Bond Is GAM Participant Of The 12 months

GAM PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Caleb Bond of Williamston Tops 2025 Males’s Factors Listing

    FARMINGTON HILLS – Caleb Bond of Williamston stated he realized in his first yr at Michigan State College in 2024 that when he performed his greatest golf he may compete with the perfect novice golfers within the nation.

  Then he proved it in the summertime of 2025. He gained the Michigan Novice Championship at historic Belvedere Golf Membership in Charlevoix by preventing off College of Oklahoma standout PJ Maybank of Cheboygan, 1-up, within the ultimate match.

  That earned him an exemption into the U.S. Novice on the Olympic Membership in San Francisco the place he emerged from a playoff to get into match play and made a run to the spherical of 16. He misplaced to the eventual runner-up, Jackson Herrington of Tennessee, however not earlier than taking him to twenty holes.

  These two performances powered Bond to the highest of the Golf Affiliation of Michigan Factors Listing, and he has been named the 2025 GAM Males’s Participant of the 12 months, Ken Hartmann, senior director of competitions and USGA companies, introduced right this moment.

  Participant of the 12 months level totals might be discovered on a pull down from the PLAY tab at GAM.org. Carl’s Golfland is the presenting sponsor of the factors lists.

  Earlier this week, the GAM introduced Elayna Bowser of Dearborn because the Girls’s Participant of the 12 months, and within the subsequent few weeks the GAM will announce extra Gamers of the 12 months in gender and age classes.

  Bond, 21 and a senior at Michigan State, referred to as being Participant of the 12 months a fantastic honor.

  “To be on the checklist with all the good gamers who’ve shared that honor is a giant accomplishment,” he stated. “I’ve all the time performed in GAM tournaments to get nice competitors and to get higher at my recreation, so that is fairly superior. It was a fantastic summer time, successful the Novice, making a run within the U.S. Novice, and having my household there and my sister (Cara) caddie for me. I realized lots that I can use going ahead.”

   He stated the week that unfolded for him at Belvedere in successful the Novice will probably be one thing he by no means forgets.

  “To have my identify on the (Staghorn) trophy is golf historical past, and also you get a lot confidence from having every week like that,” he stated. “I performed very constant by means of match play, after which to beat a fantastic participant like PJ within the ultimate simply pushed me going ahead.”

  He stated his greatest golf was the second spherical of stroke play within the U.S. Novice, which landed him in a 20-golfer playoff for the ultimate 17 spots in match play.

  “I shot (68) on the harder course (Lake Course) and thought I had made the sector after which ended up in that playoff the following morning and needed to combat by means of that,” he stated. “Then I gained two matches and actually realized lots alongside the best way about my recreation and myself. It was nice to compete with the perfect gamers in novice golf.

    He stated skilled golf is subsequent, however particulars nonetheless have to be labored out.

  “Being knowledgeable has been the aim for a very long time,” he stated.

   Hartmann stated he was impressed by Bond within the 2024 Michigan Novice at The Highlands at Harbor Springs.

  “He impressed me along with his recreation then, so I wasn’t shocked that he put all of it collectively this yr,” he stated. “I like the best way he approaches the sport. He doesn’t get bothered by issues, simply retains hitting pictures. Additionally, his preparation and his efficiency within the U.S. Novice impressed me, too.”

  Bond amassed 1,035 factors to high the GAM Participant of the 12 months Factors Listing, nicely forward of Justin Sui of Lake Orion, who had 570 factors and was the spotlight GAM Championship winner along with his report spherical of 60 at Radrick Farms Golf Membership in Ann Arbor.

  Lorenzo Pinili of Rochester, and Bond’s MSU teammate, completed third with 410 factors. His spotlight was a historic course and event report 63 in stroke play at Belvedere within the Michigan Novice.

  Evan Johnson of Grosse Ile with 400 factors and Bryce Wheeler of Augusta and Grand Valley State College with 387.5 factors rounded out the highest 5.