Work Pays Off as GR West Catholic, Elk Rapids' Springstead Claim 1st Finals Wins
By
Scott Hassinger
Special for MHSAA.com
June 6, 2026
BATTLE CREEK – The first Finals championship for the Grand Rapids West Catholic boys golf team was months in the making.
Not even a little rain during the final eight holes of Friday’s first round, nor two accidental fire alarms going off in the middle of the night at the team's hotel could deter the Falcons from achieving their goal at the Lower Peninsula Division 3 Final.
West Catholic fired a team score of 311 over the final 18 holes Saturday at Beford Valley Golf Course to take home the first-place trophy. The Falcons held a five-stroke lead after the first day of competition after recording a 314 and finished the two-day 36-hole tournament in first with 625 strokes.
"I know we had an individual win a state title before, but as far as I can remember this is the only time we've won state as a team,” Grand Rapids West Catholic coach Daniel Karamol said. "We started working back in November when the snow was starting to fly. ... We overcame some sickness and a couple injuries during the season, but we were able to overcome it. The kids knew they had the talent, and this meant a great deal to them after they won Regionals a couple weeks ago. I thought the most crucial factors this weekend was our steady play, avoiding critical mistakes and the boys charted and prepared very well. Understanding that every stroke counted was a big key as well."
West Catholic rode the solid play of seniors Owen Kotowski (78-75, 153), Alex Bartish (74-80, 154) and Callahan Peterson (85-79, 164) along with a career weekend from freshman Brendan Morgan (77-77, 154) and sophomore Aaden Stellini (87-86, 173).
Bartish added that the team title required him and his teammates to give of their time unselfishly.
"Many of the guys on this team have a billion things to do besides golf. It was all about playing for one another and not ourselves. This is a very positive group of guys and I'm just proud to be a Falcon. You have to play each hole individually and not get caught up in thinking you have six hours of golf that you have to play," said Bartish, who will next major in pre-law and play men's golf at Calvin College.
Kotowski, who will major in sports management and play his collegiate golf at Davenport University, stated the key has been the team's togetherness.
"All of the guys have worked hard. We support one another and this weekend everyone went insane once we knew Brendan had broken 80," Kotowski said.
Traverse City St. Francis (319-319, 638) finished as runner-up followed by Kalamazoo Christian in third (329-314, 643). Jackson Lumen Christi (325-322, 647) and Grand Rapids North Pointe Christian (334-319, 653) concluded the top five finishers.
The individual medalist honor went to Elk Rapids' sophomore Blake Springstead after he recorded back-to-back rounds of 73 and ended his first appearance at the Finals with a low total of 146.
"I missed qualifying for state my freshman year by one stroke and it kind've upset me,” Springstead said. “I used that as motivation, and I was really focused at Regionals this time and won that by seven strokes.
“I play around 10 junior tournaments each summer. I think wedges are my strongest clubs, but I've really been working on improving my drives and being more calm on the course. It feels really great to win state as a sophomore, but I hope to win it a couple more times.”
Springstead turned to his putting game to wrap up the title over the final three holes.
"On the third-to-last hole I hit my first putt too far and had a two-foot breaker and ended up making that one. Then on my second-to-last hole, I made a 15-foot putt. I had a 60-foot putt on the last hole that I hit within six feet of the cup, then I dropped it in on my next try," Springstead said.
Elk Rapids head coach Hayden Carpenter called Springstead a long-time student of the game.
"Blake's consistency from the fairway to the green is his biggest strength. He is very competitive and can grind it out and make back-to-back birdies if he needs to,” Carpenter said. “He gutted it out today with some incredible putts. He is a big leader on our team for being one of the younger guys."
Other top individual finishers included Jackson Lumen Christi’s Brandon Kulka (73-74, 147) in second place, Ann Arbor Greenhills’ Keating Holland, Lumen Chriti’s Gabe Cooper (73-77, 150) and Grandville Calvin Christian’s Will Orme (79-71, 150) all tied for third; and Kotowski (78-75, 153) and Saugatuck's Grant Schrotenboer (84-69, 153), who tied for the sixth.
(Click for more photos from High School Sports Scene.)
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.)