Michigan Golfer, Summer 2011

In This Issue

4 Impressions of the 100th Michigan AmateurBy Terry Moore

6 Stephanie Kim Wins Island Resort Championship By Lisa Mickey

10 Northern Indiana GolfBy Mike Duff

16 A Memorable MastersBy Jack Berry

20 Briegel, Hills, Moore, Perne’ Enter Michigan Golf Hall of Fame

22 Collegiate Spotlight: University of Detroit MercyBy Chris Lewis

25 Collegiate Spotlight: Eastern Michigan UniversityBy Chris Lewis

MICHIGAN GOLFER

Publisher/EditorArt McCafferty

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Editor EmeritusTerry Moore

AssociatePublisher/ProducerJennie McCafferty

WritersJeff Bairley

Susan BairleyL’anse BannonMike Beckman

Jack BerryTom DoakMike DuffRob Ford

Rob FranciosiThad Gutowski

Kelly HillGreg Johnson

B.R. KoehnemannVartan Kupelian

Chris LewisScott Moncrieff

Jim NeffNorm Sinclair

Michael Patrick Shiels

Ron WhittenJanina Parrott Jacobs

Herschel NathanialBernice Phillips

Bill SheltonBrad Shelton

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Dave RichardsCarter SherlineBrian Walters

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V O L U M E 2 9 • S U M M E R 2 0 1 1 • N U M B E R 2

Cover: Willie Mack III photo courtesy of Golf Association ofMichigan.

2 S U M M E R 2 0 1 1 • M I C H I G A N G O L F E R M A G A Z I N E

16 Jack Berry on the Masters

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The 100th Michigan Amateurcontested at The Heather atBoyne Highlands delivered

history-making golf as Flint’sWillie Mack III became the firstAfrican-American to win thestate’s oldest golf championship.

Mack defeated defending champi-on and local favorite Joey Garber,playing on his home course, 4 & 3in the 18-hole finals match.Although I wasn’t there for thefinals, I did manage to followMack earlier in the week includinga 21-hole victory that ended in thedark.

A recent graduate of Bethune-Cookman University in Fla., Mackpossesses an impressive game.Earlier this spring, he shockedwest siders when he won the WestMichigan Amateur at CandlestoneGC by birdieing two of the lastthree holes to erase a three-shotdeficit to Tom Werkmeister, GrandRapids’ premier player, claiming

the crown in his first attempt. (Toboost the field, tournament offi-cials this year allowed entries fromacross the state.)

Only 5’8” tall and weighing 150pounds, Mack generates plenty ofclubhead speed and length with apowerful whip-like swing mindfulof Rickie Fowler. And like Fowler,he’s an exceptional putter.Watching him compete in severalmatches at Boyne, I was mostimpressed with his acceleratingand aggressive stroke, almostalways getting his misses past thehole in the preferred Dave Pelz

By Terry Moore

Terry Moore

Impressions of the100th Michigan Amateur

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Photo above: The Heather, BoyneHighlands.

5M I C H I G A N G O L F E R M A G A Z I N E • S U M M E R 2 0 1 1

range of 18 inches. His puttingroutine is consistent and he’s nevercareless with his short putts. In the21-hole match on Thursday, Mackmade consecutive three-foot come-backers to halve the holes beforeending the match at 10 p.m. with a30-foot birdie that rattled the backof the cup.

I also liked the pace of Mack’splay; he’s ready to hit and gets at itwhen he’s away. This is refreshingin an era when the stakes of col-lege golf have added excessivepre-shot routines and too muchdeliberation. But Mack’s best qual-ity, and one that will arm him wellfor the rigors of professional andmini-tour play, is his laser-likefocus and intensity level. He’stotally into the moment and theshot at hand. It will be thisaspect of his game, and notmechanics, that bodes well forWillie Mack III.

*****

Now for some otherthoughts and impres-sions of the Michigan

Amateur conducted by the GolfAssociation of Michgan:

· I walked away withrenewed appreciation for TheHeather, the Robert Trent Jones-designed gem that helped sparkthe rise of resort golf in northernMichigan. First, it’s a walkablecourse ideal for the Amateur andmatch play. (I like how Boyneallows walking and evenarranges caddies at The Heatherfor its guests.) Greens and teesare close to one another and the

terrain is generally flat. Secondly,the course was in fine conditionthroughout and it held up well inspite of all of the rain that beset thechampionship. Checking out sever-al bunkers I didn’t notice anystones—a common pitfall of north-ern Michigan courses. And ofcourse, the Boyne Highlands set-ting is hard to match even in themost unfavorable weather.

