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Michigan Golf News
June 11, 2004, Vol. 4, No. 24
MGN ON THE ROAD Ann Arbor-Bank of Ann Arbor Futures Golf Classic The 4th Annual Bank of Ann Arbor Futures Golf Classic is now history, with plans already underway for number 5. Gilda Johnson, Tournament Director, and Co-Owner of Lake Forest GC, caught some great weather and support this year. The Bank of Ann Arbor has proven to be an excellent sponsor for her and the Futures Tour. It was nice seeing Jeff DeFran and Steve Clarke from Ann Arbor's very popular Sports Beat AM radio show on WTKA 1050 on hand to kick off the tournament. http://futurestour.com Gaylord-The Loon/Michaywe Mike Husby has gotten The Loon looking spectacular and well he should. The Loon was his first golf course and real estate development deal and it has been a great success. Mike is also running the Bay Mills Open this year. The Bay Mills Open is scheduled for August 23-29. http://baymillsopen.com http://theloon.com Also, Michaywe is hosting the 4th Annual Dick Weber Memorial Golf Tournament this Saturday. You can check out last year's tournament at http://www.michigangolfer.tv/2004shows/show13/ Treetops Cari Hunt indicated to MGN, that the Big Break II will actually be taped in Las Vegas this year, not at Treetops as was earlier reported. Everytime we pull into Treetops, we are reminded of Robert Trent Jones saying, "I don't think you will find a better opening hole in golf than the first hole at Treetops." If you want to actually see and hear him say that, visit our archives on the Michigan Golfer Televison show and the three shows we did with the Great One. http://michigangolfer.tv Hillman-Governor Granholm Visits Thunder Bay Resort Jack and Jan Matthias along with daughter Melanie and son in law, Joe Libby; were on hand to welcome Governor Granholm and her entourage on Monday. This year's theme for the Governor's tourism tour is, "Michigan's Hidden Treasures Showcase". Thunder Bay Resort, an always evolving resort for the Matthias family, was showcased to not only show off its golf course, but its herd of elk. They took the Governor and a number of media representatives to view the elk via a carriage. The carriage stopped in the woods for lunch where they were entertained by Jack Matthias playing the Elk Horn and Jan Matthias doing stand up in her kitchen. Joe and Melanie Libby, provided sidebars, when the laughter subsided at times. The Michigan Travel show http://michigantravel.tv will feature the visit in an upcoming show. Lewiston-Garland Respite After covering the fast paced "Michigan's Hidden Treasures Showcase" tour, MGN headed south from M-32 to stop by peaceful Garland for a short respite before finishing the drive to A2. We were last there earlier this year in the dead of winter cross country skiing over what is now vividly green fairways. Their driving range was full of golfers and the parking lot full of automobiles. It would seem that summer, with its positive cash flow is here at last. http://garlandusa.com For those that can not wait for winter, you might want to take a quick winter visit to Garland and check out their popular Gourmet Glide http://michigangolfer.tv/miskier/season_3/garland/index.html MICHIGAN GOLFER TELEVISION "BANK OF ANN ARBOR FUTURES GOLF CLASSIC" Vanessa Bell, just back from playing in the South African Golf Tour, is our host for this week's show. Vanessa, interviews, winner Lindsey Wright, Tournament Chairperson Debbie Tirico, Tournament Director, Glida Johnson, Futures Director of Communication Liza Mickey and Janina Jacobs Parrot, of CBS Detroit. http://michigangolfer.tv "THE DICK WEBER MEMORIAL GOLF TOURNAMENT" The Michigan golfer is pleased to be able to bring you some remembrances of Dick Weber of Gaylord. Dick was a great husband, father and a marketing genius for the