Ferris State Alum Ben Cook Finishes Two-Over Par In PGA Tour's Rocket Mortgage Classic

Big Rapids, Mich. - Former Ferris State University men's golf standout Ben Cook earned an invitation and competed this past week while narrowly missing the cut in the PGA Tour's Rocket Mortgage Classic, which was held at the Detroit Golf Club.

Cook shot a 74 in the opening round on Thursday before coming back to card an even-par 72 in Friday's second round of action, finishing at +2 for the two rounds of action. He did not make the cut in the event, but finished with a 146 total and was only a few strokes away from making the weekend.

A West Michigan native from Caledonia, Cook is a three-time Michigan PGA Champion and earned the invitation by winning the state's championship. This past week marked his fifth overall start on the biggest stage in golf after playing in the PGA Championship three-straight years from 2019-21 in addition to one other regular-season tournament. Cook has also previously played on the PGA Tour LatinoAmerica.

The Bulldog alum led FSU to the 2017 NCAA Division II National Quarterfinals in his final collegiate campaign and made his third consecutive appearance in the PGA Championship in 2021, finishing as the low PGA Club Professional in one of golf's four major events. He was the 2020 Michigan PGA Professional Champion, took third place at the 2021 PGA Professional Championship.

As a senior at Ferris State, Cook claimed 2017 Division II PING All-America recognition. He led the Bulldogs to a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) runner-up finish and a top 10 national ranking during the regular season. The standout claimed GLIAC Player of the Year honors for the second time in his collegiate career after previously earning the distinction in 2015 when he was also chosen to the Division II PING All-America Team.

A two-time all-region choice, Cook compiled eight top-10 tournament finishes for the Bulldogs his final year, including winning the Kyle Ryman Invitational hosted by Tiffin University. He placed among the top three golfers in five events and tied for sixth overall at the league championships. The four-year letterwinner led FSU to five tournament championships and a 15th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.

Following the regular season, Cook helped lead the Bulldogs to one of their best postseasons ever. He finished seventh individually at the 2017 NCAA Division II Midwest/Central Super Regional in Nebraska by carding a 206 total over three rounds. His performance included a school-record eight-under par 64 total in the final round as the Bulldogs earned runner-up honors in the event. It also featured an ace on the part three, fifth hole at the Awarii Dunes Golf Course.

Cook's impressive final regional round helped the Bulldogs notch a 270 final round team score, which also broke the previous school record score of 274 set by the Bulldogs in their own Ferris State Invitational at Katke Golf Course in 2001. Ferris State's 836 team total (-28) for the 54 holes of the super regional also topped the 837 figure recorded in 2009 at the Saginaw Valley State Al Watrous Memorial Invite in Bay City.

Cook's 64 figure in the final round represented the best individual 18-hole score in school history, topping the previous mark of 65 set by John Hagemeier in 1997 and matched by Jim Lusk in 1998 along with Eric Lilleboe in 2009. His 206 finish for the 54 holes also was near a school-record, which Lilleboe set in 2009 at the SVSU Al Watrous Memorial Invite with a 202 total.

In his final season, Cook went on to finish tied for 15th individually with a 214 total at the NCAA Division II National Championships in Florida after shooting a 73 in the final round. He shot a 68 in round one before closing the tourney with back-to-back 73's over the final two days of stroke play.

His play helped Ferris State advance to the national quarterfinals by finishing seventh overall in the stroke play portion of the national championships in Kissimmee. FSU was the only school outside of the state of Florida or South Carolina to finish among the top seven teams in the country in stroke play. The Bulldogs fell to eventual national champion Florida Southern in the round of eight.