metropolitan amateur golf association may 2015 newsletter
DESCRIPTION
May 2015 MAGA NewsletterTRANSCRIPT
Metropolitan Amateur Golf Association • 11777 Clayton Rd. • St. Louis, Missouri 63131 314.567.MAGA • Fax: 314.261.9250 • [email protected]
MetropolitanTheVol. 2 No. 3
Proudly Presented By
Exclusive Corporate Partner
(Continued on page 4)
The Norwood Hills (West) coursewithstood the charge made by 112hopeful golfers looking to advance tothe U.S. Open at Chambers Bay, WA.The morning rain took its toll on theearly starters, while the winds andcool weather that followed continuedto test those who hit the tee aroundnoon.
Still, the conditions of the course;thick rough, firm fairways and goodgreen speed, combined with theweather conditions, got the better ofmost of the field with nearly a quarterof the players shooting 80 or higher.
Among the early finishers, itseemed that a round of even par 71would be the low score, with those inat 2-over 73 having a good chance tobe among the six qualifiers moving onto Sectional Qualifying.
However, it was a pair of areaprofessionals who secured their spotswith 1-under rounds of 70.
NORMANDIE AMATEURPAGE 6
UPCOMING EVENTSUS OPEN LOCAL
QUALIFYINGPAGE 1
OLD WARSON CUPPAGE 19
AMATEUR SERIES #2PAGE 18
PUBLINKS RESULTSPAGE 14
Bogey Hills #18 & #10 tee
USGA EVENTS
US JUNIOR QUALIFYING
June 22Lake Forest G&CC
US AMATEUR QUALIFYING
July 20-21Meadowbrook CC
Entry Deadline: June 24
EAST SIDE AMATEUR
June 13-14Spencer T. Olin GC
Entry Deadline: June 5
WOMEN’S AMATEUR
June 15-16Fox Run GC
OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP
July 10-12CC of St. Albans
Entry Deadline: June 24
US GIRLS QUALIFYING
June 24Bogey Hills CC
See pages 11 forfull schedule
MAGA EVENTS
US OPEN QUALIFYING: SIX PLAYERS MOVE ON
TO SECTIONAL PLAY
BECOME A VOLUNTEERPAGE 23
SENIOR OPEN QUALIFYINGPAGE 21
4-BALL CHAMPIONSHIPSPAGE 20
25 YEARS OF CHAMPIONS
KELLY & SCHNURBUSCHPAGE 8
LOST COURSES:SOUTHMOOR/BAHNFYRE
PAGE 16
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The Metropolitan May 2015
STAFF
EXECUTIVE DIRECTORCurt Rohe - [email protected]
P.J. BOATWRIGHT INTERNS - 2015Michael Kegin & Nicholas Wojciechowski
METROPOLITAN CHAMPIONSHIPSAmateur Championship
Match Play ChampionshipOpen Championship
Women’s Amateur ChampionshipJunior Amateur ChampionshipSenior Amateur Championship
Metropolitan Cup MatchesFour-Ball ChampionshipMid-America Junior Cup
USGA QUALIFYING ROUNDSUS Open Qualifying (Local and Sectional)
US Senior Open QualifyingUS Amateur Qualifying
US Mid-Amateur QualifyingUS Women’s Mid-Amateur
US Junior Amateur QualifyingUS Amateur Public Links Qualifying
US Senior Amateur QualifyingUS Women’s Open Qualifying
US Amateur Four-BallUS Women’s Amateur Four-Ball
EXECUTIVE BOARDStanford S. Grossman – President Emeritus
Thomas J. O’Toole Jr. – Vice-PresidentThomas O. Sobbe Jr. – Vice-President
M. Ray McCraine – SecretaryG. Scott Engelbrecht – Treasurer
G.F. (Rick) Meyer Jr. – At-Large MemberH. Mick Wellington – At-Large Member
ADVISORY COMMITTEEScott Thomas, Chairman
Dustin AshbyTom Barry
Skip BerkmeyerJim Dunn
David RhoadsCurt Rohe
It is getting to be an excitingtime of the season for MAGA,events are happening weekly, ourPJ Boatwright interns havestarted and while it has been wetthe last month the summerweather will be here shortly. Itwas a busy month of May withUS Open and US Senior OpenQualifying and the 29thNormandie Amateur.
I would like to welcome our two Boatwright Interns forthe summer, Nicholas Wojciechowski and Michael Kegin.You can read more about them later in The Metropolitan,but I am excited to have them on board for the next fewmonths.
The US Senior Open Qualifying was May 19th andBellerive CC Head Pro Mike Tucker secured a spot in field.While I get a lot of satisfaction from my position as ExecutiveDirector of MAGA, nothing is more gratifying thanpresenting the qualifying certificate to a golfer who qualifiesfor a USGA Championship. When I did that for Mike onMay 19, you could tell right away how much this meant tohim. Now, I have no idea how many times Mike hasattempted to qualify for a USGA Championship, but I wouldbet is numerous. MAGA gave him that opportunity on May19 and that is awesome he is getting to fulfill a dream ofplaying in a Senior major championship. CongratulationsMike, I look forward to seeing you in Sacramento!
June is going to be an exceptionally busy month withseveral events, championships and I have the opportunity tobe traveling to both the US Open and the US Senior Openthis month. This will be my first US Open and, to make itmore special, I get to travel and experience it with Stan!
Thank you all for taking some time to read this issue ofThe Metropolitan, there is a lot of information in here thismonth. This will be the first of our four monthly issuesthrough August.
Keep it in the fairway! As always, feel free to reach outto me at [email protected].
Curt
CURT’S COMMENTS
Curt RoheExecutive Director
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The Metropolitan May 2015
PAINFUL, YET EASY TO AVOID: WRONG
BALL PENALTIES
At a recent sectional high school tournament, I was aRules Official assigned to observe the landing zones fortwo adjacent holes when a low-handicap player hit histee shot into the rough near where I was standing. Afterhearing the ball “thump” on the ground, I turned andsaw two balls nestled in the rough. When the player ap-proached, I told him that I could see more than one ball,and I advised him to be sure to identify his ball. Theplayer proceeded to examine one of the balls and de-clared that this was not his ball in play. He then ad-vanced a few yards to the second ball, pulled out hisdistance measuring device, took a reading, selected aclub, addressed the ball and made his next stroke. Afterpicking up his bag and taking several steps, he lookeddown at another ball in the rough and immediately real-ized that, unfortunately, this one was his original ball.The player turned and looked at me as if I should haveknown that the ball he played was not the ball he struckfrom the teeing ground.
There are several rules that apply to this situation:
Rule 6-5. BALL: “The responsibility for playing theproper ball rests with the player. Each player should putan identification mark on his ball.”
Rule 12-2 LIFTING BALL FOR IDENTIFICA-TION: “ The responsibility for playing the proper ballrests with the player. Each player should put an identifi-cation mark on his ball.”
