Michigan Golf Journal July 2018

Tournament News ACME – Amateur Jake Kneen of White Lake played what ŚĞ ĐĂůůĞĚ ŽŶĞ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ŐƌŝƫĞƐƚ round of his life, overcame Ă ƚƌŝƉůĞͲďŽŐĞLJ ďŝƚĞ ĨƌŽŵ ƚŚĞ ĞĂƌ͛Ɛ ϭϲƚŚ ŚŽůĞ͕ ĂŶĚ ŚĞůĚ on to win the 101st Michigan Open Championship at Grand dƌĂǀĞƌƐĞ ZĞƐŽƌƚ ĂŶĚ ^ƉĂ͘ dŚĞ ϮϮͲLJĞĂƌͲŽůĚ ĂŵĂƚĞƵƌ ƐŚŽƚ ϳϱ dŚƵƌƐĚĂLJ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ĮŶĂů ƌŽƵŶĚ ĨŽƌ ĂŶ ϴͲƵŶĚĞƌ ϮϴϬ ĨŽƌ Ă ƚǁŽ ƐŚŽƚͲǁŝŶ ŽǀĞƌ ŵŝŶŝͲƚŽƵƌ ƉůĂLJĞƌ James Holley of Howell (72), who moved to Michigan in the winter ǁŝƚŚ ŚŝƐ ĮĂŶĐĠ ĂŶĚ ƉůĂŶƐ ƚŽ ŐŽ ƚŽ Web.com Qualifying in the fall. ͞tŽǁ͕ / ƚŚŝŶŬ / ŚĂĚ Ɛŝdž ďŝƌĚŝĞƐ͕ Ɛŝdž ďŽŐĞLJƐ ĂŶĚ Ă ƚƌŝƉůĞ ;ďŽŐĞLJͿ͕͟ he said. “Man, it was up and ĚŽǁŶ ƚŽĚĂLJ͘ / ũƵƐƚ ŬĞƉƚ ŵLJ ŚĞĂĚ ĚŽǁŶ ĂŶĚ ŬĞƉƚ ĮŐŚƟŶŐ͘ / ŬŶĞǁ / ƐƟůů ŚĂĚ ƚŚĞ ůĞĂĚ ĞǀĞŶ ĂŌĞƌ ƚŚĞ ƚƌŝƉůĞ Ăƚ ϭϲ͘ / ũƵƐƚ ŬĞƉƚ ƚĞůůŝŶŐ ŵLJƐĞůĨ͕ ͚LJŽƵ ĂƌĞ ƐƟůů ĂŚĞĂĚ͕ ũƵƐƚ make some pars and steady out ƚŚĞ ƌŽƵŶĚ͛͘ &ŽƌƚƵŶĂƚĞůLJ͕ / ǁĂƐ ĂďůĞ ƚŽ ĚŽ ƚŚĂƚ͘͟ Kneen – a former Michigan Junior Amateur champion who just this spring was the Horizon League Golfer of the Year for Oakland University – becomes just ƚŚĞ ϲƚŚ ĂŵĂƚĞƵƌ ƚŽ ǁŝŶ ƚŚĞ state Open championship, and just the 2nd in the last 43 years. Tom Werkmeister of Grandville, who became a professional this year at age ϱϬ͕ ďƌŽŬĞ Ă ƐƚƌĞĂŬ ŽĨ ϯϴ ǁŝŶƐ by professionals in 2013. ͞/ƚ ŵĞĂŶƐ Ă ůŽƚ͕ ĂŶĚ ũƵƐƚ really validates a lot of ƚŚĞ ǁŽƌŬ ƚŚĂƚ /͛ǀĞ ƉƵƚ ŝŶ͕͟ Kneen said. “This is one of the biggest tournaments of the year for me personally, ĂŶĚ ŝƚ ĂůƐŽ ǀĂůŝĚĂƚĞƐ ǁŚĂƚ / want to do. My dream is to be a pro and me winning a tournament like this shows that it is not outrageous that / ǁĂŶƚ ƚŽ ĚŽ ƚŚĂƚ͘͟ Former PGA Tour players dŽŵ 'ŝůůŝƐ͕ ĂǁĂŝƟŶŐ ĂŐĞ ϱϬ and the PGA Tour Champions, closed with a 70 for 283 and third place. DŝŶŝͲƚŽƵƌ ƉůĂLJĞƌ DŝĐŚĂĞů EĂŐLJ ŽĨ DĂŶŝƐƟƋƵĞ͕ ĂŶĚ ŶĚƌĞǁ tĂůŬĞƌ ŽĨ ĂƩůĞ Creek, a Michigan State hŶŝǀĞƌƐŝƚLJ ŐŽůĨĞƌ͕ ƐŚŽƚ ϲϴƐ ĨŽƌ Ϯϴϰ ĂŶĚ Ă ƟĞ ĨŽƌ ϰƚŚ͘ DŝŶŝͲƚŽƵƌ ƉůĂLJĞƌ ƌŝĐ >ŝůůĞďŽĞ of Okemos, who shot 77, and ^ĂůŝŶĞ ĂŵĂƚĞƵƌ /ĂŶ DĂƌƟŶ͕ ǁŚŽ ƐŚŽƚ ϲϴ͕ ƟĞĚ Ăƚ Ϯϴϱ͘ ^ KZ ^͗ ŽŵƉůĞƚĞ ƌĞƐƵůƚƐ ĐĂŶ ďĞ found at michiganpgagolf.com Amateur Wins 101 st Michigan Open LJ 'ƌĞŐ :ŽŚŶƐŽŶ͕ W' ^ĞĐƟŽŶ