The winning PGA team
(Michigan Section PGA Photo)

The PGA won 10-8 and wrestled the cup away from the GAM, which had won two consecutive years and five times in the previous nine years of the Fuller Cup, which pits a team representing the top money winners among the Michigan PGA professionals from last year’s competition and the leading Honor Roll amateur players of the GAM.

The two teams competed in a Ryder Cup like format with six four-ball matches and 12 singles matches, and Cutter & Buck was the clothing sponsor that outfitted both teams.

“It was a fun day, it’s a fun event,” said Martin, who is an assistant professional at Lochmoor in Grosse Pointe Woods. “Our match went back and forth, and at 16 I hit a poor first chip, and then hit about a 30-foot chip from the first cut that hit the hole pretty hard and fell in. At 17 I hit a poor second shot short in the fairway, but hit the one-hop stop perfect and it just fell in the cup.”

Representing the PGA team with Martin was Brian Cairns of Fox Hills Learning Center in Plymouth, John Pershern of Lochmoor Club in Grosse Pointe Woods, Jim Deiters of Midland Country Club, Josh Fryer of Franklin Hills Country Club in Franklin, Scott Hebert of Traverse City Country Club, Steve Vecellio of Birmingham Country Club, Jordan Young of Fox Hills Learning Center in Plymouth, Billy Mory of Meridian Sun Golf Club in Haslett, Travis Dodson of Meadowbrook Country Club in Northville, Dan Urban of Gull Lake Country Club in Richland and John Seltzer of Blythefield Country Club in Belmont.

Representing the GAM, in addition to Heinze, was Tom Gelardi of Whitmore Lake, Scott Strickland of Birmingham, Andy Matthews of Ada, Brad Bastion of Clinton Township, David Hall of Birmingham, Dan Ellis of East Lansing, Carson Castellani of Okemos, Jake Kneen of White Lake, Garret Buckley of Novi, Anthony Sorentino of Shelby Township and Tom Werkmeister of Grandville.

Mory, Dieters and Young had their hands in four-ball and singles wins to each garner two points for the PGA team. Mory and Dieters were teammates in topping Gelardi and Hall 7 and 6 in their four-ball match. Then Mory topped Gelardi 6 and 5 in singles, and Deiters outlasted Hall 1-up. Young, meanwhile, teamed up with Cairns to beat Buckley and Kneen in four-ball, and then Young topped Kneen 2 and 1 in singles.

Ellis, the assistant men’s golf coach at Michigan State University, was the only GAM Team member to score two points. He and Werkmeister topped Seltzer and Urban 1-up in four-ball, then Ellis made a birdie on 18 to slip past Urban 1-up in singles play.

The PGA had a 3½-2½ lead after the four-ball matches, and then took the singles 6½ to 5½. The GAM team has won seven times since 2001, but the PGA maintains a 35-9-1 advantage in the series.

The format has changed over the years, but the matches have always been presented to promote sportsmanship, friendship and great golf between the professionals and amateurs in the state.