HOLLAND >> Greg Davies of West Bloomfield added the GAM Senior Match Play Championship to his Michigan Golf Hall of Fame resume, but it wasn’t easy.

The 57-year-old financial advisor had to go 21 holes to turn back Tom Gieselman of Commerce Township Friday at Macatawa Golf Club and claim the 17th edition of the championship presented by Stifel Investment Services.

The Orchard Lake Country Club member won it with an 8-iron shot to just outside two feet on the 148-yard par 3 No. 3 hole in sudden-death.

“I knew, even after I got a quick lead in the beginning of the match that Tom would come back,” Davies said. “I knew he would make a few, or several, and you know it ended up being battle just like I expected.”

Davies, a former Michigan Amateur champion, GAM Mid-Amateur champion and GAM Senior champion, had to battle 20 holes to get the win in his Thursday semifinal match with Rick Williams of Northville. Gieselman also went 20 holes in his semifinal win over Ken Hudson of Lake Orion.“You know, a lot of us still compete and practice hard and enjoy the competition, that’s really what it’s about,” Davies said. “You want to play your best under the gun in the heat of the battle. That’s the enjoyable part of it for me, and it was great competition all week and a great final match with Tom. He’s a great guy and a phenomenal player.”

A Super Senior (age 65-plus) champion was also crowned and featured a final match between longtime friends and former Central Michigan University golf teammates.

Mitch Wilson of Portage, a two-time Senior Match Play champion in the overall division (2015, 2020), won the Super Senior title for the first time by turning back Randy Lewis of Alma, a Michigan Golf Hall of Fame member and the 2011 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion who was defending his Super Senior title of a year ago, 4 and 3.

Wilson earned his spot in the title match with a 1-up semifinal win over Kerry Buettner of Grandville on Thursday. Lewis turned back Cliff Harris of Charlevoix 2-up in his semifinal match.

“The fact that we’re all still here and playing, that’s what makes the Super Senior such a great fraternity in the state,” the 67-year-old Wilson said. “We’ve been playing against each other for such a long time, and Randy and I go back to CMU days. I just feel blessed that we get to come out, play a course like this, see each other, and compete. It’s special to do that and then we go to lunch together. That’s what it is all about.”

In the overall championship match, Davies was 3-up early with two opening birdies and some troublesome shots by Gieselman. He had a 2-up lead through six holes and Gieselman won the 11th hole with a birdie and finally tied the match at No. 18 with a par.

“We both played really, really well, and it could have gone either way at the drop of a dime,” Davies said. “I was fortunate to hit it close on the 21st hole. His shot bounced off that mound there and rolled toward the pin, so I tried to hit mine just a little farther. I thought it was too far, but then it took a great bounce for me and rolled down to about two feet.”

Wilson said the course and the wind made the tournament a challenge throughout the week.

“It’s just so difficult to get the ball close and make birdies here,” he said. “We both had hiccups. Randy probably had a few more than I did. The course doesn’t let you get away with anything. It tests every shot. I was fortunate to strike the ball well most of the time this week.”