News
archives from 2008
Erik Meland wins first Runny Nose Open in
7 tries
November 30, 2008
The founder of the Mulligan Tour, Erik
Meland, found a Runny Nose Open title in his 7th attempt. The
"silly season" event, hosted by Belleville's Harbor Club GC
since 2002, greeted 8 players in seasonably mild conditions. The
temperature reached 45 degrees as the 2 foursomes worked their way
around the 2nd nine on Saturday and nearly non-existant wind kept it
from feeling any colder than it was.
With the assistance of net-birdies on
each of the par-5's, Meland (37-35 - 72) won by 6-strokes and pocketed
$16 in unofficial prize money. Ray Collins (38-40 - 78) finished
2nd, with rookie Joe Robar (40-39 - 79) and Tour veteran Greg Kline
(40-40 - 80) rounding out the top-4.
Click
here for complete final standings of the 2008 Runny Nose Open
Fox Creek GC
conducting 1st annual Fox Hunt Scramble on November 8th
Fox Creek GC in Livonia, home of
the Mulligan Tour's Quad-Tour Challenge, is inviting local golfers to
it's first annual Fox Hunt Scramble on November 8th. The event is
a four-man scramble format scheduled for a 10:00am shotgun start.
Tour members Jeff Klipa, Phil Abele, Charlie Roy, and Erik Meland are
expected to form one team. Meland (2008) and Klipa (2007) are the
last 2 winners of the Quad-Tour Challenge.
Click
here for details and application
Captain Kline's crew captures
Commissioner's Cup
October 6, 2008
The Mulligan Tour's Central Division
represented by Commissioner Greg Kline and 7 others won the 2008
Commissioner's Cup on the first weekend in October. Team
Central held a 9 1/2 to 6 1/2 lead after the Saturday team matches and
then clinched the Cup win on Sunday when rookie Tom Sachs completed his
comeback win over the West's Denny Ersig for a final 13 to 11
score. Three of the final 4 singles matches were decided on the
18th green of the Gailes course at Lakewood Shores Resort creating just
as much drama, if not more, than at last year's Comm Cup.
This year's Central squad included Kline
and Cup veterans Jason Rectenwald, Tom Hoelzle, Barb Hoelzle, Kelly
Arnold, and Dan Schwartz. Sachs and Tom W Litzler made their Comm
Cup debuts at the Gailes. Erik Meland captained a West Division
team that included Cup veterans David Martin, Thom Bales, Russ Butler,
Carol Koch, John Stepek, and Ersig. Dick Spiers was the 3rd member
making his Cup debut.
Click
here for the final results of the 2008 Commissioner's Cup matches
Bruning wins Central Skins Game
September 28, 2008
Bob Bruning, the 2008 Money Titleist,
added to his winnings by winning 6 skins worth $48 at the Central Skins
Game on Sunday. Bruning, winner of the 2006 West Skins Game, won a
$6 skin on the 14th, a $12 skin on the 16th, and a $20 skin on the 18th
to secure the victory.
Commmissioner Greg Kline took 4 skins
worth $16, while rookie Tom Sachs won 1 skin at the 9th hole for $12
after 3 carry-overs. Old Tom Litzler won 2 skins, on the 4th and
6th holes for $4.
Martin wins West Skins Game
September 28, 2008
David Martin, playing in his 5th Skins
Game, won the 18th hole for a $20 skin that secured the 2008 West Skins
Game title. He finished with 3 skins worth $42. Martin,
winner of the Skins Game in 2002 and 2004, has accumulated a total of
$124 from those 5 events.
Terry Baar, playing in her first Skins
Game, won the 16th hole with a par - an $18 skin after 3
carry-overs. Phil Abele won 4 skins in the first 10 holes and
finished with $14. Erik Meland won a $6 skin at the 13th hole.
Greg Kline takes TOUR Championship in the
dark
Bob Bruning wins 2008 Money Title
September 21, 2008
Greg Kline followed the light at the
end of the tunnel and, after some spirited debate, found victory again
at the TOUR Championship. One of several players forced to finish
their rounds in the dark, Kline did post an 18-hole score but some
others could not. The tournament rules committee considered the
issue and finally declared a 12-hole tournament to be official with
Kline edging Bob Bruning by 1 stroke and Tom W Litzler by 2.
Unfortunately for the Mulligan Tour's
final major of the year, Shepherd's Hollow Golf Club delayed the start
of the TOUR Championship, set for 2:00pm, by some 20 minutes. But
the real damage was done by allowing a 5 1/2 hour round! The final
2 groups played several holes in Oakland county dusk.
Kline has won 3 of the 4 TOUR
Championships played adding this one to his victory at Frankenmuth last
year and the inaugural event at Moose Ridge in 2005. The $50 first
place check gives Kline, the Tour's leading major championship winner
(7), a total of $96 for the year.
The 2nd place check of $35 secured the
2008 Money Title for Bruning. With his 11th top-4 finish of the
season, including wins at the Real McCoy Classic and the Match Play
Championship, Bruning took in $241.50 for the year - ranking as the 4th
best season in Tour history.
Click
here for complete final standings of the 2008 TOUR Championship
PLAYERS gets Barbed
September 7, 2008
Barb Hoelzle established herself as
the top lady golfer on the Mulligan Tour on Saturday. Already
enjoying a career year, Hoelzle won her first major title by shooting a
2-under par 70 at the 2008 PLAYERS Championship winning by 6 strokes at
Northville Hills Golf Club. She led the field by hitting 12 of 14
fairways and converted 7 birdie attempts. The field of 16 included
the top-20 money winners on the Tour's Central division.
Hoelzle collected her biggest payday on
Tour ($48) and has taken in $126 this year, nearly doubling her previous
best year ($65 in 2005). She currently ranks 8th on the 2008 money
list but will skip the TOUR Championship at Shepherd's Hollow and rejoin
the action at the Commissioner's Cup in early October.
With $299 in career earnings, Hoelzle
surpassed Sue Meland as the highest ranked female on the career money
list (#19). Hoelzle is the 3rd lady golfer to win the PLAYERS
(Meland in 2000 and Cindy Loescher in 2005) and the 4th lady to win a
grand slam event following DeVonne Mowry's win at the 2007 Match Play
Championship.
Ray Collins (36-40 - 76) led the rest of
the field and finished a stroke ahead of Rick Persichetti (42-35 - 77),
Bob Baar (35-42 - 77), and Bob Bruning (38-39 - 77). Bruning went
over the $200 mark for the year ($206.50) and continues to lead the race
for the 2008 Money Title with only the TOUR Championship remaining.

