In photo: Ken Chicka of Shelby Township, front, and Andrew Smith of Troy, made it to the finals last year at Prestwick Village Golf Club.
TPC of Michigan in Dearborn, Flint Golf Club and The Sharf at Oakland University Golf & Country Club in Rochester Hills will each host a third of the field Monday for the 10th GAM Senior/Mid-Am Team Championship presented by OmniKinetics.
A field of 117 two-man teams, or 234 of Michigan’s top golfers, will battle in the opening 36-hole segment of the championship that features a Senior golfer over age 55 teamed up with a Mid-Amateur golfer over age 23.
The teams play four-ball, also known as best-ball, in a morning round and foursomes, also known as alternate shot, in the afternoon round.
Three winning and three runner-up teams will be determined out of the 39 teams at each site, and those six teams will be invited to play in the finals of the championship on Sept. 26 at Barton Hills Country Club in Ann Arbor.
TPC of Michigan is a Jack Nicklaus design that has hosted several GAM tournaments and events in recent years. It was built to host tournaments with stadium-like hills to aid in viewing around the Nos. 9 and 18 holes. The Senior Players Championship of the PGA Tour Champions was played at the venue for several years.
Flint Golf Club is a Willie Park Jr. classic design that was founded in 1910. It too has hosted several GAM tournaments over the years, and this is the second consecutive year it has served as a first-day site for this championship. Later this summer it will also once again host the Michigan PGA Professional Championship.
The Sharf is a Rick Smith design and one of two courses at the Oakland University facility, which also features a modern learning center. Oakland University hosts various GAM tournaments and qualifiers on a regular basis, and also hosts Michigan PGA Section tournaments.
Defending overall champions Robert Matthiesen of Mason and Russ Cunningham of DeWitt are returning to defend their title. They will be part of the field at TPC of Michigan. Mike and Steve Fedewa, the father-son duo from Canton, champions in 2016, are in the field at The Sharf. Bill Zylstra of Dearborn Heights and Mike Ignasiak of Saline, champions in 2011, are in the field at TPC of Michigan as well.
-Greg Johnson greg.johnson@emailgam.org