Top of Their Game

The 64th Annual Saginaw District Golf Tournament came to an exciting close under temperate conditions and sunny skies Sunday afternoon on June 24th as Matt Pumford from closed out his round shooting a score of 71 at Apple Mountain, edging out second and third place contenders Dustin Pumford and newcomer Ryan Peruski by two and four strokes respectively in the Open Division of the 54-hole three-day contest that determines the best amateur golfer in Saginaw County.

It was an incredibly strong showing by the entire Pumford family, as Alan Pumford secured the honor of winning the Senior Champion, with Steve Yockey nailing the top spot in the Legends Division. Pumford won the Fred Martin, Jr. Senior trophy with an overall three-day score of 236; and Yockey edged out former champion Gary Trumble with a three-day score of 225 to secure the Ron Stelter Legends division trophy.

Since 1955, The Saginaw District Golf Association’s invitational three-day tournament has served as the premier amateur golf event in Saginaw County. With his win on Sunday, Matt Pumford now has six Joe Hart Trophies under his belt, advancing closer to the all-time number one title held by Ron Stelter, who is the Dean of Participants, having played every District tournament from its inception in 1955 up through 2012 and securing a total of 10 victories.

Since the initial tournament, 34 different players have earned the distinction of District Championship in the Open Division; and this year last year’s Open Division champion Nick Ludka was unable to participate due to work he is starting on his Senior Thesis at college.

When asked about the overall tenor of this year’s District Tournament, Chairman Trace Hendrick referenced the relatively high scores that came in on the first day of the weekend tournament, with many competing golfers shooting in the 80s.  “I think everybody was a little surprised by the scores after the first day and heard different things about how difficult the course is playing, but when you look at the scoreboard on the second day, some great scores came in, which set things up for a great final round on Sunday.”

“The course here at Apple Mountain is in fantastic shape and I think many of the golfers were happy that the greens were a little wet on Saturday, as they were rolling slower. But with today’s weather, they were rolling true and it was an exciting round.”

Amidst the sea of familiar faces, newcomer and SVSU golfer Ryan Peruski entered Sunday’s round only 4 strokes away from the top spot in the Open Division but ended Sunday’s round in third place after Pumford came on strong during the final nine holes.