Written By: Greg Johnson
EAST LANSING – Forest Akers West, a familiar host of the tournaments for top junior golfers and home to the Michigan State University men’s and women’s golf teams, will host the 48th Michigan Girls’ Junior Amateur Championship Monday through Thursday, June 22-25.
The championship will feature the top junior girls from across the state, and champions will be determined in the Overall Division and a 15-and-under divisions.
The field will play 36-holes of stroke play, 18 on Monday and 18 on Tuesday, to determine medalist trophy winners and match play brackets.
The low 16 scorers after stroke play in the Overall Division advance to match play with two rounds Wednesday and Thursday determining a champion. The 15-and-under division has an eight-golfer match play bracket with one less round of match play.
Forest Akers has two golf courses, East and West, and both were redesigned by Michigan State graduate and award-winning golf course designer Arthur Hills in 1992. The West plays from 5,278 yards to 7,013 yards with five tee positions and hosts the Big Ten home competition for the Spartans.
Bryan Harris, a PGA professional, is the general manager and Ben Keeler is the superintendent. Learn more at golf.msu.edu.
The players in the field are familiar with the Forest Akers properties, which have hosted several GAM junior events as well as high school state championship tournaments over the years.
Last year, Alena Li of Okemos won the Wright Memorial Trophy for the second consecutive year in the Overall Division and earned a USGA exemption into the U.S. Girls Junior Amateur Championship, which is available to the winner again this year.
Li has aged out of the competition, but Saisha Patil of Okemos, the runner-up a year ago, is in this year’s field.
Also returning to the championship is last year’s 15-and-under champion, Cameron Baker of Novi, and last year’s 15-and-under runner-up and this spring’s 15-and-under champion at the GAM Girls’ Championship, Hannah Kim of Troy. The 15-and-under golfers can play in the Overall Division but must declare their intent in advance of the tournament.
Olivia Griswold of Portage, who won the overall GAM Girls’ Championship this spring, is in the field.
Team Michigan points are awarded for the championship, meaning participating athletes ages 13-18 can earn points toward Team Michigan rankings, qualification standings, and season totals according to the selection criteria decided by the committee.
The championship has a storied past with winners like Michigan Golf Hall of Fame member and LPGA Tour player Suzy Green-Roebuck, LPGA Tour player Stacy Snider and current LPGA Epson Tour player and 2022 Michigan Women’s Open winner Sarah White.
