One more week to register for the Yamaha Golf Cars Plus Senior Open!

🗓July 15-16, 2025
📍Bedford Valley Golf Club

Click the link below for more information and to register:
https://www.golfgenius.com/pages/11367381802932011694

Max VanderMolen – Michigan Boys Junior PGA Champion!

The 2025 Michigan Boys Junior PGA Championship brought plenty of drama to Bedford Valley Golf Club on June 26–27. Round one featured two rain delays and a downed tree, but our junior golfers pushed through.

Unfortunately, ...round two brought even more rain, resulting in unplayable course conditions and officially shortening the event to a one-round tournament.

Max posted a round one score of 68 (-4) to become the 2025 Michigan Boys Junior PGA Champion.

Thanks to the quick work of the Bedford Valley staff, the 18th hole was made playable for two important playoffs: one for overall runner-up and another to determine the first and second alternates. With round one scores of 70 (-2), AJ Gasper defeated Colin Riehl in the playoff to earn the runner-up title.

In addition to his overall finish, Max also took the top spot in the Boys 16–18 division with Colin Riehl taking second in a scorecard playoff, and AJ in third.

Brandon Kulka was first in the Boys 13-15 division with Tommy Preston taking second in a scorecard playoff, and David Han in third.

Max and AJ will be heading to the National Junior PGA Championship on July 29–August 1 at the Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex in West Lafayette, Indiana. They will represent Michigan alongside Lillian O'Grady and Mia Melendez who advanced from the Girls Junior PGA Championship last week. Good luck to them all!

A big thank you to the Bedford Valley team for hosting both the Boys and Girls Junior PGA Championships—and for their incredible support managing the weather challenges throughout the week!

Wishing Michigan PGA Professional Champion, Ben Cook, the best of luck as he tees it up at the Rocket Classic this afternoon!

Otto Black, Brett White, Joe Hooks, and MSU Alumni - Ryan Brehm, Ashton McCulloch, and James Piot are other local players set to compete as well.

Click ...the link below to follow tee times and leaderboard:
https://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/2025/rocket-classic/R2025524/tee-times

BACK-TO-BACK

GEORGIA’S JESSICA WELCH WINS AGAIN IN MICHIGAN PGA WOMEN’S OPEN AT CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN

Crystal Mountain
THOMPSONVILLE – She might hail from Thomasville, Ga., but she feels right at home in Thompsonville of the Mitten State, and specifically at Crystal ...Mountain.
LPGA Epson Tour player Jessica Welch shot a closing 2-under-par 70 on the Mountain Ridge Course Wednesday and for the second consecutive year was a wire-to-wire winner in the 32nd Michigan PGA Women’s Open Championship presented by Coca-Cola.
Her 9-under 211 total was four shots better than runner-up Ana Murcia, a Michigan State University golfer from Colombia, who shot 71 for 211 and was the low amateur in the championship.
The 31-year-old Welch, who earned $8,000 for the win, is only the second golfer to win consecutive Michigan Women’s Opens, and the first to do it in 24 years. Elaine Crosby of Jackson, who played this week in the Senior Division, won consecutive championships in 2000 and 2001 after her long LPGA career.
Welch, who was 2-under on the front nine after almost holing out her approach shot on the par 5 ninth hole, said her theme for the week was coming home, and in a trophy ceremony speech thanked God, the Michigan PGA, 23-year host Crystal Mountain, her fellow competitors and her local host housing family, Steve and Pam Perry.
“I’m not sure everyone realizes how lonely it can get out here on the road playing golf, and how many pits you can find yourself in,” she said. “So, to have a place like this to come back to, and to get to see Pam and Steve every year, you just kind of get to breathe easier for a week. And I can’t tell you how special that is, and how special of a place Crystal Mountain is, and I hope we get to come back for a lot more years.”
Murcia, who was playing in the final group, said Welch never faltered and that she learned a lot playing with an Epson Tour player.
“I wanted to make her feel a little bit of pressure, but I’m pretty sure she didn’t feel much,” she said. “She had a good lead, and she doesn’t make many mistakes. I feel like I learned a lot from her and it’s good for me to be around pro players like that.”
Welch said she enjoys playing the Mountain Ridge course and it shows in her game.
“I was talking with Ana (Murcia) about it, I think on 18, and I told her you can score on this course, but you better keep it in play,” she said. “If you start going left and right and you're scrambling, especially on days like Monday where it was super windy, you appreciate par and you appreciate having birdie putts.”
Olivia Stoll of Haslett, a Grand Valley State University golfer, shot 72 for 2-under 214 to finish third, and Elise Fennell of Caledonia, an Illinois State University golfer, shot 72 for 215 to finish fourth.
Two golfers closed at even-par 216, Saginaw Valley State University golfer Brook Herbstreit of Fenton, who shot 71, and Josee Doyon of Boynton Beach, Fla., who closed with a 68 and was second among the professionals in the field.
Welch said the key shot for her was at No. 9.
“I made a bogey on No. 8 with a bad wedge shot, and then on nine I hit a wedge that backed up and almost went in the hole. It left me a two-inch putt for birdie and getting to 2-under with nine holes to go, I just kind of exhaled a bit more.”
She said the check for winning will help as she heads to Indiana and back to the Epson Tour.
“Any time you can remove one stress factor it makes a world of difference, especially in this lifestyle, and especially the monetary impact,” she said. “It helps you breathe easier and swing easier and goodness knows that helps.”
Welch wasn’t the only repeat winner on the day.
Suzy Green-Roebuck of Ann Arbor, the former LPGA player and only three-time winner of the Michigan PGA Women’s Open, won the Senior Division competition for the second consecutive year.
Green rallied from behind with a 4-under 68 and finished with an 8-under 208 total, topping Cheryl Fox of Fostoria Country Club in Ohio by four shots. Fox, who had a hole-in-one in a 64 in the second round, shot 74 to close. Canada’s Gail Graham shot 69 for 219 and third.
Green, a Michigan Golf Hall of Famer, said she enjoyed the Senior Division competition and opportunity to compete.
“I thought Cherly was going to shoot 59 yesterday with the way she kept pouring in putts, so I knew today that I had to get it under 70 and see what might happen,” she said. “I played well, missed a few easy birdie putts early. Then I made like a 60-footer for birdie on No. 12 for birdie that got me closer, and then on 17 I made a not-so-easy birdie putt from about 12-feet. That was big and it always feels great to win and to come up here to Crystal Mountain.”

