The Michigan Publinx Seniors Golf Association (MPSGA) recognized 2014 gross and net players of the year at the recent annual meeting and awards banquet at the Fox Hills/Golden Fox complex in Plymouth.
The 2014 Gross Player of the Year is Billy Green of Waterford, who owns Greenskeeper Golf, a specialty landscape and artificial putting green installation business. Green edged out former major league baseball player Mike Grace of Waterford in both the MPSGA State Tournament at Shanty Creek and in the final Player of the Year standings.
The Super-Senior of the Year (age 65 and up) is Dave McTear of Redford, who finished just ahead of Mike Phillips of Bloomfield Hills. McTear finished third in the Super-Senior division of the 2014 GAM Senior Amateur at Grosse Ile CC earlier this month. Phillips, a former Birmingham Country Club champion, also had an outstanding year. He won the Super-Senior division of the 2014 GAM Senior Match-Play tournament at Western Golf Club as well as the MPSGA Super-Senior competition at Shanty Creek.
The Legend of the Year (age 70 and up) is Tom Pilon of Plymouth, a former Evans Scholar from Michigan State. He was low gross among the Legends in five of the 13 single-day tournaments and finished third to 1962 Michigan Class A high school & GAM junior champion Dennis Ahern of Chapel Hill, N.C., and four-time GAM Senior champion Claud Johnston of Ann Arbor in the tournament at Shanty Creek. This is Pilon’s second Legend of the Year award. He has also won two Briegel Cup competitions.
The Grand Master of the Year (75 and up) is Jerry Fenby of West Bloomfield, an Orchard Lake Country Club member who beat out Jim Briegle of Ann Arbor for season-ending honors in the MPSGA’s inaugural Grand Master competition. The 88-year-old Briegel continued to amaze by beating his age by more than 10 shots in several of the tournaments. The younger 75-year-old Fenby was low gross in eight of the 13 single day tournaments.
Ray Maidment of Saline, a former club champion at Travis Pointe CC and past USGA Senior Amateur qualifier won his second Briegel Cup Award for low gross relative to age. He shot his age several times during the season-long competition.
The Net Player of the Year is John Pratt of Troy. He edged Everett Winters of Royal Oak, Mark Iovan of West Bloomfield, Harry Hicks of Commerce Township, Morris DeFever of Shelby Township and the 2014 MPSGA Tournament of Net Champions winner, Dave Baldwin of Northville.
For more information on the MPSGA and their tournament competitions, you can visit the web site “mpsga.org”.
