Despite ‘uncomfortably hot? conditions, Groveland Township resident Keith Blakely and his team stayed in the running to the end at the Buick Open Pro-Am.
Blakely, vice president of Country Folk Art Shows, Inc. in Holly, took part in the tournament, which took place Wednesday, Aug. 2 at Warwick Hills Golf & Country Club, G-9057 S. Saginaw Road, Grand Blanc. This was the second straight year he has participated in the Pro-Am.
His team, which consisted of Professional Golfers? Association golfer Bart Bryant and teammates Dave Isbell, Ron Slivka and Richard Sly, finished in fourth place, garnering a total of 15 under par. The team moved up one spot from last year’s Pro-Am, when they finished in fifth place.
The team of PGA golfer Harrison Frazer and amateurs Bill Boggs, Jim Glynn, Art Schwartz and John Stapleton finished first at the Pro-Am with a total of 20 under par.
About 8:50 a.m. that day, Blakely and his teammates teed off from the Pro-Am amidst the sunny skies and temperatures hot enough to warrant an ozone action day. The group started off from the 10th hole (par 4, 401 yards).
Dressed in a turquoise-and-white shirt and turquoise slacks, Blakely wore sunglasses to combat the sun shining down on the 10th hole. He was the first amateur on his team to tee off after Bryant hit his opening shot.
Battling the heat was a constant theme for the participants throughout the Pro-Am. ‘It was uncomfortably hot,? Blakely said. ‘It’s the hottest I’ve ever been in my life.?
He added the golfers tried to combat the heat as best they could with plenty of water, but it was still difficult.
Nonetheless, Blakely said he had ‘two great highlights? during the tournament ? one of them being when he eagled the 12th hole (par 4, 340 yards), chipping in a shot from the fairway. His other highlight came at the 17th hole (par 3, 197 yards), which he birdied.
A total of 52 teams participated in the tournament. In addition to the PGA golfers, scheduled Pro-Am participants included Michigan sports celebrities Jerome Bettis (a Detroit native and recently retired Pittsburgh Steelers running back), Tom Izzo (Michigan State University men’s basketball coach) and Vinnie Johnson (former Detroit Pistons player).
As far as Blakely’s PGA Tour partner is concerned, Bryant, a native of Gatesville, Texas, turned pro in 1986, and has three career first-place finishes to his credit.
His first win came in 2004 at the Valero Texas Open in San Antonio, and he followed that up with two wins in 2005: one at the Memorial Tournament in Dublin, Ohio, and the other at THE TOUR Championships presented by Coca-Cola, which took place in Atlanta.
In addition, Bryant has 10 career top 10 finishes and 42 career top 25 finishes on his resume.
His best finish so far this season was ninth at the season-opening Mercedes Championships in Hawaii, his only top-10 finish in 2006. Bryant has also finished in the top 25 six times this year.
Bryant’s older brother, Brad, is a past PGA Tour champion; the two are one of 12 winning brother combinations on the tour.