Michigan Golf Journal March 2021

33 March 2021 www.michigangolfjournal.com The Michigan State women’s golf team won its first tournament of the season in early February, capturing the FAU Paradise Invitational in Boca Raton, Florida. The Spartans shot an even-par 288 in the final round, the lowest score of any team in the field. Michigan State won with a 6-under-par 858 (282- 288-288) total, topping Maryland by one stroke and third-place Vanderbilt by two. MSU entered the final round four shots behind leader South Florida, which finished fourth. “It’s a good start to the season,” MSU coach Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll said. “It was a good experience, and it feels great to be on the road with the team again (after a year off due to Covid-19).” PGA Four-Ball Champions Repeat: In a field of more than 100 teams in the PGA Four-Ball Stableford Team Championship, the same two guys won the same tournament two years in a row with the same two guys finishing second. That happens in golf about as often as making consecutive albatrosses. Yet Ben Cook of Caledonia, MI and Ben Kern of Georgetown, TX, split the $10,000 first prize for the second consecutive year. They made six birdies for 12 points in the final round on the Ryder Course at Port St. Lucie, FL, finishing five ahead with 46. MGJ Tournament Champions Eagles for Children is a 501(c)3 organization that created a program designed for golf clubs to raise money in a fun, golf-oriented fashion to benefit disadvantaged children in each club’s local area. It began with the idea of using one great moment on the golf course – and Eagle – to benefit children in need. Co-founders Hal Zaima and Don Kegley of Oakland Hills Country Club created the concept in 2012. Three other local clubs agreed to join; and all totaled the clubs had raised nearly $40,000 and awarded to 14 different children’s charities in SE Michigan. Nine seasons later, Eagles for Children has given grants to over 100 local children’s charities totaling $2,865,403. This year 14 clubs are participating. More details on the program can be found in our original story from April, 2018: https:// michigangolfjournal. com/2018/March/16/ index.html MGJ EAGLES FOR CHILDREN HEADING INTO 10 TH YEAR