With a 3-under-par 68 at the Bellevue Country Club, John Duthie cruised to the Apogee Management Investment Championship presented by DeFrancisco and Falgiatano, winning by 10 strokes over defending champion Johnny Gruninger.
Duthie, of Lansing, distanced himself from the field over the last 36 holes and in the process set a tournament record for the lowest four-round score with a 9-under 276. His 72-hole total of 276 broke the AIM record of 279 shared by Dr. Alan Foster (1986), Jeremy Sisson (2019, 2021) and Alec Bard (2020).
Duthie’ s impressive 10-stroke victory is the largest since Michael Mento won by nine strokes in 2018. Foster holds the tournament record for largest margin of victory with 15 strokes in 1986.
Duthie, a former touring professional for 10 years, regained his amateur status in April 2024. The highest level he achieved as a professional was the Canadian Tour in 2022. He also played on the Minor League Golf Tour.
Playing as an amateur has allowed Duthie (Robert Trent Jones Golf Club, Cornell) to compete in more events including the AIM.
“When I was a pro up here, when I came back from Florida, there weren’t many tournaments to play in,” the 35-year-old Duthie said. “Now I can play a whole bunch more.”
In the third round at Beaver Meadows, strong winds proved to be a challenge for many players. Duthie used his experience to card a 1-over-par 73 and increase his lead.
“It was very windy and I’ve played in a lot of wind and I can manage my game decently in those conditions,” said Duthie, who is a member of the Lansing Athletics Hall of Fame.
Duthie’s other AIM rounds were:
*68 at Green Lakes State Park Golf Course
*67 at Tuscarora Golf Club
*68 at Bellevue Country Club
Locally, Duthie finished third in the 2023 Emmett Kelly Masters and ninth in the 2023 Golf Max CNY Open.
Gruninger shot even-par 71 at Bellevue and finished the tourney in second at 1-over 286.
Anthony Maglisco placed third after a 2-under 69 for a 3-over 288 total. Jackson Saroney was the fourth round medalist with a 68 and finished fourth (289).