The skies over Rackham Golf Course in Royal Oak were gray and threatening all Sunday long, but the 2026 CaddyShack Classic — played in honor of Reese and Brooke and raising $940 for Pompe Disease research — didn’t need sunshine to produce fireworks. What it produced instead was one of the most dramatic finishes of the 2026 season, a three-way tie at net 66 (-5) featuring two rookies and a two-time winner, and a putt-off that added Vinnie Calles’s name to one of the Mulligan Tour’s most storied champions lists. The CaddyShack Classic dates back to 1999, and the 2026 edition delivered a finish worthy of its history.
The first act of the day belonged to David Wilson, who came out of the gates like a man on a mission. An eagle on the very first hole, followed by seven birdies in the first eleven holes, had Wilson at a seemingly unreachable -7 and looking like a runaway winner. Then Rackham reminded everyone that 18 holes is a full round. Two double bogeys and two bogeys across the next four holes dismantled the lead as quickly as it had been built, and Wilson’s gopher trophy aspirations slipped through his fingers in real time. He eventually finished tied for fifth at net 69 (-2), sharing a three-way tie with Ned Loving and Jeff Pasz — a painful ending to what had been a spectacular front nine. Phil Parent had quietly put together the day’s most consistent round, finishing fourth at net 67 (-4) for $11.
Into the vacuum stepped Anthony Dean, who strung together four birdies over his final seven holes to reach -5 and plant a flag at the top of the leaderboard. For a stretch it looked like Dean — winner of two events earlier this season — might have done enough. Then Rackham produced its two best stories of the day. Pat Patterson, putting together his best personal round on the Mulligan Tour, made seven birdies in his final twelve holes and clawed his way to -5. And Vinnie Calles, the rookie who had been playing steady all day, answered with birdies on 12 and 13 before reaching the long par-4 18th needing a birdie to tie. Calles stood over a slippery five-footer and buried it — a clutch putt under pressure that earned him a share of first and sent all three players to the putting green.
The four-hole aggregate putt-off was no contest. Per the history page, Calles posted 10 points across four holes, with Dean and Patterson each finishing at 11 — Calles’s steadier putting proved the difference, and the rookie walked away as the 2026 CaddyShack Classic champion. Kevin Gregoire and Rich Dunmore shared eighth at net 70 (-1) for $2.50 apiece, and a five-way tie at net 72 (+1) — Jonathan Barnes, Joseph Brandenburg, Eric Kiekbusch, B Paul Parent, and Michael Thacker — split the remaining prize money at $0.20 each. On the challenge holes, Kevin Gregoire swept the par-3 prizes, winning CTP on both hole 5 and hole 16, while Ned Loving claimed hole 8 and Helen Puffenberger grabbed hole 13. Random drawing prizes went to Jonathan Barnes (Hickory Creek GC gift card), Rod Theunissen (Coyote GC), Paul Parent (Fieldstone GC), and Mike Prieskorn (Fellows Creek GC).
The 2026 CaddyShack Classic is the sixth consecutive tournament this season won by a first-year player, a streak that has the old guard looking over their collective shoulder with the regular season winding down. The last 3 weekend winners – Calles, Fobare (twice), Keilitz, Wassman, Jamie Wilson — the rookie class of 2026 has been anything but quiet. Vinnie Calles joins that list now, his name etched alongside some of the great CaddyShack champions going back to 1999. The Mulligan Tour closes out its regular season next weekend with the Little Diablo and Ugly Pants, then the Division Championships follow. The veterans will be looking to reassert themselves. Given what the rookies have done all summer, that’s easier said than done.
