Competition for 97th Michigan Amateur Championship begins

PORTAGE, MI - This 30 year old Arthur Hills designed golf club (Moors Golf Club) is hosting its first Michigan Amateur Championship with 156 of the best amateurs in the state competing. 

Conditions for the first round of stroke play are having the contestants deal with winds from 15 to 30 miles per hour and greens with speeds running 12.5 on the stimpmeter.  The field, saturated with a number of college players, has an age range from 16 to 64 years old and comes to the western Michigan course from all parts of the state, including a father and twin sons from Negaunee in the Upper Peninsula. 

After completion of play today, the scoring leaders are a pair from Grand Rapids with a score of 71; one-under-par. 

Both Brian Hayward (Grand Rapids) and Mark Schoenborn (Grand Rapids) played in the morning when the wind was tolerable compared to those that played in the afternoon.

In all, only three other golfers joined the first day leaders with scores at even par 72.  They included Nick Pumford (St. Charles), Tim Katanski (Ypsilanti) and Brandon Lemons, a  local favorite from Portage. 

Medal play continues tomorrow for another 18 holes of stroke play with similar weather conditions predicted.  At the conclusion of tomorrow’s round, the low 64 players will commence head to head match play on Thursday morning.  By nightfall Thursday, the winners will have played two matches and the field will be reduced to the “Sweet 16.”

 
So far in the competition, the Moors Golf Club would have to be declared the winner - fair but difficult.