Written By: Greg Johnson
LANSING – Joe Montpas, a Clio Country Club member, and Elayna Bowser, a Dearborn Country Club member, won the season-closing titles in the GAM Tournament of Champions presented by BOYNE Golf Monday at Country Club of Lansing.
Montpas made a 12-foot birdie putt on the second hole (No. 16) of a sudden-death playoff to turn back Chet VandenBerg of Mullenhurst Golf Club in Delton in the men’s competition.
Each of them shot 5-under 66 to force a playoff, and both parred the first playoff hole (No. 18).
Chris Gates of Cascade Hills Country Club in Grand Rapids shot 69 to take third place, and Brenda Britz of Lakelands Golf & Country Club in Brighton was fourth with a 70.
Bowser, who won the season-opening GAM Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship in May, shot a 4-under 68 to win the final women’s title by two shots.
Caroline Ellis of Meridian Sun Golf Club in Haslett shot 70 to finish second. Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll, a Country Club of Lansing member and head women’s golf coach at Michigan State, shot 74 for third place. Ellis is one of her assistant coaches at MSU.
Cherie Robinson of Crystal Downs Country Club in Frankfort and Isabel Kelly of Grand Ledge Country Club each shot 76 to tie for fourth.
Montpas, 28 and an IT specialist for Carmen-Ainsworth Public Schools, was playing in the Tournament of Champions for the first time.
But the final putt in the playoff was one he faced down for the second time on Monday.
“I knew what it was going to do because I missed it earlier today, left it low, and it was basically an identical putt,” he said. “I played pretty well all day and hit a lot of good shots inside of 10 feet. These greens are so good that when you get it on the line the ball is going in.”
Montpas said making a 45-foot eagle putt on the par 5 15th hole was the key shot for the day.
“I dropped that in and that jumped me up to 3-under at that point,” he said. “I knew Chet was chasing me. I played him in match play at the Michigan Amateur (Championship) and I figured he might catch me.”
Bowser, 29 and a real-estate agent, said she surprised herself with her play.
“The last tournament I played was the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur and that was over a month ago,” she said. “I wasn’t jumping up and down to practice much after that, so coming out and shooting what I did was a little surprising, to be honest.”
Bowser said she made birdies at holes 9 and 10, and added three more on 13, 14 and 15.
“It’s tough to make birdies out here but I had a great stretch there,” she said. “You have to hit them pretty close because the greens are very quick. They roll true though and I made some. I love the golf course. I’m a big fan of tight, narrow courses that require demanding tee shots. It was fun to play well, and we had a great last day of weather.”