· How did spitting on thegreen and on the course become afashionable “tic” among youngplayers? Was it Sergio Garcia andTiger Woods, serial spitters both,who helped spread this nastyhabit? I observed at least threeplayers in the Amateur spitting onthe green after they holed out. It’s

a nervous, thoughtless habit andone many players probably aren’taware they’re even doing. But it’ssomething that should be nipped inthe bud by parents and coachesalike. I’d even like to see “no spit-ting” reminders placed on first-teerules sheet and/or pin placements.

· Kudos to the many volun-teers who turned out for the 100thMichigan Amateur. Boyne did anincredible job of recruiting anenthusiastic army of spotters whomade a huge difference in the paceof play by quickly locating balls inthe rough, which was a healthy andball-hiding four inches deep.

- MG -

HARRIS, Mich., June 26, 2011 –Teenager Stephanie Kim earnedher first professional victory inwire-to-wire fashion today at the$100,000 Island ResortChampionship presented by DeltaCounty Chamber of Commerce.

The 2011 LPGA and LPGAFutures Tour rookie carded roundsof 67-72-70 to win by two shots at7-under 209 at Sweetgrass Golf

Club in Michigan’s UpperPeninsula.

Kim edged runner-up Jane Rah(70) of Torrance, Calif., who fin-ished at 5-under 211, and HannaKang (72) of Seoul, South Korea,who finished third at 4-under 212.

“It wasn’t as hard leading thepack as it was hitting the fairwaytoday,” said Kim, 19, of Bayside,

N.Y., who hit only nine fairways inregulation in today’s final round. “Iwas scraping it around, but makinga lot of putts. When my swing fellapart, I guess I just dug deep.”

Fortunately for the former WakeForest University collegian, herputter responded when she neededit most. Kim rolled in a 15-footbirdie on the third hole, a 90-footbirdie monster on No. 7 and a five-


Sweetgrass Golf Course, Hole Number Seven

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Stephanie Kim Wins IslandResort Championship

By Lisa Mickey

foot birdie on the ninth hole.

But she gave back two shotswhen her drive found a water hazardon the ninth hole and she hooked hertee shot left into the fescue on No.10. On the par-5 11th hole, Kangchipped in for eagle to draw withintwo strokes of Kim.

“After Hanna made the eaglethere, I said, ‘I guess I need tomake birdie,’ and I did [from eightfeet],” said Kim, who played as anamateur on the LPGA Futures Tourin 2009 and 2010.

Kim rolled in an eight-footer forbirdie on No. 11, gave it back witha bogey on No. 12 when she flewthe green, and then rolled in a 15-foot birdie on the 13th hole.

But Kim was wobbling andKang, Rah and rookie Lizette Salasof Azusa, Calif., were applyingpressure with five holes to play.

Rah missed her five-foot birdiechance on the 18th hole. AndKang’s approach to the 18th greenlanded in the back fringe. Shemissed her 10-foot putt for par.

Salas (73) took double-bogeyon No. 17 to drop into a tie forfourth at 3-under 213 withKathleen Ekey (67) of SharonTownship, Ohio.

Even with a two-stroke leadheading into 18, Kim had a trickyfairway bunker shot into the lastgreen. Her blast out of the sand hitthe firm green and rolled 65 feetpast the hole, leaving Kim a testerto two-putt for the win.

“Did you see my bunker shot?”quipped Kim. “If it hadn’t stoppedwhen it did, it would have rolledon to Canada. I just knew I didn’twant to three-putt to win.”

Kim eyed the long putt on adouble green built in the shape of

Michigan’sUpperPeninsulaand rolled itto eight feet,making herputt for parand the win.

“I wasthinking, ‘Befearless,Stephanie,’and that thisputt wasshorter thanthe one I hadon the sev-enth greentoday,” saidKim, who

needed only 26 putts in the finalround. “You can’t win looking inyour rear-view mirror.”

Today’s runner-up finish was adisappointment for Rah, who hasposted four top-10 finishes in fourof her last five tournaments. TheCalifornian was still stewing over amissed birdie chance from eightfeet on the 17th hole to move with-in one shot of Kim. And themissed five-foot birdie effort onthe last hole added insult to injury.

“I knew that a birdie on the 17thwould have been big and missingthat putt really stung,” said Rah. “Istill wanted to make a birdie on thefinal hole to see what would happen,but these greens have a lot of subtlebreaks. I missed a lot of birdieopportunities today.”

In spite of four inches of rainearlier in the week, 25 mph windsin Friday’s first round, and firmand fast greens in today’s finalround, Kim was able to hang on toher lead in this week’s inauguralevent. She said the win felt like “aweight was lifted” from her shoul-ders, adding that it also helps vali-date her decision to leave collegegolf after only a year.

