Of the 54 golfers in the 67th annual Saginaw District Golf Tournament, four are still in high school and two just graduated.
And that excites District chairman Trace Hendrick.
“I can’t remember the last time we had a high school golfer in the tournament,” Hendrick said. “Being a parent of a young golfer, I’m so excited to see the young golfers in this tournament. Last year, we put discounted rates out there for high school golfers, but we didn’t get any.
To have six high school-age golfers competing is great to see.”
The District begins Friday at 8 a.m. at the Saginaw Country Club, with the championship round Sunday.
Defending champion Mike Wenglikowski returns, along with six young golfers ready to take the first step toward winning a Saginaw District title.
Ashlton DiBlasi and Mitch Benson were members of the Swan Valley golf team that finished 11th in the state in Division 3, with DiBlasi taking fifth overall as a sophomore. Benson, a senior, was 33rd. Freeland senior Logan Kuhn qualified for the Division 2 meet as an individual, finishing 64th.
And Heritage also qualified for the Division 1 meet behind twins Daniel and Andrew Gladki. Daniel Gladki finished 30th and Andrew Gladki 86th in the state meet.
And the youngest to enter is Alex McCarthy, who is in the graduating class of 2025.
“Those players are the future of the tournament,” Hendrick said. “We’ve got so many great players, year after year, but you have to see that next generation coming up. It’s a goal of this tournament to promote youth golf, and having those players this year is very encouraging.”
Friday Tee Times
8 a.m.: Mike Godard, Tom Nichols, Gary Bellinger
8:10 a.m. – Marvin Jenkins, Ron Bays, Brian Makaric
8:20 a.m. – Paul Gerwin, Gary Trumble, Ronald Wetherbee
8:30 a.m. – John Kowalweski, Terry Franz, Gary Mulcahy
8:40 a.m. – Bruce Hill, Rick Johnson, Herb Spence
8:50 a.m. – Steve Yockey, Don Stadnika, Steve Soulliere
9 a.m. – Robert Anderson, Zachary Moulton, Brandon Schneider
9:10 a.m. – Levi Ralph, Christopher Ebig, Trevor Tuck
9:20 a.m. – Steven Ellis, Brian Allen, Jeffrey Waslusky
9:30 a.m. – Logan Kuhn, Hunter Koch, Andy Bethune
9:40 a.m. – Zach Turner, Justin Bellinger, Matthew Siers
9:50 a.m. – Mitch Benson, Nicholas White, Dan Hughes
10 a.m. – Daniel Gladki, Jeff Adler, Alan Pumford
10:10 a.m. – Mitchell Hughes, Bruce Eccleton, Sean LaDouce
10:20 a.m. – Matt Pumford, Parry Hughes, Alex McCarthy
10:30 a.m. – Nick Krattiger, Adam Haswell, Ashton DiBlasi
10:40 a.m. – Andrew Gladki, Brian Watz, Rick Herren
10:50 a.m. – Mike Wenglikowski, Todd Essex, Matthew Schauman
