Delze, Patil Win GAM 14 and Under Match Play Titles

Mitt Delzer, Saisha Patil Win GAM 14 & Under Match Play Titles

   EAST LANSING – Timothy “Mitt” Delzer of Grand Blanc rallied from behind to win the boys’ title, and Saisha Patil of Okemos won for the second consecutive year among the girls in the 8th GAM 14 & Under Match Play Championship presented by Absopure Thursday at Woodside Golf Course.

  Delzer, 13, was two-down through six holes to Draven Rogers of Fort Gratiot in the boys’ championship bracket final match, but won the final three holes, including closing with a birdie at No. 9 to win 1-up.

  “I knew there was still a chance because I had three holes left,” said Delzer, who was the No. 8 seed in the eight-golfer championship bracket. “I knew I had to win all three. I wasn’t that nervous because I knew if I lost, I would still have another year in the tournament.”

  Patil, 13, was tied with Cameron Baker of Novi through six holes, but won seven and eight with pars to close out the match.

  “The match with Cameron was more nerve-wracking than my others,” said Patil, the top seed in the championship bracket. “I was holding on with a thread for a bit, but then my game got a little better as we kept going.”

  Delzer earned his title match spot with a 4 and 2 semifinal win over Zane Rueger of Saline, and Rogers earned his way to the final match with a 1-up win over Tommy Preston of Grand Rapids. Preston beat Rueger in 11 holes in the consolation match.

 It was a first GAM win for Delzer, an eighth-grade student in the Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook School System.

  “It feels good to get my first GAM win and it makes me want more,” Delzer said. “I’ve won some Meijer/Callaway Tour events, but this is my biggest win so far.”

  Patil earned her spot in the title match with a 4 and 3 win over McKenzie Stevens of Northville, while Baker made her way to the title match with a win over Isabella Michetti of Ann Arbor in 10 holes. Michetti beat Stevens 2 and 1 in the consolation match.

   Patil, an Okemos Schools student, is the second golfer to win consecutive titles in the championship. Lauren Timpf of Macomb previously won back-to-back titles. This is the third GAM age-group win of the summer for Patil, who last year was the GAM 15-and-under Girls’ Player of the Year.

  “I’m getting a lot of match play experience and getting better at it,” Patil said. “My short game has made a difference for me this year. I keep working on it and I feel like I’m improving.”