“It’s not about silencing the crit-ics,” said Kim, with the trophy, acardbook check for $15,400, and ahandmade Native-American blanketin her arms after the awards ceremo-ny. “It’s about me and my future. Ifyou don’t step on the first tee andthink you can win, you shouldn’tplay. I’m glad I delivered.”

For scores and more informa-tion, visit lpgafuturestour.com.

- MG -


Sweetgrass Golf Course, Island Resort Championship

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9M I C H I G A N G O L F E R M A G A Z I N E • S U M M E R 2 0 1 1 1

By Mike Duff

Northern Indiana Golf

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“Where Golf andHospitality Meet”is the slogan used

to describe the experience one canexpect from a two to three day golfadventure in Northern Indiana.Three of us took advantage of thisoffer and made arrangements with

Kimberly Hays, the director ofgolf, at the Kendallville BestWestern Hotel conveniently locat-ed in NE Indiana near I-69 and 1-80/90 toll roads. What we experi-enced was good service, friendlypeople and outstanding golf.

I am part of a standing four-some which tries to choose a golfdestination somewhere south ofMichigan in early April or May toavoid the early spring bad weather.This year we found just the rightlocation. Three hours from Detroit,four hours from Chicago and only

a chip shot from Lansing andGrand Rapids. We found this golfpackage through the Novi GolfShow and would recommend tak-ing the time to check it out. Thegolf packages can be customized tomeet your group’s personal needs.

All the packages include a compli-mentary deluxe breakfast buffet,golf and your choice of six 4-star(Golf Digest) golf courses andlodging. Our package was for twonights and 45 holes of golf withcart, for $159.

The six courses to choose from

are Noble Hawk, Cobblestone,Glendarin Hills, Bridgewater,Autumn Ridge and Cherry Hill.Two of the courses, Autumn Ridgeand Cherry Hill are located in FortWayne about 25 minutes fromKendallville. Glendarin Hills is inAngola. All of these courses are aneasy drive from the hotel.

During our stay, we playedNoble Hawk and Cobblestone andwere scheduled to play 9 holes atGlendarin on our way home onSunday but weather conditions didnot allow us the opportunity.However, we were credited for thatcost which is a nice way the man-agement handled this situation.

If Noble Hawk and Cobblestoneare any indication of how good theother courses are in this packagethen you can be assured that yourtime spent here will be well worththe drive. Rick Hulett and his wifeCristine from Noble Hawk madeus feel right at home. They wereeager to share the special featuresof this “Scottish” style golf course.The course features gently rollingbent grass fairways, large undulat-

The six courses to choose from are Noble Hawk, Cobblestone, Glendarin Hills,

Bridgewater, Autumn Ridge and Cherry Hill.

Hold Number One, Cobblestone

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ing greens with plenty of sand andwater in combination with naturalornamental grasses. The course isin a housing development but thehomes do not impinge on thecourse. There are 5 tees to choosefrom and the yardage is suited toevery level of play. It is a beauti-fully designed Scottish linkscourse.

We played Cobblestone, a moretraditional style course, onSaturday and again we wereimpressed with the design and con-dition. In 1999, just afterCobblestone opened it was ratedby Golf Digest as the 8th best newcourse that year and “Places toPlay” in 2002-2003. Jeff Huffmanthe Director of Operations wasextremely proud of the course andthe reviews it has received over the

past ten years. It is not an excep-tionally long course but the fair-ways allow for generous layupsand the condition of the course wasexcellent.

As previously mentioned, wedid not have a chance to playGlendarin Hills but after talkingwith Matt Funkhouser, HeadProfessional, we were able to puttogether a picture of what thiscourse looked like and how itcould be played. We learned thatboth nines offer a variety of openand tree lined holes. Driving pastthe tenth and eleventh holes on theway to the club house reminded usof a Scottish links design and Mattpointed out that the course has anice balance of trees and bunkersand rolling terrain. We realized onour way home that Glendarin was

something special and we regrettednot having the opportunity to playit. All the more reason to return.

We all agreed that we haven’tseen enough of this golf destina-tion and vowed to plan another tripto NE Indiana.

So, if you are looking for agolf experience that gives yououtstanding golf, with excellentlodging at affordable prices withina reasonable driving distance.Then go for it!

To take advantage of this greatoffer, contact Kim Hays athttp://greatindianagolf.com or866.719.4608. You will not be dis-appointed.

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Hole Number Two, Cobblestone

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This was a memorableMasters Tournament, pref-aced by countless interviews

of Jack Nicklaus remembering hisvictory 25 years ago at the age of46 (he said he was interviewedmore this year than he was whenhe won), whether Phil Mickelson’shot hand at Houston would carryover to a second green jacket or ifTiger Woods’ “process” finallywould pay off.

