf Club Bobby Jones (a) (3) United States 291 Am – £1001929 Muirfield Walter Hagen (4) United States 292 £1001928 Royal St George’s Golf Club Walter Hagen (3) United States 292 £1001927 St Andrews Bobby Jones (a) (2) United States 285 Am – £1001926 Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club Bobby Jones (a) United States 291 Am – £751925 Prestwick Golf Club Jim Barnes United States 300 £751924 Royal Liverpool Golf Club Walter Hagen (2) United States 301 £751923 Royal Troon Golf Club Arthur Havers England 295 £751922 Royal St George’s Golf Club Walter Hagen United States 300 £751921 St Andrews Jock Hutchison United States 296PO £751920 Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club George Duncan Scotland 303 £751915–1919: No Championships because of World War I1914 Prestwick Golf Club Harry Vardon (6) Jersey 306 £501913 Royal Liverpool Golf Club John Henry Taylor (5) England 304 £501912 Muirfield Ted Ray Jersey 295 £501911 Royal St George’s Golf Club Harry Vardon (5) Jersey 303PO £501910 St Andrews James Braid (5) Scotland 299 £501909 Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club John Henry Taylor (4) England 291 £301908 Prestwick Golf Club James Braid (4) Scotland 291 £301907 Royal Liverpool Golf Club Arnaud Massy France 312 £301906 Muirfield James Braid (3) Scotland 300 £301905 St Andrews James Braid (2) Scotland 318 £301904 Royal St George’s Golf Club Jack White Scotland 296 £301903 Prestwick Golf Club Harry Vardon (4) Jersey 300 £301902 Royal Liverpool Golf Club Sandy Herd Scotland 307 £301901 Muirfield James Braid Scotland 309 £301900 St. Andrews John Henry Taylor (3) England 309 £301899 Royal St George’s Golf Club Harry Vardon (3) Jersey 310 £301898 Prestwick Golf Club Harry Vardon (2) Jersey 307 £301897 Royal Liverpool Golf Club Harold Hilton (a) (2) England 314 Am – £301896 Muirfield Harry Vardon Jersey 316 PO £301895 St Andrews John Henry Taylor (2) England 332 £301894 Royal St George’s Golf Club John Henry Taylor England 326 £301893 Prestwick Golf Club William Auchterlonie Scotland 322 £301892 Muirfield Harold Hilton (a) England 305 (Am)1891 St Andrews Hugh Kirkaldy Scotland 166 £101890 Prestwick Golf Club John Ball (a) England 164 Am – £81889 Musselburgh Links Willie Park Jnr (2) Scotland 155PO £81888 St Andrews Jack Burns Scotland 171 £101887 Prestwick Golf Club Willie Park Jnr Scotland 161 £101886 Musselburgh Links David Brown Scotland 157 £101885 St Andrews Bob Martin (2) Scotland 171 £101884 Prestwick Golf Club Jack Simpson Scotland 160 £101883 Musselburgh Links Willie Fernie Scotland 159PO £101882 St Andrews Bob Ferguson (3) Scotland 171 £101881 Prestwick Golf Club Bob Ferguson (2) Scotland 170 £101880 Musselburgh Links Bob Ferguson Scotland 162 £101879 St Andrews Jamie Anderson (3) Scotland 169 £101878 Prestwick Golf Club Jamie Anderson (2) Scotland 157 £101877 Musselburgh Links Jamie Anderson Scotland 160 £101876 St Andrews Bob Martin Scotland 176 £101875 Prestwick Golf Club Willie Park Snr (4) Scotland 166 £61874 Musselburgh Links Mungo Park Scotland 159 £61873 St Andrews Tom Kidd Scotland 179 £61872 Prestwick Golf Club Tom Morris Jnr (4) Scotland 166 £61871 No Championship1870 Prestwick Golf Club Tom Morris Jnr (3) Scotland 149 £61869 Prestwick Golf Club Tom Morris Jnr (2) Scotland 154 £61868 Prestwick Golf Club Tom Morris Jnr Scotland 157 £61867 Prestwick Golf Club Tom Morris Snr (4) Scotland 170 £61866 Prestwick Golf Club Willie Park Snr (3) Scotland 169 £61865 Prestwick Golf Club Andrew Strath Scotland 162 £61864 Prestwick Golf Club Tom Morris Snr (3) Scotland 167 £61863 Prestwick Golf Club Willie Park Snr (2) Scotland 168 –1862 Prestwick Golf Club Tom Morris Snr (2) Scotland 163 –1861 Prestwick Golf Club Tom Morris Snr Scotland 163 –1860 Prestwick Golf Club Willie Park Snr Scotland 174 –...Read More & CommentCallaway Rogue Pro BlackJuly 16, 2018Callaway Rogue Pro Irons I love the look of black irons. There’s something businesslike and slightly sinister about them. Callaway offers its top-of-the-line Rogue Pro irons in black — a striking look. The Rogue Pro has a thin topline, compact head, thin sole, shallow cavity and minimal offset. Lots are slightly weaker than the Rogue Standard. The Rogue Pro irons feature Callaway’s well-tested 360 Cup Face with Variable Face Thickness. The combination offers the optimal face flex for ball speed — even on off center hits. The other part of the clubhead design equation — Center of Gravity — is handled by tungsten weighting....Read More & CommentPacific Dunes Is An Amazing CourseJuly 15, 2018Pacific Dunes Is An Amazing Course I had my second go at Pacific Dunes on Saturday, and found that it was every bit as enjoyable and interesting