Enid Gage (above) of Wyoming, Michigan won the Golf Association of Michigan’s Women’s Mid Amateur by three shots Thursday at Gull Lake Country Club.
Gage, a Grand Rapids registered nurse, shot a 1-over-par 149 over two rounds. That was good enough for a three shot win in the 25-and-older championship. Gage will add her name to the Jeanne L. Myers Trophy.
Claudia Cenko of Beverly Hills won the Senior (age 50-plus) title by making a birdie on the first sudden-death playoff hole (No. 18) against Shelly Weiss of Southfield.
As an aside, I’ve long been of the opinion that the mid-amateurs represent the best of amateur golf. Too often the regular amateur championships are dominated by collegiate players and aspiring pros. Their amateur status is just a waystation. Mid-amateurs, on the other hands, tend to have real jobs and real lives; they are professionals in something other than golf.
The full press release follows:
Wyoming’s Enid Gage wins 16th GAM Women’s Mid-Amateur at Gull Lake Country Club
RICHLAND – Enid Gage hasn’t been playing a lot of golf, but lately she has played well more often.
“That kind of spurred my last minute decision to enter,” she said after winning the 16th GAM Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship presented by Sullivan Golf & Travel Thursday at Gull Lake Country Club. “It worked out well.”
Gage, a 32-year-old registered nurse for Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids, shot a 3-over-par 77 to go with a first-round 72 for 1-over-par 149 and a three-shot win in the championship for golfers age 25-plus. Her name will be inscribed on the Jeanne L. Myers Trophy.
Darci Stocker of Flint shot an even-par 74 for 152 and second place followed by Audrey Akins of LaSalle, who shot 72 for 153. Jacqueline Schram of White Lake shot 78 for 157 and Ashley Crain of Bloomfield Hills rounded out the top five with a 78 for 159.
Gage, a member at L.E. Kaufman Golf Course in Wyoming, made three consecutive birdies to start her first-round 72 Wednesday and had a six-shot lead to start the final round on Stocker.
“I played pretty good on the front nine today, but the back nine here is tougher, narrow through the trees,” she said. “I had three bogeys in a row on the back nine and Darci started making birdies and I know what a great player she is. I finished tough though, grinded it out and that feels good. It feels great to win.”
Gage, who played college golf at Grand Valley State University and had a previous best finish of second in the Mid-Amateur, said she enjoys competition but struggles to fit it into her schedule.
“I play in the GAM events when I can because they’re really fun,” she said. “I had a great group today (Stocker and Schram), golfers like me who want to have fun competing.”
Claudia Cenko of Beverly Hills won the Senior (age 50-plus) title by making a birdie on the first sudden-death playoff hole (No. 18) against Shelly Weiss of Southfield.
Cenko had closed with an 81 for 165, and Weiss had an 83 for 165 in regulation play. Cenko tapped in for the birdie after reaching the 18th in two shots (played as a par 5 in the tournament) and lagging her eagle putt close.
Awards were also presented for low net accomplishments in the tournament.
Visit http://www.gulllakecc.com for more club information.
Visit http://www.gam.org for more tournament information, including results.
Discover more from GolfBlogger Golf Blog
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