Nicklaus left town after he andArnold Palmer hit ceremonial open-

ing tee shots to start the tournamentand Mickelson seemed to disappeartoo, never contending. Woods, whosays his swing change is in a“process,” hasn’t turned in four con-secutive good rounds since he hit atree and fire hydrant outside hisdriveway and turned into his ownThanksgiving turkey 18 months ago.

Instead, this turned into one ofthe best of the 75 Masters sinceMichigan Golf Hall of FamerHorton Smith won the first one in1934. Woods turned in fireworks

like the young Tiger with a 5-under-par 31 first nine Sunday butthe cliché is that the Masters does-n’t begin until the last nine onSunday afternoon and there cer-tainly was an element of truth in it.

Woods, 35, faded on the nineafter being one of 10 people with ashot at it, then seven and finallySouth African Charl Schwartzelwon with four straight closingbirdies, 50 years after Gary Playerbecame the first South African towin the Masters.

By Jack Berry

A Memorable Masters

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Actually, the die was cast on thefirst hole when Schwartzel holedan 80-foot chip from short right ofthe green and four shot leaderNorthern Irishman Rory McIlroy,playing right behind him, missed ashort par putt.

Despite opening 65-69-70 andleading from the start, McIlroyconsistently missed short putts inthose three rounds, failing to capi-talize on excellent iron play. Andthat has been the Irishman’s weak-ness despite some 63s in tourna-ment play including the first roundof the British Open last year on theOld Course at St. Andrews.

McIlroy isn’t the first leader toimplode on Sunday at Augusta,though. Greg Norman led by six in1996 but shot 78 on Sunday andNick Faldo, Norman’s nemesis inthe majors, shot 67 and won byfive shots. Norman had tied thecourse record with a first round 63.But Sunday is different at the

Masters with the best finishingnine holes in championship golfwith equal opportunities for eagles,birdies, bogeys and worse.

McIlroy got worse. His hookedtee shot on the 10th ricocheted offone of the tall loblolly pines andlanded in virgin territory. No oneremembered seeing a shot wind upbetween two member/guest cabins40 yards to the left of the fairway.Triple bogey. Then adouble at the 11th andsingle at the 12th.

As good asMcIlroy is, and he isgood, he has a pen-chant for a triple ordouble, sometimes acouple doubles.Rickie Fowler is thesame. They’re young.McIlroy is 21,Fowler is 22.Learning often istough, especially in

the highly pressurized major cham-pionships.

“I unraveled,” said McIlroy wholed for 63 holes until the disastrous10th, a tough hole even when thetee shot lands in the fairway.

But again, McIlroy didn’t blowthe biggest lead.

After Norman’s six shotsweren’t enough, Ed Sneed’s fiveshot lead in 1979 wasn’t enougheither. Sneed bogied the last threeholes and went into the Masters’first sudden death playoff withTom Watson and Fuzzy Zoellerwho was playing his first Masters.They all parred the first hole andZoeller won on the second with abirdie. Then, as now, the playoffstarted on the 10th hole.

Ken Venturi, like McIlroy, had afour shot lead in the 1956 Masters.Venturi was a 24-year-old amateur.He shot 80 on Sunday and JackieBurke, with four rounds in the 70s(Venturi had two in the 60s), camefrom eight shots back and won bya shot. Burke shot one-under-par71, one of only two rounds under

Charl Schwartzel practices the day before the Masters first day.

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Rory McIlroy practices putting duringWednesday’s practice round

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par that day. Sam Snead also shot71 and tied for fourth.

Venturi received a silver medalfor runnerup, a silver-gold cup aslow amateur, a gold medal as lowamateur, a crystal vase for the lowfirst round, a crystal highball glassfor an eagle on 13 in the firstround, and another one for aneagle on eight in the second round.He got everything but a green jack-et and green money.

It’s doubtful that McIlroy willfind much solace in the fact thathe’s the third 54-hole leader in thelast four majors to shoot 80 orabove. Dustin Johnson shot 82 inthe last round of the 2010 U.S.

Open at Pebble Beach, won byMcIlroy’s Northern Ireland compa-triot, Graeme McDowell.

And Nick Watney shot 81 in thefinal round of last year’s PGAChampionship at Whistling Straits.Watney wasn’t a contender but healso shot an 81 in the last round ofthe Open at Pebble Beach.

One thing McIlroy has had, asopposed to Johnson and Watney, issupport from fans and the media.In nearly every sport when a playerhas blown a big lead, he shuns themedia and certainly doesn’t signautographs.

McIlroy talked on television,

talked to the writers and everyonedescribed him with one word:Classy.

