Lee Houtteman Wins Playoff for Michigan PGA Professional Championship
Lee Houtteman of Manitou Passage in Cedar shot a closing 3-under 69 with a birdie on the par 5 No. 18 hole (also the playoff hole) to finish with a 9-under 207 total and force a playoff with Scott Hebert, an eight-time champion and the winningest Michigan PGA golfer in history with 16 major section titles, shot 70 for his 207.
Scott Brotebeck, the host professional, rallied with the low round of the day, a 5-under 67, to thrill the Flint Golf Club members and finish at 208, one shot out of the playoff.
Houtteman and Hebert actually finished one shot behind Ben Cook of Cascade Hills in Grand Rapids, who shot 69 for 10-under 206, but he wasn’t eligible to win the section title under a Michigan PGA rule that requires 60 days of employment in the Michigan Section of the PGA prior to the major championship.
Cook did win the $6,700 first place check out of the $54,000 purse, but he was competing in the tournament to earn one of nine spots for the 2019 PGA Professional National Championship at Belfair in Bluffton, S.C., next April 28-May 1.
Canton’s James Piot Wins 97th GAM Championship
James Piot of Canton called it his best scoring week of the summer, and less stressful as a result. The stress-free 19-year-old Michigan State University golfer shot a closing 2-under 69 to win the 97th GAM Championship presented by Carl’s Golfland at Meadowbrook Country Club Tuesday. 
His 10-under 203 total aided greatly by a pair of 67s on 36-hole day one on Monday, left him three shots ahead of defending champion Alex Scott of Traverse City and Grand Valley State University, who shot 69 for 206.
“It’s definitely the best I’ve scored this year by far,” said Piot, who was Big Ten Freshman of the Year last year for the Spartans. “The course fits me really well. It put any stress on the greens only. Off the tee you can pretty much bomb it, and I had a lot of wedges in my hands and put my ball in good spots for birdie chances the whole tournament.”
Michael Anderson of Northville, who was one of Piot’s high school coaches, shot 72 for 208. Also at 208 was Mitchell White of Muskegon, the 2015 champion and another Grand Valley golfer, who shot 68 to close.
Piot also bested one of his Michigan State coaches. Dan Ellis, an assistant for the Spartans, shot 69 for 209 to round out the top five. Brad Bastion of Clinton Township shot 70, and Henry Do of Canton, the 2014 Michigan Amateur champion, shot 69. They finished at 210.
Piot hit 16 greens in the final round, and was not sure where he stood against the others in the field.
“I had a stress-free two-putt for a good look almost every hole, which was great,” he said. “In the back of my mind was Alex Scott. He has the ability to go really low. He showed that when he won the Tournament of Champions this summer (with a closing 61), but I was playing well and just kept trying to make birdies.”
Piot, who started every tournament for the Spartans last year, is seeking his first college win, though he did have two several top 20 finishes, including two top 10s. He also won GAM’s 2015 Michigan Junior State Amateur.
“It was a goal to get a win in Michigan this summer,” he said. “It helps a lot to see a run of red numbers before summer ends and build confidence going into the college season.”
Kerrigan Parks Wins Michigan Women’s Amateur
Flushing’s Kerrigan Parks played her best golf to finish off the summer season by winning the 102nd Michigan Women’s Amateur Championship, at Western Golf & Country Club, needing 19 holes to defeat Elayna Bowser of Dearborn.
“It feels great to win this championship,” said the 19-year-old Marshall University sophomore. “It’s for sure the biggest one I’ve won.”
Parks, the 2017 GAM Champion and a two-time Michigan Junior State Amateur Champion, said the win will give her great confidence heading back to college golf.
“It’s a great ending to the summer,” she said. “It was really a special week.”
Raymond Hearn Creating Two New Holes at Waters Edge
Raymond Hearn Golf Course Designs announced this summer that construction of two new holes at Waters Edge Golf Course in Fremont is 50 percent complete. Waters Edge, formerly known as Ramshorn Country Club, has been an active golf facility in Fremont since 1955.
“What a great site featuring two beautiful lakes,” Hearn said. “Phase 1 (of a long-term plan) involves the construction of a new par 3 and a new par 4 in order to allow for the construction of a new state-of-the-art driving range and short game area, which will start soon.
“When completed, the improvements will definitely create positive attention and increased golfer draw from all major Michigan golf markets. Waters Edge will be on the list of must-play courses in West Michigan.”
GLAGA All-City Tournament Won by Russ Cunningham
The Lansing All-City Tournament, which dates back to 1926, was captured the first weekend of August by long-time amateur competitor Russ Cunningham, a former coach of the golf teams 
at Oakland University. Played at Forest Akers East and West at MSU, Cunningham fired 67-72-74 to win by one stroke over Jonathan Pauli and by six strokes over 3rd place Jacob Johnson.
The Lansing All-City tournament is one of the few 54-hole tournaments in Michigan designed for the every-man golfer. Players of all ages and playing skills came from Livonia and Big Rapids among other mid-Michigan cities to have fun and test their game under tournament conditions and rules.
Tim Coffey won the Senior division with a 3-day 212; Frank Webb won Super Senior at 235; and Virginia Gilton won the Women’s division with 237.
Wendy’s Classic Raises $180,000 for Michigan Foster Care Adoption Programs
Elaine Crosby’s 18th annual Wendy’s Charity Classic presented by Coca-Cola was held on August 6 at Country Club of Jackson and featured veteran LPGA Tour players like fan favorites as Jan Stephenson, Michelle McGann and Rosie Jones from the Legends Tour. The event raised over $180,000 for Wendy’s Wonderful Kids and The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption.
Crosby, a two-time champion on the LPGA Tour with one win on The Legends Tour, has hosted the event since 1999.
“The Legends players look forward to this event every year,” said Crosby, who recently competed in the inaugural U.S. Women’s Senior Open. “We’ve played in hundreds of pro-ams over the years and this is my favorite for obvious reasons, but I can tell you it’s also high on the list for many of our pros.”
