FLINT – GAM team member Paul Walcott of Macomb rallied to tie his match and earn a half point that gave the GAM just enough points to fend off a rally by the Michigan Publinx Golf Association Sunday at Flint Golf Club.
Walcott, who trailed for the first 16 holes, including being 3-down through 11 holes, made a birdie at the par 3 17th hole to tie his match with Anthony Sorentino of the Publinx team. The two players also tied hole 18 which left them tied in the match, each earning a half-point for their teams.
That half point gave the GAM, which started the day leading 8-4, the critical 12 points it needed to guarantee a tie and the retaining of the Atlas Trophy.
Rick Crandall of Fenton, who recently won the GAM Senior Championship, then won the final match in Sunday’s singles against Scott Jaschuk of the Publinx team, 3 and 1, to add the last point in the GAM’s 13-11 win.
The GAM has won or retained the Atlas Trophy nine consecutive times in the biennial competition and now leads 50-20-3.
The series of matches originated in 1938 as a competition between private club golfers represented by the GAM and public course golfers represented by the MPGA with the trophy honoring Edward Atlas, who then was a GAM Governor as well as a USGA Public Links Committee member and Detroit area public golf official.
Prior to 2010, the competition was conducted annually except for World War II years, and historically, private club players competed against public course players. Beginning in 2011, however, it became a biennial competition between GAM member golfers regardless of their course or club affiliation and members of the MPGA.
Crandall and Zach Kozuchowski of West Bloomfield had a hand in earning full points in all three segments of the competition for the GAM (foursomes matches, four-ball matches, singles matches). Wolcott secured wins with his partner in foursomes and four-ball and the final clinching tie in singles.
The Publinx won the Sunday singles 7-5 getting full-point match wins from Eric Wohlfield of Grand Haven, Andrew Daily of Brighton, Ronnie Aniel III of Shelby Township, Ian Smith of Canton, Jack Julian of South Lyon and John Quigley of Sterling Heights.
In addition to Crandall and Kozuchowski, Peter Stassinopoulos of Novi and Harris Hoekwater of Grand Rapids won their singles matches for the GAM.