And, uniformly, everyone figureshe will win a major, maybe more.McIlroy said he will learn from thisexperience. It would help, too, ifhe’d work on his putting.

One last note: LouisOosthuizen, Schwartzel’s bestfriend and reigning British Openchampion, is pictured in the 2011Masters Media Guide holding a bigcrystal bowl for winning last year’sPar Three Contest. And this year,Schwartzel did him one better: agreen jacket.

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Mike Weir, Davis Love and Lucas Glover walk the fairway on Hole Number Ten on a practice round Wednesday.

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(Lake Orion, Mich.) FormerMichigan State University golfteammates Arthur Hills and DonPerné were inducted into the

Michigan Golf Hall of FameSunday at Indianwood G&CCalong with 85-year-old publinxveteran Jim Briegel and multi-

faceted Terry Moore.

Hills said he gave up on theidea of being a professional golfer

Briegel, Hills, Moore, Perné Enter

Michigan Golf Hall of Fame

2011 Michigan Golf Hall of Fame Inductees–Left to right standing: Arthur Hills, Jim Briegel, Terry Moore. In front: Don Perné.

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because Perné was five shots betterthan he was and he’d have betterluck working as a golf coursearchitect. Hills has designed morethan 225 courses world-wide andearned acclaim as one of the bestin the game.

Hills was especially busy inMichigan where he earned a bach-elor’s degree at MSU and a mas-ter’s in landscape architecture atthe University of Michigan. Hedesigned 23 private, public andresort courses in Michigan and alsodesigned a collection of courses inthe Naples, Fla., area and TheLandings at Skidaway Island inGeorgia. Hills pointed out southFlorida and Georgia are muchwarmer in the winter than hisToledo, OH, base.

Ironically, Hills eventually woundup on the same “team” with Pernéwho closed his career as a MasterPGA Professional at Inverness Clubwhere Hills is a longtime member.Hills twice worked on remodelingprojects on the championship courseand also designed the short gamepractice area.

Perné points to the PGA’sProfessional Golf ManagementProgram as his chief achievement ingolf. More than 1,600 young menand women have gone through thefive-year program at Ferris StateUniversity in Big Rapids, Mich., thatleads to a business degree and PGAmembership. Robert Ewigleben, ahigh school teammate of Perné’s,was president at Ferris when the pro-gram started and Gary Wiren alsowas instrumental as the PGA’sDirector of Education.

Moore has worn many hatssince exchanging a position as apublic school administrator for hislove of golf. He co-foundedMichigan Golfer Magazine andstarted the West Michigan GolfShow in his hometown of GrandRapids where the mid-winter showannually draws crowds of cabinfever golfers hungry for newequipment, lessons and travel tips.

Moore also coordinated twoMichigan Golf Summits, startedthe All About Golf midwest radioshow, worked on a television showfeaturing Great Lakes courses, is agovernor of the Golf Associationof Michigan, past board member ofthe Golf Writers Association ofMichigan, has covered 28 Masterstournaments and continues to writefor the online Michigan Golfer andTheAPosition.com

Briegel, 85, still is renowned forhis long ball and Michigan GolfHall of Fame member Bill Zylstra,one of the top senior amateurgolfers in the country, said “Jim’s ahorse. He hits it by me and makesme feel bad.”

Retired from the publishingindustry, Briegel caddied as ayoungster at the University ofMichigan Golf Course where henow serves as a ranger. He has a5.8 USGA handicap and won theMichigan Publinx Seniors GolfAssociation’s competition to recog-nize the best player relative to hisage over the full season so regular-ly that they took him out of com-petition and named the trophy theBriegel Cup. The cup is a trophyBriegel earned for winning the 70-plus division of the British SeniorOpen Amateur in 1996.

- MG -

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As theUniversity ofDetroit

Mercy’s head men’sgolf coach, MarkEngel has alwaysbelieved that winningtruly breeds winning.

His credence issimply undeniable.

Throughout thelast 21 years, Engel’ssquads have consis-tently contended forHorizon League cham-pionships, while winning 22 indi-vidual tournaments and producing19 distinct medalists.

Since 1999 alone, his teamshave captured six Horizon LeagueChampionships while also finish-ing either second or third in theconference on four other separateoccasions.

As a result, Engel has been hon-ored as his conference’s Coach ofthe Year four times, including lastseason, after the Titans acquiredthe Horizon League Championshipthrough a demanding six-strokevictory.

Yet such honors will never sat-isfy Engel nearly as much as his

team members’ collaborative andindividual successes – both on andoff the golf course.

Consequently, he is just asfocused on recruiting upstandingand motivated prospective golfersnow as he was when he was firsthired by the university in the early1990s.

