GAM Tournament Results
GAM CHAMPIONSHIP: McCoy Biagioli Wins
By Greg Johnson
McCoy Biagioli took the summer amateur golf schedule by storm, and Mother Nature’s storms, resulting weather delays and the rest of the state’s top golfers had trouble stopping him.
The 19-year-old Ferris State University golfer from White Lake, who earlier this summer won the Michigan Amateur Championship, shot a closing 71 despite about five hours of weather delays to win the 103rd GAM Championship at Barton Hills Country Club.
It is the second consecutive year with a single golfer winning the state’s top two amateur events – the GAM Championship and the Michigan Amateur Championship – and Biagioli is the 11th golfer to pull off the feat in 103 years. A year ago, August Meekhof won both championships. He since turned professional.
Biagioli shot a 3-under 207 total for the 54-hole championship.
Casey Baker, a two-time GAM champion (2005, 2010), the COO of sponsoring Carl’s Golfland and a Barton Hills member, shot 211 for runner up.
“I finally committed to golf as my sport as a junior (in high school), so for the last three years I’ve seen it building,” Biagioli said. “The short game kind of brought it all together for me, and I’ve learned to handle the game mentally, too. I proved that to myself today.”
GAM WOMEN’s CHAMPIONSHIP: Bridget Boczar
By Greg Johnson
Bridget Boczar of Canton called winning the GAM Women’s Championship in back-to-back years, very, very special.
“As a junior (golfer) I didn’t think of myself as being very successful, but since going to college at Oakland (University), I feel like I’ve improved a lot the last couple of years,” she said after winning the 33rd GAM Championship at Saginaw Country Club.
Boczar, who has transferred to Baylor University in Texas starting this fall, shot a final-round even-par 71 to pair up with her first-round score of 66 for a final 5-under 137 total, and four-shot victory.
“I was really excited after the 66, so today I just did my best to focus on the process,” she said. “My caddie (her brother Jack) helped me through a lot of the shots and just staying consistent and hitting fairways.”
Kate Brody of Grand Blanc and the University of Wisconsin, who rallied with a 68, and Laura Bavaird of Trenton, finished second at 141. Bavaird, the director of the GAM Foundation, was awarded the second-place trophy based on a scorecard playoff.
GAM Women’s Senior Championship: Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll Threepeats
Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll of Haslett won her third consecutive GAM Women’s Senior Championship with what she called some boring golf at Hidden River Golf & Casting Club.
“Today was just really kind of steady golf, hit it in the fairway, hit in on the green, two-putt. It wasn’t exciting. I would say boring, but that kind of boring works,” said the 52-year-old head women’s golf coach at Michigan State University.
Slobodnik-Stoll shot a 142 total to win her record 19th GAM individual title.
Lori Schlicher of Lewiston, the reigning Michigan Women’s Senior Amateur champion, shot 149 to finish as the runner-up – while Julie Massa of Pentwater (formerly Holt), a two-time former champion, was next with a 151.
Slobodnik-Stoll, a member of the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame, is starting her 29th year leading the Spartans.
GAM Mid-Amateur Championship: John Quigley’s Second Title
By Greg Johnson
John Quigley of Sterling Heights pulled off an incredible eagle-birdie-eagle finish, including the last hole in regulation play and two holes of a three-golfer sudden-death playoff, to win the 42nd GAM Mid-Amateur Championship at The Highlands at Harbor Springs.
It was the second Mid-Amateur title for Quigley, who also won in 2017.
First, Quigley rolled in a 60-foot eagle putt from the back of the green on the par 5 final hole to finish off a final-round 73 for 142 total and tie Michael Coriasso of Royal Oak, who had shot a 72 for 142. Seconds later Erik Schleicher of Petoskey, playing in the same group as Quigley, made it a three-golfer tie by rolling in a three-foot birdie putt to finish his 74 for 142.
The playoff sent them back to No. 18 tee, and this time Quigley remarkably rolled in a 50-foot putt for birdie on the same line as his previous eagle putt. Coriasso matched the birdie with a 10-foot putt, and Schleicher dropped out and into third place with a missed 12-footer for birdie.
On the second try at 18, Quigley made a 15-foot putt from the front of the green for eagle and the win.
“That was absolutely crazy,” said Quigley, 41 and a director for Blue Cross Blue Shield. “I think I totally blacked out after the first eagle putt. I actually read it to break more and when I hit it, I thought I pushed it. And then it kind of stayed on the same line over the ridge...”
GAM Senior Four-Ball: Cortland Skoog, David Sperry Win
Cortland Skoog and David Sperry, Traverse City area golf buddies, shot a second consecutive round of 6-under 66 to win the 18th GAM Senior Four-Ball Championship at Eagle Eye.
“I kind of feel like this puts Traverse City on the map a little bit,” Sperry said after their 132 total left them four shots clear of the field. “We have a lot of good players, especially seniors, up there, and it was nice to come down and represent Traverse City.”
Two-time past champions Kevin Klemet of White Lake and Leo Daigle of Wixom also shot a closing 66 to finish at 136 and in second place.