Click
here for complete final standings of the 2008 PLAYERS Championship
Ersig wins Crazy redux
August 31, 2008
Denny Ersig, a 4 year Tour pro from
Shelby Township, added the 2008 Crazy Brit to his resume of 4 Tour
wins. Ersig collected 36 points in the British Stableford scoring
system and beat Dick Spiers and John Powell by 2 points in the
tournament rescheduled from its rained out July 12th date.
The
difference was the short par-3 17th where Ersig picked up 2 points for a
par while Spiers and Powell failed to get any points after making
double-bogies. Ersig and Spiers both earned inviatations to the
PLAYERS Championship next Saturday at Northville Hills. Powell
moved up from 18th to 12th on the Central money list and will also make
the trek to Northville Hills. Thom Bales and Rick Persichetti tied
for 4th place with 33 points.

Dennis Ersig - 2008 Crazy Brit champ
Click
here for complete final results of the 2008 Crazy Brit
Martin wins WESTERN
August 23, 2008
David Martin collected his 6th Mulligan
Tour major championship on Saturday winning the 2008 WESTERN
Championship at Moose Ridge GC. Martin bogied the final hole but
finished with a 1 over par 72 to win by 2 strokes over John Powell.
Martin, the Tour's all time leading money winner ($1,246.20), becomes
the first player to complete a career grand slam. The WESTERN was
his 4th different major title - joining the Memorial tournament (2001,
2003), the Match Play Championship (2002), and the PLAYERS Championship
(2001, 2004).
Powell (41-33 - 74) finished the
tournament with 3 consecutive birdies to catch playing partner and
defending champ Erik Meland. Powell has been runner-up in 3 of the
4 majors he has entered his rookie season. Meland (34-41 - 75)
settled for 3rd place but secured the West division money title
($121.00) for a second year in a row.
Bob Bruning (41-35 - 76) finished 4th,
his 9th top-4 this season in 16 starts. He retakes the overall
money lead ($194.50) from Thom Bales with 3 events still remaining on
the 2008 schedule.

David Martin - 2008 WESTERN
Champion
Click
here for complete final standings of the 2008 WESTERN Championship
Klipa is Big Dog for '08
August 16, 2008
Jeff Klipa entered the 2008 Big Dog
Pro-Am looking for a ticket to Moose Ridge - site of the WESTERN
Championship on August 23rd. Likely needing a top-3 finish to earn
enough prize money to get into the top-20, Klipa ended up with the
automatic berth via the winner's circle. With the help of Sergio
Garcia's 68 in the final round of the PGA Championship, Klipa added his
own 74 at Sandy Creek GC to finish at even par 142, 3 strokes better
than Rick Persichetti.
Persichetti (70-75 - 145) started the day
tied for 4th, 2 strokes back, thanks to Phil Mickelson's final round
70. Thom Bales had the low net round (73) from the Mulligan Tour
players on Saturday but needed to make up too much ground from his 2 PGA
picks - Anthony Kim (77) and Aarron Baddley (73). He finished in a
tie for 3rd with David Martin (71-75 - 146) but regained the lead on the
Mulligan Tour money list ($185.50) after taking in $12 from the Big Dog
Pro-Am and $9 earlier in the day at Carrington.