With such drive, motivation,and experience, Engel is preparedto help his future squads continueto build upon the university’s past– and present – achievements.

A Longstanding Tradition ofHigh Caliber and Reputable Squads

To say the University of DetroitMercy’s men’s golf program has a

“storied” historywould likely be an

understatement. Eversince the “RoaringTwenties,” a wide

range of teams haveregularly vied for andwon dozens of tour-naments and league

championships, with-in and outside of thestate of Michigan.

From 1926 through1964, the universityparticipated instatewide and

Midwestern-based competitionshosted by prestigious colleges anduniversities such as ButlerUniversity and ValparaisoUniversity. Although the university’steams were steadily successfulthroughout each of those fourdecades, the golf program no longercompeted on a regular basis after theconclusion of the 1964 season.

However, following a 16-year-long hiatus from competition, theTitans were reinstated into theHorizon League in 1980 and haveprogressively become one of theleague’s most celebrated, top-tierteams ever since.

Through contributions from for-mer members like Adam Walicki,

Collegiate Spotlight

The University of Detroit MercyTitans Maintain Consistency and

Strive for Imminent Success By Chris Lewis

University of Detroit Mercy Titans, 2010/2011 Golf Team

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Mark Sommerfeld, and DavidByrne, Coach Engel’s squads haveconsistently ranked amongst themost successful, stable members ofthe Horizon League since the early1990s.

“The unique talents and influ-ences of each of my team’s mem-bers have had significant effects onthe camaraderie and capabilities ofthe teams I have coached through-out my career. Without each ofthem, the history of the Universityof Detroit Mercy’s golf programwould certainly not be the same,”Engel said. “Yet, the career high-lights of some golfers definitelystand out – and will be well-noticed during the coming years.

As an inductee into the TitanSports Hall of Fame, AdamWalicki enjoyed a variety ofaccomplishments during and afterhis collegiate career – on an indi-vidual basis and as a member ofthe Titans.

Upon winning the 2002 GolfAssociation of Michigan (GAM)Championship, an annual tourna-ment held at numerous coursesthroughout the Great Lakes Stateand contested by several amateursfrom all four corners of the UnitedStates, Walicki qualified for matchplay at the 2002 U.S. Amateur,contested at Oakland Hills CountryClub. The qualification ultimatelyled to a match against PGA TOURstar Camilo Villegas, which he loston the 18th hole.

At the same time, MarkSommerfeld will likely be remem-bered by his former teammates andfellow alumni not only for his con-sistency with every club in the bag,

Mark Sommerfeld

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Adam Walicki

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David Byrne

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but for his wide array of accoladesas well.

As a three-time Horizon LeaguePlayer of the Year, Sommerfeld wasalso honored as a four-time All-Horizon League member. While cap-turing three individual tournamentsthroughout his career as a Titan,Sommerfeld was rewarded for hisregular triumphs and dependabilityon the golf course through member-ship on the Canadian National Team.

Meanwhile, David Byrne is oneof only four golfers in HorizonLeague history, along withSommerfeld, to have been voted asan All-Horizon League memberthroughout each season of his col-legiate career. With such personalachievements as Player of the Yearhonors during his senior year andconference championship medalistattainment as a freshman, Byrneenjoyed a long, highly successfulcareer as a Titan.

While reflecting on the past 21years, Coach Engel believes that oneteam undoubtedly stands out in hismemory – the 2001 – 2002 Titans.

“It was the first team in schoolhistory to repeat as conferencechampions – and they accomplishedthe task with the exact same fivemembers as the year before,” Engelsaid. “Four of the five memberswere named All-Horizon League atleast once during their careers – afeat that is rarely heard of in men’scollegiate golf.”

ContinuousSuccess: The 2010 – 2011Titans Capture ThreeTournament Victories

Although the 2010 – 2011Titans have not obtained the samelevel of success as their 2001 –2002 predecessors, the team stillcaptured a dual match againstOakland University last Octoberand won two other events – thePGA Village Invitational, held atWanamaker Course in Port St.Lucie, Florida, and the DetroitTitans Invitational, hosted by theUniversity of Detroit Mercy itselfand contested at Highland’sPrestwick Village Golf Club.


Even when the squad did notactually win tournaments, teammembers still displayed a level ofconsistency, week in and week out,that has not occurred in as frequentof fashion since the dawning of theNew Millennium. With two third-place finishes in addition to its twotournament victories, the Titansmay have played at their highestlevel during the GeorgetownIntercollegiate, which was contest-ed in mid-October in Beallsville,Maryland.