Gaylord area. We are all diminished by his sudden departure. Highlighted in our show is wife, Sharon, Dick's children and close friends. Join, our host Bill Shelton, reporter Jennie McCafferty and head professional at Michaywe, Judy Mason, Sandra Snook, Mike Husby, Don White and family friends as we bring you the story. Dick Weber is greatly missed by all of us. http://www.michigangolfer.tv/2004shows/show13/ You can find out more by clicking on to http://upga.org THORPE WINS FARMERS CHARITY CLASSIC AT EGYPT VALLEY BY Terry Moore Capping off a weird week of happenstances, Jim Thorpe double-bogied the last hole on Sunday and still won the Farmers Charity Classic under sunny, pleasant skies at Egypt Valley CC by a shot over runner-up Fred Gibson. "We like to win. But we don't like to finish like that," said Thorpe who took home $240,000 for his eighth Champions Tour win but his first this season. Earlier in the day, second round co-leader Andy Bean passed out twice prior to his scheduled last group tee time and was sent to the hospital due to an acute allergic reaction after eating a sausage and muffin for breakfast. Local family medicine physician and Egypt Valley member Dr. Frank Belsito was on the scene when the incident with Bean occurred. "In this type of situation, we had to err on the side of caution," said Belsito who recommended Bean be taken to the hospital. After being examined and treated at Spectrum Health, Bean was released and in fact returned to the course two hours later. There, the crestfallen but not bitter Bean said, "I certainly didn't want to withdraw, but I didn't have much choice." Bean said it was the ninth or tenth time he had fallen victim to such an allergic reaction. Still another player withdrawal made headlines on Wednesday at the tournament now in its 19th year (and third oldest event) on the Champions Tour. Tour star Craig Stadler withdrew from the field after pleading guilty to the charge of operating a vehicle while impaired (reduced from the original charge of driving while intoxicated) when he was arrested in Ionia by Michigan State Police on Memorial Day evening. Stadler was driving from Grand Rapids to Dearborn in order to appear the next morning as the defending champion at the Ford Senior Players Championship Media Day. In an appearance before local TV news cameras and in a prepared statement issued following his court appearance in Ionia, Stadler took full responsibility and blame for his actions. "I take the offense very seriously. I'm embarrassed and feel awful about it," said Stadler. "I can assure you I will not repeat my mistake." Now back to the final round. In spite of almost duplicating Jean Van de Velde's notorious three shot blunder on the last hole of the Ô99 British Open, Jim Thorpe played superbly on the final round and captured the title at Egypt Valley where previously he had finished second, third and fourth. "This course suits my type of play," said Thorpe who had missed the cut the previous week at the PGA Seniors. "I like to play nice and aggressive-and you have to play very, very, smart." After Sunday's round, Thorpe said that back problems had curtailed his play this year but that when he arrived in Grand Rapids he noticed his game was again "showing some sparks." "I started to hit my driver well, had decent iron play, and then started to make some putts," said Thorpe who made crucial birdies on Sunday on 13, 14, and 17 and while making a vital up-and-down one-putt par on 15. On 17, Thorpe earned The Golf Channel's "shot of the day" for his greenside bunker shot that nestled up a mere inch from the cup ensuring a birdie and a three shot lead going to the 54th hole. "As it turned out, I needed that birdie to win by one." Runner-up was Fred Gibson, 56, who had been struggling this season earning only $46,991 in 11 events prior to the