Yes, the text for these two rules is exactly the same. It issuch a fundamental concept that the USGA and R&Ahave repeated it. Also, note that both rules use the word“should.” Some officials think that it would be useful ifplayers were required to put an ID mark on their balls,but, as the rules state, this is a “responsibility” of theplayer.
RULES OF GOLF CORNERRule 12-2 goes on to state a very useful procedure thata player MAY (not must) follow in identifying his ball:“If a player believes that a ball at rest might be his, buthe cannot identify it, the player may lift the ball foridentification, without penalty. The right to lift a ball foridentification is in addition to the actions permittedunder Rule 12-1.” [R12-1 includes searching for or identi-fying a ball covered by sand, covered by loose impediments in ahazard, and searching for a ball in water.]
“Before lifting the ball, the player must announce his in-tention to his opponent in match play or his marker ora fellow-competitor in stroke play and mark the positionof the ball. He may then lift the ball and identify it, pro-vided that he gives his opponent, marker or fellow-com-petitor an opportunity to observe the lifting andreplacement. The ball must not be cleaned beyond theextent necessary for identification when lifted underRule 12-2.” [A player cleaning a ball in this situation wouldincur a 1-stroke penalty.]
Hopefully, the young player mentioned above learned avaluable lesson regarding the identification of his ball inplay before making his next stroke. The good news: Be-cause he corrected his mistake and played out the holewith his original ball, the damage was limited to only 2strokes for playing a Wrong Ball in stroke play (Rule 15-3b). If the player had failed to correct his mistake be-fore making a stroke on the next teeing ground (or inthe case of the last hole, before leaving the puttinggreen) he would have been disqualified from the compe-tition.
In match play, the general penalty for playing a WrongBall is loss of hole (Rule 15-3a).
Wrong Ball penalties are indeed painful, but they areeasy to avoid with sensible precautions. For more infor-mation, see the definition of Wrong Ball and Rule 15:Substituted Ball; Wrong Ball. You can Google “golfrules and decisions” for easy online access to the USGAdatabase.
Article submitted by Alvan Sage, Metropolitan Amateur Golf Association Rules Official.
The Metropolitan May 2015
US OPEN LOCAL QUALIFYING
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Oak Brook GC’s Mike Suhre and Web.com player Chris Naegel (Marquette HS - Missouri Baptist University)both began their rounds at the 10th hole, a demanding 187 yard par 3, in search of their quest.
In the end, making a few more birdies than bogey’s (with an eagle by Naegel thrown in), hitting key shots whenneeded, and a bit of luck, helped each of them secure a trip to the sectionals and a chance to play in the U.S.Open. Others advancing to the next stage are Griffen Locke from Joplin, two-time MAGA Amateur championand Kansas State player Kyle Weldon and Colin Neeman from Waterloo, Ill. Each of them posted even parrounds of 71. The final spot went into a shootout as four players tied with rounds of 72. In the playoff, MattEchelmeier of Columbia, Mo., edged Mitchell Gregson, Skip Berkmeyer and John Kelly for the sixth position.
This was certainly a day that tested a player’s game against very trying conditions. Yet, when it comes toqualifying for the U.S. Open, that seems to be the purpose of the qualifying rounds! As stated a few years backby former USGA President Sandy Tatum at Winged Foot in 1974, when asked if the USGA was trying toembarrass the best players, he replied, “No we’re trying to identify them.”
(Continued from page 1)
T1 Chris Naegel Chesterfield, Mo. 70T1 Michael Suhre Edwardsville, Ill. 70T3 Griffen Locke (a) Joplin, Mo. 71T3 Collin Neeman Waterloo, Ill. 71T3 Kyle Weldon (a) St. Louis, Mo. 71T6 Matt Echelmeier (a) Columbia, Mo. 72----------------------------------------------------------------T6 Mitchell Gregson Waterloo, Ill. 72T6 Richard Berkmeyer (a) Wildwood, Mo. 72T6 John Kelly St. Louis, Mo. 72T10 James Siegfried (a) Town & Country, Mo 73T10 Buddy Allen (a) Pevely, Mo. 73T10 Joey Johnson (a) Ozark, Mo. 73T10 Chris Brant Edwardsville, Ill. 73T10 Robert Gaus St. Louis, Mo. 73T10 Sam Migdal (a) Ballwin, Mo. 73T16 Justin Bryant St. Louis, Mo. 74T16 Brian Fogt Wildwood, Mo. 74T16 Mark Gardiner (a) Mascoutah, Ill. 74T16 Pete Noble (a) Jerseyville, Ill. 74T16 Van Pierce (a) Saint Louis, Mo. 74T21 Tim Laufer (a) Ellisville, Mo. 75T21 Daniel Venker (a) Saint Louis, Mo. 75T21 Colby Yates (a) Tonganoxie, Kan. 75T21 Steven Souchek (a) Columbia, Ill. 75T21 Mitchell Rutledge (a) Fort Wayne, Ind. 75T26 Shane Blankenship Sullivan, Mo. 76T26 Ted Moloney (a) Ballwin, Mo. 76T26 Greg Beale (a) Paducah, Ky. 76T26 Phil Caravia (a) Saint Louis, Mo. 76T26 Nick Arman (a) Ellisville, Mo. 76T26 Aaron Murphy Holts Summit, Mo. 76
T26 John Freund (a) St. Louis, Mo. 76T33 Jeff Escott Webster Groves, Mo. 77T33 Brian Coe Ballwin, Mo. 77T33 Adam Betz Clayton, Mo. 77T33 Justin Bardgett Chesterfield, Mo. 77T33 Wesley Hunter (a) Mobile, Ala. 77T38 Joseph Williams (a) St. Louis, Mo. 78T38 Alex Cusumano (a) St. Louis, Mo. 78T38 Parker Lawrence (a) Breese, Ill. 78T38 Justin Mueller (a) Belleville, Ill. 78T38 Zachary Gollwitzer (a) Ballwin, Mo. 78T38 Chris Ferris (a) St. Louis, Mo. 78T44 Ty Zimmerman St. Charles, Mo. 79T44 John Anderson (a) St. Louis, Mo. 79T44 Jordan Lewis (a) Murphysboro, Ill. 79T44 Dustin Hoehn St. Louis, Mo. 79T44 Robert Dunn (a) St Louis, Mo. 79T44 Jason Hyatt Fenton, Mo. 79T44 Michael McKillips (a) Brentwood, Mo. 79T44 Bobby Ray (a) St. Louis, Mo. 79T44 Mike Troyer Lake Saint Louis, Mo. 79T44 Matt Barry (a) Parkville, Mo. 79T44 Brad Neher Englewood, Colo. 79T44 JC Anderson O'Fallon, Mo. 79T44 Teddy Jones (a) Wildwood, Mo. 79T44 Michael Crowley Milwaukee, Wis. 79T58 Mark Faulkner Marion, Ill. 80T58 Austin Carmack (a) Newburgh, Ind. 80T58 Gus Maloney (a) St Charles, Mo. 80T58 Justin Wrozier (a) St. Peters, Mo. 80T58 Jared Jordan Rolla, Mo. 80T58 Joe Molitor (a) Saint Louis, Mo. 80
