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Levi Pennala
Levi Pennala

Men's Golf

PREVIEW: Men's Golf Opens Season at Bulldog Classic

MARQUETTE, Mich. - The NMU men's golf team will open its 2025-26 season, beginning on Monday in Big Rapids.

The Bulldog Fall Classic, a two-day tournament running from Monday, September 15, to Tuesday, September 16, at the Katke Golf Course. 

The last time the 'Cats competed in the Bulldog Fall Classic was the 2023-24 season, where the 'Cats finished T11 of 16 teams. Only two men are still on the roster from that season, Tyler Annala and Arthur Ylitalo, a sophomore and freshman at the time, respectfully. It was a 54-hole tournament that season, with Annala shooting +21 and Ylitalo shooting +28 to finish T59 and T74. 

A regional preview, the tournament will play host to 16 different schools across three regions, with 14 of those schools competing in the Midwest. (Note: all national/regional rankings based off the end of last season).

Representing the Midwest are the Wildcats (#153/27), Ferris State (#47/6), Saginaw Valley (#65/8), Ashland (#76/10), Tiffin (#91/13), Rockhurst (#95/14), Lewis (#102/17), Parkside (#105/18), Davenport (#109/19), Northwood (#118/21), Purdue Northwest (#144/25), Roosevelt (#152/26), Cedarville (#154/28), and Walsh (#160/29). 

The remaining schools come from two separate regions. Representing the Central region is Minnesota-Crookston (#112/17), and representing the Atlantic region is Gannon (#29/1).

At the time of writing this, Big Rapids looks to have hot temperatures for the tournament, with the high on Monday forcasted to be 84 degrees and Tuesday forcasted to be 86 degrees, and both days producing minimal wind. 

Live scoring for the tournament will be found here.

About the Katke Golf Course
The course is named after Mr. and Mrs. Marvin L. Katke, whose generous donation influenced campus development and the initial phase of the golf course. Katke, a friend of Ferris and a Mecosta County native, was vice president for manufacturing of the Ford Motor Company and a 1967 recipient of an honorary degree from FSU.

The Katke Golf Course, which opened in 1974, has hosted numerous league and regional championships in recent years including the 2003 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships along with the 2004 NCAA-II East Regional Women's Golf Championships, the 2004 GLIAC Women's Golf Championships, the 2005 NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional Cross Country Championships, the 2007 NCAA-II East Regional Women's Golf Championships and 2008 NCAA-II Midwest Regional Cross Country Championships.

A new clubhouse, which was added in the summer of 1999, houses the Professional Golf Management (PGM) Learning Center at Ferris State. The PGM program, which is designed for the individual who is interested in a career as a golf professional, has over 300 students and is a source of national recognition and a revenue producer for the university.

Established in 1975, the PGM program was the first of its kind in the nation sanctioned by the prestigious Professional Golfers' Association of America (PGA).

 
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Players Mentioned

Tyler Annala

Tyler Annala

6' 0"
Senior
Arthur Ylitalo

Arthur Ylitalo

5' 11"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Tyler Annala

Tyler Annala

6' 0"
Senior
Arthur Ylitalo

Arthur Ylitalo

5' 11"
Junior