Grand Rapids Reporter

Ferris State University men's golf standout McCoy Biagioli, from White Lake, secured one of Michigan's most prestigious golf honors on Friday, June 21. Biagioli won the 113th annual Michigan Amateur Championship presented by Carl's Golfland on The Heather Course at The Highlands at Harbor Springs. This victory grants him an automatic exemption into the 2024 U.S. Amateur, scheduled for August 12-18 at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota.

Biagioli triumphed over recent University of Wyoming graduate Jimmy Dales of Northville with a score of 3 and 1 in the championship match. His name will be added to the historic Staghorn Trophy. Notably, this was Biagioli's first time reaching the match play portion in his third appearance at the Michigan Amateur.

The week was eventful for Biagioli; he survived a grueling round of 16 match that extended to 26 holes on Thursday and made a crucial 18-foot putt to win on hole #18 in his semifinal against Matt Zerbel from St. Joseph's. He faced FSU teammate Caleb Bond in another marathon match that also required 26 holes to determine a winner.

FSU head coach Sam Stark and Bulldog freshman Kole Putnam also reached the match play portion among the top 64 competitors.

The Michigan State Amateur is recognized as the state's premier amateur championship. Sectional qualifying is mandatory for those not meeting exemption criteria, followed by a format consisting of two rounds of stroke play before cutting down to the low 64 players for match play.

Biagioli was named Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Freshman of the Year last season and earned all-conference honors. He maintained a 72.5 adjusted average over 37 rounds, ranking among the region's top individual players as a rookie. At conference championships, he placed 13th overall in stroke play and won both matches during league semifinals and finals as Ferris State claimed its 22nd league title.

Individually, Biagioli finished runner-up at the B&R Investments Bulldog Fall Classic hosted by FSU and achieved six top-10 finishes this year, including third place at the NCAA Division II Central/Midwest Super Regional Championships.

As a freshman last season, Biagioli contributed significantly to Ferris State’s GLIAC Championship win and their appearance at the NCAA Division II National Championships—marking FSU’s first since 2019 and their best team finish since placing ninth in program history.

In addition to Biagioli’s success, Ferris State University men's golf alum Eric Lilleboe recently won the Michigan Open Championship.