A-Ga-Ming Golf Resort’s Sundance Hosting 45th Michigan Junior State Amateur
KEWADIN – A-Ga-Ming Golf Resort’s celebrated Sundance course will host the top junior boy golfers for the second consecutive year in the 45th Michigan Junior State Amateur starting Monday.
The field of 108 golfers, ages 18-and-under, is determined by past performance and through sectional qualifiers. They will compete for the overall championship or in an age 15-and-under division through Thursday.
Sundance, which opened in 2005, is a Jerry Matthews design on glacier-carved bluffs between Torch Lake and Grand Traverse Bay. Part of the course rolls over links style ground and part of the course is cut through Northern Michigan hardwoods and is next to the resort’s original Torch course.
With water views combined with wide, playable fairways, classic green design, 110 bunkers and natural sand areas as well as heather-clad mounding the course is stunning in appearance. It can be played at almost 7,000 yards and offers multiple tee options. No. 17 is a camera hole in addition to being a challenge to the golfer. The tee is on top of a wooded ridge and the 210-yard par 3 hole then drops 80 to a green surrounded by trees.
A-Ga-Ming was built in the mid-1970s by Detroit businessman Roy Wetmore. What is now the Torch course was redesigned by Chick Harbert, the 1954 PGA champion and Michigan Golf Hall of Fame member. The Antrim Dells course and Charlevoix Country Club courses located nearby are also part of the current resort, which includes multiple restaurant and lodging options. Learn more at a-ga-ming.com
Larry Lavely is the PGA director of golf, and the superintendent for the Sundance course is Nick Michalek.
Those juniors playing in the overall division 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.
A 15-and-under division is also being presented starting Tuesday with 18 holes of stroke play.
In the overall division, first-round or round of 32 matches are Tuesday with second round and quarterfinals on Wednesday. Semifinal and championship match rounds for both age divisions will be held on Thursday.
Last year at A-Ga-Ming, Max VanderMolen of Richland became the youngest winner of the overall championship at age 14 a year after winning the 15-and-under title at age 13. He topped Kewadin’s Josh Lavely, the son of the director of golf, in a tense 21-hole final match.
VanderMolen is defending his title in the overall division this year, as is last year’s 15-and-under winner Leandro Pinili of Rochester Hills. Pinili topped Isaac Scavarda of Kalamazoo 5 and 4 in the title match for the younger division a year ago. Also back are stroke play medalists Drew Miller of East Lansing, who won the overall stroke play title, and Ada’s Cooper Reitsma, who won the 15-and-under honor.
INFORMATION, SCORES: GAM.org
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