MONTAGUE — The Greater Muskegon Junior Tour has been making its rounds all summer at various West Michigan courses, and Monday morning brought 66 players to Old Channel Trail Golf Course for a stop in Montague.
Around 60 players participated in last year's tour, and Monday's 66 marked a new high for the 2025 season.
Several local high school players competed in the event, with Montague's Cadence Fox delivering the highlight, tying for first place out of the 12 high school girls players to participate. Fox shot a 13-over par 84, including making a birdie during her round.
Players below high school age play nine-hole events each Monday, with fifth-graders and below playing on a modified shorter course. High school aged players participate in full 18-hole events.
Whitehall player Riley Shafer wasn't far behind Fox (and Ludington's Maddy Erndteman), shooting an 88 to finish fourth. Montague's Brynlee Kessler and Addison Smith had a 91 and 100 respectively - Whitehall's Kelsie McClure also shot a 100 - and Reeths-Puffer's Olivia Ambler shot a 94.
In the boys competition, 29 players took the course, and Whitehall player Jones McDowell led local finishers with an 86, good for a 14th-place tie. Montague's Tanner Devries shot a 92, and fellow Wildcat Van Thommen had a 116. Whitehall's Rylan Johnson shot a 123.
The younger set's local players also enjoyed some highlights. Phil Kerr of Whitehall and Sawyer Brown of Twin Lake tied for first place in the 6th-8th grade boys competition, which included 12 players, by shooting an eight-over par 43. Chase O'Connell of Montague shot a 46, and Fitzgerald Fullmer of Montague had a 49.
Bella Bultema of Montague had the top local girls finish in the middle school division, taking third place of the five participants with a 64.
In the coed fifth grade and below division, Montague's Denzik Fullmer and Reese O'Connell played, finishing fifth and eighth respectively.
The 2025 season of the GMJT kicked off June 16 at Benona Shores Golf Course in Shelby and has since traveled to Oceana Golf Club and Waters Edge in Fremont in addition to Monday's outing at Old Channel Trail.
The remaining three weeks of play, will take the tour to Lincoln Golf Course in Muskegon next Monday, July 21, followed by July 28 at Lincoln Hills Golf Course in Ludington and Aug. 4 at White Lake Golf Course in Whitehall.
The annual tour promotes golf to young players with an interest in playing the sport at the high school level or beyond. It is open to all players 18 and younger. It is $35 to register for the tour and $25 to play a weekly 18-hole event ($20 for the 9-hole events).
