Traverse City Teaching Pro Cameron Ruge Wins by Seven Shots
BELLAIRE – Cameron Ruge, an assistant professional at Bay Meadows Family Golf Center in Traverse City and a native of Coldwater, thought he wouldn’t get especially emotional if he won the Hall Financial/Founders Brewing Co. Michigan Open presented by Make The Turn.
Then he hit all 18 greens in regulation, shot 7-under 64 and won the 109th edition of the state championship by seven shots Thursday on the Cedar River Course at Shanty Creek Resort.
“When the last putt went in it was just a mix of emotions coming over me,” he said. “I was so locked in all day. I didn’t check the leaderboard all day. Then it started to get kind of emotional, and my mom and my girlfriend came over and gave me hugs. That and just the fact that I was able to do it and close it out was, you know.”
Ruge’s prior history in the Michigan Open was two missed cuts, but this time he took home the $15,000 first-place check, a Crystal Trophy and he will have his name inscribed on the historic James D. Standish Trophy.
His final 64 gave him a 16-under 268 total for the championship.
Four golfers tied for second at 9-under, including defending champion Otto Black of Brighton, who closed with a 67, and Joe Juszczyk of Dearborn Heights, the 2023 champion and leader for the first two rounds, who shot 70.
Will Preston, the Penn State University golfer from Grand Rapids, was another at 9-under after shooting a closing 71. He ended up as the low amateur for the tournament.
And Matt Thompson, the 2017 Michigan Open champion, made the most noise among those who tied for second. He shot a closing 64, which included three eagles, one of which was a hole-in-one on hole 17 (7-iron from 185).
Four golfers finished at 8-under 276, including Tim Pearce of Birmingham Country Club, who also shot a 64, mini-tour pro Yuqi Liu of Ann Arbor, who shot 67, Michigan State University golfer Julian Menser, who shot 68, and Bentley Coon, the celebrated 16-year-old from Horton, who shot 72.
Former University of Michigan golfer and now mini-tour professional Will Anderson got in on the noise, too. He shot a course-record 63 and tied for 11th.
Ruge said while he didn’t look at the leaderboard, he did hear the chatter pass from group to group about multiple eagles being made and golfers carding low scores.
“I just played like I was tied for the lead the whole day,” he said. “I just said I’m going to keep the ball below the hole, not be too aggressive to some of those flags and keep trying to make birdies.”
He birdied holes 3, 5 and 9 on the front and had the lead even though he didn’t know it. He added birdies on 10, 13, 16 and rolled a final 10-foot birdie putt in on 18 for the gallery on the hill over 18.
He said a 5-iron approach shot he hit at hole 5 from 216 yards was his best shot of the day.
“I meant to go to the middle of the green there, but I hit a draw in there and it kept moving over and ended up a foot-and-a-half away from that back left pin,” he said. “I didn’t take that pin on. It worked over and I was like ‘wow.’ It was a big momentum booster.”
Ruge, who is 27, cited increased self-belief, a golf buddy in Florida (Shane Bryant), who is a mini-tour player who has pushed him to be a better player, and his fellow teaching professionals at Bay Meadows for helping make him a better player.
“One of the biggest things is the putter change I made last year, from a blade to a mallet, and I’ve just found that under pressure I can rock that thing a little easier,” he said. “I hit 18 greens today, but I also burned like five edges (on putts). It could have been 12-under today the way it was rolling.”
Ruge doesn’t expect the win to change his goals in golf. The former Trine University golfer who studied professional golf management likes working with junior golfers at Bay Meadows and is advancing through the PGA professional rankings (currently a PGA Associate Professional).
“I may sign up for more tournaments down the road,” he said, “but I’m just going to keep working at Bay Meadows. I love seeing the kids out there.”
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ABOUT HALL FINANCIAL: Hall Financial is proud to partner with the Michigan PGA and the Hall Financial/Founders Brewing Co. Michigan Open. Supporting the Michigan PGA and its members is a passion for Hall Financial CEO, David Hall. Growing the game of golf in the state of Michigan while providing a key financial resource is a privilege for Hall Financial. David Hall started Hall Financial in 2016 with the core mission to be the most client-focused mortgage company in the industry. Since its inception, the company has built a reputation for making the mortgage process simple and fast while delivering clients with Five-Star service. With nearly 7,000 Five-Star reviews, the team at Hall Financial is committed to providing customized mortgage solutions tailored to each client’s needs. Media contact for Hall Financial: Mark Gildersleeve, Sr. Vice President- Growth & Strategy, 248-590-0131, mgildersleeve@hallfg.com. Website: callhallfirst.com
ABOUT FOUNDERS BREWING CO: Founders is one of the highest-recognized breweries and one of the 10 largest craft breweries in the country. Founded in 1997 in Grand Rapids, it has been ranked as one of the top breweries in the world by Ratebeer.com since 2006 and several of its beers are in the top 100 beers of the world on Beeradvocate.com. Surrounded by the Great Lakes, Founders is devoted to using Michigan’s freshwater resources in a sustainable fashion to provide the highest quality beer possible – from All Day IPA to craft beer stalwarts like KBS, which celebrates 20 years of barrel-aged excellence this year. Website foundersbrewing.com
ABOUT SHANTY CREEK: Shanty Creek is a four-season destination resort spanning nearly 5,500 acres and four distinct villages: Summit, Schuss, Cedar River, and Hawk’s Eye, each with lodging, dining, and golf. Located in Northern Michigan’s Bellaire, just 30 miles northeast of Traverse City, Shanty Creek offers a variety of activities and outdoor recreation perfect for your next Michigan getaway. Website: www.shantycreek.com. Media contact for Shanty Creek: Lindsey Southwell, lsouthwell@shantycreek.com, 231-676-9598.
PGA MEDIA CONTACTS: Greg Johnson, PGA media coordinator, 616-560-8995, gregeeee24@gmail.com, Justin Phillips, PGA tournament director, 517-641-7421, jphillips@michiganpga.com. Website: www.michiganpga.com