Jeff Klipa - 2008 Big Dog
Pro-Am champ
Arnold nets 4th win of the year
August 16, 2008
Kelly Arnold returned to his winning ways
of May. Winless since 3 victories in the first month of the season,
Arnold shot a 32-37 - 69 at Carrington GC to win the 2008 Carrington Classic.
The 4 victories leads the Tour this year and has him perched atop the
Central division money list with $119.00. He ranks 4th overall
with $159.00 in total prize money in 2008. He solidified his
position on the Mulligan Tour world ranking, occupying the top spot for
the last 12 weeks.
Old Tom Litzler (38-35 - 73) and Dave
Randall (35-38 - 73) shared 2nd place and Thom Bales (38-37 - 75) netted
his 7th top-4 finish of the year.

Kelly Arnold - 2008
Carrington Classic champ
Roy captures Caddyshack
August 9, 2008
Tour rookie Charlie Roy, playing in only
his 6th Tour event, won the 2008
Anchor Conveyor Caddyshack Classic on Saturday by shooting 35-30 -
65, 2 strokes better than Bob Bruning. Roy earned $36 for the win
and is qualified for the PLAYERS Championship at Northville Hills on
September 6th.
Roy, the 10th different champion in 10
years, was 3rd in the field hitting 10 greens in regulation but led the
field making 9 net-birdies. He was also finished
closest-to-the-pin on the par-3 13th to add a $25 Speedway gift card to
his take.
The 2nd place finish ($27) allows Bruning
(31-36 - 67) to take back the top spot on the Money List with $182.50 in
prize money. Kelly Arnold made 3 consecutive net eagles (holes 7,
8, and 9) to get into contention but finished at 4-under 68 in 3rd
place. Dan Schwartz (34-35 - 69) and Dave Randall (33-36 - 69)
shared 4th.
Title sponsor for 8 years, Anchor
Conveyor Products Inc thanked cosponsors LAM Industries, U&B
Computers, Oakland Bolt & Nut Co., and RJ Projects, Inc. for their
continued support of the Caddyshack Classic.

Charlie Roy - 2008
Caddyshack Classic champ
Click
here for complete final standings of the 2008 Caddyshack Classic
Randall wins Ugly Pants Open
August 3, 2008
Dave Randall holed a 150-yard approach
shot on Downing Farms' #13 for a natural eagle and went on to win the 2008 Ugly Pants Open
on Sunday by 1-stroke over Greg Kline. Randall netted an even par
71 to secure his 2nd Tour victory. He is ranked #1 on the Central
Division Money List with $67.50 in earnings this year and ranks 5th
overall with $116.50 in prize money.
John Stepek won the "Ugliest
Attire" award for the 2nd time and took home a voucher for $40 off
of the 2009 Tour membership.

Dave Randall - 2008 Ugly
Pants Open champ
Click
here for complete 2008 Ugly Pants Open final results
Collins wins Fifty Cent in playoff
August 2, 2008
In the 2nd Fifty Cent Classic, Ray
Collins beat Thom Bales in a playoff after both shot even par 72's at
Sycamore Hills GC on Saturday. After Bales led the field with only
29 putts in the regulation 18 holes, his tank seemed empty for the
playoff. Collins 2-putted 4 times while Bales 3-putted the 2nd and
3rd holes of the playoff.
This is Collins' 3rd Tour win following
victories at the 2004 Memorial tournament and the 2007 Holy Grail.
He missed participating in the 4-way playoff at the Real McCoy Classic
in June after tying for 1st but leaving for prior obligations before the
playoff could start. He has earned $62.50 this season (11th on the
overall money list) while ranking 4th on the Central division money list
with $50.50 in earnings.

