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Another Record Setting Day at ESCC
June 4, 2023 Troy at Sanctuary Lake
1st Win!
Grant Goodspeed broke thru in a big way for his 1st Tour win at the East Side Charity Classic. He strung 7 birdies and an eagle, including a final hole birdie to tie the event record and set a Sanctuary Lake course record of 7 under par 64. Chuck With continued his hot play to finish 2nd at 2 under par 69. Kevin Gregoire finished 3rd at Even par and Greg Paddison tied with Mike Lee for 4th at 1 over par 72. On course prize went to Brian Lardin and sharp shooting Greg Paddison earned the Skins Game invite, except he already has an invite, so it will roll over to a future East event. Notables: Goodspeed and Tom Carroll led with 29 putts, Goodspeed hit 10 greens and Gregoire and Withey hit 10 fairways. Paddison moves into 2nd in all-time East Side CC winnnigs while Withey extends his lead in money won for the event.  Goodspeed shot a front nine 30 to take charge early and get is 1st win in his 32nd Tour start.



Moran Birdies Final Hole to Hold off Record Setter
June 3, 2023 Farmington Hills GC
Final winner?
Wily Veteran Tom Moran birdied the final hole Saturday to hold of a record setting performance by rookie sensation Zach Palmer. Moran went bogey free over his first 15 holes to take the lead. But on a course that is always known for low scores, Zach Palmer eagled the 14th hole (his 15th) and finished at 4 under net on a Tour record 65 gross score. Moran was finally bit by the bogey badger on the 12th and 13th, but rallied for that final birdie on the 14th (his 18th) to take the prize. Chuck Withey took 3rd with a 3 under par 68 and Jeff Pasz tied with Old Tom Litzler for 4th. On course prizes went to Scott Wilsey and Ned Loving who broke the Klipster's heart. Notables: Litzler led the field with 27 putts and 10 fairways, Greg Paddison hit 11 greens while Moran, Ryan Kiekbusch and Shane Witowski had 10.  Paddison finished in the money and moved to 3rd in all-time RJMO winnings.  Palmer's performance included hitting 16 of 18 greens which is also a Tour Record, topping Corey McCue's record by 19 hours. His Gross score tops Don Ward's previous record of 69, set at the 2020 Senior Open. For Moran, this is his 7th Tour win in his 295th start.

Another big day.
With rumors swirling that this could be the last Reatha Jackson Memorial Open due to family members gradually scattering across the country for warmer climates, the event topped the $10,000 mark in all time donations to the Alzhiemer's Association at $10,295 raised!



Rinse and Repeat at Fox Hunt
June 2, 2023 Plymouth at The Strategic Fox
Wins again!
Corey McCue dominated from the pole position at the Fox Hunt Friday. Starting in the Commissioner's traditional first group, McCue was dart throwing all day, hitting 15 of 18 greens to tie the Tour record. His performance included 8 of 9 greens hit on the back nine to post an event record 70 points. One might think it was over at that point, but Erika Fitzpatrick hit 9 greens in a row thru the middle holes to gradually accumulate points. But Erika couldn't convert on the tough 17th hole and finished 2nd with an outstanding 65 points. Tyler Floyd was 3rd at 62 points and Mike Attard tied Ryan Kiekbusch for 4th with 57 points.  Floyd hit an impressive 14 greens while Fitzpatrick total 12 and Kiekbusch and Helen Puffenberger tallied 11. Notables: Scott Freude booked his 100th Tour start and Eric Birkle led the field with 27 putts.  This is Corey's 3rd Fox Hunt title and 2nd in a row and moves him into double digits in Tour wins with 10 in 131 starts. McCue's 70 points tops the previous event record set in 2020 by Brian Lardin of 69 points.


Chuck Takes the White Ribbon
May 27, 2023 South Lyon at Cattails GC
White Ribbon
Chuck Withey played steady, strategic and inspired to take his first Strokes on a Rope title Saturday. He led the field with best score on the back nine to bring the title home at 1 under par 71. Eric Birkle was 2nd at 1 over par 73. Greg Kline and Rick Floyd tied for 3rd at 4 over par 76. On course prizes went to Tyler Floyd and Kevin Gregoire. Tyler also earned the invitation to the West Skins Game. Notables: Ken Westerman hit 13 fairways. Ned Loving hit 10 greens and Kline made the best use of his string, carding only 20 putts. Withey earns his 15th Tour victory in his 283rd start to tie for 8th in all-time Tour wins with Gregoire and Chris Cooley.