ABOUT CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN: Established in 1956, Crystal Mountain is a family-owned, four-season resort destination located 28 miles southwest of Traverse City and a short drive from Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. The 1,500-acre resort features lodging, dining, downhill and cross-country skiing, two championship golf courses, shopping, award-winning Crystal Spa, Michigan’s only alpine slide, Peak Fitness, the Park at Water’s Edge, Michigan Legacy Art Park, weddings, a conference center, and real estate options.

SPONSORS: The tournament’s presenting sponsor is Coca-Cola, a long-time partner of Crystal Mountain. Visit Michigan PGA Women's Open Tournament | Crystal Mountain Michigan to see the sponsor support of the championship.

AMATEURS ARE COMING

GEORGIA’S JESSICA WELCH BEING CHASED IN MICHIGAN PGA WOMEN’S OPEN AT CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN

Crystal Mountain

THOMPSONVILLE – Defending champion and LPGA Epson Tour player Jessica Welch of Thomasville, Ga., had the lead for the second consecutive day,... but a bevy of talented amateur golfers were chasing her.
“They get better and younger every year,” said Welch, who is 31 and attempting to go back-to-back in the 32nd Michigan PGA Women’s Open Championship presented by Coca-Cola and hosted by Crystal Mountain.
Welch shot a 4-under 68 on Tuesday to post a 7-under two-round 137 total on the Mountain Ridge Course. It left her three shots ahead of two Big Ten Conference golfers who were tied for second, and four more collegiate golfers and a high school standout who held the next five spots.
The final round of the $40,000 championship is Wednesday. The winning professional will pocket $8,000. A two-tee format will be used with the final group scheduled to start play at 9:40 a.m.
“It’s probably going to take another 68 or better because someone is going to go low,” said Welch who led wire-to-wire in winning a year ago. “There’s a bunch of talented kids out there. I will stick to my plan for this course, though. I have great memories to draw on here, and in the end, for me, it’s always fall back on my routine.”
Ana Murcia of Colombia, who plays at Michigan State University, shot a 66 to post 140, and she was tied for second with Lauren Timpf of Macomb and Purdue University, who shot 67.
Olivia Stoll of Haslett and Grand Valley State University, who shot 71, was next at 142, and Elise Fennell of Caledonia and Illinois State University, who shot 71, was in fifth place at 143.
Next came Brook Herbstreit of Fenton and Saginaw Valley State University, who shot 72 for 145, and the two amateurs at 146 were Lily Bargamian of Grosse Ile and Oakland University, who shot 68, and Grace Slocum, the 2024 Division 4 individual state high school champion for Traverse City St. Francis High School, who shot 73.
The top pros on the leaderboard behind Welch were tied for ninth with two more amateur collegiate players.
Timpf, who will be a sophomore at Purdue in the fall and has been a Golf Association of Michigan Player of the Year and high school golf’s Miss Golf among many other accolades, said she was a little surprised to be in the final group and chasing Welch on Wednesday.
“Honestly, just a few days ago I was still struggling with my swing,” she said. “I texted my coach because he had watched me play all season and he gave me a few tips. I started hitting the ball better right away and it feels great to put together a good round.”
Timpf said she is excited to be in contention.
“It’s the first time this season I’ve been in this spot, and I feel like I’ve worked really hard to get here,” she said. “Being in contention is a really, really good feeling.”
Welch, who had six birdies and two bogeys in her second round, said final rounds are unpredictable.
“There’s always a different vibe on the final round,” she said. “I’m burning a little bit right now because I missed a short putt on 18 for birdie, but golf giveth and taketh away. I’m going to put that behind me and get ready for tomorrow. I’ve been there before and I’m counting on that to help me."
The lowest score on the course on Tuesday came from the Senior Division tees.
Cheryl Fox, the director of golf at Fostoria (Ohio) Country Club, shot 64 with a hole-in-one on the par 3 second hole and had the Senior Division lead through two rounds.
She checked in at 138, two ahead of Michigan Golf Hall of Famer and defending champion Suzy Green-Roebuck, who shot 70 for 140.
In the 36-hole tournament inside the tournament, the Michigan Women’s PGA Professional Championship, Kelly Kuhlman of Rochester, a teaching pro at Twin Lakes Golf & Swim Club, shot a final 85 for 168 and her first win in the championship. She won by six shots over Karen VandenBerg of Battle Creek Country Club.

ABOUT CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN: Established in 1956, Crystal Mountain is a family-owned, four-season resort destination located 28 miles southwest of Traverse City and a short drive from Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. The 1,500-acre resort features lodging, dining, downhill and cross-country skiing, two championship golf courses, shopping, award-winning Crystal Spa, Michigan’s only alpine slide, Peak Fitness, the Park at Water’s Edge, Michigan Legacy Art Park, weddings, a conference center, and real estate options.

SPONSORS: The tournament’s presenting sponsor is Coca-Cola, a long-time partner of Crystal Mountain. Visit Michigan PGA Women's Open Tournament | Crystal Mountain Michigan to see the sponsor support of the championship.