The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians team won the Native American Cup Golf Tournament August 12 to 14 at Grand Traverse Resort near Traverse City. Four 12-member teams vied for the 2005 Cup and included the host, Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, along with the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe, Sault Ste. Marie Tribe, and Team Native America, which was composed of various tribal chairmen, American Indian businessmen, and four-time PGA tour champion Notah Begay III.

Qualifying for the competition took place July 9 and 10. Alan Bouschor was the top qualifier for the Sault Tribe team and was designated the team captain. Also playing on the team were Jeff McLeod, Leroy Frazier, Bernard Bouschor, D.J. Kuczewski, Gary Cook, Harold Frazier, Chad Cook, Mike Nolan, Donald Smith, Brandon Jackson and Brandon Cook. The final results were Sault Tribe, 20; Grand Traverse, 13.5; Saginaw Chippewa, 11; and Team Native America, 3.5.

"Congratulations to the Sault Tribe for an outstanding weekend of golf," said Henry Boulley, executive director of the Native American Cup. "They deserve the Cup; they earned it." Boulley said the Sault Tribe team did well all along but shined during singles matches on the final day of competition. The team won 11 out of 12 singles matches; Boulley called it an unheard of feat.

The Native American Cup dates to 1997 when the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe hosted the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe in a one-day golf event called the Anishinaabe Cup. Since then, the contest and the organization have evolved and there are hopes of eventual nationwide expansion.

"Our goal is for this event to grow so that in future years, dozens of American Indian tribes from across North America are represented and more scholarships are awarded," said Boulley.

The goal of the organization is to enhance leadership and educational opportunities for American Indian students through annual scholarships funded through golf tournaments and other fundraisers. The signature golf tournament, the Native American Cup, will be held annually on the second weekend of August.