Michigan Golf Journal August 2019

First Division 1 NCAA Men’s Golf Tournament Coming to U.P. New Sage Run course will host Island Resort Intercollegiate September 1-2 Michigan Golf Journal College Season Starts in U.P. The newest golf course in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, the highly-touted Sage Run at Island Resort & Casino, will kick off the collegiate fall season by hosting its first signature tournament. The Island Resort Intercollegiate at Sage Run, a two-day, 54-hole stroke- play invitational, will tee off this fall with 10 college teams – including schools from the Big Ten and SEC – competing Sept. 1 – 2 on Sage Run’s 7,309-yard Paul Albanese design. The NCAA men’s Collegiate Invitational is hosted by South Dakota State University. South Dakota State Director of Golf Casey Van Damme, an Upper Peninsula native, was instrumental in organizing the tournament and bringing it to Sage Run. His squad will host and square off against Michigan State, Purdue, Kentucky, the University of Detroit Mercy, University of North Florida (which finished 22 nd in the NCAA Finals), East Carolina, Northern Michigan and 21 st -ranked Liberty University in the first-ever Island Resort Collegiate at Sage Run. Liberty’s Ervin Chang, a nationally top- ranked player last season, headlines a talented field while Northern Michigan’s squad from nearby Marquette will rely on depth and local knowledge. “The depth and quality of the field playing in this event is a testament to commitment from Island Resort to host it on this great course,” Van Damme said. “Sage Run is a different kind of venue than these players normally see week- in and week-out, so I think Sage Run Hole 13