FINAL RESULTS
The Metropolitan May 2015
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US OPEN QUALIFYING SCORES
T64 Mark Burlison Columbia, Mo. 81T64 Landon Vaughan (a) McLeansboro, Ill. 81T64 Kevin Jeske (a) Kirkwood, Mo. 81T64 Ryan Higgins (a) Wildwood, Mo. 81T64 Travis Simmons (a) Jackson, Mo. 81T64 Samuel Waters Valier, Ill. 81T64 Zach Cutler (a) O Fallon, Mo. 81T64 Dan Emrick (a) St. Peters, Mo. 81T64 Wesley Hillen (a) Decatur, Ill. 81T64 Ryan Buerk St Louis, Mo. 81T74 Ben Charles (a) West Plains, Mo. 82T74 Davis Palen (a) Rogersville, Mo. 82T74 Scott McGrath (a) St. Louis, Mo. 82T74 David Johnson (a) Kirkwood, Mo. 82T74 Richard Weber III Weldon Spring, Mo. 82T74 Jamie Harrell (a) Glendale, Mo. 82T74 David Mueller (a) St. Louis, Mo. 82T81 Kyle Perry Bloomington, Ind. 83T81 John Fuchs (a) Springfield, Mo. 83T81 Julien De Poyen (a) Saint Louis, Mo. 83T81 Alex Ciaramitaro (a) St. Peters, Mo. 83T81 Paul Neeman (a) St Louis, Mo. 83
T81 Barrett Martens St. Louis, Mo. 83T81 Mike Lawton (a) Wentzville, Mo. 83T81 Crimson Callahan (a) Chesterfield, Mo. 83T81 Chris Martin (a) Rolla, Mo. 83T90 Scott Schaeffer (a) St. Charles, Mo. 84T90 Dustin Hoffmeier (a) Greenville, Ill. 84T90 Kortland Ware Florissant, Mo. 84T93 Jack Klingel (a) Ellisville, Mo. 85T93 Thomas Brennan (a) Hannibal, Mo. 85T93 Sam Goulden Washington, Mo. 85T93 Tyler Kniepkamp Belleville, Ill. 8597 Alex Knoll (a) Jefferson City, Mo. 8698 Brian McDonough (a) Red Bud, Ill. 87T99 Nick Chrisco High Ridge, Mo. 88T99 Josh Venz Festus, Mo. 88T99 Daryl Hartig St Louis, Mo. 88102 David Kirkman (a) St. Louis, Mo. 89103 Adam Bode (a) Wentzville, Mo. 90104 Sean Brennan Creve Coeur, Mo. 91T105 Will Schatz St. Louis, Mo. 93T105 Joshua Bushman (a) O Fallon, Mo. 93
Recent studies show that players shooting in the high 80s, willnormally three putt 50% of the time on a putt 50’ or longer.
STRAIGHT-FORWARD ADVICE
Fred Clarkson was the golf professional at Glen Echo Country Club from 1922 to 1953, when he wassucceeded by his son Don, who would later go on to become head pro at Old Warson CC during the 1971Ryder Cup. Fred was a “Carnoustie-man” meaning that his swing favored a low draw, as opposed to thoseScots who came to America from St. Andrews.
Fred taught many district champion players, both men and women, during his time at the club. He was knownfor having players hit shots from beautiful lies to see their swing. He would then step on the ball, burying it inthe deep rough and then tell them, “Alright, now let’s see ye hit this one!”
On one occasion he found a player in one of the greenside bunkers on the 18th green. He walked over to himand, in his thick Scottish brogue queried, “What’ca doin’ laddie?” To which the player replied that frequentlyon his approach to the green he found his ball in this bunker and he wanted to practice hitting bunker shots tobe able to get up and down. Fred listened intently and then commented, “Laddie, shouldn’t ye be practicingthe shot that got ye there?”
See page 15 for pictures from US Open Qualifying at Norwood Hills
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NORMANDIE AMATEUR
May 2015
1 Phil CaraviaNorwood Hills Country Club 68 70 138
2 Patrick RiordanNormandie Golf Club 70 73 143
3 Skip BerkmeyerThe Legends Country Club 72 72 144
T4 Joe MolitorMetropolitan Golf Club 73 72 145
T4 Corey ChoateWolf Hollow Golf Club 73 72 145
T4 Jeremy FranklinGateway National Golf Links 70 75 145
T4 Tony GumperNormandie Golf Club 69 76 145
T4 Mitchell RutledgeMetropolitan Golf Club 69 76 145
T9 EJ Brumm JrNormandie Golf Club 74 72 146
T9 Buddy AllenJoachim Golf Club 74 72 146
T9 Mark GardinerCardinal Creek Golf Course 73 73 146
T9 Jamie HarrellAlgonquin Golf Club 72 74 146
T13 Tony NolfoMetropolitan Golf Club 72 76 148
T13 Steven SouchekGateway National Golf Links 72 76 148
T15 Zachary GollwitzerAberdeen Golf Course 75 75 150
T15 Joe MigdalAberdeen Golf Course 75 75 150
T15 Thomas WuennenbergMetropolitan Golf Club 71 79 150
T15 Ted MoloneyGreenbriar Hills Country Club 70 80 150
T19 Greg LaddSte. Genevieve Golf Club 76 77 153
T19 Tom BarryNormandie Golf Club 76 77 153
T19 Jack EisenbeisSt Louis Country Club 76 77 153
T19 Brian LovettBellerive Country Club 75 78 153
T23 Ed RhombergMetropolitan Golf Club 81 73 154
T23 Dustin LaGrandRuth Park Golf Club 78 76 154
T23 Brandon StraebMissouri Bluffs Golf Club 78 76 154
T23 Robert MeehPersimmon Woods Golf Club 77 77 154
T23 Jason CahillMetropolitan Golf Club 77 77 154
T23 Dan MallonNormandie Golf Club 76 78 154
T23 John HughesPersimmon Woods Golf Club 75 79 154
T30 Ryan BerraGateway National Golf Links 76 79 155
T30 Justin HauptGateway National Golf Links 74 81 155
32 Scott SchaefferThe Falls Golf Club 75 81 156
T33 David HughesMetropolitan Golf Club 80 77 157
T33 Thomas LantzyMetropolitan Golf Club 79 78 157
T33 Craig Hardcastle Sr.Normandie Golf Club 78 79 157
T33 Ryan HigginsAberdeen Golf Course 74 83 157
T37 Kyle SzyhowskiWhitmoor Country Club 78 80 158
T37 Kevin JaegerMetropolitan Golf Club 78 80 158
T37 Greg SanbornMetropolitan Golf Club 77 81 158
T37 Robert DunnMAC Golf Club 76 82 158
On a day when Rory McIlroy was setting records at Quail Hollow, Phil Caravia, the MAGA’s2014 Old Warson Cup champion, was setting his own type of record at Normandie during the29th playing of the tournament. The winner in 2005, Caravia posted a 68 on Saturday to take anarrow lead into the final round on Sunday. With ten players within five strokes of the lead,including former winners Skip Berkmeyer and Ted Moloney, Caravia was well aware that anaverage round might not be enough to claim the title. He did not disappoint. His final round of70 put him at 4-under par - and the only player do do so for the weekend - as the wind playedhavoc with the leaders during their afternoon round. Once again, the Normandie layout livedup to its long-time billing as a “players’ course” as it took superb shotmaking to be crownedchampion. Runner-up position went to Patrick Riordan at 142, while six-time winnerBerkmeyer settled for third at 144.
