Michigan Medal Play: Julian Menser fires a blistering 62 in the final round to win
Julian Menser captured the Michigan Medal Play title in commanding fashion, carding an exceptional final-round 62 to finish at 6-under par and claim a three-stroke victory. The freshman standout from Michigan State, who hails from South Lyon, Michigan, showcased the talent that previously propelled him into the 2024 U.S. Amateur and earned him a top-20 finish at Indiana's competitive Boilermaker Invitational earlier this year.
Justin Sui, who placed second at 3-under, made waves during the competition by recording a spectacular hole-in-one. Reflecting modestly on his play, Sui noted,
"Did decent enough, got a hole-in-one on No. 14, with a 5-iron from around 200 yards. Congrats to Julian for winning with a great final round of 6-under 62."
Remy Stalcup secured third place with consistent rounds, finishing the tournament at 1-over par after recovering impressively from an opening 75 with rounds of 66, 72, and 68. (It should be noted that all the scores were higher in the first round on a cold, windy day that felt like late fall rather than early spring.)
Peter Stassinopoulos and Nick Gunthorpe tied for fourth at 3-over par.
The competitive spirit of the event was evident throughout, with Menser's impressive closing round and Sui's memorable ace highlighting the weekend's stellar golf performances.
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.
View Complete Tournament Information