Click
here for complete 2008 Fifty Cent Classic final results
Bruning joins the ranks of Mulligan Tour
major champs
July 27, 2008
Bob Bruning cruised to victory in the
2008 Match Play Championship on Sunday at Willow Metropark GC besting
rookie John Powell 7&6 in the final. Bruning, the #9 seed by
virtue of being 13th on the Mulligan Tour world rankings, fought his way
into the final four by beating Old Tom Litzler 3&2 in the first
round and slipping past #1 ranked Kelly Arnold 2-up in the 2nd
round. A Sunday morning semi-final match with Tom Moran ended
5&3 in Bruning's favor setting up the showdown with Powell.
Bruning's record in 3 Match Play
Championships is now 7-2 after the 4-0 run to the title this year.
Including his singles win in the 2007 Commissioner's Cup, he is 8-2
overall in match play. He won the 3rd place match in the 2007
Match Play Championship after losing to eventual winner DeVonne Mowry in
a semi-final.
Bruning's first major win comes with a
$60 first place check, leaping him to the top of the 2008 Money
Standings with $148.50 in earnings. He won the Real McCoy Classic
in June and has 6 top-4's for the year. His next scheduled start
will be at the Ugly Pants Open followed by a trip down to the Links at
Lake Erie for a shot at the Caddyshack Classic.
Powell, the early favorite for Rookie of
the Year, vanquished the defending champ, DeVonne Mowry, on Friday with
a 7&6 score. He then turned away John Stepek 4&3 on
Saturday to set up a semi-final match with the '02 Match Play champ,
David Martin. Another match won before the 16th hole, and Powell
would never play the final 3 holes at Willow Metropark in
competition. Still, all in all, a good showing for the young
player from Livonia with a $40 payday that elevates him up to 6th on the
money list ($93.25) and an excellent chance to qualify for the TOUR
Championship.

Bob Bruning - 2008 Match
Play Champion
Click
here for complete final results of the 2008 Match Play Championship
Meland claims Quad-Tour title
July 20, 2008
In his record 138th start on Tour, Erik
Meland won a record 16th Tour title by beating Dan Schwartz in a playoff
to win the 2008 Quad-Tour Challenge. Meland netted an even par 71
at Fox Creek GC on Sunday to finish at 7-under 278 in the combined
scores of the 4 Tour's. Meland was aided by the Saturday scores of
eventual British Open champ Padraig Harrington (72), Champions Tour
player Loren Roberts (65), and LPGA youngster Erica Blasberg (70).
Schwartz, winner of the QTC in 2000 and 2001, shot a back-nine 31 to
rally to a 1-under 70 finish. He also posted a 278 total after
taking Sergio Garcia's 74, Loren Roberts' 65, and Angela Park's 69.
The 2nd playoff in QTC history saw Meland
2-putt 4 times while Schwartz 3-putted the 1st and 3rd holes to lose the
putt-off 10-8. Meland picks up a $32 winner's check to move up to
3rd on the money list with $129 in prize money in 2008. Schwartz
continues to have success at the QTC with his 5th top-4 finish in 7
starts since 1999.
Tom Sachs (69-283) and Tom W Litzler
(73-283) shared 3rd place. The leader after 3 rounds, Terry Barr
(81-284) finished in 5th.
Click
here for complete final standings of the 2008 Quad-Tour Challenge
Persichetti adds red ribbon for 2nd
Strokes on a Rope win
July 20, 2008
In a battle of the Thousand dollar men,
Rick Persichetti beat David Martin in a playoff for the 2008 Strokes on
a Rope title, his 14th career win and 3rd this season. Martin
($1,161.20) and Persichetti ($1,040.40) rank 1st and 2nd respectively on
the Mulligan Tour career money list. Persichetti is now 3-1 in
playoffs with 46 top-4's in 93 starts. Martin is 3-2 in playoffs
with 59 top-4's in 103 starts.
Martin led the field hitting 11 of 14
fairways at the Huntmore GC, hosting the Strokes on a Rope for a 2nd
consecutive year. He needed 32 putts to complete his round of
13-over 85. Persichetti led the field with 7 greens-in-regulation
but 4 3-putts (36 putts total) kept him from winning the tournament in
the regulation 18 holes. He finished with a bogey at 18 that
completed his round of 85. The ensuing playoff saw each of the two
go 2-2-3-2 in the 4-hole aggregate score putt-off. Finally, on the
2nd hole of sudden death, Martin 3-putted once more opening the door to
Persichetti's winning 2-putt.
Persichetti's win adds a red ribbon to
the Strokes on a Rope trophy by virtue of his 2nd win in the string
& scissors event. His first SoaR title came in his rookie year
(2003) when the tournament was played at Salem Hills GC. Only Todd
Stuart, winner in '99, '00, and '01, has a blue ribbon for his 3rd
victory.

Rick
Persichetti - 2008 Strokes on a Rope champ
Click
here for complete final standings of the 2008 Strokes on a Rope
Carol Koch is Ladies champ
July 13, 2008
Carol Koch, hero of last September's
Commissioner's Cup, won her first tournament on Sunday at the 2008 MT
Ladies Open. Koch shot an 8-over par 80 in blustery conditions at
Lake Forest Golf Club to beat Barb Hoelzle and Terry Baar by
4-strokes. Koch built the 4-stroke lead on the front nine
aided by birdies at the 5th and 8th and an eagle at the 9th. She
hit 8 of 14 fairways and led the field with 34 putts.
Barb Hoelzle (40-44 - 84) and Terry Baar
(39-45 - 84) shared 2nd place and Maureen Abele (41-44 - 85) finished
4th in the "Rally for a Cure" event to benefit breast cancer
awareness. Koch also won the
50/50 putting challenge and promptly donated her 50% ($45) back to the
cause. In total, the Mulligan Tour will donate $400 to the Susan G
Komen foundation on behalf of the 11 players participating in the 2008
MT Ladies Open.

