The Division Bell has been rung at Farmington Hills Golf Course every fall since 2010, and on Saturday, September 26th, Team West answered the call with one of the most dominant performances the three-division showdown has seen in years. Coming off the sting of losing the Commissioner Cup the week prior, Team West came out with something to prove — and proved it emphatically, posting a 294 (+10) team total to claim the 2026 Division Bell title by 27 strokes over Team Central and 41 strokes over Team East.
The tone was set by Noah Kline, who delivered the round of the day — a net 67 (-4) that was the best individual score on the board by five strokes and gave Team West an anchor that the other divisions simply couldn’t match. Chuck Withey followed with a net 72 (+1), and Greg Fobare contributed a net 76 (+5), with Rod Theunissen rounding out the foursome at net 79 (+8). Four players, four competitive rounds, no dead weight — exactly what division team golf demands.
Team Central finished second at 321 (+37). Greg Kline led the way at net 76 (+5), with Helen Puffenberger, Eric Birkle, and Chris Stalo all contributing, but the 27-stroke gap between first and second made this less a competition than a coronation for the West. Team East, meanwhile, made the wrong kind of history. Their 335 (+51) team total eclipsed Team Central’s 2024 performance of 332 (+48) to set a new record for the highest team score in Division Bell history — a distinction nobody in the Eastern Division will be framing for their wall. Scott Wilsey led Team East at net 75 (+4) and gave his team everything he had, but Rich Dunmore’s net 83, Anthony Dean’s net 82, and Chris Dunmore’s net 95 added up to a rough afternoon on Farmington Hills’ unforgiving layout.
Team Central took the Commissioner Cup last year, and Team West couldn’t hold onto it this season. But the Division Bell is a different trophy — and on Saturday, Team West made sure it left Farmington Hills heading in a different direction. They may have lost one team title this fall. They wasted no time finding another one.