The Passage of Time
May 21, 2023
We make note of our friend Chris Cooley who passed away from brain cancer in late summer 2021. This weekend marks his statistical exit from our World Rankings. A melancholy moment for those of us who keep the stats.  He played his final Tour event at the Dudlee's Plymouth Open two years ago, finishing 'in the money' in 8th place. Chris had fond ties to the Casino Classic as well being a three-peat winner of the event after losing a playoff there his rookie year.  Chris' final round of golf was on Memorial Day 2021. A few of his tour friends are gathering this Memorial Day to play a round and drink a beverage in Chris' honor.
Here's to finishing in the money Chris.

Gabriel gets Playoff Payoff at Casino
May 21, 2023 Oakland at Twin Lakes
2 time winner
Chris Gabriel was almost overtaken by a hard charging Greg Paddison who posted 2 birdies and an eagle in the last 4 holes to pass Gabriel and finish at 4 under par 67. But Gabriel got a 16th hole birdie of his own to match Paddison and send the Casino to a Playoff. Gabriel got a rare uncontested playoff win as Paddison was unable to continue extra play. Willi Hesse took 3rd at 2 under par 69 and moved to 3rd in all-time Casino winnings. Mike Lum took 4th at Even par 71. On course prizes went to Zach Palmer and John Raymond. Casino prizes went to Helen Puffenberger, Ron Hiestand, Grant Goodspeed, Barb Hoelzle, Paul Parent and Chuck Withey. Notables: Budding rookie star Zach Palmer hit 13 greens to finish in the money. Eric Birkle and Ryan Kiekbusch hit 10 greens on the day. Mike Lee led the field with 10 Fairways hit. Paddison led with 28 putts. Chris Gabriel gets his 2nd Tour win in 14 starts and vaults into the top 50 of the World Rankings at 43rd.

Raymond Prevails in Playoff

May 20, 2023 Plymouth at Fox Hills
Raymond is Back
John Raymond ran home a birdie putt on the 6th playoff hole to take home the Dudlee's Plymouth Open trophy. Runner up Ned Loving previously missed a birdie putt by a fraction the would have ended it. The playoff featured several "Oh's" from the crowd on near misses. Both players finished regulation at 1 under par 69 with Loving posting first and Raymond matching with a 18th hole par a group later. The final four holes on the Lakes nine felt like a Talledaga NACAR finish with contenders wrecking all over the place. If only we played with walls instead of trees. Chris Dunmore took third, surviving the carnage at 2 over par 72 and Bill Gordon tied Chuck Withey for 4th at 3 over par 73. Jeff Klipa took home two on course prizes, Eric Birkle took the 3rd and Eric Kiekbusch won a random draw for the 4th as no skills were displayed at the 11th hole (Lakes #2). Notables: Bill Gordon posted his 10th 4th place finish of his Tour career. The top 3 in the World Rankings all finished tied for 6th. Jeff Pasz also tied for 6th and his 'in the money' finish takes him to 3rd in all-time Dudlee's winnings.  John Raymond moves his playoff record to 4 -2 while Ned drops to 0-2. Raymond led the field with 28 putts and jumps up 9 spots in the World Rankings to #28. John also moves into the top 20 in Tour wins with his 8th in 192 starts. His first place check moves him into the select group of players with over $1000 in career winnings.  The 18th in the 25 years of Tour history. 