Carol Koch - Lady Golfer of the Year
Persichetti takes Two-Stick,
Crazy Brit rained-out
July 13, 2008
Rick Persichetti claimed his 13th
Mulligan Tour title on Saturday by winning the Two-Stick Classic at Rush
Lake Hills GC in Pinckney. A passing shower delayed play for about 20
minutes early in the tournament, but when play resumed Persichetti
continued the steady played exhibited at the Harbour Pointe Open 2 weeks
prior. Armed only with a Callaway 3-hybrid and a Ping 9-iron,
"Perch" cancelled out 4 bogies with 4 birdies thru 12 holes
and was holding at level par. And though he played the next
4 holes at 5-over, he finished with a 38-40 - 78 and a 4-shot victory
over Erik Meland. With the $28 first place check, Persichetti
became the 2nd player in Tour history, joining David Martin, to surpass
the $1000 mark in career prize money.
Meland, the 2001 Two-Stick winner, shot
43-39 - 82 to finish 1 shot ahead of Tom Hoelzle. Meland continues
to lead the West division money standings with $97 in earnings.
Hoelzle finished with a 42-41 - 83, his first top-4 in 2008. Bob
Bruning secured 4th place with a 43-43 - 86.

Rick Persichetti - 2008
Two-Stick Classic champ
Play at the Crazy Brit was halted when
rains swept through Whispering Willows just as most of the field made the turn. With
a few players withdrawing and a look at the radar indicating the rain
could continue for an hour or more, Commissioner Greg Kline called off
the tournament. Since not every player finished 9 holes, the rules
call for a cancellation of the results and a rescheduling of the
tournament. The most likely scenario would be a Sunday, August
24th date. However, the Tour could consider Saturday, August 30th,
just 1 week before the PLAYERS Championship.
Thom Bales wins wet HPO for first major
victory
June 29, 2008
The first half of the 2008 Mulligan Tour
season ended on Saturday with Thom Bales claiming his 3rd win of the
year and first major victory. The 2008 Commercial Underwriters
Harbour Pointe Open took nearly 7 hours to complete after a rain delay
closed Eagle Crest GC in the middle of the round. When play
resumed, Bales completed his round of 5 birdies and 5 bogies to finish
at even par for the championship and a 1-stroke win over Jason
Rectenwald.
The $50 first place check moves Bales to
the top of the money standings with $140 in earnings this year.
His 3 wins are part of 5 top-4 finishes in 9 starts this season.
In only his 3rd season, Bales became the 15th Tour player to go over
$300 in career earnings. He has $349 from 16 top-4's in 43
tournaments played.
Rectenwald (36-37 - 73) birdied his 17th
hole (#14) to get past Young Tom Litzler and Rick Persichetti.
Litzler (34-40 - 74) was 2-under thru 12 holes but finished bogey -
double-bogey on his closing holes. Persichetti (35-39 - 74), who
won his first major title here at Eagle Crest in the 2004 HPO, finished
5-over on his last 4 holes to drop back into the tie for 3rd with
Litzler. John Stepek (34-41 - 75) was 3-under thru 10 but made
bogies on 6 of his last 8 holes to finish at 3-over 75 for solo 5th
place. Greg Kline (38-39 - 77) and rookie Joe Robar (38-39 - 77)
shared 6th place.
Tournament host and former HPO champ Dan
Schwartz finished in 9th place at 7-over 79 - his best showing in the
Open since his win here at Eagle Crest in 2000. Schwartz was happy
to announce after the tournament that, thanks to the players'
participation in the charity raffle, $280 was raised for the benefit of
the St.Judes Childrens Research Center.
Click
here for complete final standings of the 2008 Harbour Pointe Open
Bruning wins Real McCoy Classic in a
playoff
June 22, 2008
Bob Bruning won a 4-way playoff on
Saturday to win the 2008 Real McCoy Classic, his 3rd Mulligan Tour title
in 30 career starts. Bruning, winner of the 2006 Two-Stick Classic
and the 2007 Fifty Cent Classic, finished at 2-under par 69 and tied
with Ray Collins, Russ Butler, and rookie Tom Sachs.
Collins missed the playoff due to time
commitments after the tournament. Bruning, Butler, and Sachs each
3-putted the first hole of the 4-hole aggregate score playoff.
Sachs took a 1-stroke advantage after 1-timing the 2nd hole but Bruning
answered with a 1-putt of his own on the 3rd hole. Butler's
chances evaporated after a 4-putt on Farmington Hills' treacherous
practice green. The win was secured when Bruning 2-putted the 4th
while Sachs needed 3 putts.
Bruning jumps up to 4th on the money list
($78) with the win - his 4th top-4 of the year - and is headed to the
Harbour Pointe Open at Eagle Crest next weekend with hopes of another
solid performance. He finished tied with the low score at the Open
last year but was not available for a playoff with winner Jeff Klipa.
Thom Bales (36-36 - 72), Tom Moran (37-35
- 72), and Maureen Abele (36-36 - 72) shared 5th place and tournament
host Victor McCoy finished T-12 with a 36-39 - 75.

