Latest news with #FireKeepersCasinoHotelChampionship
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Last-second addition Cox Pruette making most of Epson Tour start in Michigan
Last-second addition Cox Pruette making most of Epson Tour start in Michigan BATTLE CREEK, Mich. - The Battle Creek Country Club was a friendly host, allowing a lot of good scores, as the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship came to town for a 12th time, starting Friday, June 6. Out of the 144-player field, 58 broke par for the opening day, and 15 carded rounds of 68 or better. The top of the leaderboard was crowded, with Carley Cox Pruette, Samantha Vodry, and Maddie Szeryk all tied at the top after turning in 6-under rounds to start their tournaments. The FireKeepers event is part of the EPSON Tour - the official qualifying tour of the LPGA Tour. Locally, Battle Creek's Amiyah Gibson shot a 12-over 84 in the first round. The Lakeview high schooler entered the tournament as an amateur on a sponsor's exemption. Gibson will tee off for round two at 2:20 p.m. on Saturday, June 7. MORE: Battle Creek's Gibson will golf against pros at a course her grandpa wasn't allowed to play Cox Pruette, who played collegiately at East Carolina University, found out she was in the tournament just 24 hours before she teed off, making her the last player in the field for the week. The 28-year-old has good memories and experience at Battle Creek Country Club, making her first professional start at the course. The experience paid off as Cox Pruette made her way around bogey-free, adding six birdies to the card. Because of her ranking on the priority list, she has only played in one event prior to this week and is now playing with house money. She was 1 over through her first 15 holes on Saturday. 'I just kind of feel at home on the course, and that's a weird thing to say,' said Cox Pruette. 'Just got some good memories here, and I've made some good connections and friends here. So, it's always good to return back, and yeah, I just love the course. It just fits my eye well, so it definitely helps when you get that last-minute call.' Contact Bill Broderick at bbroderi@ Follow him on X/Twitter @billbroderick
USA Today
5 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
17-year-old golfer to compete against pros at a course her grandpa wasn't allowed to play
17-year-old golfer to compete against pros at a course her grandpa wasn't allowed to play BATTLE CREEK, Mich. - Sixty years ago, Barney Gibson was a caddy at the Battle Creek Country Club. Being Black, he wasn't allowed to play. This weekend, his granddaughter will be on the first tee, competing in a professional golf tournament on that same course. Battle Creek's Amiyah Gibson was given a sponsor exemption and will be part of the field for the 12th annual FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship, with the three-day event starting Friday, June 6, at the Battle Creek Country Club. "It's a full-circle moment for us. Really special. My dad was a caddie 60-some years ago, so for my daughter to be playing and me getting to caddie for her, it's really special," said Aaron Gibson, father of Amiyah. "For her to be able to participate in this tournament is just amazing." Gibson talked about her connection to her grandfather in her application letter to play in the event. "Although my grandpa was extremely good at golf, while he was growing up, he was not allowed to play on the golf courses based on the color of his skin. This was so powerful that it motivated me to learn the skill of golf so that I could show others who look like me that they can play golf, too, regardless of skin color," Gibson said. The 17-year-old Gibson graduated last week from Lakeview High School, where she was a standout varsity golfer for four years and an All-City Tournament champ in the fall. She will go from playing against high school players a few months ago to competing against some of the best women golfers in the world. The FireKeepers event is part of the Epson Tour, the official qualifying tour of the LPGA Tour. "This is really exciting. It was always my dream to play professional golf," Amiyah Gibson said. "This will be a great experience, to see these professional golfers play. And, to get to play with and against them." Gibson qualified for the MHSAA state finals all four years while at Lakeview, and will be playing at Wayne State University next year. She will open play in the first round on Friday with the hope of holding her own against a talented field. As she was getting ready for a practice round on Tuesday, she talked about the upcoming weekend. "I think I'll be a little nervous at the start. That first tee shot will be tough. But after that, it's just golf," Gibson said. "Just really want to go out and have fun, soak in every last experience I can have out there. And, maybe put up a couple numbers, that would be kinda cool also." The 2025 FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship will have a 144-player field competing for a $225,000 purse. Included in the field will be Michigan State golfers Valery Plata and Yurika Tanida as well as Michigan golfer Hailey Borja and former Michigan golfer Monet Chun. The 2023 winner of the FireKeepers event will be back in Siyun Liu. Overall, six different countries will be represented at the tournament. Admission is free. Donations will be accepted, with all net proceeds from the event benefiting The Haven locally. "We always enjoy bringing this tournament to Battle Creek. Always brings a lot of international talent to the area and some great golfers," said FireKeepers Casino Hotel CEO Frank Tecumseh. "It's a family-fun event. Getting to see some great athletes play the sport like it's supposed to be played." Just like all the Epson players who are looking to eventually play in the LPGA, Gibson is hoping this weekend can lead to bigger things. "If you would have told me 10 years ago, when I first started playing, that 10 years later I would be playing in a professional tournament, I would say you were crazy. Shows how far I've come," Gibson said. "I'm always looking to further my career in golf. I want to become a professional golfer. So events like this, and playing in college next year, will help make that happen."
USA Today
06-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
This up-and-coming Aussie overcame the flu to shine in her second LPGA start
This up-and-coming Aussie overcame the flu to shine in her second LPGA start For up-and-coming Aussie Cassie Porter, this week's Blue Bay on Hainan Island in China represented just her second start on the LPGA, with her first resulting in a missed cut at the Founders Cup. The rookie had made the long trek to Jian Lake Blue Bay Golf Course and was hoping for big things when she was hit by a flu bug. Instead of withdrawing from the event, the former Epson Tour player decided to give the opening round a whirl, even though hot temperatures were covering the region. The result? Porter overcame a pair of bogeys by posting five birdies en route to a 69 that had her a single shot off the lead at day's end. A Lim Kim, Ayaka Furue and Auston Kim all came in at 4 under, but Porter was part of an eight-way tie for second at 3 under. The native of Sydney, Australia, was thrilled with the way things went, especially considering the way she felt when she first woke up. "Gosh, there were a few highlights out there. I made a really good birdie on 7, and I think that really got my day started," she said. "I was on the verge of pulling out before round one today, so yeah, I'm really stoked how it went." Porter joined the Epson Tour in 2023 and through two seasons she posted a half-dozen top-10 finishes, including a win at the 2024 FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship. She clinched her tour card by virtue of a 10th place finish in the Race for the Card but missed her first cut at Bradenton Country Club. "The first week in Bradenton I think it was all new and getting used to playing against people that you see on TV and all that kind of stuff," Porter said. "That's kind of a shock to the system as much as I didn't really want to admit it. "I've come off a couple weeks playing in Australia and I'm really comfy playing over there, so I think it's really nice to come over here and just continue that momentum."
