Anci Dy Tops Her Sister Anika Dy to Win Michigan Women’sAmateur Championship in a First-Ever Sister Showdown

By Tom Lang, with Greg Johnson contributing

ROCHESTER – June 17 – The Dy sisters apparently wanted more family time; well, at least 3

holes worth.

Playing golf side-by-side their entire childhood and in high school at Traverse City West before

splitting off to college – Anika to U-M and the younger Anci to the Univ. of Indianapolis – on

Friday at Great Oaks CC, they went 21 holes before deciding the winner of the 106 th GAM

Women’s Amateur Championship.

Anci won it on the par 3, 3 rd hole.

The sister showdown – the first ever in the championship’s rich century-plus history – was set

up in the semifinals when Anika turned back Western Michigan University-bound Megha

Vallabhaneni of Northville 3 and 2 in the morning, and Anci outlasted Anika’s Wolverine

teammate and last year’s Am runner-up, Mikaela Schulz of West Bloomfield, in 20 holes.

The Dy sister’s both shed tears when it was finished, some due to exhaustion from five

consecutive days of golf (plus three holes) and some from the closeness of family and what it all

means to both of them. Mom, Tess Dy, got into the hug-fest as well to congratulate both of her

daughters for a well-played match.

“I think she’s really proud of me,” said Anci, 19, of her big sister, who’s actually a little smaller in

stature. “I think she was able to see where I’ve come from with my game from a few years ago

to now. I feel like, actually, I know she is going to try extra hard to get me the next time, but for

today, she’s really proud of me.”

Anika’s accomplishments include winning the Michigan Women’s Open as an amateur, being

named Miss Michigan Golf during her dominant high school career, winning three high school

state titles from 2016-2018, and playing golf for the University of Michigan, setting the bar high

for family achievement in golf.

“I’m disappointed with how the golf turned out, obviously, but it I had to lose to anyone, I’m

glad it was my sister,” said Anika, who will be 21 in July and a senior at Michigan in the fall. “I

think it’s awesome what she has done with her game in the last year. She really blossomed as a

player in her first year of college golf. I think going in she knew she had untapped potential, and

I think she is tapping into it.”

In the final, the sisters were all-square after the front nine was in the books, before Anci pulled

away by winning the first three holes on the back nine. Yet starting on hole 13 Anika began

creeping back into it, winning that par 4 then winning 15 and winning the 18 th hole to force

extra holes.

“Putting, putting, putting, it’s what we work on a lot together, and she really made a lot of big

putts today,” Anika said of the winner. “She already hits it a lot farther than me, but I always

had the short game, that was my edge. Now she’s getting the short game and putting like that.

She played amazing; she really did. I feel great that I was able to come back and force the

match to extra holes, but she just made so many big putts.”

The two sisters had met in match play previously in the 2017 Michigan Women’s Amateur at

Saginaw Country Club. Anika won that quarterfinal match. Both recounted that match a few

times during Friday’s championship, and both said they looked at the bracket when match play

was set Tuesday night to see if they did meet, when would it be.

The daughters of Tess and Solomon Dy, who also have a nine-year-old brother Axl, are students

of teaching professional Scott Wilson of Bay Meadows Family Golf Course in Traverse City. Anci

thanked Wilson and cited her college coach, Indianapolis head coach Brent Nicoson, for helping

her become a better competitor during her freshman season.

“He sharpened what Scott Wilson gave me and helped me in the player on the course aspect,”

she said. “It’s been a long time since I felt really good about my game in the summer. This is one

of those tournaments on the bucket list, so it’s really cool to start off my summer this way.

Then to play Anika in the final match and get her in the end. It makes it all seem even better.”

FULL RESULTS: Visit GAM.org