CHEBOYGAN — Jon Micoff is simply a beast at the Northern Michigan Open.
In the almost 80-year history of Cheboygan’s prestigious golf tournament in August, no one has earned glory in the championship flight more than the Indian River native.
On Sunday, in front of a packed crowd on the 18th hole at the Cheboygan Golf & Country Club, Micoff calmly tapped in his final putt and won a record fifth Open championship, making it victories in 2009, 2011, 2017, 2024 and 2026.
“This one means a lot — they all mean a lot,” Micoff said after his win. “Going into the week I figured I had a good chance because I’ve been playing well.”
It was a dominant showing from start to finish for Micoff, who opened a four-shot lead by firing a 6-under 64 in Saturday’s first round, which featured a stretch of 5-under on holes 7-11, including an eagle on No. 7.
“(That eagle gave me a ton of momentum) because Kasey (Hocquard) was 3-under through five or six or something like that, and I was maybe at one or two-under, and then I started making a couple birdies and made that eagle, and then I started rolling,” Micoff said. “I birdied 10 and 11, and I was just feeling it there.”
Micoff pushed his score up to 8-under in Sunday’s round, and while he had some bogeys down the stretch, it was enough to earn title No. 5, as he finished with a two-day total of 140 (6-under) after a 70 on Sunday.
It was a satisfying triumph for Micoff, who said that falling short to PJ Maybank III in last year’s Open was motivation.
“Playing with PJ, he was playing lights out in that final round last year,” Micoff said. “He just showed me some spots where I needed to improve and things I needed to do. I’m not perfect at all, but he kind of pushed me in the right direction of what I had to work on to get better.”
Doing his best to make things interesting was Hocquard (138), whose superb final round of 66 included a birdie on the 18th, an emotional moment for the 2007 and 2008 Open winner who lost his mother, Paula, who passed away in June. An impressive birdie on the last secured a runner-up showing for one of the Open’s greatest players.
“That was the first time coming up 18 without (my mom) watching — and I was choking back tears knowing that she wasn’t going to be there to give me a hug,” Hocquard said, fighting back tears. “I was happy to make the birdie and finish strong and do what I could.”
Rounding out the top five were Eric Jimenez (third, 142), Zak Knoll (fourth, 144) and Kyle Parsons (fifth, 146).
Here’s winners from each other flight at the 79th edition of the Northern Michigan Open:
Championship Flight
1. Jon Micoff — 64-70 (134)
2. Kasey Hocquard — 72-66 (138)
3. Eric Jimenez — 68-74 (142)
4. Zak Knoll — 74-70 (144)
5. Kyle Parsons — 74-72 (146)
First Flight
1. Joe Kosanke — 76-74 (150)
Second Flight
1. Kasey Lofgren — 79-72 (151)
Third Flight
1. Darin Dingman — 82-76 (158)
Fourth Flight
1. Don Fobean — 87-81 (168)
Fifth Flight
1. Brett Merritt — 89-84 (173)
Sixth Flight
1. Shawn Mankin — 93-86 (179)
Seventh Flight
1. Greg Elliott — 101-97 (198)
Senior Championship Flight
1. Jon Kozlowski — 77-77 (154)
Senior First Flight
1. Willie Josephson — 86-84 (170)
Contact sports editor Jared Greenleaf at jgreenleaf@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @sportsCDT
This article originally appeared on Cheboygan Daily Tribune: Jon Micoff rolls, claims fifth Northern Michigan Open championship
Reporting by Jared Greenleaf, Cheboygan Daily Tribune / Cheboygan Daily Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jared Greenleaf, Cheboygan Daily Tribune | USA TODAY Network
