Oakland University’s Katke-Cousins Course Hosting 34th GAM Women’s Championship

Oakland University’s Katke-Cousins Course Hosting 34th GAM Women’s Championship

  ROCHESTER – The challenging Katke-Cousins Golf Course at Oakland University Golf & Learning Center will host the 34th GAM Women’s Championship presented by Carl’s Golfland Monday and Tuesday, July 28-29.

  A field of 78 GAM member golfers, including most of the state’s top women players, will play 36-holes of stroke play over two days to determine a champion.

  Katke-Cousins is one of two courses at Oakland University, which serves as the home to the Oakland University men’s and women’s golf programs and has a state-of-the-art practice facility.

  Michigan-based designer Bill Newcomb and Indiana-based architect Robert Beard collaborated on the Katke-Cousins course, which opened in 1977. It is named for Marvin Katke, a supporter of Oakland University, and Harold Cousins, his next-door neighbor, who each donated funds for the construction of the course. It plays up to 7,211 yards with multiple tee positions.

  The course has hosted several GAM qualifiers and tournaments over the years, and most recently hosted the Hall Financial Michigan Open for two years.

 The R&S Sharf Course is the facility’s other layout. It was designed by Michigan Golf Hall of Fame member Rick Smith and opened in 2000.

  Connor McBride is the golf courses superintendent and Jeff Rachar is the head golf professional.

   Last year at Saginaw Country Club, Bridget Boczar of Canton and Baylor University won a second consecutive GAM Women’s Championship, becoming just the fourth golfer to pull off back-to-back wins.

  She is returning this year with a chance to become the first golfer to win three consecutively.

  Also in this year’s field is the recent Michigan Women’s Amateur champion, Macie Elzinga of Byron Center and Bowling Green State University, last year’s Michigan Women’s Amateur champion Shannon Kennedy of Beverly Hills and Michigan State University, this year’s GAM Women’s Mid-Amateur champion Laura Bavaird of Trenton and a runner-up in the GAM Women’s Championship the last two years, Kate Brody of Grand Blanc and the University of Wisconsin.

INFORMATION, TEE TIMES, RESULTS: Visit GAM.org or the Golf Genuis App.