Dearborn’s Elayna Bowser, White Lake’s McCoy Biagioli earn GAM’s top honors for 2024
Dearborn’s Elayna Bowser and White Lake’s McCoy Biagioli have been named the Golf Association of Michigan’s players of the year for 2024.
Bowser, who was a professional for four years before regaining amateur status for 2024, won the GAM Women’s Mid-Amateur championship and made the round of 32 at the U.S. Women’s Amateur. Biagioli, who plays at Ferris State, became the 11th golfer to win the Michigan Amateur and GAM Championship in the same season.
The winners were determined by a seasons-long points race.
Bowser, 27, is a real-estate agent after giving professional golf a try after playing in college at Loyola-Chicago. Now, she’s the GAM’s women’s player of the year.
“They are going to enjoy me being player of the year as much or more than I enjoy it.”
Bowser won player of the year honors ahead of runner-up Bridge Boczar, of Canton, who plays golf at Baylor and won the GAM Women’s Championship for a second straight year. Beverly Hills’ Shannon Kennedy, who won the Michigan Women’s Amateur in 2024, finished third in the points race, while Midland’s Kimberly Dinh, last year’s player of the year, and Trenton’s Laura Bavaird finished fourth and fifth, respectively.
Earlier in the year, Bowser was caddying for her brother, Evan, including at the PGA Championship.
“Professional golf was a struggle, mentally, physically, emotionally but my dad and (brother) Evan are always there for me,” said Bowser, who won the Michigan Women’s Amateur in 2019 but won player of the year this season, thanks to her consistency. “We’re a golf family. We’re all ‘golfaholics.’
Biagioli won the men’s points race ahead of runner-up John Quigley, of Sterling Heights, who won the GAM Mid-Amateur Championship. South Lyon’s Julian Menser, who plays at Michigan State, finished third, while Lake Orion’s Drew Coble, who plays at Grand Valley State, and East Lansing’s Drew Miller, who plays at Michigan State, finished fourth and fifth, respectively.
Biagioli, 19, also cited consistency in winning the GAM’s men’s player of the year.
“I set little goals, then once I’ve accomplished them, I find ways to get to bigger goals like player of the year,” Biagioli said. “Starting the college season last year, I could tell my game was improving, but consistency was something I was always looking for. I would shoot 68 then 78, but through the year I started putting good rounds together.
“My close friends, my teammates that play with me all the time knew the things I could do. Those who didn’t know me so well just didn’t know what I was capable of.”
tpaul@detroitnews.com
@tonypaul1984
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