Six high-school golfers and their coach were hospitalized after their team van was involved in a head-on collision with a stolen vehicle driven by a man fleeing police on Sunday night in Benzie County, Michigan.
Head coach Doug Drenth was driving six members of the Charlevoix (Michigan) High School varsity boys golf team back to their hotel at Crystal Mountain Resort in Thompsonville, Michigan, after completing the first round of a two-day tournament at nearby Arcadia Bluffs when the accident occurred.
The Benzie County Sheriff’s Office said one of its officers attempted to stop the stolen Ford Escape, which was being driven by a 32-year-old suspect wanted for felony assault of a 19-year-old woman in Antrim County, before the driver fled westbound on M-115. After about a mile and a half, the SUV crossed the centerline and collided with the golf team’s van between Wallacker and Arner roads in Joyfield Township, not far from the entrance to the resort.
The driver of the SUV died on the scene. Drenth and his players, ages 15 to 18, were transported to Munson Medical Center with “numerous injuries,” according to police.
“This is a horrific crash and it’s so unfortunate that this had occurred yesterday,” said Lt. Ashley Miller of Michigan State Police. “We are utilizing all of our state police resources to make sure that this is investigated to the fullest. We are working with both sheriff’s offices, Antrim and Benzie County. We want to make sure that we get the correct answers.”
A Facebook page for Charlevoix Public Schools released this statement on Monday morning: “As many of you are aware, there was a serious vehicle accident on Sunday, April 27, 2025, involving members of our varsity golf team and our coach as they were traveling to their hotel. This has been a difficult time for our school community, and we continue to keep everyone involved in our thoughts and prayers.
“Out of respect for their privacy, we are not sharing names of those involved at this time, as that is theirs to share if and when they choose. Please keep the focus on supporting our Rayder students, coach, and families by continuing to show compassion, kindness, and respect during this time.
“Counselors and social workers will be available throughout the day to assist students and staff who may need additional support.”
Drenth is the clubhouse manager for Charlevoix Golf Club, a 100-year-old, nine-hole facility in Charlevoix, which is located in northern Michigan on the isthmus between Lake Charlevoix and Lake Michigan. He also helps run the junior program at the club in addition to coaching the high-school team, which has won two straight regional titles in Division 4. Drenth is also the brother of former Michigan State track-and-field and cross-country coach Walt Drenth, who retired in 2020.
Sunday night’s accident rocked many Michiganders who remember the fatal crash that killed 30-year-old golf coach Jason Potter and 18-year-old golfer Louis Menard from Grayling High School while critically injuring four other team members. That tragedy happened April 29, 2013, in Kalkaska County, which is only about 50 miles from Joyfield Township, while Potter was driving his team to a tournament in Traverse City.
More recently, in March 2022, six members of the University of the Southwest golf teams were killed along with their head coach, Tyler James, after the sprinter van James was driving was involved in a head-on collision in Andrews, Texas. The pick-up truck that veered across the centerline and crashed into the van was being driven by a 13-year-old boy, who died along with his dad, the passenger. Two team members, Canadians Dayton Price and Hayden Underhill, survived and are both competing again.
