Geer Wins GAM Women’s Championship   

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