Phil Caravia
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NORMANDIE AMATEUR
May 2015
T37 Brian HallPersimmon Woods Golf Club 75 83 158
T42 Zach DeckerJoachim Golf Club 80 79 159
T42 Andy FrostBellerive Country Club 79 80 159
T42 Terry RamseyNormandie Golf Club 77 82 159
T42 Torrey WelschMetropolitan Golf Club 75 84 159
T42 Joseph ChristianMetropolitan Golf Club 75 84 159
T47 Casey SpiessMetropolitan Golf Club 82 78 160
T47 Keith RitterGlen Echo Country Club 81 79 160
T47 Dewey JonesNormandie Golf Club 81 79 160
T47 Dan SchallerMetropolitan Golf Club 80 80 160
T47 Crimson CallahanMissouri Bluffs Golf Club 79 81 160
T47 Zach KratofilHighlands Golf & TC 78 82 160
T53 Garret GreenClinton Hill Golf Course 84 77 161
T53 Gavin FreemanPevely Farms Golf Club 82 79 161
T53 Conrad MaloneyPersimmon Woods Golf 78 83 161
T56 Robert MinemierMetropolitan Golf Club 85 77 162
T56 Gerald MozurGateway National Golf Links 78 84 162
58 John WuennenbergMetropolitan Golf Club 86 77 163
T59 Paul DillonMetropolitan Golf Club 86 78 164
T59 Ben MessAberdeen Golf Course 83 81 164
T59 Quinn LinHighlands Golf & TC 77 87 164
62 Russell BrightmanSt Louis Country Club 82 83 165
T63 Tyler TravelsteadMetropolitan Golf Club 85 82 167
T63 Brian BuechlerPersimmon Woods Golf Club 81 86 167
T63 Lewis WeingartThe Quarry at Crystal Springs 81 86 167
T63 Mike ClaymanNormandie Golf Club 81 86 167
67 Aleks StojanovicThe Legends Country Club 83 85 168
68 Nathan HamptonMetropolitan Golf Club 84 85 169
T69 Nathan HoltWestborough Country Club 84 86 170
T69 Wheeler FrostBellerive Country Club 83 87 170
T71 Dustin SweetPevely Farms Golf Club 86 85 171
T71 James GregoryMetropolitan Golf Club 84 87 171
T73 Patrick ReidMetropolitan Golf Club 88 84 172
T73 Mel RectorLake Forest Golf & CC 88 84 172
T73 Chris StinnettRuth Park Golf Club 86 86 172
T73 Donald DroegeNormandie Golf Club 85 87 172
77 Adam TwellmanCrescent Farms Golf Club 82 92 174
T78 Toppie HoganOld Warson Country Club 94 82 176
T78 Cory CowsertWolf Hollow Golf Club 87 89 176
80 Brian TravelsteadMetropolitan Golf Club 92 88 180
81 Kevin ForbesQuail Creek Golf Club 87 104 191
82 Tyrone Brett CobbNormandie Golf Club 94 101 195
83 Shao Wei ChiangWGM Golf Club 100 100 200
NORMANDIE NOTESFrom 1986-89, the Normandie Amateur was a 54-
hole event. Following a 27-hole, rain-shortenedtournament in 1990, it has been a 36-hole event since1991.
The low 36-hole record was set in 2012 by Bellerive’sAndy Frost with a 135 total.
Patrick Riordan, 2015 runner-up, also finishedsecond in 2011 to Skip Berkmeyer. By the way, thoughBerkmeyer has six victories, he finished second anothereight times.
Normandie’s Tom Barry won the first two events in1996 & 1987. He also came back to take the 2000 title.
The Metropolitan May 2015
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AMATEUR CHAMPIONS
25 YEARS OF CHAMPIONSHIP GOLF- KELLY & SCHNURBUSCH -
In 2004, John Kelly was, for all intent, a relative unknown. He had been a niceplayer for CBC High School, moving on to the University of Missouri for hiscollegiate play, where he had a solid career.
During the final round of the 2004 Men’s Metropolitan Amateur at Glen Echo,the Norwood Hills player finished atop the leaderboard at 207, with DarrenLundgren gaining the runner-up spot. His total matched the record set in 2001 byScott Fann at Gateway National, and remains the low 54 hole score for the event.
Two years later, John went on to even loftier sites as he reached the finals of theU.S. Amateur at Hazeltine GC in Minnesota. Playing Scotsman Richie Ramsey inthe finals, John was never able to get his game to peak as he went down 4 and 2 inthe match. Nevertheless, it gained him entry into the 2007 U.S. Open and the 2007 Masters.
Following this experience, John turned professional and played a number of events on the Web.com andother tours for the next several years, including Latin America and in Canada.
After failing to win a spot on the OneAsia Tour at their Q school in Los Angeles, in March 2015, John wascompeting on the Adams Tour, playing in an event in Louisiana, where he finished 9-under par and a 13thplace finish. In May 2015, John competed for a spot on the Canadian PGA Tour at the Canada Q school atCrown Isle Resort and GC in Courtenay, British Columbia, however, he finished out of the top-40.
His motto - Process, Patience and Attitude - continues to drive John as he continues to move through thepro ranks toward his goal of playing the PGA Tour.
John Kelly
Farmington, Missouri native Craig Schnurbusch is one player you did not wantto meet when competing for a title. From the early-1980s through the 1990s, hewas as tough a competitor as you could find.
Though most of his play was in MGA events, winning a number of individualand team titles along the way, he also played in dozens of two-day events acrosssouthern Missouri and Illinois, where his play became legendary. When he didventure into the St. Louis area to tee it up with local players, he did so with muchsuccess.
In 1995, the former Texas A&M player arrived at Spencer T. Olin for the MAGAAmateur. This was the era of some of the area’s top players still at the top of theirgame; Jim Holtgrieve, David Estes, Terry Tessary, David Lucks, Scott Thomas,Don Bliss, Tom Barry and Jim Mason.