Farmers. In danger of losing his Tour card, Gibson admitted he was "seriously looking at doing something else-like selling cars wholesale." Only recently, Gibson learned he suffered from high blood pressure. "I've been taking medication and even doing meditation," said Gibson who cashed a calming check for $140,800. Also trying to remain calm are the Grand Rapids Jaycees and the tournament staff who staged a strong event with an outstanding field and have seen it grow to where nearly one million dollars for charity have been donated in the last three years. They are now looking for a title sponsor after Farmers Insurance Group, citing "changing business goals," ended its six year sponsorship of the event this year. Certainly as defending champion, Thorpe would love to see the event continue. "I would hate that (not being able to defend) if this pulls out and you don't have us back." Thorpe will be wishing and hoping some community-minded and well-heeled sponsor comes forward in the next couple months to ensure the 20th rendition of the tournament, west Michigan's most prestigious and most publicized sporting event. For fun-loving, affable, and frequent Soaring Eagle Casino customer Jim Thorpe, some sponsor will have to take heed soon of Farmers Insurance Group's now ironic business slogan: "Gets you back where you belong." * * * * Two well known Michigan club pros competed in the event. Randy Erskine of Great Oaks CC finished at even par 216 total earning $4389 while host club pro Lynn Janson was at 220, earning $2080. Final note: on Monday in the 18-hole qualifier, two golfers failed to break 100 at Egypt Valley but still bravely posted their scores. MICHIGAN GOLF WEEKLY ANNOUNCES DATES AND SHOWS Shows air every Saturday at 11:30 on WWJ, CBS Detroit, Channel 62. Shows are hosted by Jeff Lesson and Janina Jacobs Jun 12 The Wyndgate, Rochester. . Jun 19 Hunters Ridge GC, Howell Jun 26 TPC & Craig Stadler, Dearborn Jul 03 White Pine National GC,Spruce Jul 17 Elk Ridge GC, Atlanta Jul 24 Plum Brook GC, Sterling Heights Jul 31 True North, Harbor Springs. Aug 14 Dearborn Hills GC, Dearborn Aug 21 Buck's Run GC, Mt. Pleasant COUPLES READY TO REGAIN TITLE AT TYLENOL PAR-3 SHOOTOUT- June 28-29. "I practiced last year and got a lot better. So now, I can understand that I can still play," said Fred Couples, who will try capturing his second Tylenol Par-3 Shootout title in three years at Threetops Course at Treetops Resort, The 1992 Masters champion, Couples joins defending champion Fuzzy Zoeller, 2001 champion Lee Trevino and the reigning Masters titlist, Phil Mickelson in the popular event. The event will air on tape-delay by ESPN on Monday, June 28 from 10 p.m. to midnight (ET) and Tuesday, June 29 from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. (ET). Roger Twibell and Charlie Rymer will be in the booth for the telecast, while Bill Kratzert will serve as the on-course reporter. Tickets, priced at $50 for the two days, or $30 for each day are now on sale online at http://www.treetops.com EMU'S KOREY MAHONEY PLAYS IN THE BRITISH AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP Korey Mahoney, from East Lansing, and a member of EMU's golf team acquited himself quite well at the British Amateur Championship last week. Korey shot a 76 on the Old Course and then a 67 on Old Jubilee to be able to play in the match-play event. He won one event and then got beaten by Michael of Scotland, in the second, 2.up. MG'S VANESSA BELLTO PLAY AT U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN SECTIONAL QUALIFIER AT ROCHESTER...AND HAS BEEN ASKED TO AUDITION FOR "THE BIG BREAK III" MGTV reporter and professional golfer Vanessa Bell, will attend the U.S. Women's Open sectional qualifier in Rochester, N.Y. on June 22. Vanessa won a spot when she made the cut in a local qualifier in Pittsburgh