Eric Lilleboe, the defending champion of the 2025 Hall Financial Michigan Open Championship presented by Make The Turn and Harbor Title Agency, is excited to compete on the Cedar River Course at Shanty Creek Resort, which will be the tournament’s new host. Lilleboe has only seen the course via satellite view, but he is thrilled with the opportunity to play it and become a three-time winner.
The 37-year-old mini-tour professional will head the field in the tournament, which will be played from Monday, June 9 through Thursday, June 12, 2025. He is looking forward to the challenge of playing on a course he hasn’t played before and hopes for a lot of patience, a little luck, and a ton of good golf shots.
Lilleboe has spent much of the winter rehabilitating a back injury and is now ready to compete again. He lost his status on the PGA Tour Americas last year and had to rehab the injury, so he hasn’t played in much yet this year. However, he has been working hard and feels that his back is feeling good, and it’s a matter of keeping it healthy. He is confident that his game is coming around.
The Cedar River Course is a celebrated design by the late PGA Tour star Tom Weiskopf, and Lilleboe is familiar with World Golf Hall of Famer’s design work. He believes that the course is a straightforward challenge that requires some great planning and playing, and the key for him will be hitting a lot of drivers so he can get wedge in his hand. That’s when he can be aggressive and play his best golf.
Hall Financial is the presenting sponsor for a fourth consecutive year and has supporting sponsors in Make The Turn and Harbor Title Agency. The purse for the 2025 championship will be announced during tournament week.
- Shanty Creek hosted the Michigan PGA Professional Championship from 2000 to 2005.
- The Cedar River Course is one of five courses at the resort and can be played to a maximum yardage of 7,001.
- It features isolated holes, generous tree-lined fairways, classic natural green settings, significant elevation changes, and includes one of Tom Weiskopf’s trademark dramatic drivable par 4 holes (301-yard No. 13).
Michigan PGA Tournament Director Justin Phillips has made site visits and said that the course is in wonderful condition and should provide a great place to determine the 2025 Open champion.
“Shanty Creek is excited to have us, and we’re excited to have the tournament on a great Northern Michigan golf course,” he said. “We always have a strong field, a great purse, and once again tremendous support from Hall Financial and our supporting sponsors. It should be a wonderful week.”
A full field of 156 golfers, including 12 past champions, tour professionals, Michigan Section PGA professionals, and top amateur players, will play the first two rounds before a 36-hole cut to the low 70 scorers and ties.
| Some of the Notable Players in the Field: | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Scott Hebert of Traverse City Golf & Country Club (1997, ’99, 2000, ’01, ’02, ’06) | Steve Brady of Oakland Hills Country Club (1992, ’96) | Jake Kneen of White Lake (2018, ’22) | Joe Juszczyk of Dearborn (2023) |
| Matt Thompson, the golf coach at Hillsdale College (2017) | Jeff Bronkema of Caledonia (2016) | Tom Werkmeister of Hudsonville (2013) | Andy Ruthkoski of Muskegon (2007) |
| Barry Redmond of Chelsea (1989) | Tim Matthews of Scotts (1986) | Ryan Lenahan of South Lyon, the PGA Director of Instruction at Walnut Creek Country Club, who recently played in the 2025 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club in North Carolina. | |
| McCoy Biagioli of White Lake, the 2024 Michigan Amateur Champion, who is transferring from Ferris State University to Michigan State University. | Tyler Copp of Ann Arbor, the runner-up a year ago and a former Michigan Amateur Champion. |
The 2025 Hall Financial Michigan Open Championship will be a memorable event for many of the golfers in the field. First played in 1916, the Michigan Open annually attracts the top professional and amateur golfers in the state and its list of winners includes golf legends like Walter Hagen, Al Watrous, Chuck Kocsis, Horton Smith, and Dave Hill. Winning the championship will be a great honor for Lilleboe and a testament to his hard work and dedication.
As the tournament approaches, the excitement is building, and the golfers in the field are ready to compete.