Host Vic McCoy with 2008 Real McCoy
Classic winner Bob Bruning
Click
here for complete final standings of the 2008 Real McCoy Classic
Hoelzle wins her 2nd Par-54, Meland takes
Fox Hunt again
June 21, 2008
Barb Hoelzle won the Par-54 Classic at
the Strategic Fox last Friday, her 2nd win in the 5 year history of this
tournament. She won the event in 2005 and also finished
with the low score in 2006 but lost in a playoff to David Martin.
She played the back nine in 1-under par to overtake rookie Tom Sachs and
win by 2. Hoelzle collected her 2nd win in 2 weekends - she won
the Holy Grail on June 14th - and moves up to 7th on the money list with
$59 in earnings this year.
Erik Meland won another small field Fox
Hunt last Friday. The defending champ hit 9 greens in regulation,
including the 12th, 13th, and 14th holes that were each worth 5
points. Meland collected 47 points in all and finished 3 points
ahead of Bob Bruning. John Powell (39 points) and Phil Abele (32)
secured a top-4 finish as the Fox Hunt played for the 2nd consecutive
year with the minimum 4 player field.
Cwikla takes Plymouth Open
June 14, 2008
Jim Cwikla collected his first Tour win
in 6 years on Saturday after firing a 1-under par 69 on the Fox Hills
Classic course to take a 2-stroke win at the 2008 Plymouth Open.
His longtime Memorial tournament partner Chris Drake finished 2nd at 71
while Dave Randall and Bob Bruning shared 3rd with 5-over par 75's.
Cwikla becomes the 10th player to surpass
$400 for career earnings with a total of $411 from 21 top-4 finishes in
70 starts. Cwikla's first 4 wins were all majors in the Tour's
early years, including the first Harbour Pointe Open and PLAYERS
Championships in 1999, and the Memorial Tournaments in 2000 and 2002.

Jim Cwikla - 2008 Plymouth
Open champ
Barb Hoelzle finds the Holy Grail
June 14, 2008
Barb Hoelzle posted a 1-over par 72 at
St. John's Golf & Conference Center and claimed her 3rd title at the
2008 Holy Grail. Hoelzle (formerly Barb Randle) beat Erik Meland
by a stroke and added the Holy Grail to her Ugly Pants Open (2007) and
Par-54 Classic (2005) victories. The $32 first place check was her
largest payday to date, securing a spot in the WESTERN Championship on
August 23rd, and placing 4th on the current West division money list.
Meland (36-37 - 73) recorded his 3rd
top-4 of the year while Terry Baar (40-36 - 76) and Victor McCoy (40-36
- 76) shared 3rd place. Baar has consecutive top-4's after her T-3
at the Go Blue Classic a week earlier. And McCoy played well as he
prepares to host his tournament next weekend at Farmington Hills GC -
the Real McCoy Classic.

Barb Hoelzle - 2008 Holy
Grail champ
Stepek wins Go Blue Classic
June 7, 2008
John Stepek made a back nine charge at
Reddeman Farms on Saturday to win the 2008 Go Blue Classic title.
Making 5 birdies over the last 9 holes, Stepek overcame a double-bogey
at #9 and bogies at #16 and #18 to finish at 2-under 70. This was
Stepek's 2nd victory on Tour in 39 career starts. The $28 first
place check carries him up to 3rd on the West Division money list and
10th overall.
3rd year Touring pro Dave Randall is
having a breakout season. A 38-34 - 72 allowed Randall to get
ahead of 8 players shooting 73 or 74 and to record his 4th top-4 finish
in 4 starts this year. He has total earnings of $78 in 2008
ranking 3rd on the money standings. A foursome finishing at 73
included "Young Tom" Litzler, Phil Abele, Terry Barr, and
rookie John Powell.

