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Another Record Setting Day at ESCC
June 4, 2023 Troy at Sanctuary Lake

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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".

Tour sends check to Gleaner's Food Bank
Klaus is back!
April 23, 2023 at
Fieldstone GC

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.
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