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.”