FARMINGTON HILLS – Elayna Bowser tried professional golf after her stellar amateur career, which included winning the 2019 Michigan Women’s Amateur Championship and being a standout golfer for Loyola University Chicago.

“I gave it a good go for four years,” she said. “I can sit here and say I gave it my all and it led me to why I decided to switch back to amateur golf. I didn’t want to continue the route I was going and end up hating the game.”

She returned to the amateur ranks in 2024 and quickly made an impact by winning the GAM Women’s Mid-Amateur championship, and later in the summer reaching the round of 32 in the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur.

Those accomplishments combined with what she called one of her most consistent years of golf competition put her at the top of the Golf Association of Michigan Points List, and she has been named the 2024 GAM Women’s Player of the Year, Ken Hartmann, senior director of competitions and USGA services, announced today.

Player of the Year point totals can be found on a pull down from the PLAY tab at GAM.org Carl’s Golfland is the presenting sponsor of the points lists.

Earlier this week, McCoy Biagioli of White Lake was named the GAM Men’s Player of the Year, and over the next few weeks the GAM will announce more Players of the Year in gender and age categories.

Bowser, 27 and a real-estate agent, earned 652.5 points to top the points list. Bridget Boczar of Canton, a Baylor University golfer and the winner of the GAM Women’s Championship for a second consecutive year, had 550 points.

Shannon Kennedy of Beverly Hills, a Michigan State University golfer and this year’s Michigan Women’s Amateur Champion, was third with 490 points. Kimberly Dinh of Midland, the 2023 Women’s Player of the Year, who had 445 points, and Laura Bavaird of Trenton, who had 355 points, rounded out the top five.

Bowser said she previously considered 2019 as her best year in golf because of her Michigan Women’s Amateur win and her success as a college player.

“I would have thought that would be my best shot at player of the year awards, but I realize that summer wasn’t so much about consistency as it was winning the big tournaments,” she said. “I’m surprised how consistently I competed this year because I can’t devote the time to golf that I could before. I won my first tournament back as an amateur though and played well the rest of the summer.”

She said a great support system has helped her. Michael Phillips, her superior at Keller-Williams Legacy in Dearborn, has played a key role in supporting her transition from being a discouraged golf professional into a real-estate salesperson who maintains a competitive golf game. In addition, the continued support by her father, Brett, and her brother, Evan, who is now a PGA professional in Florida, meant she could never just quit the game.

“Professional golf was a struggle, mentally, physically, emotionally but my dad and Evan are always there for me,” she said. “We’re a golf family. We’re all “golfaholics.” They are going to enjoy me being player of the year as much or more than I enjoy it.”

The summer of 2024 started with Bowser supporting her brother and serving as his caddie in the PGA Championship at Valhalla in Louisville last May. He had qualified as a top finisher among other club professionals in the PGA Professional Championship.

“It was so great to see Evan competing in a major championship against the best players in the world, and thriving in that moment,” she said. “I soaked everything in. I learned so much from watching him compete and how he handled things and watching all the other players. I think that experience maybe helped me more than anything with how I think about golf and how I played.”

Hartmann said he was pleased to see Bowser return to amateur golf.

“I didn’t know why she didn’t want to be a professional any longer, but I know how much golf means to that family,” he said. “We lose a lot of women players that age for several reasons. It was great to see her out there, and I wasn’t surprised she played well. Golf and a competitive spirit run through that family.”

FARMINGTON HILLS – McCoy Biagioli of White Lake was just the 11th golfer to pull off the state’s top amateur golf feat by winning the Michigan Amateur Championship and the GAM Championship in the same year.

“All my close friends are not surprised, they are very proud of me, but I know from around golf in Michigan most people were surprised I did it,” he said. “My close friends, my teammates that play with me all the time knew the things I could do. Those who didn’t know me so well just didn’t know what I was capable of.”

His historic two wins in the state’s top two amateur tournaments put him at the top of the GAM Points List for the season and he has been named the 2024 GAM Men’s Player of the Year, Ken Hartmann, senior director of competitions and USGA services, announced today.

Player of the Year point totals can be found on a pull down from the PLAY tab at GAM.org The points lists are presented by Carl’s Golfland.

Later this week the GAM Women’s Player of the Year will be announced and over the next few weeks the GAM will announce more Players of the Year in gender and age categories.

Biagioli, 19 and a Ferris State University golfer, scored 881.5 points, and John Quigley of Sterling Heights and the Michigan Publinx Golf Association, this summer’s GAM Mid-Amateur Champion, finished second with 564.5 points.

Julian Menser of South Lyon, a Michigan State University golfer with 455 points, Drew Coble of Lake Orion, a Grand Valley State University golfer with 400 points, and Drew Miller of East Lansing, a Michigan State University golfer with 370 points, rounded out the top five.

Biagioli, a sophomore at Ferris, said he plans to defend both major titles in 2025, and wants to build on his summer of 2024.

“I set little goals, then once I’ve accomplished them, I find ways to get to bigger goals like Player of the Year,” Biagioli said. “Starting the college season last year (as a freshman) I could tell my game was improving, but consistency was something I was always looking for. I would shoot 68 then 78, but through the year I started putting good rounds together.”

At the Michigan Amateur, Biagioli set a first goal of making match play.

“I had never made match play, and I didn’t know what to expect but I always knew I could win matches,” he said. “My dad told me before I left that week for the tournament to bring home that (Staghorn Trophy). I thought it was possible. I knew I could win. I didn’t play that great in stroke play, but I made it to match play and won a match that wasn’t pretty. But I built on it, gave myself chances and pulled off big shots.”

He said the most memorable shot was a clutch 18-foot putt on hole 18 in the semifinals against Matt Zerbel of St. Joseph to win 1-up and move on to the final match with Jimmy Dales of Northville.

“I’ll remember that one the most I think,” he said. “It was what I needed to win that match, and I came through.”

Hartmann said Biagioli was a surprise and not on anybody’s list of favorites to win the Michigan Amateur.

“I think we all learned about him that week,” he said. “I’m not surprised he is the Player of the Year. He went out and won the two biggest tournaments of the summer, so he definitely deserves it. It’s not an easy accomplishment.”

Hartmann is excited to see what is ahead with Biagioli.

“He doesn’t look like a flash in the pan, especially because he won the Amateur and then won the GAM at (Barton Hills Country Club) on a tough set-up,” he said. “I think he’s a very steady player and this year he was consistent. He’s young so I expect there’s more that we will see from him.”