last week. Bell played on the South African Tour earlier this year and is now playing selected tournaments in the Midwest. She has also been asked to audition for the Golf Channel's "The Big Break III" later this month. Vanessa, was one of the first to ask Big Break host, Rick Smith, if there were going to be a Big Break for women this year. You can see the interview she had with Rick while at the PGA show at http://michigangolfer.tv/2004shows/show5/index.html The Big Break III, which will tape in the fall, will feature all women in the show RANDOLPH JOINS OTHER U.S. AMATEUR CHAMPIONS FOR ARNOLD PALMER TURNING POINT 1985 U.S. Amateur Champion Sam Randolph joins the growing number of former U.S. Amateur Champions committed to play in the Arnold Palmer Turning Point Invitational. Randolph cites Arnold Palmer as being a primary force in making the game of golf a popular and respected sport. Tickets now for the Arnold Palmer Turning Point Invitational Gala Dinner being held at the Country Club of Detroit on Sunday, August 29. This is a once-in-lifetime chance to see Arnold Palmer and many other past U.S Amateurs, including Phil Mickelson and Mark O'Meara. Tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster at (248) 645-6666 or by visiting http:/www.turningpointinvitational.org. THE FORD SENIOR PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP IS NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR THEIR FREE YOUTH DAY CLINIC AND FOR PERSONS TO CADDY IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP PRO-AM The Ford Senior Players Championship is currently accepting applications for kids ages 6 thru 18 to participate in their FREE Youth Day Clinic on Monday, July 5 at the TPC of Michigan. This event features a golf exhibition by a Champions Tour Professional along with an instructional clinic for the first 300 registered youth. In the afternoon, randomly selected youth will have the opportunity to play in the Ford Senior Players Championship Youth Pro-Am. Eligibility requirements for the Youth Pro-Am include being between the ages of 14 and 18, a golf handicap of 25 or below, and a minimum 2.5 G.P.A. Applications must be verified by a school administrator, coach, or a PGA professional. Both events are FREE! Application deadline is Monday June 21, 2004! Contact Kim Hessell at (313) 441-0300 or email khessell@pgatourhq.com with any questions and to obtain an application NEED TWO FOR THE RYDER CUP? United Cerebral Palsy of Metropolitan Detroit, Inc. will auction off two Ryder Cup ducats at its Third Annual Vanessa Grace Garr Memorial Golf Outing on Saturday, July 10, 2004 at the Links of Novi in Novi. Dinner tickets ($50) or tickets to the golf outing can be purchased for $125 by calling (248) 557-5070. Taken and edited from a release from UCP of Metropolitan Detroit GOLFWEEK HONORS GAYLORD AREA COURSES The Gaylord Golf Mecca has had four of its golf courses listed among the best in Michigan by Golfweek magazine. In Michigan, Golfweek ranked Treetops Smith Signature at No. 5, the Black Forest Golf Club at No. 6, the Black Lake Golf Club at No. 7 and the Fazio Premier course at No. 9 among the Top 10 best courses in Michigan. Michigan Top Ten According to Golfweek 1. Arcadia Bluffs, Arcadia 2. Tullymore Golf Club, Stanwood 3. Bay Harbor Golf Club (Links/Quarry), Petoskey 4. Lakewood Shores Resort (Gailes), Oscoda 5. Treetops (Smith Signature), Gaylord 6. Wilderness Valley Golf Club (Black Forest), Gaylord 7. Black Lake Golf Club, Onaway 8. High Point, Traverse City 9. Treetops (Fazio Premier), Gaylord 10. Boyne Highlands (Heather), Harbor Springs Taken and edited from a release from Resort and Golf Marketing Services For more information on the Gaylord Golf Mecca http://www.gaylordgolfmecca.com. WOMEN LESS ACTIVE (IN SPORTS/FITNESS) THAN MEN Women are less active in sports/fitness