Our Michigan State Opens Secure the Top Talent
Both the Men’s and Women’s Opens have Growing Support
By Greg Johnson
Founders Brewing Company is partnering with the Michigan Section PGA and joining Hall Financial as a title sponsor for the 2026 Hall Financial/Founders Brewing Co. Michigan Open Championship.
The Grand Rapids-based craft brewing company is sponsoring a major state golf championship for the first time. The 109th edition of the state championship for Michigan’s top golfers will be played June 8-11 on Shanty Creek Resort’s Cedar River course.
Hall Financial is a title sponsor for the fifth consecutive year, a time span in which its support has helped increase entries and provided record purses. The Michigan Section PGA, which administers the championship, expects the tournament to continue to thrive and that this year’s purse should exceed $100,000.
“The Michigan Open brings together the best players in our state and highlights everything that makes Michigan golf special,” David Hall said. “Supporting Michigan golfers and PGA professionals is something we take a lot of pride in.”
The Cedar River course at Shanty Creek will be the tournament’s host for the second consecutive year, but with a new Michigan-based ownership group at the helm. The resort recently announced that Shanty Creek Ski and Golf Resort, LLC, acquired the resort from Trinidad Resort & Club, LLC.
Last year at Shanty Creek, Otto Black of Brighton, a touring pro, held off a final-round charge by Howell resident and touring pro Beau Breault to win the 108th state championship by two shots.
First played in 1916, the Michigan Open annually attracts the top men’s professional and amateur golfers in the state.
GameAbove Joins Coca-Cola as Presenting Sponsors of 2026 Michigan Women’s Open.
It’s the latest development in a landmark year for the championship that will be played June 30-July 2 for the 24th consecutive year at Crystal Mountain – played on the Mountain Ridge course, which was named the 2025 Michigan Golf Course of the Year.
Jordan Young, a national award-winning Michigan PGA teaching professional, is the director of golf operations at GameAbove. “Our current sponsorship of 2022 (Michigan Women’s Open) champion Sarah White, and support for twin golfers Janae and Jasmine Leovao (at Eastern Michigan Univ.), truly prompted our involvement this year,” he said. “This event reflects our strong Michigan ties and commitment to empowering female athletes.”
This is the first year of the state championship as an official event on the ANNIKA Women’s All-Pro Tour (WAPT) schedule. In addition to added sponsorship, enhanced prize money and the coveted tournament title, the event will also provide the top two finishers with an exemption into an LPGA Epson Tour event during the 2026 season. Points and money earned at the tournament will be official on the tour’s season-long Callaway Race 2 Qualifying program, where the top five athletes earn Epson Tour status and advancement to Stage two of LPGA Qualifying.
