Grand Rapids Reporter

Ferris State University's men's golf team began the 2024 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Championships with a strong performance. The first round took place on Friday, April 12, in Augusta, Michigan. The Bulldogs shot a team score of 290 and are currently in second place behind Grand Valley State University, which leads with a score of 282.

Grand Valley State finished two-under par for the first round, while Ferris State ended six-over par. Parkside holds third place with a score of 297, followed by Wayne State at 300 and Saginaw Valley State at 301 in the nine-team competition.

Sam Havey led Ferris State with an even-par score of 71, tying for third place individually after the initial round. McCoy Biagioli contributed a score of 72, securing a share of fifth place. Zach Koerner scored a 73 and is tied for ninth on the leaderboard. Caleb Bond and Nathan Kraynyk both shot scores of 74, tying them for 14th position.

The event is hosted at Gull Lake View Golf Club and Resort near Battle Creek. The championship follows a format established four years ago where each school competes in two rounds of stroke play over Friday and Saturday. The top four teams will advance to head-to-head medal play on Sunday using a bracket format similar to that used in NCAA Championships.

Gull Lake View Golf Club & Resort is one of the largest golf resorts globally, offering six championship courses. Participants played their first round at Stoatin Brae Golf Club's par-71 course measuring 6,742 yards.

Historically, Ferris State has won the GLIAC Men's Golf Championship title 21 times and claimed back-to-back league titles in medal match play during 2019 and 2021 (with no tournament held in 2020). They were runners-up in last year's tournament after reaching the semifinals for four consecutive years.