The tournament changed to its current Ryder Cup format in 1994 and shortly thereafter moved to a Grand Haven vs. The World team format creating a long-standing fun but intense and sometimes heated rivalry lead by captains Jack Vos (Grand Haven) and Mark Rice (World). Strategery, gamesmanship, and competitive tactics to create mismatches during this period are part of the lore and fabric of this tournament, from Captain Vos slipping encouraging notes under his team's doors at night, to last minute player announcements of moving tee boxes, to comments about certain player's games "peaking"--anything to get an edge.
The intensity erupted in 1999 at Boyne Highlands after the tournament ended in a tie for the first and only time in its history. With Team Grand Haven holding the Senior Cup after winning it in 1998, they made the understandable assumption a tie would result in their holding the trophy another year. Team World had other ideas and reminded their competitors no rules had been previously established concerning matches ending in a tie, stating that a tie should be a tie--no one holds the Cup. Emotions and frustrations boiled over. Alas, it was perhaps this intensity that drove players like Van Zee, Vos, Tanis, and Vandenberge to play on in a cold, drenching rain at The Chief in 2001 and, perhaps drove others to depart the tournament altogether.
The Grand Haven vs. The World team format would continue for six more years until 2007 when Captains Vos and Rice decided, as fun and competitive as the format had been, a change was necessary in order to restore some of the tenants of the tournament that perhaps were in danger of being lost: friendship, camaraderie, and a love of game. Most would agree the change to picking new teams each year has been necessary and successful. Most would also agree, however, there was something special about the old format and the spirited rivalry it brought.
Interestingly, in thirteen years of playing a Grand Haven vs. The World team format, the matches have ended with six wins each and a tie. With this year's return to the old format, one team finally have an edge.
This year's teams are as follows:
Team Grand Haven
| Baker, Jim |
| Elenbaas, Steve |
| Grek, Chris |
| Mulder, John |
| Rosema, Dan |
| Stuk, Jeff |
| Terpstra, Ken |
| Van Hall, Brian |
| Van Zee, Dirk |
| Van Zee, Don |
| Vos, Jack |
| Vos, Jon |
| Vos, Sam |
| Warners, Bob |
| Warners, Jim |
Team World
| Anema, Dick |
| Anema, Thom |
| Klunder, Ken |
| Rice, Mark |
| Rice, Rodg |
| Tanis, Dave |
| Tanis, Jeff |
| Tanis, Owen |
| Topliff, John |
| Vandenberge, Mark |
| Vandenberge, Phil |
| VanderWal, Dan |
| VanderWal, Kyle |
| Vroon, Tony |
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