John Stepek
- 2008 Go Blue Classic champ
Top-4 Finishers at the 2008 Go Blue Classic
|
1
|
37-33 - 70 (-2)
|
John Stepek $28
|
2
|
38-34 - 72 (E)
|
Dave Randall $21
|
T3
|
37-36 - 73 (+1)
|
Tom R. Litzler $5.25
|
T3
|
36-37 - 73 (+1)
|
John Powell $5.25
|
T3
|
35-38 - 73 (+1)
|
Phil Abele $5.25
|
T3
|
39-34 - 73 (+1)
|
Terry Baar $5.25
|
2nd Green Towel for Persichetti, Arnold is 3 for 3 in 2008
May 31, 2008
Rick Persichetti and Kelly Arnold teamed
up to win the 2008 Memorial Tournament last Saturday at Gateway Golf
Club. Partners for the 2nd year in a row, the pair improved
on their T-4 finish in 2007 by posting a 4-under par 68 to beat the
rookie team of John Powell and Joe Robar by a stroke. Persichetti
and Arnold were the only team to not record a bogie in the 2-man
scramble format.
Persichetti became the 5th player to earn a 2nd Green Towel for winning the Memorial
Tournament. He won the Memorial in 2005 with Ray Collins.
It's the first Green Towel for Arnold, the hottest player on Tour.
He has 3 wins in 3 starts this year and leads the Money Standings with
$100 in prize money.
Powell and Robar had 5 birdies in a 6
hole stretch on the front nine but a bogey on their 17th hole (#13) kept
them from forcing a playoff. They finished with a 3-under 69 in
their first major championship.
The 2006 champs, Greg Kline and Bob
White, finished in 3rd place with a 2-under 70. They finished
1-stroke ahead of their playing partners Thom Bales and Bob Bruning.

Kelly Arnold
and Rick Persichetti - 2008 Memorial Tournament champs
The
Top-4 at the 2008 Memorial Tournament |
1
|
68
(-4)
|
Rick
Persichetti – Kelly Arnold
|
2
|
69
(-3)
|
John
Powell – Joe Robar
|
3
|
70
(-2)
|
Greg Kline – Bob White
|
4
|
71
(-1)
|
Bob Bruning – Thom Bales
|
Arnold is Sweet Sixteen champ
May 17, 2008
Kelly Arnold nearly recorded the Tour's
4th hole-in-one on Saturday. His tee shot at the 172-yard 3rd (his
12th hole) at Salem Hills stopped just 3 inches from the hole. The
tap in birdie was a net ace that Arnold followed up with 6 pars coming
in securing his 2nd win of the
year. Arnold threw out 2 double-bogies to finish at 4-under
par in the "best 16 holes" format beating Dan Schwartz by 1
stroke. The 2008 Sweet Sixteen champ is 2 for 2 after winning the Tin Cup 2 weeks ago and not playing last
weekend. Arnold is ranked 1st on the Central Division Money List
and tied for 2nd overall with $60 in Tour earnings.
Schwartz earned his first prize money of
the young season by finishing at 3-under par for 16 holes. He
birdied 2 of the last 5 while playing in the group with Arnold.
Schwartz picked up a $21 check for 2nd place and ranks 9th on the Money
List.
Dave Randall continues a strong start to
his 2008 season. The 4th year Tour pro from Northville finished at
1-under par after throwing out a couple of bogies (one a double, the
other a single). Randall secured his 3rd consecutive top-4 finish
in '08 and is 4th overall in earnings after 3 starts. Chris Drake
took the 4th spot with an even par finish.

Kelly Arnold - 2008 Sweet
Sixteen champ
Click
here for final standings in the 2008 Sweet Sixteen
Bales wins Animal House
May 17, 2008
Thom Bales shot a 36-34 - 70 to claim the
2008 Animal House Classic just 2 weeks after winning at Pine
View. Bales added another 7 birdies and leads the Tour with
5.33 birdies per 18 holes.
Bob Baar (39-34 - 73) collected $27 for
2nd place - his 3rd straight top-4 finish to start the season.
Baar led the field in driving accuracy hitting 10 of 14 fairways.
Tom Moran (40-34 - 74) netted his first top-4 of the year earning
himself $18. A trio of players shared 4th place including
promising new rookie John Powell. Playing with a temp-4 handicap
index, Powell (37-40 - 77) was making his 3rd start on Tour and earned
his first payday. Erik Meland and Ray Collins were the other 2
finishing at 5-over 77.
Collins led the field with lowest Zoo
Ratio (0.169 from only 2 animals during the round) and was in great
shape to take the $25 bonus in the 4-man putt off. After 3
consecutive 2-putts, Collins led the other particpants - John Stepek,
Tom Hoelzle, and Tom Moran by 2 strokes each. But a tentative 4th
hole left him 5 feet short and when Stepek made the only ace of the
putt-off, Collins needed to make to win. An aggressive stroke
missed the hole and left a hefty come-backer that he also missed giving
Stepek the $25 Carl's Golfland giftcard.

