Houtteman Taking Senior-Year Swing at Adding Finals Title to Family Golf Legacy
By
Tom Spencer
Special for MHSAA.com
June 6, 2025
The name Houtteman is not listed among the famous father-son golfers in the history of the PGA like Nicklaus, Woods and Love.
At least not yet, anyway.
Regardless of how things unfold this weekend in the Lower Peninsula Division 4 Final at Ferris State University, Maple City Glen Lake's Michael Houtteman is going to feel a lot like Davis Love, III, did over the years with his father Davis Love, Jr., coaching him.
That’s because he’s coached by Lee Houtteman, who was fortunate enough to get tips from Davis Love Jr. on how to coach a son. As soon as the last golf ball of a stellar high school career enters the cup, the Houttemans will immediately switch from coach/student-athlete roles to father/son.
“It was always my impression of those two guys (Love Jr. and Love III) is they would banter back and forth and Dad would say ‘When we're coaching, I'm your coach, but as soon as we're done, I'm your dad.’ That was that was something he always preached," Lee Houtteman said.
He first met the Loves prior to joining the PGA when he was working at a golf school in Orlando, Fla. Houtteman was inducted into the Michigan PGA Hall of Fame last fall, and his playing accomplishments include winning the Michigan PGA Championship, two Michigan Senior PGA Championships and the Michigan PGA Match Play Tournament of Champions.
Lee Houtteman was also an 18-time qualifier for the PGA Professional Championship, and a 12-time qualifier for the U.S. Senior Open.
The Loves made a big impression on the Glen Lake 10-year veteran coach.
“Davis Love Jr. was incredible — the dad was a good coach and made an impact on how I tried to look at coaching my son,” Houtteman said. “When Love Jr. was coaching his son he said, ‘Hey, you got to hit the shot, and when you're not doing this, you got to practice,’ but then as soon as it was all done, they let it go, and then they were just father/son.”
Davis Love Jr. was one of the most respected teachers in golf. Love III notched his first PGA Tour victory in 1987 at the age of 24, his second season on the circuit. Love, Jr., died in a plane crash in Nov. 1988. Love III is just now returning to professional golf after having open heart surgery.
Michael Houtteman has his eyes set on winning an individual MHSAA Finals title this weekend. He also has high hopes of being named Michigan’s Mr. Golf, an honor bestowed annually by the Michigan Interscholastic Golf Coaches Association. Houtteman was the individual runner-up as the Lakers finished 12th as a team at last year’s Division 4 Final.
He’s already got a taste of the PGA tour from watching his father play. Michael’s first takeaways, however, were not the level of play, or the ropes separating players from spectators, nor the television cameras.
“It was free ice cream,” the Lakers senior said. “The milk shakes were the best.”
Houtteman shot 68 to capture the medalist honor and lead his team to a Regional championship last week. Glen Lake’s Ben Romzek, also a senior, shot an 85. Sophomores Gabe Hazelton and Joel Martin finished with 86 and 87 strokes, respectively, and freshmen Karter Smith shot a 90 as the Lakers carded a 326 championship score.
This year’s Regional effort was the Lakers’ best performance under Coach Houtteman. They have high hopes for a top five-finish this weekend at Katke Golf Course. They finished third in both 2023 and 2022.
“If we just keep improving and can play where we swing freely, just go hit it and go find it, and maybe make a couple putts. I think it would be awesome if we can finish top five,” Michael Houtteman said. “We just need a solid finish.”
Houtteman, who won an individual Finals championship in tennis at No. 3 singles in the fall, was fifth as a freshman and seventh as a sophomore at Division 4 Golf Finals.
He is ready to put his best game forward this weekend.
“You are always gunning for that state championship,” said Houtteman, who is headed for the U.S. Air Force Academy in a few weeks to begin his NCAA Division I golf career. “I am hoping to put together a couple of good rounds, and we’ll see what happens.”
If he goes into the Final nervous, his Hall of Fame coach will be happy. Lee Houtteman is pleased if his golfers raise their hands when asked if they are nervous beginning tournament play.
“You got to be nervous,” the coach said. “It’s good. It’s healthy.”
The Lakers are thankful for the tutelage of their coach, whose experiences are rare for a program leader at the high school level.
“He’s definitely a very, very qualified coach compared to most schools,” said Micheal Houtteman, who has competed in Michigan Pro-Am golf tournaments with his father. “Having a person as qualified as my dad is definitely very helpful in the learning of how to not only play golf but how to treat the golf courses.”
“Dad was an unbelievable player and unbelievable coach,” he added. “It is awesome to have a dad and a coach in one, and it’s super helpful not only with my golf game but as my life coach.”
