Eddie O’Neill/Daily Mining Gazette Pete Sturos attempts a chip during the Stonelake Invitational Saturday at the Portage Lake Golf Course.

HOUGHTON — More than 150 golfers teed off Saturday morning at the Portage Lake Golf Course as part of the Stonelake Invitational.

“It (the tournament) has been going on for at least 25 years,” said course manager Mark Maroste.

The day of golf is named after long-time Portage Lake member Bruce Stonelake. Maroste added that the day serves as a kick-off event for a week of meetings and activities among the men of the First Apostolic Lutheran Church.

The tournament is set up as a scramble with two teams of five competing against each other at each of the 18-holes. In a scramble format, all the golfers on a team tee off and then everybody hits from where the best ball lands. Play proceeds in that fashion.

“It’s a great time,” noted Sheldon Moe who along with his four brothers traveled all the way from Mankato, Minnesota, for the event. “It’s good to see everyone. It’s like a family reunion.”

The majority of the golfers came from downstate Michigan – many from the Ann Arbor area and related to each other.

After each team came off the course, hamburger, chips and potato salad was served up for lunch.

During lunch, a lot of stories were swapped about great drives, incredible chips and perfect putts. Some of the stories were even true, as each team agreed that there was a “real” golfer who carried their team with great hits on the course. Some of them had included a number of players who had golfed at the college level.

The afternoon wrapped up with an informal awards ceremony. Team Walker and Them won the tournament with a 19-under-par score, meaning they shot a 53. Maroste noted that he thought that was a tournament record.

Also of interest was a hole-in-one on the 14th by Mason Marrilic.

“It was all skill,” he said with a wink.

The Portage Lake Golf Course’s next major tournament is scheduled for Tuesday. The competition will be the first Junior Tournament of the season.