Near record
The Tour raised a near record $650 for Leader Dogs for the Blind on Saturday, missing the 2011 record for money raised in this event by $5



Hiestand's Patience Rewarded
May 13, 2023 at Cherry Creek GC
2nd Hiestand winner
Ron Hiestand posted a 3 under par 69 early on Saturday at Cherry Creek, then waited paitently for his cherry pie to bake. Sure enough, when the final putt dropped the mid round leaders had faded and Ron took the victory. Almost overshadowing Ron's fine round was 2nd place Willi Hesse who logged the Tour's first Hole in One in 2 years on his way to a 2 under par 70. Scott Wilsey took 3rd and Tom Moran tied Gary Thomas tied for 4th. Wilsey's consolation was moving into 1st in all-time Cherry Creek winnings. Hesse logged his 10th 2nd place finish on Tour. On course prizes went to Thomas and Ryan Kiekbusch. Ron got his 7th Tour win in his 130th start and moves to 4th in all-time Cherry Creek winnings.  Ron said the best part of his win was that his son Sam's name is also on the trophy!


Hesse Plants an Ace at Cherry Creek
Ace
Willi Hesse aced the 15th hole at
Cherry Creek. His PW from 104 yards was right at the pin. He thought it was in, and when the group got to the green and there were only 3 balls in sight, the feat was confirmed. This is the first ace on Tour since 2021.


Ferlito & Hesse Charge to Memorial Win
May 6, 2023 at Links at Gateway GC
Major winners
Willi Hesse and John Ferlito shot 5 under par on the back nine to charge to the lead at The Memorial. A final hole birdie locked in the win and kept the chasers at bay. Father-Son team of Rick and Tyler Floyd took 2nd at 2 under par 70. A gaggle tied for 3rd at 1 under par 71 including vets Mike Prieskorn/Jeff Klipa, the brothers Parent Paul and Phil, and the ringer team of Greg Paddison/Zach Palmer. Thom Bales partnered with Tom Hollander for their 2nd year in a row as low amatuers.  On course prizes went th Ron Hiestand and Tim Markel.  Klipa posted some career notables: This was his 100th career Top-4 finish, 20th time finishing 3rd in a Tour event, and he moved to 4th all-time in Memorial winnings.  Ferlito becomes the 22nd Tour player to make a Major his first Tour win in his 27th start. Hesse lands his 3rd Career Major title with his 6th Tour win in 227 starts.

Pasz takes Chelsea on Last Hole
April 30, 2023 at Calderone Farms
Pasz Wins 7th.
Jeff Pasz came to the 18th tee in the final group of the day needing a birdie to win. He met the challenge. Brian Lardin and Tom Moran previously posted 1 over par 73 scores, but their playoff hopes were dashed with Pasz' birdie putt to finish Even Par 72.  Don Ward and Helen Puffenberger tied John Raymond for 4th place. On course prizes went to Raymond and World #1 Chris Stalo. Notables: Jeff Cubel posted his 50th Tour start. Lardin landed his 10th 2nd place finish on Tour. Tom Moran moved to T-3 in all-time Chelsea Classic winnings, topped only by Jeff Klipa and Old Tom Litzler. This is Jeff's 7th Tour win in 209 starts.

A New Kline Wins Tin Cup
April 29, 2023 at Hickory Creek GC
!st Win
Noah Kline broke thru for his first Tour win in only his 4th Tour start at the Tin Cup. Noah had a great day at Hickory Creek, posting a 5 under par 67 and topping John Raymond's 2nd place 2 under par. Rod Theunissen and Father Greg Kline tied for 4th at 1 under par 71. The elder Kline posted his 20th 3rd place finish on Tour. On course prize went to Erik Kiekbusch and Mike Lum earned the Skins Game invitation. Don Ward and Ned Loving led the field with 29 putts. Brian Lardin hit 12 fairways. Noah Kline posted the first Albatross of the year on the 14th hole to go with an eagle and 6 birdies to cruze home. His 5 under par score is the lowest in this event in 19 years. He is the 2nd player to gain his 1st Tour win this year. As Jim Nance says, "Life Changing".

