Joe Juszczyk to Defend at Boyne’s Tournament of Champions

BOYNE FALLS, MI – Joe Juszczyk of Dearborn Heights wishes he had won a major Michigan title sooner in his career.

“I definitely feel like I was missing out on a really fun event,” said the 38-year-old PGA Tour Americas player.

Juszczyk, 38, returns as the defending champion for the 33rd Tournament of Champions starting Monday and continuing through Wednesday on the Alpine Course at Boyne Mountain Resort.

A year ago, he made a six-foot birdie putt on the first hole of a three-way sudden-death playoff to win the 32nd Tournament of Champions.

The 2023 Hall Financial Michigan Open champion shot a final 4-under 68 on the Alpine for 11-under 205 and was tied at the end of regulation play with Michigan Golf Hall of Fame member Tom Werkmeister of Hudsonville, who closed with a 69, and the 2022 and ’23 Michigan PGA Professional champion Kyle Martin of Grosse Pointe Woods and the Lochmoor Club, who shot a final 67.

He earned $11,000 from the $75,000 purse, had his name added to the historic Walter Burkemo Trophy, and was awarded a traditional green dinner jacket as a new lifetime member of the Country Club of Boyne, all in his first visit to the unique championship that brings together men, women, professionals, amateurs, seniors and juniors – all who have won significant Michigan championships – playing for the same title from different tee positions.

“I remember my wife (Lynnsey) being there to see it and that was cool, but I’m also upset I’ve been missing out on it for the last 15 years or so,” Juszczyk said. “I should have won one of those championships earlier in my career because it was fun getting to play with most of Michigan’s best players. Michigan has a lot of great players, it has been represented on various tours, and the mix of the ladies, seniors, amateurs and professionals makes it a great experience. Winning it is definitely one the fondest memories of my golf career.”

This year he leads a field of 107 champions, including 13 Michigan Golf Hall of Fame members and seven former winners of the Tournament of Champions. The professionals will play for a purse of $75,000 and everybody plays for the trophy and green jacket.

Juszczyk, this spring, took advantage of the membership at Boyne. He headed north to Boyne country and played several rounds of golf to help prep for the summer season.

“A membership is such a great thing to win, and those rounds were great, and I think that’s one of the reasons my game is in pretty good shape,” he said. “I’m definitely looking forward to getting up there to play again.”

He joins six-time winner of the Tournament of Champions and Michigan Golf Hall of Fame member Jeff Roth, who teaches at the BOYNE Golf Academy at The Highlands in Harbor Springs, as one of the former winners in the field. The roster of past champions looks like this: Roth (winner in 2019, ’12, ’08, 1999, ’96 and ’95), Juszczyk (2024), Otto Black (2021), Korey Mahoney (2016), Andy Ruthkoski (2013 and ‘14), Scott Hebert (2009) and Tom Harding (1997).

The Michigan Golf Hall of Famers playing, in addition to Roth, are Ron Beurmann, Steve Brady, Brian Cairns, Greg Davies, Randy Erskine, Harding, Hebert, Dave Kendall, Randy Lewis, Jack Seltzer, John Traub and Werkmeister.

The field also includes a host of recent champions from the Michigan Open, the Michigan Amateur, the Michigan PGA Professional Championship and the GAM Championship. A notable returning player this year is Joey Garber of Petoskey, a PGA Tour and Korn Ferry Tour player in recent years.

LPGA Epson Tour player Sarah White, a BOYNE Golf ambassador, headlines the women playing.

The unique field also includes relatives competing against each other. The brother-sister combination of Evan and Elayna Bowser are joined by father-son Jack and John Seltzer, father-son Jim and Austin Dieters, father-son Frank and Frank McAuliffe IV and father-son Gary and Bradley Smithson.

“It’s another amazing field with great champions, professional and amateur, college players, mini-tour professionals and several of our top Michigan PGA Section players and Hall of Fame members,” said Justin Phillips, the tournament director for the Michigan Section PGA, which sanctions and administers the unique championship. “It is the 33rd year and it remains the most unique tournament in the country at one of the top resorts in the country.”

The field will play each round of the 54-hole stroke play championship on the Alpine. A 36-hole cut to the low 60 scorers and ties will be made after the second round.

Juszczyk called the Alpine a great golf course.

“It has a great rhythm to it and the cool thing is if you are hitting the ball well, outside of the 17th hole which is so tough, you are going to have a chance to make birdie,” he said. “If your game is off it is challenging and you always must be patient around the greens and on the greens. It’s a pure test of golf. I was fortunate last year, especially in that last round. I always seemed to be on the right side of the hole to have a chance at birdie.”

SCORING: Find the Leaderboard at www.michiganpga.com.

NOTE: Gallery is welcome. Parking and admission are free.