Three Lead Michigan Amateur At Eagle Eye

115TH MICHIGAN AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY CARL’S GOLFLAND

Trio of First-Round Leaders Includes Defending Champion Caleb Bond

  EAST LANSING – Defending champion Caleb Bond of Williamston, Matthew Novak of Mattawan and Matt Bartnick of Livonia shared the lead through the first round of the 115th Michigan Amateur Championship presented by Carl’s Golfland.

  Each of them shot 3-under 68 on a sweltering yet breezy Monday at Eagle Eye Golf & Banquet Center.

  PJ Maybank III of Cheboygan, the runner-up a year ago, was in a group of eight golfers one shot back at 69.

  The field of 156 golfers plays another 18 holes Tuesday with a cut to 64 golfers to fill out the match play bracket. Two rounds of match play, on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, will determine the champion.

  Bond, who recently completed his collegiate career at Michigan State and as a Williamston resident also calls Eagle Eye his home course, had an interested onlooker in his playing group. It was Novak, a University of Denver (CO) golfer, who said he figured Bond had to know the course well.

  “I was kind of seeing what he was pulling on tee shots and trying to replicate that,” he said.

  Bond loves that he has a home game this week.

  “I mean, to repeat would be awesome, and then to do it on my own home courses; there would be nothing better,” he said. “Long way to go. I’m going to enjoy the week at home, sleeping in my own bed, and having family and friends out to watch and support me.”

   Bartnick, 42, was the leader of the morning wave of players and is elated his good summer of play is continuing. He qualified for the recent Michigan Open, was a medalist in a Michigan Amateur local qualifier and has qualified for nine amateurs since his college days at Northwood University. He has never made match play, though.

  “For whatever reason, I would get to the Am and be close to match play, be right on the cut line all the time,” he said. “It never worked out, but I’m also maybe playing the best golf of my life right now. The game feels good. I was confident coming in, for sure, as confident as I think I’ve ever been.”

  Bartnick birdied holes 17 and 18 to land at 3-under, which were two of five birdies in his round. Novak also had five birdies, including the notorious par 3 No. 17. Bond, meanwhile, didn’t have a bogey on his card, and netted three birdies, including No. 17.

   Novak said the 90-plus temperatures and a wind that picked up through the afternoon made the round a challenge, one he expects tomorrow, too.

  “I was staying hydrated all day, which was good, but yeah, it was baking out there and that was brutal,” he said.

  In addition to Maybank at 69 were William Pennanen of Oxford, Christian Helzer of Eagle, Evan Johnson of Grosse Ile, Logan Price of Grand Blanc, David Szymanski of East Lansing, Drew Miller of East Lansing and Cameron Nelson of Bloomfield Township.

  The 2024 champion, McCoy Biagioli of White Lake and Michigan State, was in a big group who shot 70.

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

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