Written By: Greg Johnson
SOUTHFIELD – Plum Hollow Country Club on Thursday, Sept. 18, will host eight two-golfer teams that qualified earlier this summer for the finals of the 35th GAM Net Team Championship presented by Michigan Golf Live.
A field of 80 teams played 18 holes of net scoring four-ball at Clio Country Club in July to determine the top eight teams that advanced to Plum Hollow.
The Plum Hollow course, founded in 1921, is an original C.H. Alison design of the legendary (H.S) Colt & Alison partnership, whose work includes several highly regarded courses around the world.
Toledo-based architect Drew Rogers completed a renovation in recent years that the club feels honored the original design intent. It included changes involving bunkers, tees, the creation of more shot options on several holes and improved drainage and turf.
Last year Plum Hollow hosted the Michigan Women’s Amateur Championship for the sixth time in that tournament’s history, and Plum Hollow’s history includes being a host of many championships, including a major golf championship. The club hosted the top players in the world in the 1947 PGA Championship.
In 1957, the Western Open, once regarded as one of the PGA Tour’s major championships, was also played at Plum Hollow.
The Michigan PGA Professional Championship was hosted by the club four times between 1929 and 1940, and more recently, the club hosted the 2022 GAM Championship and the 2015 Michigan Amateur Championship.
Tom Rose is the director of golf, Julian Thompson is the head golf professional, and the superintendent is David Makulski.
Earlier this summer at Clio Country Club, Mike Newell of Shelby Township and William Wittenberg of Clinton Township won the morning division, and Austin Azzopardi of Sterling Heights and Charles Schultz III of Oxford topped the afternoon field. Both teams shot net 10-under 62 scores.
They lead the eight teams playing at Plum Hollow.
The others playing in the finals include a team of brothers Rix and Anthony Naimi of West Bloomfield, James Faysal of Novi and his teammate Eddie Bellamy of Farmington Hills, Bryon Scott and Paul Stiem of Farmington Hills, John Kuczeski and Ron Martin, both of Troy, Mark Kavka of Troy and Alex Kavka of Royal Oak and Jonathan Joseph of Wyoming and Justin Knoper of Grandville, who shot 65.