Spencer T. was set up for championship play and the scores reflected it. The hotAugust days would make for some challenging play as the temperature hovered
around 100 for the final two rounds. Trailing a group of players at 3-under beginning the final round, thetalented Schnurbusch, with his home-made swing and powerful fade, lapped the field in the final round,posting a 5-under 67 to finish at 211. Those who knew him were not surprised as his strong short game andgood putting more than made up for any other weaknesses.
Craig fell ill with cancer in the late 1990s and despite all efforts, passed away in October 2000 at age 45,much too young. For the past 15 years, a Memorial Golf Tournament has been held at Crown Pointe to raisefunds for the education of his three children, John, Ben and Julie.
His good friends, Don Bliss and Roger Null, remember Craig with great fondness. His good nature andeasy manner made him a likeable friend. He is long remembered by those who knew him best.
Craig Schnurbusch
The Metropolitan May 2015
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MAGA INTERNS FOR 2015
Michael Kegin
A recent graduate from theUniversity of Missouri -Columbia, with a Bachelor ofScience in Parks, Recreationand Tourism, and an emphasisin Sport Management and aminor in Spanish. I was bornin Columbia, Missouri but Iconsider Kansas City myhome, as I lived there from 3rdgrade until graduating highschool to pursue my degree atMizzou. I was fortunate tohear about the PJ Boatwright Internship through mycousin, Michael Kendrick, who was a Boatwrighthimself. I have always had a passion for the game ofgolf and I look forward to working with theMetropolitan Amateur Golf Association as well as ourmember clubs and partners in the St. Louis area.
Nicholas Wojciechowski
Sophomore at theUniversity of Missouri.
He is an Evans Scholarfrom Westwood CountryClub, where he caddied.
Nick is currently Majoringin Parks, Recreation andTourism with an emphasison Sports Management
Quote on Internship: “An honor to work with theMetropolitan Golf Association. I see this internship is ahuge first step in my future career as I would like to gointo the golf business when I graduate. I cannot wait towork with everybody”
The Metropolitan would not be able to run our events as smoothly as we do without the assistance of ofvolunteers and our interns. When you see them during an event, please be sure to tell them how much youappreciate their support for golf across the area.
STATE OF THE GOLF INDUSTRY
The National Golf Foundation (NGF), the leading authority on the state of the golf industry, reported thatplayer participation in 2014 remained level with the previous two years. This meant that 25 million golfersplayed at least one round during the year. In addition, the average rounds played per golfer increased slightly to18 rounds, which is about one round per golfer higher than 2005, when golf participation was at its peak. Playersconsidered as “committed” played approximately two rounds more than they did in 2005.
The NGF also found interest in golf very high with half of the 4 million who entered the game in 2014 calledthemselved “beginners.” This is the highest level since 2005 in this category.
Furthermore, the Millennials - 18 to 34 year olds - account for 25% of the golfing participation. The BabyBoomer group - 50 to 64 - also account for a quarter of all golfers and nearly a third of all rounds played.History supports the notion that as this group enters retirement, they will begin to play about twice as much.
In addition, there are over 32 million in a group termed as “latent golfers.” These are non-golfers or formergolfers who expressed interest in playing the game. This is a growth of over 5 million in this category since 2011.Another interesting aspect of this is that nearly 13 million latent golfers fall into the Millenial age group. If thislatent group actually begins to take up the game, it will benefit the entire industry at all levels.
Among junior golfers - ages 6 to 17 - there are more than 3 million playing golf, due mainly to the increase inyoung stars on the various professional tours.
In 2015, there are an estimated 15,372 courses in the U.S. (down from a high of 16,052) with the total roundsplayed exceeding 455 million!
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The Metropolitan May 2015
The area’s first professional event was the 1908 WesternOpen, held at Normandie GC. The nation’s best playerswere present: Willie Anderson, Fred McLeod, Gil Nichols,Laurie Auchterlonie among many area professionals andamateurs. Anderson, as most golfers know, is the only manto win three consecutive U.S. Open titles and four overall.He would later spend a year as head professional at St.Louis CC before dying in 1910 at the age of 31.
The Western Open made its return engagement in 1938at Westwood CC. During these latter stages of The GreatDepression, golf tournaments were scarce, with purses,even small ones, contested for vigorously.
The field at Westwood was filled with champions: SamSnead, Tony Penna, Paul Runyan, Horton Smith, RayMangrum, Tommy Armour, Harry Cooper, Johnny Bulla,Lawson Little and defending champion Ralph Guldahl.
Guldahl was very familiar with St. Louis golf. He had beenhead pro at St. Louis CC in 1932 at age 20, serving for twoyears. He finished second in the U.S. Open in 1933 toJohnny Goodman, the last amateur to win the Open, whenhe missed a putt for par that would have put them in aplayoff. He had given up golf for a time in the mid-1930s,becoming a car salesman at one point.
Westwood’s small, undulating greens, elevation changesand demanding shotmaking made for some high scoresduring round one as Guldahl was the only player to shootunder par. However, Snead, Penna, Runyan and Mangrumwere only a shot back at 72. Day two saw Mangrum jumpinto a tie with Guldahl, while Snead and Runyan remainedjust a shot off the pace.
When Snead posted a 69 in the third round, he movedinto a tie with Guldahl at 214, while Runyan’s 74 left himwell behind at 219; yet he was the closest competitor. Itappeared to be a two-man race for the title. Almost!
Guldahl’s fourth round put the matter to rest. His 65 lefteveryone else in his wake. Snead, shooting even par 72,finished seven shots behind. Tony Penna finished third, 10shots back. It was a runaway!
For his efforts, Guldahl collected a first prize check of$750. Snead received $450 for his play. The low area localprofessional was Bellerive’s Benny Richter who cashed a$50 payday. Low amateur was Meadow Brook’s Tom Draperwho came in at 301, 22 shots behind Guldahl.
Guldahl would win the 1937 and 1938 U.S. Open and the1939 Masters, after finishing second in 1937 and 1938.
He was on the 1937 Ryder Cup Team, the last one until the end of World War II.
ST. LOUIS GOLF HISTORY
THE 1938 WESTERN OPEN
Ralph Guldahl
In a bit of golf trivia, Dallasnative Guldahl was the lastplayer to win the U.S. Openwhile wearing a necktieduring play.
It’s was widely reported that in 1939, after hehad written a book about the golf swing, thisanalysis caused him to lose the ability to score,something both his son and wife are known tohave commented on.However, Guldahl himself, in a 1979 article,
refuted those notions. Instead, he cited the travel,time away from family, and the time lost during theWar as the factors why he retired.Whatever the case, from 1936 to 1939, Ralph
Guldahl was easily the best golfer in the country.He passed away in June 1987 at age 75 in
California.
