Wilkes-Krier Leads Michigan Open After First Round

Dramatic Shot Powers Patrick Wilkes-Krier at Hall Financial Michigan Open

105th edition of the state championship on The Bear at Grand Traverse Resort and Spa

  ACME – Patrick Wilkes-Krier garnered one of the rarest of golf feats – the albatross or double-eagle 2 on a par 5 – and dramatically grabbed the first-round lead of the Hall Financial Michigan Open Championship presented by Turtle Creek Casino and Caesars Sportsbook on The Bear at Grand Traverse Resort and Spa.

  Last year’s runner-up in a playoff, Wilkes-Krier shot 8-under 64 Monday with the double-eagle on the par 5 No. 10 hole. He hit a 3-wood off the tee, and then a 4-iron 227 yards that caught the green and trickled into the hole.

  “I didn’t see it, but everyone up there was clapping when the ball hit the green and then it was pretty obvious what happened from the second reaction,” said the Ann Arbor resident and teaching professional at Kendall Academy.

  His 64 was three shots clear of the field of 156 golfers, and the double-eagle may be the first ever in the Michigan Open. Archived records are unclear or missing.

  Kyle Dobbs, a teaching professional at Oak Pointe Country Club in Ann Arbor, and Donnie Trosper, a mini-tour professional from Westland, each shot 67 to stand second.

  Jake Kneen, a mini-tour player and the champion in 2018, shot 68, as did six-time champion Scott Hebert, the head professional at nearby Traverse City Golf & Country Club.

  Two other former champions, 2011 winner Randy Hutchison of Traverse City, and 2017 winner Matt Thompson of Hillsdale, checked in with 69s.

  Defending champion Bradley Smithson of Grand Rapids, another MSU golfer, was in a group at 70.

  A cut to the low 70 scores and ties will be made after Tuesday’s second round.

  Wilkes-Krier, who has never had a hole-in-one, said it was his second double-eagle, but first in tournament play.

  “Three-under on one hole will get you going no matter what and I was feeling good after that,” he said.

  He was 9-under for the round after birdies at Nos. 13 and 14 and appeared to be making a bid for the course record of 10-under 62 set in the Michigan Open in 1993 by the late Brent Veenstra, but a bogey on the par 5 No. 15 hole derailed that.

  “I just made a bad decision off the tee there and hit it in the hazard,” he said. “Then I kind of worked my way up the rough the rest of the way.”

  He said he hit good iron shots early in the round and after finishing second a year ago is back with a purpose.

  “Well, I want to win, so I think starting out this way is good, right?,” he said. “I show up to this event and I see all these good golfers, so I know it’s going to take a lot of good golf for another three rounds.”

  Dobbs, 47, underwent hernia surgery in March and just recently started playing again. He said he had zero expectations.

  “I’ve been taking it easy and I was kind of taking it easy today because I still don’t know what to expect, but I guess it’s true, beware of the injured golfer,” he said and laughed. “Coming to the Bear, I mean you can play some great golf and walk away with a frown on your face. Today, I was lucky and I would much rather be lucky than good any day. I didn’t have any fives on the card today. I don’t think I’ve ever done that before.”

  Trosper, 25, has finished third twice in the Open in recent years. He said he was grinding all day in his 67.

  “I haven’t put four rounds together before up here, so if I can do that this week I like my chances,” he said. “I’m just going to keep grinding. That’s the kind of course this is. It makes you do that, at least it makes me do that.”

ABOUT HALL FINANCIAL: David Hall started in the mortgage business in 1996 and his passion for the business and his clients has never been stronger. After working for others for over 20 years, David started Hall Financial in 2016 with the core mission to be the most client-focused mortgage company in the industry. Media contact for Hall Financial: Mark Gildersleeve, Vice-President-Marketing & Strategy, 248-590-0131, [email protected]. Website: callhallfirst.com

ABOUT CAESARS ENTERTAINMENT, INC.: Caesars Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ: CZR) is the largest casino-entertainment Company in the U.S. and one of the world’s most diversified casino-entertainment providers. Since its beginning in Reno, NV, in 1937, Caesars Entertainment, Inc. has grown through development of new resorts, expansions and acquisitions. For more information, please visit. www.caesars.com/corporate. Media contacts; Brad Harwood, [email protected], Jeffrey Sanders, [email protected].

ABOUT GRAND TRAVERSE RESORT & CASINOS: Owned and operated by the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, Grand Traverse Resort & Casinos offers world-class gaming, golf, dining, and spa amenities in the northwest corner of Michigan’s lower peninsula. The premier properties include Grand Traverse Resort and Spa, Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel, and Leelanau Sands Casino & Lodge. Media contact for Grand Traverse Resort: Caroline Rizzo, public relations manager, 231-534-6352, [email protected]. Website: www.grandtraverseresort.com.