It was a beautiful day on the links Monday, Sept. 15, as 140 golfers participated in the 43rd annual Desert Golf Classic at The Cardinal, a spectacular new 18-hole golf course at St. John’s Resort in Plymouth.
The annual golf tournament supports Sacred Heart Major Seminary’s Desert Formation Experience, a 30-day spiritual pilgrimage during which graduate seminarians visit some of the holiest sites in Europe or the Holy Land. The annual pilgrimage offers seminarians a chance to walk in the footsteps of Christ and the apostles while discerning God’s voice in their vocation and lives.
The warm, sunny afternoon offered golfers a chance to compete on the same championship course where professionals teed off just weeks earlier during a LIV Golf event in August. The Cardinal, which opened in 2024, is already rated as one of Michigan’s top courses.
Golfers enjoyed lunch and beverages on the course, and even had a chance to test their skills against an LPGA Tour professional on a Par 3 “Beat the Pro” closest-to-the-pin competition.
During a reception that followed, participants heard from Jonathan Galvas, a second-year seminarian from the Diocese of Lansing, about his experience on the Desert Formation Experience pilgrimage this spring. Galvas even displayed a baseball that was signed by Pope Leo XIV in Rome. The evening closed with the singing of the traditional hymn, “I Am the Bread of Life.”
This year’s tournament winners included:
First Place (19 Under)
- Score: 53
- Fr. Michael Bruno Selvaraj
- Eric Riedy
- Adam Sanders
- Ben
Second Place (15 Under)
- Score: 57
- Michael Akouri
- Fr. John Dudek
- Ed Obkuniewski
- Tom Reidy
Third Place (15 Under)
- Score: 57
- Thomas Butts
- Jennifer Jones
- Erich Mau
- Michael Shearon
Closest to the Pin
- Men’s: Eric Riedy
- Women’s: Debbie Bloomgren
Longest Drive
- Men’s: Adam Sanders
- Women’s: Jennifer Jones
Team Longest Drive
- Jack Vigneron
- Mike Vigneron
- Garrett Vigneron
- Pat Vigneron
Sacred Heart Major Seminary is deeply grateful to the sponsors who made this year’s Desert Golf Classic possible:
Holy Land Sponsor
- Ka-Wood Gear & Machine Co.
Title Sponsor
- Knights of Columbus – Michigan State Council
Event Sponsor
- Catholic Funeral & Cemetery Services
Beverage Cart Sponsors
- Captrust
- Diocesan Catholic Life Every Day
- Grunwell-Cashero Co.
Breakfast Sponsors
- Woodhaven Dental
- Royal Oak Financial Advisors
Boxed Lunch Sponsor
- Captrust
Reception Sponsors
- Weingartz
- Marino Family
- Sullivan & Sons Funeral Directors
Eagle Sponsors
- St. Daniel Parish, Clarkston (Fr. Craig Marion)
- Nino Salvaggio Int’l Marketplace, Clinton Township
Birdie Sponsors
- St. Anne Parish, Ortonville (Fr. Craig Marion)
- St. Daniel Parish, Clarkston (Fr. Craig Marion)
Hole-in-One Sponsor
- Alliance Catholic Credit Union
Beat the Pro Sponsor
- Bell’s Brewery
Individual Hole Sponsors
- Crook Electric Co.
- Fr. Derik Peterman
- Fr. Sal Palazzolo
- Simone Companies
- Bodman PLC
- Crispelli’s
- Ordination Class of 2024 – BKE
- Julie & Paul Tomasko
- Grunwell-Cashero Co.
- St. Joan of Arc Parish, St. Clair Shores (Msgr. G. Michael Bugarin)
- St. Anne Parish, Ortonville (Fr. Craig Marion)
- St. Daniel Parish, Clarkston (Fr. Craig Marion)
- St. Malachy Parish, Sterling Heights (Fr. Joseph Gembala)
- G.A. Fuchs Church Supply
- TriGriffin Group
- A.J. Desmond & Sons
To support the Desert Formation Experience, please prayerfully consider a gift to Sacred Heart Major Seminary.