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The Metropolitan
MAGA COMPETITIONSENTRY
CHAMPIONSHIP DATE(S) DEADLINE VENUE
Normandie Amateur May 16-17 May 8 Normandie Golf ClubOld Warson Cup May 30-31 Invitational Old Warson Country ClubEast Side Amateur June 13-14 June 5 Spencer T. Olin GCWomen's Amateur Championship June 15-16 June 3 Fox Run Golf ClubOpen Championship July 10-12 June 24 Country Club of St. AlbansJunior Amateur Championship July 13-14 July 1 The Bogey ClubAmateur Championship July 30 - August 1 June 24 Boone Valley Golf ClubSenior Amateur Championship August 13-14 July 22 Whitmoor Country Club (South)MAGA Four-Ball Championship September 24 September 9 The Legends CC
USGA QUALIFYING ROUNDSENTRY
CHAMPIONSHIP DATE(S) DEADLINE VENUE
US Open Local Qualifying May 14 April 29 Norwood Hills CCUS Senior Open Qualifying May 19 May 6 Persimmon Woods GCUS Women’s Open Q (36-holes) June 2 May 6 St. Clair CCUS Junior Amateur Q (36-holes) June 22 June 3 Lake Forest G&CCUS Girls’ Junior Amateur Qualifying June 24 June 3 Bogey Hills CCUS Amateur Qualifying (36-holes) July 20-21 June 24 Meadowbrook CCUS Senior Women’s Amateur Qualifying August 27 August 12 Bellerive CCUS Senior Amateur Qualifying September 2 August 12 Sunset CCUS Mid-Amateur Qualifying September 8 August 19 Aberdeen GCUS Amateur Four-Ball Qualifying September 28 August 5 Quincy CC.
2015 COMPETITION SCHEDULE
Online applications for ALL MAGA events are available on the MAGA website.Events in grey have been completed.
May 2015
2015 MAGA AMATEUR SERIES SCHEDULENAME DATE VENUE
Event #1 April 20 WingHaven CCEvent #2 May 4 Sunset Hills CCEvent #3 June 12 The Falls GCEvent #4 July 17 Annbriar GCEvent #5 August 6 Glen EchoEvent #6 September 15 Tapawingo National GCChampionship October 10-11 Aberdeen GC
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The Metropolitan May 2015
SUN June 28 MON 29 TUES 30 WED July 1Junior Champi-onship EntryDeadline
THUR 2 FRI 3 SAT 4
5 6 7 8 9 10Open Championship
11Open Championship
12Open Championship
13 14 15 16 17Amateur Series #4
18
19 20Junior AmateurChampionshipUS Amateur Qual.
21Junior AmateurChampionshipUS Amateur Qual.
22 23 24 25
26 27 28 29 30Amateur Championship
31Amateur Championship
August 1Amateur Championship
JULY 2015
MAY 31Old Warson Cup
JUNE 1 2US Women’sOpen Qual St. Clair CC
3Women’s ChampionshipEntry Deadline
4 5East Side EntryDeadline
6
7 8 9 10 11 12Amateur Series #3
13East Side Amateur
14East Side Amateur
15Women’s Championship
16Women’s Championship
17 18 19 20
21 22US Junior Qual. -Lake Forest
23 24Open & AmateurEntry DeadlineUS Junior GirlsQual.-Bogey Hills
25 26 27
28 29 30 JULY 1Junior Champi-onship Entry Dead-line
2 3 4
JUNE 2015
MAGA Events in RED | USGA Events in BLUE
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The Metropolitan May 2015
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The Metropolitan May 2015
Just as it looked like an amateur, Ryan Haxel, might take the 56th Publinx crown, Chris Brant, winner of the 2014Metropolitan Open at St. Albans, came in with a 64 over the Forest Park (Dogwood-Redbud) course. In theprocess, Brant claimed the $1,200 first prize and his second professional victory. Haxel wasn’t left empty-handedthough, he received a $600 gift certificate for his fine play. In the Senior division, Bob Trittler shot a 31 on theDogwood nine, then cruised home with a 37 on Redbud to take a 3-stroke edge over Bill Behr and Dave Schweitzer.
The top finishers in each division are noted below:
2015 RESULTSAmateur: Ryan Haxel (65) Professional: Chris Brant (64) Senior: Bob Trittler (68) Phil Caravia (69) Bob Gaus (66) Bill Behr (71) Tom Renken (69) Mike Suhre (66) Dave Schweitzer (71) Patrick Britt (70) Grant Masson (69) Tom Barry (72) Dustin LaGrand (70) Nash Haxel (70) Lou Brock Jr. (72) Ryan Eckelkamp (71) Doug Plowman (70) Jack Eisenbeis (72) Sam Goulden (71) Bernie McGuire (72) Mark Marcuzzo (71) Joe Richardson (72) Matt Rau (71) Terry Tessary (72) Michael Whitaker (72)
THE ST. LOUIS PUBLINX RESULTS
THE BIRTH OF THE AREA’S PUBLIC GOLF COURSES
Much to the chagrin of many, the area’s first public golf course was not Forest Park but in Alton, Ill at Rock SpringPark. It was there, in early 1912, that Tom Bendelow laid out the area’s first course open for public play.
However, if a group of early women golfers had had their way, it would have occurred much earlier, in 1898. It wasat that time that a group of women from St. Louis Country Club, tired of not being able to play their 9-hole courseas much as they wished, hired one of their clubmakers, George Norman, to layout a course for them in Tower GrovePark. They organized a club - the Carondelet Park Golf Club - and made the membership a “women-only” club; nomen permitted except when invited.
When news of this reached the Mayor of St. Louis, he immediately took notice. Like any good politician, he sawan opportunity. “If the people want golf in the city’s Parks, let’s give it to them” was the quote attributed to him. Planswere made to build 9-hole courses in each of the city’s Parks. However, within the year the Spanish-American Warbegan and thoughts of building golf courses soon gave way. It would stay that way for another 14 years.
The Forest Park courses had a much more difficult beginning. Dwight Davis, of tennis fame, was ParkCommissioner in 1912. He had little trouble convincing area leaders to install tennis courts in all of the city’s Parks,but golf was a different matter. However, he persisted and with the support of a group of members from St. LouisCC, the city’s leadership consented to build a course in Forest Park.
However, the commission formed to oversee the course design went against Davis’ wishes. He wanted to hireRobert Foulis (designer of Glen Echo, Normandie and Bellerive) to do the design, but the commitee decided thatthey would undertake the project themselves. They went on a series of trips to public courses in the eastern U.S.Upon their return they felt confident that they now knew how to design a course. It would be by committee.
Upon hearing this Davis was aghast! He knew something of design and allowing the committee to lead the projectwould, in his estimation, be a disaster. However, rather than fight the committee, he convinced them to hire Foulisto build the course, working with their design. Davis knew that Foulis was good enough to correct any significantdesign errors during construction and the final result would be a solid, playable layout.
