March 29, 2024

Neff, Hill win first Soul Survivor titles at Gateway

Former champions Diekema, Houser return to top, too

MONROE — Michael Neff has been playing in the club championship and Soul Survivor tournaments at Gateway Recreation Golf Course for the past 10 years.

Never has he had weekends like the past two.

Neff started with a club championship on July 17 and finished with a juniors Soul Survivor title Saturday for his first win in both formats.

“It feels great,” Neff said. “I’ve been close a few times, but I couldn’t get the job done.”

Neff’s first win in Soul Survivor wasn’t easy either. He had to make a few challenging putts to stay alive on the seventh hole and made roughly a 15-foot birdie on the ninth and final hole to force a playoff.

Neff downed Devon Woody in the playoff to claim championships on back-to-back weekends.

“There is a lot of luck to Soul Survivors,” Neff said. “I feel like it was on my side this year. I felt like I hit a few bad shots, but the end result didn’t show that. The putt I made on the seventh hole got me into a chip off with three other guys. I was able to put one close and move on.”

In Soul Survivor, each tournament starts with 10 golfers or teams. The worst score at each hole is eliminated. They use chip offs to break ties and go to playoff holes when the field is down to two.

Neff’s win in Soul Survivor came in the junior division. Brad Hill was a first-time winner in the senior division and Hill’s son, Wade Hill, won the junior-senior alternate shot division with Louie Kamerick.

The women’s alternate shot division was won by Mia Diekema and Justin Houser.

For Diekema, it was her second win in three years playing in the women’s Soul Survivor. She was a state golf qualifier for PCM in 2006 and 2007.

“Mia carried my butt all day long,” Houser said. “I had two good shots and one good putt. I had nothing to brag about on my end. I was just lucky enough to have her as my partner.”

Diekema won a chip off on No. 7 to keep the group alive and she drove the green on her tee shot on No. 5.

“On the final hole, I had to make a putt to avoid a playoff so that was nerve-wracking,” Diekema said.

Neff and Brad Hill were not fortunate enough to avoid playoff holes. Brad Hill needed two playoff holes to get past Mike Smith, the senior division runner-up.

“I had plenty of luck. Neither one of us played that great in the playoff holes,” Brad Hill said. “Mike probably should have won.”

Brad Hill was 2-over par after the first nine holes. He went bogey-bogey on the two playoff holes, but Smith went bogey-double bogey.

“My chipping won it for me today,” Brad Hill said. “I stayed in the game with some good chips. I had some big second shots, too. Especially after a 20-yard tee shot on No. 4. That was a horrible shot, but I survived it.”

Soul Survivor weekend is fun for all involved. Even for those who aren’t swinging a club.

“I absolutely love the weekend,” Diekema said. “I love to golf and be out there with all my friends. It was nice to win, but I would have been happy if any of my friends won as well.”

Neff has been playing in the Soul Survivor tournament since high school.

“The support for all the golfers playing from the community is fantastic,” Neff said. “A small community to be able to put something like that on and to have the support we do is amazing.”

Brad Hill was able to play in the senior division with two golfers he coached in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Wade Farver and Marty Chipps were eliminated on back-to-back holes for fifth- and sixth-place finishes, respectively.

“I really enjoyed playing with those two,” Brad Hill said. “They both said after they were eliminated that they hoped I would win. That made me feel good.”

Houser, who won the junior Soul Survivor back in 2010, said he looks forward to the weekend each year. Saturday was the first time he played in the women’s-junior alternate shot.

“My family and I love it,” Houser said. “It’s a good time. I had fun playing with the ladies. It was a good experience.”

Finishing behind Neff and Woody in the junior Soul Survivor were Farver, Dane Jenkins and Cole Van Ryswyk.

The top five in the senior Soul Survivor were Brad Hill, Smith, LD Crain, Brett Underberg and Farver.

In the women’s alternate shot Soul Survivor, Diekema and Houser bested Sam Lease and Bryce Wignall on the final hole. Lease and Wignall were nearly eliminated on a chip off earlier in the round.

The final three groups in the top five were Jan Van Ryswyk and Tony Ford, Makenna Van Veen and Jared Burns and Amber Hutchinson and Scott Grass.

After Wade Hill and Kamerick at the top of the junior-senior alternate Soul Survivor were Jim Flickinger and Chris Tarantino, Logan Van Veen and Jim Tangeman, Jordan Woody and Jeff Beener and Alex Roorda and Joel Grier.