FARMINGTON HILLS?Boyne Resort of Harbor Springs, MI hosted the 25th annual GAM Mid-Amateur Championship August 30-31, 2007. The tournament was a two-day championship of 18 holes stroke play each day. To be eligible, the golfers had to be an active GAM member, have an up-to-date GAM Handicap Index of no more than 5.4, and have reached their twenty-fifth birthday before August 30, 2007. The champion was Mike Ignasiak (Saline) of Brookside Golf Course and Lake Forest Golf Club. Ignasiak shot a combined score of 70-68?138 to win the tournament.
Ignasiak?s biggest momentum change from day one to day two came on the green. ?I couldn?t wait to get on the green today,? he said. ?Today the line was just sitting there looking at me telling me to hit the ball. My putting was much better today.?
This was Ignasiak?s first time winning a GAM Championship, although he has played in GAM tournaments for eight years. Combined with the perfect golf weather, it made for a wonderful accomplishment in his golf career. While talking about the excitement of the win, Ignasiak comments, ?It?s going to make that four-hour trip back to Ann Arbor real nice. It was very exciting to win one of these events. There were ups and downs in the round today, but I just felt very good. I?ve been working on some things in my swing and it seemed like everything clicked today.?
The tournament was played on two different Boyne courses, the Ross Memorial and the Hills. Combined with the warm, sunny weather, both courses earned Ignasiak?s approval. ?Both courses were in phenomenal shape,? he said. ?Both courses were plush. The greens were very nice. It?s always fun coming up and playing. They?re great.?
He also found satisfaction with the organization of the day. Having played golf competitively with the GAM for eight years, and in the state of Michigan for even longer, he had many kind words to say. He felt good about the state of Michigan and its role in competitive golf when he said, ?When you talk to golfers, you?ll find out Michigan has a very high reputation for tournament golf. They do great work here. I?d like to thank the GAM and Ken Hartmann (tournament director) for all the hard work they do, because they do a great job.?
Ignasiak plans to continue golfing competitively through the end of the summer, with tournaments at both Washtenaw Country Club and Plum Hollow Country Club.
At the time of this release, there was a four-man playoff for second place.
