Courtesy Island Resort and Casino The logo for the Island Resort and Casino intercollegiate tournament held at the Sage Run in Harris.
HARRIS – Island Resort and Casino’s Sage Run Golf Course will host the return of the annual Island Resort Intercollegiate Tournament starting September 5th
The award-winning golf course in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula will again be home to some of the best college players and teams from across the country and Michigan. This includes the defending champion and reigning US amateur champion James Piot from Michigan State University.
A native of Canton, Michigan, just experienced the exhilaration of golf of his life and survived the grueling test of the United States Amateur at Oakmont Country Club. Piot made it to the final, winning a tough 36-hole match against Austin Greaser 2 and 1. He became the first Michigan-born player to win one of the most coveted championships in golf.
The Island Resort Collegiate at Sage Run, a two-day, 54-hole, invitational stroke play tournament, will tee off next month with nine college teams competing on the 7,309-yard Paul Albanese design of Sage Run.
South Dakota State Golf Director Casey Van Damme, a native of the Upper Peninsula, was instrumental in organizing the tournament and making it the Sage Run. His roster will face Michigan State, Michigan, Detroit, University of Central Florida (UCF), Kentucky, Middle Tennessee State (MTSU), Bowling Green, and University of Wisconsin Green Bay.
Other top players who join Piot in the field are Johnny Travele-UCF, Alex Goff-Kentucky, and Kevin Jegers-MTSU, to name a few.
“We are very proud to bring back top-notch college teams and players from across the country and continue our tradition of showcasing these great players on one of the top courses, the Sage Run.” Tony Mancilla, general manager of the Island Resort, said. “We are also delighted that US amateur champion James Piot is returning to defend his title.”
“The course proved to be very challenging and popular with the players the last time we hosted the event in 2019, and we expect many exciting shots across the course with its variety of short and long par 4s and reachable par 5s. It will be a fun challenge for all players. “
Mancilla adds that bringing in alumni and families of the players, as well as attracting local galleries and volunteers, will be a great way to introduce avid golfers to the beauty and natural surroundings of the region’s newest championship golf course. “We believe that as soon as they see the course, they want to come back and play it themselves.” said Mancilla.
Selected by Golf Digest as one of the “Best new” In the country’s golf courses, Sage Run features a variety of rugged terrain, including a massive drumlin, which golf course designer Albanese compares to Royal County Down, a Northern Irish golf club considered among the best in the world. The course meanders through scenic hardwoods and open areas with a variety of shot values, fun challenging green complexes, strategic bunkers, elevation changes and some great short par 4s with exciting shots towards the green are among the challenges college players will experience .
“We are very excited to return to the Island Resort and let these players and teams relive this fun and challenging place. Sage Run is a different type of venue and has certainly evolved since the last time we played it. “ said Van Damme. “It will be exciting to see how the players challenge the pitch this time. We prefer Sage Run to play long and have fast greens for this tournament. College players and teams want to break up and identify and challenge the best. Sage Run will surely do that. “
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