Michigan Open champion laps the field with flawless final round
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The Michigan Open was a horse race, until it wasn't.
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Cameron Ruge, a teaching professional in Traverse City, began the final round of one of the state's most prestigious golf tournaments tied for the lead. And he ended up winning by seven strokes.
Ruge shot a final-round, 7-under 64 to run away from the rest of the field at the 109th Michigan Open. He gets his name on the James D. Standish Trophy and collects the $15,000 first-place check.
"When the last putt went in, it was just a mix of emotions coming over me," said Ruge, 27. "I was so locked in all day. I didn't check the leaderboard all day. Then it started to get kind of emotional, and my mom and my girlfriend came over and gave me hugs."
Ruge, an assistant pro at Bay Meadows Family Golf Center in Traverse City and a native of Coldwater, hit all 18 greens in regulation Friday on the Cedar River Course at Shanty Creek Resort in Bellaire. Ruge carded seven birdies and no bogeys. He capped off the victory with a 10-foot birdie putt in front of the gallery on the 18th hole.
Ruge finished the four-round tournament at 16 under, crediting a putter change from a blade to a mallet for his success recently.
Ruge began the final round in a three-way tie for the lead, but three birdies on his front nine, including a momentum booster at the fifth hole when he hit his 5-iron approach from 216 yards to less than 2 feet.
"I didn't take that pin on," he said. "It worked over and I was like, 'Wow.'"
A foursome tied for second at 9 under, including 2017 Michigan Open champion, former Michigan golfer and former Hillsdale College coach Matt Thompson, who shot 64 with three eagles, including a hole-in-one. Also tying for second were defending champion Otto Black of Brighton (67), 2023 winner Joe Juszczyk of Dearborn Heights (70) and Penn State golfer Will Preston of Grand Rapids (71).
Four more golfers finished at 8 under, including Tim Pearce of Birmingham Country Club (64), mini-tour pro Yuqi Liu of Ann Arbor (67), Michigan State golfer Julian Menser (68) and 16-year-old Horton golfer Bentley Coon (72), who was bidding to become the tournament's youngest champion. Coon began the day tied for the lead.
Former Michigan golfer Will Anderson, now a mini-tour pro, shot a course-record 63 and tied for 11th.
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This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Cameron Ruge wins 2026 Michigan Open with bogey-free 64 in final round