activities than men, according to the most recent LeisureTRAK report. Only 49% of women had participated in sports/fitness activities in the last three (3) months versus 60% of the men. Both women and men showed increased participation rates since 2000, the year showing the lowest rates in the history of the study. In 2000, 45% of women and 53% of men had participated in sports/fitness activities in the last three months. Of the top 10 sports/fitness activities for women, eight - including the top seven - are fitness-related. The top 10 for women are: walking, 39%; exercising, 23%; swimming, 12%; bicycling, 12%; aerobics, 10%; health club/spa, 9%; jogging/running, 9%; basketball, 8%; hiking/backpacking, 6%; and bodybuilding/weightlifting, 6%. The LeisureTRAK Report, produced by the Leisure Trends Group, Boulder, Colo. http://www.leisuretrends.com. 19TH HOLE-DAVID LETTERMAN'S TOP 10 REASONS WHY GOLF IS BETTER THAN SEX #10 - A below par performance is considered good. #9 - You can stop in the middle and have a cheeseburger and a couple of beers. #8 - It's much easier to find the sweet spot. #7 - Foursomes are encouraged. #6 - You can still make money doing it as a senior. #5 - Three times a day is possible. #4 - Your partner doesn't hire a lawyer if you do it with someone else. #3 - If you live in Florida, you can do it every day. #2 - You don't have to cuddle with your partner when you're finished. and best of all................ #1 - If your equipment gets old and rusty, you can replace it. Thanks and a Tip of the Tam to Jack Minzey for passing on this Letterman Top Ten gem. HOLE IN ONE CLUB - GEORGE GHAZA/ED DUTCHER-SHANTY CREEK/HERMAN OZROVITZ-SPRINGFIELD OAKS On May 29th, 2004 George Ghazal of Troy, Michigan drove an ace (hole-in-one) with a 7 wood on hole #17 (175 yards) at Shanty Creek's Schuss Mountain Golf Club. George has been playing golf for 45 years and this is the first time he has shot a hole-in-one. Also, on that date, Ed Dutcher of Lansing, Michigan (also a member of the Shanty Creek Club) drove an ace (hole-in-one) with a 5 iron on hole #8 (176 yards) at Shanty Creek's Cedar River Golf Club. Ed has been playing for 20 years and this is the first time he has shot a hole-in-one! On September 10, 2002, Herman Ozrovitz, of West Bloomfield used a Wilson 7-iron on the 15th hole of Springfield Oaks GC. He used a Top Flite ball for the occasion. While Herman got the attention, he wanted from a story in a Detroit newspaper, he was also looking for some attention from Wilson and Top Flight. OK Herman, maybe this will help. MICHIGAN GOLF NEWS ASSOCIATION SUBSCRIBERS Golf Association of Michigan http://www.gam.org Michigan Golf Course Owners Association http://mgcoa.org Michigan PGA http://michigan.pga.com Michigan Women's Golf Association, MWGA http://www.mwgolf.org Michigan State Amateur Golf Association Dick Loring skillplay@aol.com Upper Peninsula Golf Association http://upga.org MICHIGAN GOLF LIVE WELCOMES NBC'S JOHNNY MILLER Michigan Golf Live interviews Johnny Miller on the show this Saturday, June 12th. MGL is heard live each Saturday morning from 8-10am on 11 stations around the state and is hosted by Bill Hobson, Jon Bloom, and Todd Arner. For more information please visit the official website of MGL - http://www.michigangolflive.com WEST MICHIGAN GOLF SHOW ANNOUNCES DATE The West Michigan Golf Show at Devos Hall, will be held on February 4-6 said, spokesperson for the event; Carolyn Alt. Alt indicated that materials pertinent to the show will be available soon. http://westmichigangolfshow.com GOLF CALENDAR 2004 JUNE 06/12 Dick Weber Memorial Golf Tournament, Michaywe Pines, Gaylord 06/16 Washtenaw County Hospitality Golf Outing, Lake Forest GC, Ann Arbor 06/21-24 Golf Your Daylights Out-Grand Traverse Resort and Spa. http://grandtraverseresort.com 06/21 Mel Trotters