Tom Spencer is a longtime MHSAA-registered basketball and soccer official, and former softball and baseball official, and he also has coached in the northern Lower Peninsula area. He previously has written for the Saginaw News, Bay County Sports Page and Midland Daily News. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Manistee, Wexford, Missaukee, Roscommon, Ogemaw, Iosco, Alcona, Oscoda, Crawford, Kalkaska, Grand Traverse, Benzie, Leelanau, Antrim, Otsego, Montmorency, Alpena, Presque Isle, Cheboygan, Charlevoix and Emmet counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Glen Lake’s Michael Houtteman putts during an event this season. (Middle) Michael Houtteman, left, and his father Lee take a photo with the team’s Regional championship trophy. (Top photo by Brian Frieberger. Family photo provided by the Glen Lake athletic department.)
Preview: Game On at LP Boys Golf Finals as Familiar Foes Set to Meet Again
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
June 5, 2025
This weekend’s Lower Peninsula Boys Golf Finals will see several returning standouts from championship tournaments of the recent past – and provide several rematch possibilities at the top of the standings.
The three highest-ranked teams playing in all four divisions return at least three golfers who competed at last season’s Finals, and the Division 3 and 4 tournaments in particular return nearly full lineups for most of the favorites.
Play begins both Friday and Saturday at 9 a.m. See below for more on a number of teams and individuals who could be in contention, and check out the Boys Golf page for full lineups and more.
Division 1 at Michigan State’s Forest Akers West
Top-ranked: 1. Detroit Catholic Central, 2. Rochester Adams, 3. Traverse City West.
Detroit Catholic Central: The Shamrocks are seeking to repeat as champions and win their third title in four seasons, returning three golfers who played at least one round at last year’s Final. DCC won its Regional last week at Twin Lakes in Oakland Township with a 285, edging No. 8 Bloomfield Hills and No. 5 Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice. Junior David Krusinski, one of the returners from last season, finished second individually at the Regional, while senior Dillon Che tied for fifth and junior Collin Davis tied for seventh.
Rochester Adams: After finishing second in 2023 and third last season, Adams will pursue a first championship since 1978 this time coming off a second-place Regional finish (one stroke back) at Greystone in Washington Township. Three golfers return from last year’s lineup, including senior Jack Vogel after tying for 13th at last year’s Final. Sophomore Drew Rzeppa led the Regional push this time tying for fourth.
Warren De La Salle Collegiate: The Pilots are ranked No. 4 and coming off a Regional title at Lakes of Taylor. They finished fifth at last season’s Final with only one senior in the lineup, and the top three from that team will be back this weekend led by junior Troy Nguyen, who tied for third individually in 2024. All three returning players finished among the top seven at last week’s Regional, senior Max Teschendorf second and Nguyen and sophomore Julian Sinishtaj tied for seventh. Sinishtaj also tied for 13th at last year’s Final.
Individuals: With Nguyen, four more of last season’s top eight (with ties) will play again this weekend, including Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern senior Will Pollack and junior Mathieu Duflo, who tied for eighth a year ago. Okemos senior Ian Masih is back after finishing seventh, and Lake Orion senior Connor Fox returns after tying for fifth. Masih and Fox won Regional titles last week, as did Muskegon Mona Shores freshman Cruz Beckstrom, Bloomfield Hills senior Dominik Dostal, Ann Arbor Huron senior Adam Thanaporn and Detroit U-D Jesuit senior Aidan Treharne. Brother Rice senior Leandro Pinili was second in Division 2 last season and tied for seventh at his Regional last week.
Division 2 at Battle Creek’s Bedford Valley
Top-ranked: 1. Grand Rapids Christian, 2. Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, 3. Richland Gull Lake.
Grand Rapids Christian: The Eagles won Division 2 in 2023 and finished runners-up last season just one stroke behind St. Mary’s. Three returners who all placed among the top 22 at that Final will try to take the next step again this weekend, and after Christian edged No. 7 South Christian to win the Regional at Stonehedge North in Augusta. Senior John Cassiday was medalist, junior Sawyer O’Grady tied for fourth and junior Cooper Reitsma tied for ninth at the Regional; they finished tied for 22nd, tied for 19th and tied for fourth, respectively, at last year’s Final.
Orchard Lake St. Mary’s: The Eaglets also bring back three golfers as they seek a repeat, and after edging No. 6 Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood by a stroke to win last week’s Regional at Flint Golf Club. Junior Blaise Krol tied for seventh at last year’s Final and third at last week’s Regional, the latter with senior teammate Tim Humes while junior Mikey Karwaski and senior RJ Galacz tied for 12th.
Richland Gull Lake: Two golfers return from last season’s third-place finisher as Gull Lake again pursues a first championship. Those two helped set the pace as Gull Lake finished just a stroke off the lead at their Regional at Island Hills in Centreville; senior Joseph Blondia tied for seventh individually and senior Hank Livingston tied for 10th in part with senior teammate Carter Dominowski. Livingston also was in the lineup as a freshman at the 2022 Final, when Gull Lake finished a program-best second overall.
