THE SUTER WARD GROUP
MEADOW VALLEYS PRO-AM
PRESENTING PARTNER
EVENT PARTNERS
(Tom Welch, Joe Leonard, Brian Wilsey and Mike De Vries)
A picturesque summer day with ideal playing conditions welcomed a sold-out field of 29 teams to Blackwolf Run’s Meadow Valleys Course on Monday for the Wisconsin PGA’s Suter Ward Group Meadow Valleys Pro-Am.
The annual event paired one Wisconsin PGA professional with three amateur partners, with teams competing in a Two Net Better Ball format over Pete Dye’s acclaimed Meadow Valleys layout.
The event marked the 10th consecutive season that the Wisconsin PGA has been fortunate to visit Kohler, Wisconsin, for a WPGA Pro-Am, continuing a long-standing partnership that provides members and amateur participants the opportunity to compete on some of the finest championship golf courses across the country.
When the final scores were posted, Joe Leonard of The Oaks Golf Course and his amateur teammates Tom Welch, Mike De Vries and Brian Wilsey claimed the title. The foursome combined for a stellar 16-under-par 128, edging the Brad Peck-led Nakoma Golf Club team by a single stroke in a tightly contested finish.
The victory was truly a team effort, with each member of Leonard’s group contributing counting scores throughout the round. Leonard also turned in the day’s best individual performance, firing a brilliant 6-under-par 66 on his own ball. His impressive round not only played a pivotal role in The Oaks Golf Course’s victory but also earned him Low Professional honors with 42 Stableford points.
Finishing just two Stableford points behind Leonard was Matt Sabol and low senior professional, Michael Crowley.
The competition for the team title was certainly compelling, with Leonard’s group narrowly holding off the Nakoma Golf Club team led by Brad Peck by one shot and the Brian Zinda Cobra Puma group by just two shots. With their play all three squads earned coveted berths into the Oliphant Golf Management Pro-Am Championship, where they will compete against the top qualifying teams from Wisconsin PGA Pro-Am events throughout the season.
Additional on-course amateur contests added to the excitement of the day. Andy Haugen captured the Closest-to-the-Pin prize on No. 3, Nick Zellmer claimed the award on No. 8, Ryan Murray won on No. 15, and John Kositzky Jr. earned the Closest-to-the-Pin honors on No. 17.
The Wisconsin PGA extends its sincere appreciation to The Suter Ward Group, adidas Golf, PXG Golf, and Prestwick Golf Group for their partnership and support of the event. Their continued commitment, along with the outstanding hospitality provided by Blackwolf Run and the efforts of its staff, helped make another successful edition of the Kohler Pro-Am possible.