Over the next year, Foulis built the courses, nine holes at a time, before completing the 27 holes in 1913. Theresult was a design that withstood the test of time for over 90 years, before the Hale Irwin-Stan Gentry redesign in2004. With the update, apart from the changes along Art Hill, a majority of the routing remained essentially intact.
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US OPEN QUALIFYING - MAY 14 - NORWOOD HILLS (WEST)
The Metropolitan May 2015
2-time MAGA Amateur ChampionKyle Weldon
Putting on the finishing touches Glen Echo head professionalBarrett Martens
2014 MAGA Open Champ ChrisBrant chipping on #12
Teeing off on the third hole Wes Hillen chips on as Bob Gausand Mark Faulkner watch
Buddy Allen hitting his approachto the 9th, his final hole.
Bellerive pro Bryan Fogt and hiscaddie, Brett Darland.
Norwood’s superintendent MikeNull is all smiles.
Mike Suhre’s approach to the par-4thirteenth
UMSL golfer Matt Barry with isapproach to the 9th.
J.C. Anderson’s picture-perfecttechnique.
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WHERE HAVE THEY GONE...THE AREA’S LOST COURSES
SOUTHMOOR / BAHNFYRE - 1952-1987If there was ever an area course with
significant transitions, it would have tobe the course on south Tesson FerryRoad. Founded as Southmoor in 1952by William S. Bahn Sr., later joined byhis son Bill Jr., it was, for many players,their home-away-from-home. TheTerry More/Marvin Ferguson designhad the holes playing up and down therolling hills, challenging players‘shotmaking at every turn. When 9-holes were sold off for housing, itremained that way until new land wassecured and a new 18-holes, nownamed Bahnfyre, grew out of thelandscape in 1981.
Some of the area’s top players at the time, Jim Knoesel, Todd Tumminia, Bill Bahn and even Ellen Port, begantheir playing days here. At just over 6,000 yards, the par 70 course became an area favorite. Many may recall golfprofessional, Charlie Rotter, as he greeted arriving players, shuffling them off to the first tee.
Sadly, the course fell victim to rising land values, with the land finally sold once again in 1987. However, thistime, there would be no Phoenix rising as a new Bahnfyre would not reappear. Within the year, practically justacross the road on Wells Avenue, Quail Creek would be developed, giving golfers in that south county area a nearbycourse once again.
The photo at right shows Southmoorin 1971 with 18 holes. Earlier photofrom 1958 (below) depicts the coursewith only 9 holes, as the land borderingTesson Ferry (white road down rightedge of photo) was farmland. Theclubhouse is at the lower center.
May 2015
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The Metropolitan May 2015
ON-COURSE SCENES
Chris Naegel (l) and Mike Suhre display their medal for sharing low honors at the local U.S. Open Qualifying
Bellerive Head Professional Mike Tucker proudly displays hisMedal as lone qualifier at the U.S. Senior Open Qualifying
Former Tour player JC Anderson battled Tucker in a 4-holeplayoff during the U.S. Senior Open Qualifying
Norwood’s Phil Caravia acceptscongratulations from NormandieAmateur tournament directorDavid Smith
Mark Gardiner displays his 2015 Low Amateurmedal at the U.S. Senior Open Qualifying
AMATEUR SERIES RESULTS - EVENT #2 - SUNSET HILLS CC
SCRATCH OPEN
1 Tony Nolfo Metropolitan +10 82T2 Wheeler Frost Bellerive +10 82T2 Lewis Weingart The Quarry +10 824 Greg Mazdra Metropolitan +12 84T5 Robert Barrett III Metropolitan +13 85T5 Bret Sinak Persimmon Wds +13 85T5 Wes Richardet Sunset +13 858 Aleks Stojanovic The Legends +15 879 Jason Wright Missouri Bluffs +23 9510 Weston Horberg Metropolitan +27 99 Kyle Thomure Metropolitan WD
SENIOR SCRATCH1 Pat Ross The Orchards +2 74T2 Ollie Crow Metropolitan +6 78T2 Gordon Smith Metropolitan +6 78T4 Michael Beckman Metropolitan +9 81T4 Schooner Fitzgerald Metropolitan +9 81T4 Randall Robbins Metropolitan +9 817 Cal Neeman Jr Annbriar +11 838 Tim Leonberger Stonewolf +14 869 Brad Garrett Metropolitan +20 9210 Timothy Barker Glen Echo +23 9511 J Oden Thompson Metropolitan +26 98
GROSS RESULTS
NET OPEN
1 Dwayne Leslie Metropolitan -2 702 Joe Rammelsberg Whitmoor +1 733 Cory Mahoney Metropolitan +2 744 Joseph Buterbaugh Metropolitan +6 78T5 Paul Smith Paradise Valley +7 79T5 Brian Snyder Cardinal Creek +7 797 Curtis Miller Metropolitan +9 818 John Davis The Falls +12 849 Matthew McCormick Metropolitan +16 8810 Wil Roestel Metropolitan +17 89
SENIOR NET
1 King Edmonston Franklin County -5 672 Michael Scoles Metropolitan -3 693 Robert Barrett Missouri Bluffs -1 714 Gareth Kajander Winghaven +1 73T5 Don Humphrey Ruth Park +4 76T5 Larry Laramie Metropolitan +4 76T7 Jeff Myers Meadowbrook +6 78T7 Jim Garrett Metropolitan +6 78T7 Richard Constance Gateway +6 78T7 Michael Pittroff Metropolitan +6 78T11 Bill Slantz Metropolitan +8 80T11 John Epps Metropolitan +8 8013 Larry Banks Aberdeen +9 8114 John Zielinski Acorns +14 86T15 Leo Hefner Mystic Oak +15 87T15 David Gilliland Metropolitan +15 8717 John Orr Stonewolf +24 9618 Ray Kerr Ruth Park +32 104 Robert Huntze Metropolitan NS Russell Hollenbeck Metropolitan WD
NET RESULTS
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The Metropolitan May 2015
NEXT EVENT: JUNE 12 AT THE FALLS GC
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The Metropolitan May 2015
OLD WARSON CUP PAIRINGS
OLD WARSON COUNTRY CLUB
SATURDAY, MAY 30, 2015ROUND OF 16
Match Time Player Club NameMatch #1 7:00 am Phil Caravia Norwood Hills Country Club
Cy Moritz Sullivan Country ClubMatch #2 7:10 am Alex Cusumano Norwood Hills Country Club
John Anderson Norwood Hills Country ClubMatch #3 7:20 am Joe Migdal Aberdeen Golf Course
Andy Frost Bellerive Country ClubMatch #4 7:30 am Teddy Jones Aberdeen Golf Course