as the first. Pacific Dunes is a Tom Doak design which currently is rated as number 18 on Golf Digest’s list of 100 best courses in the United States. Golf Digest ranks Pacific Dunes one step behind Oakland Hills South, which I also have played. Pacific Dunes lacks the pedigree, but is still, I think, better. It is ranked #14 by Golf magazine. A true linksland course, Pacific Dunes is routed along cliffs and high dunes above the Pacific Ocean. The fairways run hard and fast. Every shot must take the wind into the equation. Gorse, which should be banned by the UN as an enemy of humanity, is seen on many holes. A friend who has played several times in Scotland compared Pacific Dunes favorably with those in the home of golf, saying only that the fairways were not quite as hard. As far as I am concerned, Tom Doak is a golf course design genius. Bandon Dunes golf resort is lucky to have two courses designed by Doak: Pacific Dunes and Old MacDonald, a tribute to Charles Blair MacDonald. What the two have in common are wide fairways and large greens which are easy to hit but difficult to hit precisely. Shots aimed at the premium landing zones will often kick and spin off into unwanted directions under the hard and fast conditions. Fortunately, every ball location — even the poor ones — seem to offer multiple opportunities for recovery — and redemption. I think it would be a very long time, indeed, before I tired of trying to decipher the puzzle. I liked Pacific Dunes and Old MacDonald so much that I played each twice. Pacific Dunes is truly bucket list golf ...Read More & CommentSnake In The Grass At Bandon Dunes, OregonJuly 14, 2018I spied this beautiful, but tiny snake in grass just off the 17th green at the Old MacDonald course at Bandon Dunes. For what it’s worth, Bandon Dunes is truly bucket list golf....Read More & CommentHolt’s Julie Massa Wins Second Consecutive Michigan Women’s Senior AmateurJuly 14, 2018Holt’s Julie Massa Wins Second Consecutive Michigan Women’s Senior Amateur PORTAGE – Julie Massa of Holt rallied from an early deficit to turn back Susan Campbell of Kalamazoo in the final match of the 15th Michigan Women’s Senior Amateur Championship presented by Sullivan Golf Travel. Massa, who won for the second consecutive year, was 2-down through three holes Thursday at The Moors Golf Club before battling back to take the lead and win 2-up. “Sue made a birdie on the second hole with a great putt, and then I got in a tough spot in the bunker on three and made bogey,” Massa said. “I just told myself to be patient and just play your game and see what happens.” Massa, 54, had tied the match by the eighth hole, lost the ninth and was 1-down heading to the back nine. She won holes 11 and 12 to go 1-up and then held the lead through the hazard-laden back nine. Campbell, 64 and a two-time former champion, conceded a birdie on the final hole after she hit a shot into a water hazard. “I was fortunate with a birdie putt on 2 because it hit the hole going fast, and she got a tough lie in the bunker at 3 and I won with a par, but you don’t sit back,” Campbell said. “Julie is too good of a player. I knew it was going to be a close match no matter what, and it was.” Massa, last year’s GAM Senior Women’s Player of the Year, reached the finals with a morning semifinal win over two-time champion Joan Garety of Ada, 3 and 1, and Campbell had to go 20 holes to turn back Audrey Akins of LaSalle in the other semifinal. “It’s not easy to win,” Massa said. “It’s nice, I think because you put the work into it, and you know it is not easy. When these opportunities come along you hope to take advantage. Then when you do, it feels good.” Sue said second place was not a disappointment. “I have been really struggling with my game this year, so to play well today and yesterday is rewarding,” she said. “I know Audrey isn’t all the way back from surgery she had, but I had never beaten her and I had to play well and go extra holes to do it. Then I faced Julie. I haven’t beaten her yet. She is just so solid. She got the lead, and the few times she made bogey, I walked off with bogey, too. It’s a tough back nine here.” Massa said she has known Campbell for 25 years, as well as the other golfers in the rest of the championship flight. “You know you are friends, and you sort of put that aside because you are both trying to play good golf,” she said. “I feel good because I won, but also because I played good golf to do it and had fun.”’ Champions were also determined in three other flights. The flights were determined by USGA/GAM handicap index. Completed results in the match play brackets can be found at gam.org. via Greg Johnson...Read More & Comment
