ROCHESTER – Marty Jeppesen (Ypsilanti) rebounded quickly after shooting his ball deep into the woods on the 7th hole at Oakland University’s Katke Cousins course Monday to win the GAM Tournament of Club Champions. Jeppesen shot a 1-under-par 71 logging four birdies on the day.
“I started out strong and I was 2-under after six,” said Jeppesen. “But on number seven, I had to call a penalty on myself because my ball moved in the woods when I took my backswing. But by the time I was through 12, I was back to being 2-under. I hit the ball really well despite the wind.”
Jeppesen, who was the club champion at Green Oaks GC in Ypsilanti, came back after his snafu in the woods to par the eighth hole.
“That par was so important for me because I knew right then that I was still in the game,” said Jeppesen. “That par was probably the best moment of the day for me.”
Jeppesen’s other highlight was his birdie on 12 to go 2-under. Jeppesen was Green Oaks’ club champion in 2009, but was unable to play in the Tournament of Champions due to a conflict with his college tournament schedule at Eastern Michigan University.
Forest Akers’ club champion Julie Massa (Holt) won the women’s division of the GAM Tournament of Club Champions shooting a 76 on Oakland University’s R&S Sharf course. Massa had three birdies and helped her cause by leaving herself a lot of short putts all day long.
“I had a few putts under four feet which helped,” said Massa. “I just played pretty consistent all day. The course was in good shape and I just kind of kept the ball in play so I made it easy on myself that way.”
The highlight of her round was a birdie on the par-3 16. She used her four iron and landed the ball less than three feet from the hole.
“It was one of my better shots of the day,” she said.
Massa has played in the Tournament of Club Champions in the past but this marks her first championship in the event.
