And that’s working out pretty well, too.

The Island Resort Championship has been held for 14 years at the Sweetgrass Golf Club near the Delta County community of Harris, a stop paying more than $200,000 to up-and-coming women golfers who are looking for their chance on the main LPGA Tour.

Back a few years ago, Northern Michigan University graduate Casey VanDamme helped bring the Island Resort Intercollegiate Golf Championship to the complex in Delta and Menominee counties. He’s also a native of Perkins and was a star golfer at Mid Peninsula High School in his day.

It was when he was affiliated with South Dakota State’s golf program in 2019 that he helped found a men’s college tournament in the heart of the Upper Peninsula.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it didn’t return for several years but will soon be in its sixth iteration.

That’s because it will return to its usual time around Labor Day weekend to help kick off the collegiate fall season, and will be held at Sweetgrass’ “younger brother,” the nearby Sage Run Golf Course that opened in 2018 after Sweetgrass came into being in 2008.

The three-round, 54-hole tournament will be held over two days, Sunday, Aug. 31, and Monday, Sept. 1, Labor Day. Admission is free and all are welcome to see some of the best men’s college golfers in the nation.

The field will consist of a dozen teams, this year exclusively NCAA Division I programs. In some past years, Division II Northern Michigan University competed, but won’t be there this year.

Instead, the field includes home-state favorites Michigan and Michigan State joined by fellow Big 10 members Purdue and Nebraska. There’s also Ball State and Miami (Ohio) of the Mid-American Conference, along with West Virginia, Illinois State, Texas-El Paso, Central Florida, St. Mary’s and South Dakota State.

Purdue is the defending champion, while SD State remains as tourney host even as VanDamme has moved on to head up the women’s golf program at Kent State.

“This tournament continues to build a strong tradition and reputation for attracting top collegiate programs from across the country,” said Tony Mancilla, general manager of Island Resort & Casino in its press release. “Sage Run provides a unique and challenging layout that tests every part of a player’s game. We love seeing these athletes and their families experience all that our resort and golf courses have to offer.”

Current SD State head men’s coach Parker Edens is carrying on the tradition of being host.

“This is always a great way to kick off the college golf season, having these top teams competing together on a great, challenging golf course,” Edens said in the Island Resort release. “This year, we welcome another strong field of competition, and it should be a weekend filled with great golf. We can’t thank the casino and golf course enough for their hospitality and support of college golf.”

Sage Run, designed by renowned architect Paul Albanese, offers a 7,309-yard, par-72 layout that delivers a pure, rugged golf experience unlike any other in the region. Inspired by the legendary Royal County Down in Northern Ireland, Sage Run features rolling ridges, elevated tee boxes, natural hardwood forests and wide fairways framed by fescue grasses.

A central drumlin ridge runs through the property, creating bold elevation changes and a strategic mix of short risk-reward par-4s, reachable par-5s, and demanding par-3s. Rugged bunkering, dramatic green complexes and natural contours challenge players to carefully plan every shot.

Mancilla really enjoys seeing the alumni and families of the players experience the wonderful golf destination that Island Resort & Casino has become.

“Once visitors see the golf course and experience the resort, they’re going to want to come back and play it for themselves,” Mancilla said.

Story contents based on an email from the Island Resort & Casino previewing the event. Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee’s email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.