Food Bank a winner too.
Tour sends check to Gleaner's Food Bank


Klaus is back!
April 23, 2023 at Fieldstone GC
Winner again!
Klaus Juska returned to the winner's circle Sunday after fighting injury for 10 years, taking home the Sparty Classic in a playoff.  Klaus saved par on the 18th hole to match Ken Westerman at 2 over par 74. In the playoff, Juska was 1 stoke better over the tough 4 hole aggregate track. Chuck Withey, Greg Paddison, and Tom Hoelzle all tied for 3rd at 3 over par 75, all three finding a welcome revival of their games. Notables: Kevin Gregoire logged his 200th career Tour start. Scott Wilsey led the field with 29 putts. Juska is now 2-0 in playoffs and notched his 5th Tour win in 77 starts and moves into 3rd in all-time Sparty winnings.  The 10 year gap between Klaus' wins is one short of the tour record of 11 held by Dan Schwartz.


Justin SSSSSSSSSSSuceeds to get First Win
April 22, 2023 at Salem Hills
1st win!
Justin McCue posted a 2 under par 70 with a birdie on the 18th hole at Salem Hills. He waited it out until Pat Berry also posted a birdie to tie and send the Animal House to a playoff. In the playoff they tied at par until the 3rd hole when McCue got bit by a snake. Unfortunately for Berry he got stopped by an Anaconda. McCue took the playoff by 1 stroke for his 1st Tour win in 18 starts. Brother Corey McCue took 3rd at 1 under par. Jeff Pasz and Brian Pieszchala tied for 4th at 1 over par. Corey McCue led the field with 13 greens hit and his winnings pushed him into the $1000 winnings club for his career. Justin had 5 birdies and an eagle in his winning effort.

Zoo man
Scott Wilsey took the Zoo Animal Playoff

In spirited Zoo Animal Playoff Kevin Gregoire birdied the first hole, but Scott Wilsey held serve at par throughout for the lead and Brian Pieszchala birdied the 4th hole to tie him. Wilsey took the prize on the 2nd sudden death playoff hole. 




Brandenburg Back to Winner's Circle at Sweet Sixteen
April 16, 2023 Rochester Hills at Blackheath GC
Sweet Winner
Joe Brandenburg opened with 6 birdies in 10 holes to set the pace and cruise home to his 2nd career Sweet Sixteen win. He posted a 6 under par, the same has his first win in 2014 when he bested Charlie Roy in a playoff. Jeff Graunke and Willi Hesse tied for 2nd and East Commissioner Rich Dunmore tied Scott Wilsey for 4th. It was the 20th 4th place finish for Dunmore in his career and Bill Gordon made his 200th Tour start Sunday. Brandenburg landed his 7th Tour win in his 153rd Tour start and moved to 2nd on the all-time Sweet Sixteen money list behind the late great Chris Cooley.





McCue Downs 3rd Pine View Title
April 15, 2023 Ypsilanti at Pine View GC
McCue get 3rd Win for 2 in a Row
Corey McCue became the first 3-time winner of the Pine View Classic on Saturday. On one of the better weather days in memory for the season opener, Corey posted 6 birdies and an eagle while hitting 13 greens to post a 4 under par 68 for a 4 shot win over Mike Fox and Ryan Kiekbusch. Ned Loving took 4th at 2 over par in his 150th Tour start. Corey's 9th Tour win (123 starts) was also his 40th Top 4 Finish on Tour and moved him to 2nd in all-time money earned at the Pine View Classic. He joins an exclusive club of 3 players who have won the Runny Nose Open and come back to win the season opener the following year, the others being John Raymond and Kevin Gregoire.

Charity Check
The Pine View Classic raised $900 for the
Rollin' with the Homies Make-a-Wish Team

Q-School Recap
April 2, 2023

Despite a great effort by the players who switched courses in order to get the round in, the weather just would not cooperate on Saturday and QS-1 was lost.
So on Sunday QS1 2.0 did take place at Whispering Willows. Rookie Tom Carroll took medalist with a tidy 79, hitting 9 greens. Zach Palmer was right behind with an 80. Chris Trevisan and Phil Parent Jr. got their seasons underway.
Ned Loving took medalist honors for the vets with a strong start and good finish to score 1 under par with 7 birdies. Jeff Pasz shot even par and Kevin Gregoire, Mike Lum and Ken Westerman finished 2 over par. Kevin led the field with 29 putts for the day. Lum had 2 eagles and Westerman hit 12 fairways.

 

© 5/28/2023 The Mulligan Tour LLC