BATTLE CREEK – Tom Werkmeister of Hudsonville hit the flagstick and made birdie on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff against Doug Hoey of West Olive to win the Yamaha Golf Cars Michigan Senior Open Wednesday at Bedford Valley Golf Club.
Werkmeister, 57 and a Michigan Golf Hall of Famer, won for the second consecutive year and the third time since 2019 in the championship. A professional since 2017 when he qualified for the PGA Tour Champions, he took home a $2,000 first-place check and earned an exemption from the USGA into the sectional round of qualifying for the U.S. Senior Open.
He shot a closing 1-over 73 to follow a first-round 7-under 65 for 138, while Hoey closed with a birdie on No. 15 and an eagle-3 on the par 5 16th to shoot 70 and force the playoff.
In the playoff, playing hole 18 again, Hoey hit his wedge approach shot to 12 feet, and then Werkmeister hit his wedge shot off the flagstick on the second bounce and it settled 10 feet away. Hoey just missed his birdie attempt and Werkmeister rolled his in.
“Winning again this year is really, really cool, but it was a struggle out there all day,” said Werkmeister, who managed to hold at least a one-shot lead until Hoey’s eagle at 16.
“For some reason, I was comfortable in the playoff. I don’t know if it is because I’ve had success in them before, but while I had anxiety early in the round and hit a lot of bad shots, I hit three really good shots in the playoff.”
Frank McAuliffe, a teaching professional at Meadowbrook Country Club in Northville, shot a final 68 for 140 and third place.
A fivesome tied at 141, including Scott Hebert of Traverse City Golf & Country Club, who shot 69, amateur Greg Davies of West Bloomfield, who shot 70, Andy Walker, the head golf coach at Eastern Michigan University, who shot 71, James Dieters of Midland Country Club, who shot 71, and Jay Jurecic of Crystal Falls, who shot 73.
Hebert and Davies are Michigan Golf Hall of Fame members, and McAuliffe (2017) Hebert (2023), Jurecic (2021) and Deiters (2015) are past Senior Open winners.
Another champion was also determined Wednesday. Tim Matthews of Scotts, 65 and playing for the first time in the Super Senior Division, shot a closing 70 for a 5-under 139 total and won among the over-65 set.
Greg Zeller of Jackson, the Super Senior champion last year and the Senior Open champion in 2022, shot 71 for 141 and second. He was the low amateur in the division.
Another amateur, Kerry Buettner of Grandville, finished third at 143 with a closing 75.
Rounding out the top five were Michigan Golf Hall of Fame member and 2009 Senior Open champion Dave Kendall of Washtenaw Golf Club who shot his age, 70, for 145, and amateur Ian Harris of Bloomfield Hills, the 2014 Senior Open champion who closed with a 75 for 145.
Werkmeister said he started looking at the leaderboard at the 14th hole and was surprised to find he still had the lead.
“I thought somebody must have passed me,” he said. “I knew when Doug made eagle on 16 that we were tied. Then he had a great shot on 17 and I had a great shot there, but we both missed our birdie putts.”
At 18 Werkmeister’s tee shot found a stand of trees right of the fairway, and Hoey was just in the rough. Werkmeister punched a shot through branches to the front of the green and then two-putted from about 70 feet, while Hoey missed a 20-footer for birdie and tapped in for par.
“I learned something from Doug’s putt in regulation that helped me in the playoff,” Werkmeister said. “His putt in regulation was on a similar line that I had in the playoff and that told me it was a straight putt.”
Werkmeister said he felt fortunate to win because he has been struggling with this game this summer.
“The 65 in the first round was kind of a fluke,” he said. “The way I had to grind today is really the way I’ve been playing.”
Hoey, an emergency physician at Holland Hospital and a former Michigan Amateur Champion, said he and Werkmeister have competed against each other since junior golf. Hoey grew up in Dearborn and Werkmeister in Warren. They played against each other in junior golf, high school golf, amateur golf and then years later ended up playing against each other in West Michigan tournaments.
“I beat him when we were in junior golf, but he has more than made up for it since,” Hoey said and laughed. “We have a great time when we play together. We seem to bring out the best in each other.”
Hoey said he thought he was one shot behind even after the eagle on 16 that he crafted with a long second shot to within three feet. He didn’t check the leaderboard.
“It wouldn’t have changed anything I did,” he said. “I was surprised on 18 when he told me after we were done that we were tied and going to a playoff. I really thought he had me by a shot.”
For final results click HERE