By Fred Altvater
In May, the 84th Senior PGA Championship was held at Harbor Shores Golf Club in Benton Harbor, Michigan for the sixth time in the last 12 years. It was also the last time it will be held there.
Roger Chapman won the title the first time the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship visited Harbor Shores with an impressive win over John Cook.
Colin Montgomerie won his first of two consecutive Senior PGA titles at Harbor Shores in 2014, when he beat Tom Watson by four strokes. Monty, who never won a regular tour major championship, also won the Senior PGA the following year on the Pete Dye Course at French Lick.
Rocco Mediate won the 2016 championship, besting the defending champion, Montgomerie by three strokes. In 2018, Paul Broadhurst beat Tim Petrovic to hoist the trophy.
Harbor Shores hosted the 2022 Senior PGA won by Steven Alker, who fired a closing round 63 to capture the title by three strokes over Stephen Ames.
Harbor Shores Golf Club has a unique history and helped alter the fortunes of the economically distressed Benton Harbor area, providing much needed jobs.
In addition to the additional employment opportunities, the tournament has brought golf groups to the community that want to experience this Jack Nicklaus design, stay in the overnight lodging and enjoy dining in this southwestern Michigan destination.
Padraig Harrington said about the course,
“This golf course is quite a tricky course for me because there of the risk-reward. Players need to hit it pretty straight. A lot of 3-woods off the tee and not a lot of drivers. So, yeah, you don’t want to lose focus too often out here. There is trouble out there. If you are hitting good shots there are plenty of opportunities, especially with the way the greens are designed. There is a lot of collection areas, so if you’re hitting good shots the ball moves towards the flag and if you’re hitting bad shots, you’re leaving yourself in trouble.”
Bernhard Langer shared these thoughts about Harbor Shores,
“I thought this was a great golf course from the very get go. I think from tee-to-green it’s one of the best there is. Just some of the greens are a little bit severe, that’s all. But it’s always been in great condition and very well received.”
Last month’s KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship marks the last dance for the event at Harbor Shores under the umbrella of the PGA of America in Benton Harbor.
Included in the field for the Senior PGA were 40 PGA Golf Professionals, club pros, taking their shot at competing with the big boys.
The PGA of America Golf Professionals here are looking to find magic much like Bob Sowards, Director of Instruction at Kinsale Golf & Fitness Club in Powell, Ohio, who tied for fifth three years ago and earned a six-figure check at Southern Hills in Tulsa. Sowards was once again in the field this year at Harbor Shores and finished tied for 67th.
Toledo’s Mike Stone was the first alternate and made it into the field when John Daly withdrew due to an injury. Stone made the most of his opportunity, made the cut and finished tied for 75th.
Harbor Shores has been an every-other-year host since 2012. KitchenAid and the PGA of America have enjoyed an impactful 13-year run, making a huge mark in this Michigan community.