Thom Bales - 2008 Animal
House Classic champ
Click
here for complete final standings of the 2008 Animal House Classic
Butler takes Chelsea by 4
May 11, 2008
Russ Butler shot a 34-35 - 69 at Pierce
Lake GC to take the 2008 Chelsea Classic title - his 2nd career Tour
win. Butler, the only player to finish in red numbers, led the
field in driving accuracy (10 FH) and birdies made (7). The win
was worth $28 and qualifies Butler for the 2008 WESTERN
Championship. His previous win came at the 2007 Tin Cup.
Bob Baar (40-33 - 73) recorded his 2nd top-4 of the
young season and finds himself ranked 4th on the early season Money
Standings ($33). Rick Persichetti (39-35 - 74) took 3rd place earning his first
prize money of the year ($14). Phil Abele (37-38 - 75) also finished in the top-4
for the 2nd consecutive week.

Russ Butler - 2008
Chelsea Classic champ
Klipa wins Western Swing
May 11, 2008
Jeff Klipa survived a wild Western
Swing on Saturday at Huron Meadows Metropark. A 6-stroke lead
nearly vanished in the closing holes as Klipa (38-39 - 77) finished
4-over on the last 3 holes while Dave Randall birdied the 18th to pull
within one. A 5-year Tour veteran, Klipa's 6th career Tour win was
his 5th victory in his last 15 starts. The 2008 Western Swing
title was worth $36 in prize money ranking Klipa 2nd on the Money
Standings.
Randall (39-39 - 78) is the leading money
winner in the early season after his 2nd top-4 finish in as many
weeks. After placing 3rd at the Tin Cup, Randall's 2nd place
finish at the Western Swing brought in a $27 check giving him $43 in
earnings for the season.
DeVonne Mowry made her 2008 debut with a
top-4 finish despite missing the first hole. Mowry took the max
gross score (quadruple bogey) on #1 but rallied to close with a 41-38 -
79 to win $18. John Hawkinson (39-41 - 80) earned $9 for 4th
place.

Jeff Klipa - 2008
Western Swing champ
Bales wins PVC in playoff
May 4, 2008
Thom Bales birdied the 18th hole at Pine
View GC to shoot a back-nine 35 and force a
playoff with 2-time Pine View Classic winner Erik Meland. Bales
(40-35 - 75) needed 33 putts on Pine View's freshly sanded greens and
none more important than the 2-putt from the lower tier on the finishing
hole.
Meland (37-38 - 75) dug himself a hole by
3-putting the 2nd and 3rd holes of the 4-hole aggregate score
putt-off. He made the finish a little more interesting by 1-timing
the final hole, but Bales calmly sank his 4th consecutive 2-putt for his
3rd Tour win. It was Bales' first playoff experience while Meland
suffered his first loss in 4 playoffs.
Bob Baar (39-40 - 79) and Phil Abele
(41-38 - 79) shared 3rd place. Baar, the 2006 PVC champ, matched
birdies with Abele at the 18th to secure the top-4 finish. Abele
led the field with 7 birdies for the tournament but had only 1 par
during the hot & cold round.

Thom Bales - 2008 Pine View Classic champ
Top-4 finishers at the 2008 Pine View Classic
|
1
|
40-35 - 75
|
Thom Bales $32
|
2
|
37-38 - 75
|
Erik Meland $24
|
T3
|
39-40 - 79
|
Bob Baar $12
|
T3
|
41-38 - 79
|
Phil Abele $12
|
Arnold takes Tin Cup
May 4, 2008
Kelly Arnold captured his 2nd Tour win
last Saturday at Hickory Creek Golf Club by playing his final 7 holes in
2-under par. Arnold (39-35 - 74) finished at 2-over for the
tournament winning the Tin Cup by 2 strokes over Tom W Litzler.
Arnold, whose previous Tour victory was the 2006 PLAYERS Championship,
won $32 and is automatically qualified for the 2008 PLAYERS Championship
in September.
"Old Tom" Litzler (40-36 - 76)
led the field with 29 putts and converted 4 birdies (T-1 in the field)
but finished 2nd for the 10th time in his career. Dave Randall
(39-38 - 77) led the field with 10 fairways but was relegated to 3rd
place after recording 3 bogies in his last 6 holes. The defending
champ Russ Butler (38-40 - 78) fought a faulty putter but secured a
top-4 finish in the first Central division tournament of the new season.

Kelly Arnold - 2008 Tin Cup
champ
Top-4 finishers at the 2008 Tin Cup
|
1
|
74 (+2)
|
Kelly Arnold $32
|
2
|
76 (+4)
|
Tom W Litzler $24
|
3
|
77 (+5)
|
Dave Randall $16
|
4
|
78 (+6)
|
Russ Butler $8
|
Snow golf for Easter weekend
March 22, 2008
A late winter snow storm dumped 8 inches
of fluffy white snow on Pine View Golf Club on Good Friday just 6 weeks
before Pine View will open the 2008 Western division schedule.
Granted, Easter was early on the calendar this year, but the holiday
weekend normally provides golfers with the chance to get in the first
practice round of the new season.
|