Otto Black shoots 63 to win Horton Smith Championship
Otto Black
DETROIT, Mich. — University of Toledo junior Otto Black shot a final-round 63 at Detroit Golf Club to win by six shots over Tom Werkmeister at the Horton Smith Championship.
Werkmeister, a semifinalist from last year's U.S. Mid-Amateur, also shot 63 on Saturday, but started the day six shots behind Black. He tied for second place alongside John Quigley, two shots in front of Anthony Sorentino.
Black, a native of Pinckney, Mich., opened with rounds of 68 and 66 on day one to lead by three over Evan Bowser, who tied for ninth place. Black then entered the final round with a three-shot lead over eventual fifth-place finisher James Piot after posting 72 in round three.
This 72-hole championship is played over three days at the 116-year old Detroit Golf Club.
ABOUT THE
Michigan Medal Play
Formerly known as the Horton Smith Invitational, this 72-hole stroke play event, founded in 1964 by Bill Michaels, began as an 18-hole invitational to honor the long-time Detroit Golf Club Head Professional who had a rich playing career (he was the first Masters champion and the last person to defeat Bobby Jones in competition before Jones' retirement in 1930). However, in 2020, Smith's name was removed from the state's most prestigious event due to his staunch support of whites-only membership while serving as PGA president in the 1950s. This coincided with the PGA of America's removal of his name from their annual award given to a PGA member for outstanding contributions to professional education. In 2020, the PGA renamed it as the PGA Professional Development Award. The organization had a whites-only clause from 1934 through 1961.
The invitational is held each spring and has taken place at Detroit Golf Club every year since 1964, the year after Smith died.
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