Eric Johnson Head Coach | Northern Michigan University Athletics Website
Eric Johnson Head Coach | Northern Michigan University Athletics Website
The NMU men's golf team concluded their participation in the 2025 GLIAC Championships, achieving an 8th place finish with a two-day total of +19. The team demonstrated significant improvement in the second round, reducing their score by 11 strokes to post the fourth-best round two score at +4. They ended 10 strokes behind Parkside (+9) and ahead of Purdue NW (+28) by nine strokes.
Despite their strong performance, NMU did not reach the top four, marking the end of their season. Ferris State led the competition with a notable performance, shooting the day's lowest score by eight strokes with a team total of -8. They rose four spots to secure first place with a two-day score of -7 and advanced as the top seed in match play. Grand Valley secured second place, adding five strokes from the previous day's score to finish even at -5. Wayne State, which was -4 after round one, moved into a tie for third with Saginaw Valley following a second round of +6. This result displaced Roosevelt from match play.
Throughout the tournament, NMU's play on the par threes resulted in a score of +13 (10th), the par fours at +33 (8th), and the par fives at -3 (9th). The team made 20 birdies (T8), 104 pars (T8), 50 bogeys (1st), and six double bogey+ (T4).
Walter Ylitalo was a standout performer for NMU, climbing 19 positions overall after a second round -2 70. He began his round with a +3 39 on the back nine, followed by an impressive -5 31 on the front. Walter finished T27 overall and T2 on the team with a +5 total, alongside his brother Arthur Ylitalo, who also moved up the leaderboard by nine spots with a second round of E 72, finishing T16 overall with a +2 total.
Russel Sprecher tied with Walter at T27 overall, contributing to the team with his score of +2 74. Tyler Annala rounded out the team scoring with a +4 76, yielding a two-day total of +7. Kyle Maki played as an individual, recording a +12 84.
Shea Harmeson of SVSU led the leaderboard after shooting the best second round at -6, culminating in a -8 total. Manuel Cue finished in second at -7, while Pierre Heylen from Roosevelt secured third at -6.
Additional information on the leaderboard and scores for the 2025 GLIAC stroke play tournament is available. Ferris State will face Saginaw Valley, and Grand Valley will meet Wayne State in the medal match play.
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