“The team probably played itsbest golf – certainly, scoring-wise –at the Georgetown Intercollegiate.Some of my former teams competedin that tournament in the past and itnever fails to attract a high caliberfield, with teams from the Big Ten,Big East, MAC, and the Pac-10,”Engel said. “It is a very challengingevent; yet, each one of my teammembers stood up to the task andfaced it head-on.”

Led by Jeff Clarridge (’11), anative of Barrie, Ontario, the teamalso won its very own Detroit TitansInvitational in wire-to-wire fashion.

“The Titans Invitational wasone of the most, if not the most,memorable tournaments of the sea-son,” Engel said. “As a coach, itwas satisfying to watch my teamwin their own tournament in such adominating manner and in front ofso many of their friends and familymembers.”

As a four-year collegiate veter-an, Clarridge’s career has beencompared to some of the othergolfing greats of the University ofDetroit Mercy’s past.

“Jeff had a solid senior season.In my opinion, I think he playedthe best golf of his career this year.He struck the ball well on a consis-tent basis, led the team in scoringaverage, and was the team’s topfinisher in three events,” Engelsaid. “He was also voted a memberof the All-Horizon League at theend of the season – an honor that Ithought he definitely deserved.”

Coach Mark EngelPrepares for the 2011 –2012 Season….and Well

After

In spite of losing two of histeam’s brightest stars next season,

Jeff Clarridge and Britt Pronk(’11), of London, Ontario, Engel isstill hopeful for a successful cam-paign in fall 2011 and spring 2012.

“Senior Mark Hicks, ofNiagara-On-The-Lake, Ontario,and junior Simon Reyers, ofKingston, Ontario, will be well-prepared to lead the Titans nextseason,” Engel said. “I am confi-dent in their abilities to play steadygolf on a regular basis.”

In the meantime, golfers likejunior Sheldon Keyte, of Portage,Michigan; sophomore BrendanLeonard, of Cambridge, Ontario;and sophomore Kyle Benford, ofAmherstview, Ontario, haveattained vast experiences withinthe Horizon League that willenable them to become future lead-ers of the Titans – leading throughtheir golfing talents, sportsman-ship, and perseverance.

Coach Engel will also recruit avariety of prospective golfersthroughout the pending months in

preparation for the coming yearsand decades.

“Two Toronto-based golfers,Michael Nedoszytko and LucasKim, are currently on the four-manOntario Under-19 Team and willbe the latest members of the Titansnext season. I believe they will fitright in with the rest of my team,”Engel said. “The team will beyoung, but fully capable of earninganother Horizon LeagueChampionship nonetheless.”

Above all else, Engel feels theuniversity’s superior academics, inaddition to stellar athletic programs,will continue to enthuse incomingstudents well into the future.

“The University of Detroit Mercyis regarded as a wonderful educa-tional option for students based inand out of Michigan,” Engel said.“Students compete against some ofthe most distinguished universities inthe country, while also receiving aquality educational experience.Athletics are important to my staffand me, but not nearly as much asthe pursuit of a solid education thatwill enable students to succeedthroughout the entire course of theirlives.”

For more information about theUniversity of Detroit Mercy’s wideselection of athletic programs,please visit http://www.detroitti-tans.com.

In the Fall 2011 issue of theMichigan Golfer magazine, the“Collegiate Spotlights” series willprofile Ferris State University andGrand Valley State University’smen’s golf programs. Stay tuned.

- MG -

For the past 18 years, BruceCunningham, EasternMichigan University’s head

men’s golf coach, has been focusedon steadily crafting championship-level teams, time after time again.

The results truly speak forthemselves.

During the 2006 – 2007 season,the Eagles captured the first Mid-American Conference (MAC)championship in school history. To

prove such a victory was not afluke, Cunningham’s squad suc-cessfully defended its MAC cham-pionship the following season.

Since then, the Eagles have fin-ished runner-up within the confer-

25M I C H I G A N G O L F E R M A G A Z I N E • S U M M E R 2 0 1 1 1

Collegiate Spotlight

The Eastern Michigan UniversityEagles Reflect on a Successful

Past, Prepare for a Bright Future By Chris Lewis

Eastern Michigan University Eagles Golf Team

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ence during two of the last threeseasons. Throughout this timespan, Cunningham’s squads – aswell as individual team members –have achieved a variety of “successstories,” ranging from at-large indi-vidual bids to the NCAA SouthCentral Regional to at-large teambids to the NCAA NorthwestRegional.

Consequently, the Eagles arenow competing against some of themost revered Division I collegesand universities in the country – anhonor that Cunningham does nottake for granted.

“We are very fortunate to havean opportunity to play a top 100national Division I schedule now,”Cunningham said. “While compet-ing against various top-tier univer-sity and college golf teams, theEagles have maintained an overallDivision I record of 560-373 dur-ing the last six seasons.”

