Sunday in the Island Resort Intercollegiate

This Labor Day -weekend I decided to go to the upper peninsula of Michigan to the Island Resort Intercollegiate at Sage Run.

Although I have been to PGA Tour, USGA and LPGA tournaments, including various Majors, the Island Resort Intercollegiate is my first college event. It was fun.

Organized by South Dakota State University, the tournament is now in the sixth year. This year’s selection includes Ball State, Miami from Ohio, Illinois State, Utep, South Dakota State, Nebraska, Michigan State, Michigan, University of Central Florida, St. Mary’s (CA), Purdue and West Virginia.

Why make the island Resort Intercollegiate my first? 1) West Virginia (my Alma Mater) competes 2) It is in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and I was already halfway on golf blogger Northern HQ 3) I love the Sage Run Course and was curious about how top level would play there and 4) I know the island resort would get a good event; The resort is the old host of both the Epson Tour’s Island Resort Championship and the Intercollegiate.

The weather on Sunday could not have been better. Temperatures were in the mid -70s. It was sunny and the wind was down. The weather on the upper peninsula is always Dicey. One of the most uncomfortable rounds I have ever played was in July in Graywalls in Marquette.

Course conditions were perfect (just like the circumstances in the round that I played in Sweetgrass from Island Resort the previous day.). The resort really provides its courses.

College tournaments are a team affair, where the score of each team is based on the best four scores among the five or six starters mentioned. Others can also compete as individuals.

The combined scores do not really change every strategy on a course, as far as I can see. Each player only binds to do the best they can individually. However, it certainly makes a difference in the meta. Just as with the high school teams that I have coached, it is essential to place the current best six players from the nine on the Roster (it was 12 in high school when I coached. The NCAA apparently closed it at nine in 2025. One superstar can only do so much to help a score.

I saw that this Sunday in the Island Resort Intercollegiate. A South Dakota State player, Tyler Seeling, was 12 in the second round to set a tournament record. The state of South Dakota is still 26 shots of the lead.

Everything is on an individual level in golf consistency. In the macro level in NCAA Tournament Golf, consistency between players is disappointed.

In general, I was very impressed by the level of talent I saw during the tournament. Although I spent a large part of the day following my WVU boys, I also saw playing from Michigan, Michigan State, Purdue and Nebraska. These guys touch fantastic photos of the tee, the fairways and out of problems. I saw a Michigan State player a beautiful bent shot back to the fairway from behind a tree and give himself a chance of par.

Players from the Island Resort Intercollegiate used carts, who initially did a bit of a double take. I remember the Kerfuffle a few years ago when some NCAA golfers used push carts. As a member of the Push Cart Mafia, I thought that was ridiculous.

Carts are logical for the Island Resort Intercollegiate. The players do 36 holes on the first day and eighteen on the second. The site of Sage Run is very challenging, with uphill climbs on many holes that Power Carts find difficult to navigate.

I am sure I could walk 18 on Sage Run with one of my robotcaddies. I would not want to try 36 (although I have often walked 36 on less challenging courses).

Not surprising for a course on the wilderness of the upper peninsula, there was animals in the wild. Herten wandered over various fairways while players moved around them. A herd of Turkey did not seem to worry either.