ROYAL OAK – Historic Red Run Golf Club and its 1914 Willie Park Jr. golf course have hosted several championships for professionals and amateurs and was the home club of Michigan Golf Hall of Fame legend Chuck Kocsis.
It continues its great service to Michigan golf by hosting the Golf Association of Michigan’s season-ending Tournament of Champions Monday.
A field of 65 golfers, each eligible for having won a GAM member club championship or a GAM title during the 2019 golf season, will play a final 18-hole stroke play tournament to determine male and female champions.
The golf course, designed by the legendary Park and founded 105 years ago, has a storied history as a tournament site including hosting the GAM Championship seven times (1921, 1924, 1929, 1949, 1968, 1981 and 2014) and the Michigan Amateur Championship twice (1995, 2007). Current PGA Tour player Ryan Brehm of Mount Pleasant won in 2007.
Most notably, Red Run has hosted three PGA Tour events – the 1950 and ‘52 Motor City Opens won by Lloyd Mangrum and Cary Middlecoff, and the 1958 Western Open won by Doug Sanders.
Red Run, which also annually presents the second oldest club invitational event in the state, can be played at six possible tee positions ranging from 5,415 yards to 6,942. The course is known for its classic parkland design, challenging greens, tree-lined fairways and immaculately-kept grounds.
One of the club’s great traditions is that many members started out as caddies at the club and became involved in building an elite caddie program. The national Evans Scholarship program has aided several Red Run caddies in college since its first recipient from Red Run, Michigan Golf Hall of Fame golfer and former GAM President Bob McMasters.
Walter Sierakowski III is the PGA professional and Gary Thommes is the golf course superintendent. For more information visit redrungolfclub.com.
Jake Kieronski of Wyandotte, the Lakes of Taylor Golf Club champion, is returning to defend his championship among the men in the field. He topped Scott Strickland of Bloomfield Hills and Bill Johnson of Battle Creek in a three-golfer sudden-death playoff last year at Detroit Golf Club.
Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll of Haslett, a six-time winner of the Tournament of Champions and the defending champion, is not in this year’s field. She topped Julie Massa of Holt in a playoff a year ago at Detroit GC.
Massa, a previous champion, is in this year’s field, as are past winners Terry Delcamp of Grand Blanc, Ashley Crain of Bloomfield Hills and Cindy Troyanovich of Grosse Pointe Shores. GAM Women’s Mid-Amateur champion Audrey Akins of LaSalle is also playing Monday.
Notable men in the field include past winner Anthony Sorentino of Rochester Hills, recent GAM Mid-Amateur champion Michael Cariasso of White Lake, Ryan Johnson of New Boston and recent GAM Junior Invitational champion Justin Sui of Lake Orion.
