Michigan Open Championship Entry Deadline Is Wednesday May 15

Michigan Open Championship Entry Deadline Is Wednesday May 15

Entry Deadline Looming for June 10-13 Michigan Open Championship

  ACME – In 2019 it’s back to The Bear for the second consecutive year and the 102nd Michigan Open Championship presented by Grand Traverse Resort & Casino/Yamaha Golf Cars Plus/Lake Trust Credit Union, June 10-13.

  Entry details are at michiganpgagolf.com, and the deadline to be part of the championship at Grand Traverse Resort and Spa is Wednesday, May 15, at 5 p.m. 

  A field of 156 starting golfers will be determined for the 72-hole championship after entrants not in the exempt categories play in one of seven qualifiers presented around the state in late May and early June. A special three-spot qualifier will also be held on June 8 at A-Ga-Ming Resort’s Sundance Course in Kewadin, which can be used as a first or second attempt.

   Grand Traverse Resort hosted the state’s best golfers in the storied Michigan Open Championship 28 times between 1981 and 2008, and in the last 25 of those years The Bear course, a Jack Nicklaus signature design that opened in 1985, helped identify the champion.

  The 2019 championship, the 30th visit to the resort for the Michigan Open, is presented by Grand Traverse Resort & Casinos, Yamaha Golf Cars Plus and Lake Trust Credit Union with additional support from Pepsi and Traverse City Tourism.

  Jake Kneen of White Lake, who turned professional late last summer after his Michigan Open win as an amateur, has entered and will defend his championship. The former Oakland University golfer overcame a triple-bogey bite from the Bear’s 16th hole and held on to win the 101st Michigan Open Championship. He shot 75 for an 8-under 280 and a two shot-win over mini-tour professional James Holley of Howell, who shot 72.

  Kneen was just the sixth amateur to win the state Open championship, and just the second in the last 43 years. The field is traditionally made up of the top Michigan PGA professionals, touring professionals who maintain residency in the state and the top amateur players.

  The Michigan Open was first played in 1916 and won by Leo Diegel, who also played in the inaugural Ryder Cup matches and the first Masters Tournament in Augusta, Ga. Many of golf’s most famous have their names listed on the Michigan Open’s James Standish Trophy including Walter Hagen, Chuck Kocsis, Al Watrous, Horton Smith, Walter Burkemo and John Barnum.

Learn more about Grand Traverse Resort at grandtraverseresort.com. Learn more about the Michigan PGA and enter the championship at michiganpgagolf.com.

COMPETITORS: Questions regarding entry or the competition should be directed to Michigan PGA Section Tournament Director Justin Phillips at [email protected] or 517-641-7421.