Individuals: South Christian sophomore Harris Hoekwater tied with Reitsma for fourth last season, and they are the top placers back this weekend. East Grand Rapids sophomore JP Levan tied with Krol for seventh last season and also returns, as does Allendale sophomore Sumner Meekhof after tying for 10th at the 2024 Final. Meekhof joined Grand Rapids Christian’s John Cassiday among Regional champions, as did Battle Creek Harper Creek senior Joey Mario, Bay City Western junior Drew Goik, Cranbrook’s Henry Delzer and Adrian’s Cayden Staib.
Division 3 at The Meadows at Grand Valley State
Top-ranked: 1. Jackson Lumen Christi, 2. Traverse City St. Francis, 3. Grosse Ile.
Jackson Lumen Christi: Last season’s runner-up finish was the Titans’ highest since winning Division 3 in 2017, and four golfers from that lineup are back this weekend including senior Charlie Saunders after placing a team-best tied for 16th a year ago. Lumen won its Regional at West Shore in Grosse Ile by 12 strokes ahead of No. 3 Grosse Ile and No. 8 Ann Arbor Greenhills, with sophomore Brandon Kulka the medalist, senior Adam Fuller and sophomore Gabe Cooper tying for second, Saunders placing eighth and senior Anthony Kulka tying for 12th.
Traverse City St. Francis: The Gladiators won last season’s championship by 18 strokes and without a senior in the lineup – and four of those five starters are back this weekend including reigning medalist David Ansley, now a senior. He tied for sixth during the team’s 22-stroke win at their Regional at Belvedere in Charlevoix, as senior teammate Josh Slocum was first, junior William Gibbons also tied for sixth, sophomore Casey Jackson tied for eighth and junior Ben Wolff tied for 11th. Jackson tied for ninth at last season’s Final.
Grosse Ile: The Red Devils are expected to make a big jump from last year’s tie for 14th, and although they finished second to Lumen at West Shore their 316 score was the fourth-lowest among teams at any Division 3 Regional. Three golfers are back from a year ago and all five placed among the top 12 at the Regional – juniors Luke Lazorka and Michael Olenchak tied for fourth, junior Braden Chessor finished 10th and juniors Nicholas Joly-Naso and Palmer Kehoe tied for 12th.
Individuals: In addition to the St. Francis pair, five more are back from last year’s top 10 (plus ties). Millington senior Brad Coleman was third a year ago, Tawas senior Austin Baker and Pinconning senior Cole Brady tied for fourth, Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian senior David Formsma tied for sixth and Midland Bullock Creek senior Colton Lower tied for ninth. Joining Slocum and Brandon Kulka among Regional champions last week were Grand Rapids Covenant Christian senior Aidan Pipe, Comstock senior Cayden Schultz, Shepherd senior Christopher Crockett and Lansing Catholic senior Hayden Riley – Riley after a playoff with Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett senior Steve McMahon.
Division 4 at Ferris State’s Katke Golf Course
Top-ranked: 1. Saginaw Nouvel Catholic Central, 2. Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep, 3. Clarkston Everest Collegiate.
Saginaw Nouvel: The Panthers are seeking their first championship and highest finish since placing second in 2013. Nouvel came in fourth a year ago with only one senior in the lineup, and the other four golfers are returning led by senior Alex McCarthy off tying for eighth in 2024. Nouvel won its Regional at Mount Pleasant Country Club by 22 strokes, with junior Ian Ziegelmann finishing third individually and McCarthy, senior Rodney Iamurri and junior Ty Iamurri all among those who tied for sixth.
Kalamazoo Hackett: The Irish will bring four seniors and a junior in pursuit of a championship to add to their most recent won in 2021. They finished fifth last spring with the same lineup, as now-seniors Chris and Andrew Ogrin tied for 11th individually. Chris Ogrin defeated his brother in a playoff to finish as medalist at the Regional at Hampshire in Dowagiac, with junior Justin Tyler placing third and senior Noah Emmer 12th.
Clarkston Everest: The Mountaineers have won the last two Division 4 championships and return four golfers from last year including reigning medalist senior Will Pennanen and senior Parker Stalcup, who finished fourth last season and second in 2023. Everest won the Regional last week at Fountains in Clarkston by 21 strokes with Stalcup second, junior Nolan Alban fourth, Pennanen fifth, junior Dominic Walker tied for 12th and senior Mark Cross tied for 14th.
Individuals: In addition to the Everest and Nouvel standouts mentioned above, Maple City Glen Lake senior Michael Houtteman (second) and Grandville Calvin Christian junior Will Orme (seventh) are back from the 2024 top 10. Houtteman joined Ogrin among Regional champs last week, as did Novi Christian junior Nate Spaude, Portland St. Patrick senior Landon Simpson, Wyoming Tri-unity Christian senior Hezekiah Nobel and Petersburg Summerfield sophomore James Feudi – who won a playoff against Riverview Gabriel Richard freshman Ben Allen.
PHOTO Jackson Lumen Christi’s Charlie Saunders launches an approach during last season’s Lower Peninsula Division 3 Final. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)