NORTHVILLE – Meadowbrook
Country Club, which completed an 18-month $5.5 million renovation of its golf
course last June, will host 84 of the state’s top golfers in the 97th GAM
Championship presented by Carl’s Golfland Monday and Tuesday.
Meadowbrook’s
renovation, which The American Society of Golf Course Architects selected as
one of the 2017 Design Excellence Recognition Program honorees, will be set up
at around 6,900 yards for the elite field headed by Alex Scott of Traverse City,
the defending champion who recently played in the U.S. Amateur Championship.
Meadowbrook, 102
years old, previously hosted the GAM Championship three times in 1935, 1940 and
1953. That was on the original Willie Park-designed course that was renovated
by Arizona-based architect Andy Staples of Staples Golf Design. The original
course, which also had design work performed on it by Donald Ross, also hosted
the 1955 PGA Championship and four Motor City Opens.
Meadowbrook Country
Club embarked on the major renovation of its historic course in 2015 to mark
the 2016 milestone occasion of its 100th anniversary. As part of the renovation, all greens, tees,
fairways and rough turf was replaced, and more than 15 miles of irrigation was
installed.
The GAM Championship,
like Meadowbrook, has a rich history. It dates to 1919 with two years in which
it wasn’t played during World War II. Past winners include Michigan golf
legends like James Standish, Chuck Kocsis and Ben Smith.
This year’s field of
golfers includes five past champions, including Scott, two-time winner Casey
Baker of Novi (2005, 2010), 2015 champion Mitchell White of Muskegon, 2014
champion Ryan Johnson of New Boston and 2013 champion Scott Strickland of
Birmingham.
The field will play
54 holes of stroke play with two rounds on Monday and a closing round of 18
holes on Tuesday after a 36-hole cut Monday night to the low 30 scorers and
ties.
The GAM Championship
traditionally boasts as strong of a field as the Michigan Amateur Championship,
in large part because non-exempt players must go through one of seven sectional
qualifiers to earn a spot in the final field for the championship.
Last year Scott, a Grand Valley State
University golfer, shot a closing 3-under 67 at Barton Hills in Ann Arbor for a
4-under 207 tournament total and a seven-shot win over Ferris State University
golfer Jack Weller of Swartz Creek. It was the first state title for Scott.
Mark Stevens is the
head golf professional at Meadowbrook, and Jared Milner is the golf course
superintendent. Learn more at
meadowbrookcountryclub.com.
-Greg Johnson, [email protected]
