MICHIGAN JUNIOR STATE AMATEUR: Lake Orion’s Connor Fox Wins

Next Stop: US Junior at Oakland Hills

By Greg Johnson

BIG RAPIDS – Connor Fox of Lake Orion earned the bigger trophy this time.

   “It feels really good, especially after not being able to get it done last year,” he said after winning the 46th Michigan Junior State Amateur Championship at Ferris State University’s Katke Golf Course, a year after being the runner-up.

   Fox, who has verbally committed to play college golf at Michigan State University after his final year at Lake Orion High School, beat future MSU teammate Julian Menser of South Lyon, 7 and 6, in the championship match Thursday afternoon.

  “Coming into the week, I really wanted to win and that’s all I really wanted,” he said after accepting the Wright Memorial Trophy.

   “I know this golf course decently well. Our cottage is just about 20 minutes from here, and I played (high school state championship) here a couple of years ago. I just felt like I had an advantage there and I had a lot of confidence because I was playing well. I came in here wanting to win. I felt like I could.”

  It wasn’t easy. He almost lost a 3-up lead in his morning semifinal match with stroke play medalist Konner Kubica of Northville and had to hold on and match a Kubica birdie on No. 18 to win 1-up.

  “That break in between rounds helped me,” he said. “That first match was a dogfight. I was able to relax and tell myself, ‘You have to go out and play more good golf. You have to keep it going.’ And you know, what’s what this whole tournament is about. You have to win five matches. You have to play five consistently good rounds of golf if you want to win this.”

  Menser, who is headed to MSU this fall, entered the final match on a roll. He had topped Parker Stalcup of Lake Orion 5 and 3 in the other semifinal, and he is very familiar with Fox and his golf game having played against him numerous times in high school golf competition.

  “I did not putt it well and I did not hit it very straight, so that’s not really a good recipe,” he said. “I mean everybody has fatigue after so much golf, but even if I played a lot better it would have been hard to win. Connor played better. He deserved it and he went out there and won it. He’s a really good competitor and playing against better players like him makes me better. I’m excited to be teammates with him.”

   Fox was not the only champion crowned at the GAM event.

  Julian Sinishtaj of Macomb earned the 15-and-under championship with an impressive 9 and 8 win over David Han of Midland in the championship match, and a 5 and 3 morning semifinal win over Chris Quayle of Grand Blanc. Han earned his way to the final with a 6 and 5 win over Austin Helsel of Cedar Springs.

  Sinishtaj said his win proved his hard work is paying off.

  “I struggled a little bit in the beginning of the year and then started playing better and to win here feels really good,” he said. “I got 3-up (in the championship match) and then I got in the flow and just kept making birdies. A lot of great players have won this stuff. It feels really good to be one of them.”

  As the overall champion, Fox earned a spot in the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship being played in Michigan, July 22-27 at Oakland Hills Country Club. The USGA has awarded exemptions into its national championships to the winners of the Michigan Amateur Championship, the Michigan Women’s Amateur Championship and the Michigan Junior Girls’ State Amateur Championship as well.

  “That was extra incentive,” Fox said. “Getting to play in the U.S. Junior at Oakland Hills means a lot to me.”