As Coach Cunningham preparesfor the future, he is hopeful that hisimpending squads will continue touphold the Eagles’ winning tradi-tions throughout the comingmonths.

“Current members like sopho-mores Brian Churchill-Smith andJared Dalga, as well as juniorsBrad Altenhoff and Casey Olsen,will be prepared to lead their teamsin the future as Nick Carbary (’11)and Adam Winwood (’11) begintheir post-graduate lives,”Cunningham said. “At the sametime, future recruits will also beable to utilize their talents and skillsets as they strive to lead theEagles to upcoming MAC champi-onships.”

With a full lineup of high cal-iber, well-experienced golfers, theteam’s present – and future – capa-bilities appear to be just as brightas ever before.

2010 – 2011 EaglesMaintain Consistencyand Look Ahead to the

Future

Although the 2010 – 2011squad did not earn a tournamentvictory throughout the season, theteam’s regular top-five and top-tenfinishes were certainly noticed byCoach Cunningham.

After a second-place finish inApril’s Mizzou Tiger Inter-colle-giate, a tournament contested inColumbia, Missouri, and a fourth-place finish during last October’sFirestone Intercollegiate, held inAkron, Ohio, the Eagles ultimatelyplayed quite well during the finaltournament of the regular season –the MAC Championship.

As last year’s MAC champi-onship runner-up, the Eagles maynot have scored as well as they didduring last April’s contest, but theystill upheld a respectable finishnonetheless, with a total team scoreof 1198 for a third-place finish.

In addition, the Eagles set ateam record score of 273 (15-under-par) at the HoyaIntercollegiate, which was hostedin Beallsville, Maryland.

“Such finishes lead me tobelieve that our forthcoming teamswill be able to maintain the samelevel of success that each of oursquads have upheld throughout thepast decade,” Cunningham said.

“Our future is very bright. An out-standing fall 2011 recruiting class,as well as a wide array of experi-enced golfers, will allow theEagles to continue to be one of thetop teams in the MAC conferencefor the unforeseeable future.”

With a proper mix of both youthand experience, the Eagles, led byNick Carbary, achieved a stableseasonal record that will only like-ly improve next season.

“It is always challenging to losethe most-experienced members ofthe team as they graduate and pre-pare for their careers,” Cunninghamsaid. “Each one of our seniors con-tributed so much to the success ofour squads during the last few years,but, again, they will be replaced bymany other golfers – both young andold – who will sustain the Eagles’reputation within the MAC confer-ence.”

Coach BruceCunningham Reflects

on the Eagles’Successful Past

From highly talented golfers likeCarbary, who retained a 73.4 scoringaverage this past season, to formermembers like Korey Mahoney, ChrisRoss, Graham Hill, Marty Jeppesen,and Cam Burke, a number of indi-viduals have worked together to cre-ate formidable team units in order toachieve their ultimate goals – toqualify for NCAA regionals, to con-stantly improve their teams’ stand-ings, and to, of course, add to theircollection of MAC championshiptrophies.

In a bid to do just that, manygolfers’ individual performances


have led to a variety of records thatwill be remembered by former,current, and future Eagles golfersfor years to come – and have beenwell-recognized by CoachCunningham.

“Korey Mahoney, who isarguably the most successful golferin team history, has held two of theteam’s best individual, seasonalscoring averages – a 72.17 and a72.26. Meanwhile, Graham Hill,Chris Ross, Cam Burke, and MartyJeppesen had career scoring aver-ages of 73.24, 73.98, 74.47, and74.67, respectively,” Cunninghamsaid. “Such strong individual per-formances motivated their otherteam members to play to the bestof their abilities each and every

time they competed. This motiva-tion and leadership has surely ledto our teams’ latest successes.”

Due to their strong performanc-es in recent MAC championships,their regular qualifications inNCAA regional events, and theirrecruitment of gifted individualslike Mahoney and Carbary, theEagles have arguably been one ofthe most consistent performerswithin the MAC conferencethroughout the past decade.

So what will the future hold forthe Eastern Michigan Universitymen’s golf program?

How will Coach Cunninghamcontinue to achieve regular team

success while also recruiting someof the state’s and region’s most tal-ented high school golfers?

By forming squads that have avariety of skill sets and experience,learning from the success of priorchampionship-level teams, andcontinuously striving to achievetheir lofty goals, the Eagles’ futurewill remain bright throughout 2011and well after.

For more information aboutEastern Michigan University, aswell as its wide selection of athlet-ic programs, please visithttp://www.emueagles.com.

- MG -

Eastern Michigan University Eagles Golf Team

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Michigan Golfer, Summer 2011

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