The 14th edition of the Michiana Hickory Open Borger Cup was held Aug. 2 at the Warren Golf course on the campus of the University of Notre Dame under ideal playing conditions. 

The organizer and past president of the Golf Heritage Society, Jim Jeselnick, welcomed 39 golfers, most of them in vintage golf clothing. Joey Piatek, the current president of the Society of Hickory Golfers, captured the top prize in the Jones division with a score of 80. This was the second win for Joey and besides the gold medal he received, Joey also got a $50 gift certificate from the pro shop and he will have his name included on the past champion’s trophy that sits in the Notre Dame clubhouse. 

Low net winners in the Jones division were Michael Nelson (69), Tim Gray (73), and Peter Sobiech (78). In the Sarazen division, Michael Kinney was first with a 74; Rob Julin a 79, and Michael West with an 87. In the Morris division, Jim Davis, the GHS magazine editor, shot a fine 69; Jim Jeselnick had a 75, and Joe Piatek Sr. Had a 79. In the Scramble division, the team of Spike Abernethy, Brad Baird, Dirk Wonnell, and Paul Bessler claimed the gold medals with a 69; next was Ron Smith and Drake Bergoff with a 69, and  next was Adam Berger, Grace Berger, Kurt Reif, and Kyle Reif with a 73. 

All of the medals given to the low net winners were flown in from Alexander Kirkwood and Sons of Edinburgh, Scotland. 

A separate contest was held, hoping to attract more local players, called the Borger Cup team event. Repeating from last year was a team from Morris Park Country Club. Their name goes on the team trophy which will reside in their clubhouse for this next year. 

Prior to the 1 p.m. shotgun start, a mini trade show was held in the clubhouse. Thanks to Gary Wyckoff for attending from Columbus, Ohio. Thanks also to Mary Kay Jeselnick for helping to organize a raffle of over 40 prizes. The proceeds of the raffle eclipsed $1,000 which were divided between two NWI First Tee chapters. The three youths who participated this year were presented with a hickory putter and a book on the history of the Ryder Cup. 

The committee would also like to thank Finnegan Koerwitz and Osvaldo Salazar for creating the Michiana web page and Facebook pages. Also, a debt of gratitude to Liz Borger for underwriting the cost of the Kirkwood medals and the work of our social media team. 

Finally, we could not enjoy the Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore designed golf course without the support of Head Golf Professional Kyle Demeter and her team of Nick and Katy. They were outstanding. Stay tuned for next year’s event on Sunday, Aug. 1, 2027.