Jeremy Rothenberger
July 22,1976 – October 21, 2004
From the age of ten, Jeremy Rothenberger pursued a life saturated by the game of golf. As a boy, it was apparent that he had both the skill and the drive to be one of the best young players to enter the game. He captured respect for the etiquette and play of the game and took very seriously the work that would be required of him in order that he succeed.
Hailing from the small town of Concord, Michigan he advanced into championship play early in his high school career. As a result of his phenomenal strengths and dedication, Jeremy was named All-State three years in a row, achieving All State Super Team his senior year. Simultaneously, he competed in and won numerous local and state Junior Tournaments.
In 1994, he entered the University of Detroit on scholarship and spent the next four years sharpening every aspect of his play. He was named Team MVP in both 1995 and 1998; ranked All Conference in ’95; and earned three Division One Titles before leaving Detroit.
Jeremy stepped foot onto the green as a professional in 1999. While pursuing his personal vision, he leant his maturing expertise to others by way of teaching. He worked as the teaching Professional at Lago Mar Country Club in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, proving to be a coach with great patience and much to pass on to those willing to learn.
His own qualifications landed him spots in six professional mini-tours including the Montgomery Sports Tour in 2000 and 2001, the Trans-act Mortgages Tour in 2002, the Goldenbear in 2003, the Gulf-Coast Winter Series; Maverick and NGA Hooters Tours in 2004. Jeremy also had the opportunity to participate abroad mini-touring in South America. He managed an impressive display of titles including four first place finishes throughout this time. In addition to these wins, Jeremy worked diligently in the direction of PGA qualification and was esteemed as a medalist at the U.S. Open Qualifier in 2003. He entered Tour School 2001-2003, making progress in the direction of every golfer’s dream.
True to his form, Jeremy continued to shatter course records all over the country, earning the respect and admiration of his fellow players. At the time of his death, he was preparing to enter PGA Qualifying School for 2004. It was a time of extreme focus and whole-hearted devotion to growing in the game he had always loved.
ATHLETIC CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
High School Basketball
- 3 year starter- Career Avg – 17.9 ppg
- All Conference 1993 & 1994
- All Area 1983
- All Area Dream team 1994
- Citizen Patriot All Tournament Team 1992
- Team MVP 1993 & 1994
- Detroit Free Press 2nd Team All State
- Detroit News 6th Team All State
- Leading Scorer 1994 – 27.6 ppg
- New School Record -Season- 27.6 ppg
- BCAM All Star Team 1994
High School Golf Career 1990-1994
- All State Michigan: 1991, 1992, 1993
- All State Super Team: 1993
Junior Local & State Tournaments
- 1st, 1992 Insurance Youth Golf Classic
- 1st, 1992 Optimist Junior
- 1st, 1993 Junior Match Play
- 2nd, 1993 County Junior Tournament
- 15th, 1993 AJGA Buick Junior Tourney
- 4th, 1993 Michigan Junior Championship
- 4th, 1993 Michigan Junior Ping Tournament
- 2nd, 1994 City Match Play Championship
- 1st, 1994 Jackson Masters
- 1st, 1996 Jackson County Open
- 1st, 1996 Tournament of Champions
College – University of Detroit Mercy, Detroit, MI 1994-1998, Division I
- 1995, All Cenference- MCC
- Team MVP 1995 & 1998
Collegiate Players Tour – Division I Titles
- Motor City Invitational
- Duquesne Invitational
- Detroit Titan Invitational
Relocated to Florida turn Professional (1999-2004)Montgomery Sports Tour-2000
- 1st professional win, Tyrone lrish Crystal Open
- 18th on the money list
Montgomery Sports Tour – 2001
- Two, 2 place finishes, one loss in playoff
- 13th on money list
- Multiple top ten finishes
Trans-act Mortgages Tour – 2002
- Seven top ten finishes
- Three, 2nd place finishes including tour champion
- 4th on the money list
- Finished tied for 2nd in GoldenBear Event- 2002
Golden Bear Tour-2003
- Four top 15 finishes
- Low round in four events, three course records
- Two top ten finishes
Golf Coast Gold Winter Series-2004
- Three 1st place finishes
- Six top ten finishes out of seven starts
- Finished 1st on money list
Maverick Tour-2004
- Seven top 5 finishes
NGA Hooters Tour- 2004
- Two top twenty finishes
OTHER Accomplishments
- 2001- 28th in Florida Open
- 2003 – 6th in Florida Open
- Holding scoring records Montgomery Tour for low round 64 and holds record for lowest three day total of 16 under par
- Three course records set during Golden Bear Tour all rounds of 64 of -8.
- Holds course record at Concord Hills Golf Course, 65.
- Helped as a Golf Instructor for Concord Community Education Dept 1992
- 1999 Internship at Detroit Mercy Golf Coach
- 1999-2002 Worked as first assistant teaching professional at Logo Mar Country Club, Fort Lauderdale, FL
The best 50 golfers in Jackson Area History
Jeremy is #15
Throughout the golf season we’ve created the ultimate Jackson-area golf course and a guide to each of the courses in the Jackson County. Now, it’s time we look at some of the top men’s players who have played these courses consistently.
Jackson is a golfing hot bed, with multiple players who have won on the PGA tour and more who seem to be on track to get there, so we decided to rank the best to ever play in the area.
In order to qualify, a golfer must have won at least two local major tournaments to be considered. The majority of information collected for this project was aggregated from jacksongolf.net.
This is the list of the best 50 mens golfers in Jackson-area history.
Jeremy Rothenberger is ranked higher than his victory collection would indicate, but beyond the number of wins was a talented golfer who would have won more had tragedy not cut his life short.
Rothenberger won the 1994 Jackson Masters by torching the competition with a 70 on day two – seven strokes better than the next closest competitor.
He added County Open and Tournament of Champions titles in 1996 and was pursuing a professional career when he was killed in a car crash in Florida at the age of 28 in 2004.
Read the full article from Mlive here
Follow Your Dream
The 13th Annual Memorial Golf Tournament was held in celebration of the life of Jeremy. The attendance of 168 golfers and over 200 family and friends from New Mexico to Canada were in attendance to share in the celebration.
$1600 – Concord Boy & Girls golf bags
$600 – Concord Baseball Jackets
$5500 – Concord Athletic Boosters
$28,000- Concord Athletic Scholarships 2008-2021
$12500 – Jackson Junior Golf Scholarships 2006-21
$1400 – Concord PTO Classroom Sound System
$5000- Concord Baseball Scoreboard
$2000- Concord Football telescopic camera
$2500 – Concord Softball Scoreboard
$2000 – Concord Athletic Scholarships 2011
$2000- Concord Athletic Scholarships 2012
$2000-Concord Baseball Donation 2013/2014
$3000 – Concord Athletic Scholarships – 2013/2014
$2000 – Blonde Racing 2014
$2000 – Village of Concord Baseball/Softball scoreboard(2016)
$1600- Girls Basketball Uniforms 2016-17
$1480 – Concord Boy & Girls Golf Bags 2016-17