Great Lakes Championship At The Highlands Starts Friday

The Great Lakes Championship at the Highlands (presented by Johnnie Walker, no less), starts Friday.

The tournament is the second of a three-tournament swing through Michigan for the LPGA’s developmental Epson Tour. The first was last week with the Firekeepers Casino Hotel Championship in Battle Creek. The final one is the Island Resort Championship in the Upper Peninsula.

With Turtle Creek Casino being a major sponsor of the Great Lakes Championship, all three tournaments have ties to Native American casinos.

Host course for the Great Lakes Championship is The Heather, a 1966 Robert Trent Jones design that was Boyne’ Golf’s original ‘s original golf course. Indeed, it is the course that is said to have sparked the “Up North” Michigan golf course boom. As evidence of that book, it now is just one of eleven Boyne Golf courses.

The Great Lakes Championship will feature a field of 144 golfers competing a $250,000 purse, of which $37,500 goes to the winner. 

A cut takes place after the second round on Saturday; the original field of 144 will be just 60 on Sunday.

Admission is free, although there is a  VIP ticket package available at $100 per day or $250 for the full weekend.

I plan to be there for the weekend.