Marathon of Hope, Kent Country Club, Grand Rapids 06/22-26 Michigan Amateur-Grosse Ile G&CC http://gam.org 06/24-25 Izzo Mariucci Golf Classic, Timberstone and Pine Grove Golf Courses http://michigangolfer.tv/2004shows/show4/index.html 06/25-26 3rd Annual Hickory Open, Kingsley Club, Traverse City http://www.hickorygolf.com 06/25-27 2004 Michigan Open-Pro Am-Grand Traverse Resort and Spa http://michigangolfer.tv/2003shows/show16/index.html 06/28-07/01 Detroit Newspapers Michigan Open Championship, Grand Traverse Resort and Spa. http://michigangolftour.com 06/28-29 Tylenol Par-3 Shootout, Treetops Resort, http://treetops.com 06/28-30 Michigan Girls Jr. Amateur-Midland CC 06/27- 5th Annual Great Lakes Junior Masters Golf Championship, Shanty 07/02 Creek Resort JULY 07/05-11 Ford Senior Players Championship TPC of Michigan DearbornÊ http://www.fordseniorplayerschamp.pgatour.com Ê 07/15-18 Detroit Newspapers Tournament of Champions-Pro Am-Boyne Mountain and Bay Harbor http://michigangolftour.com 07/23-28 Michigan PGA Womens's Open Pro-Am and Tournament 2004, Crystal Mountain Resort http://crystalmountain.com 07/26-08/01 Buick Open, Warwick Hills Golf and Country Club in Grand Blanc, AUGUST 08/2-8 Jamie Farr LPGA Owens Corning Classic presented by Kroger, Highland Meadows GC, Sylvania, OH http://jamiefarrowenscorning.com 08/05 32nd Michigan State Junior Golf Championship, A-GA-MING 08/9-10 GAM Championship,Plum Hollow CC http://gam.org 08/16 Paul W. Smith: Pals for Pal, Detroit Golf Club http://www.palsforpal.org/ 08/16-17 GAM Women's Championship, Owosso CC http://gam.org 08/19 MGCOA Summer Meeting and Outing, Gull Lake View, Augusta http://mgcoa.org 08/20-23 PGA Championship Pro Am-Shanty Creek http://michigangolftour.com 08/23-29 Bay Mills Open Player Championship,Wild Bluff GC - Brimley http://baymillsopen.com 08/3-0 Arnold Palmer Turning Point Invitational, Country Club of Detroit, http://turningpointinvitational.com 08/30-31 GAM Women's Senior Amateur, Mt. Pleasant CC http://gam.org SEPTEMBER 09/04-05 Par-3 Amateur Shootout http://treetops.com 09/8-9 GAM Senior Amateur, Belvedere GC http://gam.org 09/11-12 Michigan Net Amateur, The Loon 09/14-19 The Ryder Cup -Oakland Hills CC http://rydercup.com 09/15 The Ryder Cup Captains Challenge, Detroit Golf Club 09/16 The Ryder Cup Champions Invitational, Oakland University 09/16 Irish Night and Ryder Cup Celebration at The Henry Ford, 09/25-26 Atlas Trophy Matches (Men & Women), Yarrow GC 09/25-27 Pepsi¨ Fall Charity Invitational http://treetops.com 09/28 GAM Tournament of Champions Egypt Valley CC http://gam.org OCTOBER 10/07-9 Boys Golf Regionals -- October 7, 8 or 9 10/15-16 Boys Gol MHSAA Finals -- October 15-16 http://www.mhsaa.com/ NOVEMBER 11/28-30.MGCOA Annual Meeting at the Somerset Inn in Troy. http://mgcoa.org Michigan Golf Calendar 2005 JANUARY 01-27-30 PGA Merchandise Show, Orlando, FL http://pgamerchandiseshow.com FEBRUARY 02/25-27 Lansing Golf Show, Lansing Center, Lansing http://michigangolfshow.com MARCH 03/05 Midland Golf Show, Valley Plaza Resort 03/11-13 Michigan Golf Show, Novi Expo, Novi http://michigangolfshow.com 03/26-27 Lakeshore Golf Show and Travel Show Contact: SueNielsen@whitehall.k12.mi.us http://websiteiscoming://http ASSOCIATION LINKS American Association of Golf Course Architects http://asgca.org Golf Association of Michigan http://www.gam.org/ Golf Course Superintendents Association of America http://www.gcsaa.org Michigan Section PGA http://www.Michigan.PGA.com Michigan Golf Course Owners Association http://mgcoa.org Michigan High School Athletic Association http://www.mhsaa.com/ Hichigan Interscholastic Golf Coaches Association http://migca.com National Golf Course Owners Association http://ngcoa.org National Golf Foundation http://ngf.org <-- Main News Page
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