Sunday At The Island Resort Intercollegiate

This Labor Day weekend, I decided to head to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to watch the Island Resort Intercollegiate at Sage Run.

Although I have been to PGA Tour, USGA and LPGA tournaments, including several Majors, the Island Resort Intercollegiate is my first college event. It’s been fun.

Hosted by South Dakota State University, the tournament now is in it sixth year. This year’s roster includes Ball State, Miami of Ohio, Illinois State, UTEP, South Dakota State, Nebraska, Michigan State, Michigan, University of Central Florida, St. Mary’s (CA), Purdue and West Virginia.

Why make the Island Resort Intercollegiate my first? 1) West Virginia (my alma mater) is competing 2) it’s in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and I was already halfway there at GolfBlogger Northern HQ  3) I love the Sage Run course and was curious as to how top level talent would play there and 4) I know that Island Resort would put on a good event; the resort is the longtime host of both the Epson Tour’s Island Resort Championship as well as the Intercollegiate.

The weather on Sunday could not have been better. Temperatures were in the mid 70s. It was sunny and the wind was down. Weather in the Upper Peninsula is always dicey. One of the most uncomfortable rounds I’ve ever played was at Greywalls in Marquette in July.

Course conditions were perfect (as were conditions at the round I played at Island Resort’s Sweetgrass the previous day.). The resort really takes care of its courses.

College tournaments are a team affair, where each team’s score is based on the best four scores among the five or six named starters. Others may also compete as individuals.

The combined scores don’t really change any strategy on course, as far as I can tell. Each player is just tying to do the best they can individually. It surely, however, makes a difference in the meta. As with the high school teams I coached, it is essential to field the current best six players out of the nine on the roster (it was 12 in high school when I coached. The  NCAA apparently capped it at nine in 2025. One superstar can only do so much to help a score.

I saw that this Sunday at the Island Resort Intercollegiate. A South Dakota State player, Tyler Seeling, went 12 under in the second round to set a tournament record. South Dakota State is still 26 shots off the lead.

At the individual level in golf consistency is everything. In the macro level in NCAA tournament golf, consistency across players is tantamount.

Overall, I was very impressed by the level of talent I witnessed at the tournament. Although I spent much of the day following my WVU guys, I also saw play from Michigan, Michigan State, Purdue, and Nebraska. These guys are hitting fantastic shots off the tee, from the fairways, and out of trouble. I saw a Michigan State player hit a wonderfully curving shot back to the fairway from behind a tree and give himself a chance at par.

Players at the Island Resort Intercollegiate used carts, which at first made do a bit of a double take. I remember the kerfuffle from a few years ago when some NCAA golfers were using push carts. As a member of the push cart mafia, I thought that was ridiculous.

For the Island Resort Intercollegiate, carts make sense. The players do 36 holes on the first day and eighteen on the second. The terrain of Sage Run is very challenging, with uphill climbs on many holes that power carts find tough to navigate.

I am certain I could walk 18 at Sage Run with one of my robot caddies. I would not want to attempt 36 (although I have frequently walked 36 on less challenging courses).

Unsurprisingly for a course in the wilds of the Upper Peninsula, there was wildlife to be seen. Deer wandered across several fairways while players moved around them. A flock of turkey also seemed unconcerned.

Wildflowers along the edges of the course were abundant.

Sunday at the Island Resort Intercollegiate on Sunday was great fun. I look forward to returning on Monday.

Kudos to Island Resort, South Dakota State and all the participants for a wonderful day of golf.