Sam Migdal Aberdeen Golf CourseMatch #5 7:40 am Kyle Weldon Metropolitan Golf Club
Van Pierce Country Club of St AlbansMatch #6 7:50 am Seth Smith Missouri Bluffs Golf Club
Steven Souchek Gateway National Golf LinksMatch #7 8:00 am Skip Berkmeyer The Legends Country Club
Buddy Allen Joachim Golf ClubMatch #8 8:10 am Ted Moloney Greenbriar Hills Country Club
Patrick Riordan Normandie Golf Club
QUARTERFINAL
SATURDAY, MAY 30, 2015Match #9 12:00 pm Winner Match 1 vs. Winner Match 2Match #10 12:10 pm Winner Match 3 vs. Winner Match 4Match #11 12:20 pm Winner Match 5 vs. Winner Match 6Match #12 12:30 pm Winner Match 7 vs. Winner Match 8
SEMIFINAL
SUNDAY, MAY 31, 2015Match #13 7:00 am Winner Match 9 vs. Winner Match 10Match #14 7:10 am Winner Match 11 vs.Winner Match 12
FINAL
SUNDAY, MAY 31, 2015Match #15 11:00 am Winner Match 13 vs.Winner Match 14
2014 Result: Phil Caravia defeated Alex Cusumano, 19 holes
PLAY 9 SERIESThe first two Play 9 Series events have been post-
poned due to a very small number of entries.MAGA is still very high on this new initiative andhave received a lot of positive feedback. We hope toget the season kicked at one of the upcoming datesand reschedule the early contests. Thank you tothose who registered the Play 9 series thus far.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
DATE VENUEApril 25 Ballwin GC PostponedMay 9 Joachim GC PostponedJune 27 Creve Coeur GCJuly 25 Highlands at Forest ParkAugust 22 Berry Hill GCSeptember 19 Ruth Park GCOctober 3 Four Seasons CC
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Two sisters from St. Louis - Catherine Dolan, 25, and Kelly Hutchison, 33, were among the participants forthe USGA’s first-ever U.S. Women’s Four-Ball Championship. Dolan, the 2013 MAGA Women’s Champion,and her sister qualified for the championship last September at St. Clair CC, shooting a round of 4-under 67.
This event marked Dolan’s sixth USGA competition, having played in the 2009 U.S. Women’s Amateur andthe U.S. Women’s Public Links from 2011-2014. Hutchison, a former golf professional at several courses inMissouri and Illinois, left the golf business behind to pursue a career in the financial industry. They were oneof three sister teams competing in the event.
Day one of stroke play saw them post a best ball of 81 on the 6,005 par-72 Pacific Dunes course, part of theBandon Dunes Golf Resort in Bandon, Oregon. They played better in their second round, posting a 77, buttheir 158 total was 12 strokes beyond the 146 qualifying number. Nevertheless, they represented the area andthemselves well as part of this inaugural USGA event.
US WOMEN’S FOUR-BALL CHAMPIONSHIP
The Olympic Club in San Francisco hosted the USGA’s inaugural Men’s Four-Ball Championship May 2-6.Three teams qualified from the local qualifying last October at Bellerive CC. Most golfers are aware that theMen’s and Women’s Four-Ball Championship replaced the Men’s and Women’s Public Links Championship onthe USGA Championship Schedule this year.
Scott Harvey and Todd Mitchell (64), Skip Berkmeyer and Brad Nurski (66), and Michael Affeldt and ErikCiotti (67). Harvey is the reigning U.S. Mid-Amateur champion.
At the Championship during stroke play qualifying, each team posted excellent scores to advance to matchplay. Harvey/Mitchell posted a 135 total (67-68), good for a tie for 14th, Nurski/Berkmeyer went 69-68 for a137 total, while Ciotti/Affeldt came in at 139 (72-67) to tie with three other teams for the final qualifying spot.
Unfortunately, Ciotti/Affeldt fell 6 and 4 to the medalist team of Maverick McNealy and Viraat Badhwar.Harvey/Mitchell took their match in 19 holes, while Nurski/Berkmeyer fell 5 and 4 in their match.Harvey/Mitchell continued their run with a 3 and 2 win in the round of 16 and then moved into the semifinalswith a 3 and 2 win in the quarterfinals. However, the lost a tough match on the 19th hole to the eventual run-ner-up team of Sherrill Britt and Greg Earnhardt. They would fall 7 and 5 to Todd White and Nathan Smithin the finals. Both White and Smith were on the 2013 Walker Cup team, captained by Jim Holtgrieve.
US MEN’S FOUR-BALL CHAMPIONSHIP
The Metropolitan May 2015
US SENIOR OPEN QUALIFYING
1 Mike Tucker Chesterfield, Mo. -2 692 JC Anderson O'Fallon, Mo. -2 693 Mark Gardiner (a) Mascoutah, Ill. +1 72T4 Robert Sedorcek Ballwin, Mo. +2 73T4 Jeff Whitfield Weldon Spring, Mo. +2 736 Robert Gaus St. Louis, Mo. +4 757 Thomas Hammerton (a) Peoria, Ill. +5 76T8 Nash Haxel St. Louis, Mo. +6 77T8 Bob Hanneken (a) Fenton, Mo. +6 77T8 Brian Fogt Wildwood, Mo. +6 77T8 Mark Marcuzzo Granite City, Ill. +6 7712 Neil Vanleeuwen (a) Tarpon Springs, Fla. +8 79T13 Wayne Fredrick (a) Springfield, Mo. +9 80T13 Jack Eisenbeis (a) Saint Louis, Mo. +9 8015 John Hughes (a) O'Fallon, Mo. +10 81T16 David Schweitzer (a) Chesterfield, Mo. +11 82T16 Donny Ngala (a) Dittmer, Mo. +11 82T16 Daryl Hartig St Louis, Mo. +11 82T16 Scott Bess Columbia, Mo. +11 82T16 Didier Villard (a) Lake St Louis, Mo. +11 8221 Stephen Lotz St. Louis, Mo. +12 8322 Tom Portner (a) Mount Vernon, Ill. +14 8523 Bret Voisin (a) Orlando, Fla. +15 86T24 Rich Pindel (a) Moore, Okla. +16 87T24 Robert Lietz (a) Weldon Spring, Mo.+16 8726 Douglas Plowman Pacific, Mo. +18 8927 Russel Belal (a) Saint Charles, Mo. +34 105
Mark Faulkner Marion, Ill. DQBernard McGuire (a) Chesterfield, Mo. NSGerald Mozur (a) St. Louis, Mo. NSKevin Wood Ballwin, Mo. NSJerome Brown (a) Riverdale, Ga. WD
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Mike Tucker
J.C. Anderson
TUCKER EDGES ANDERSON IN PLAYOFF FOR SENIOR OPEN SPOT
The cool morning temperatures, hovering around the mid-50s, gave players fits as they began their rounds.At 404 yards, the first hole at Persimmon Woods is generally not a particularly difficult hole; however, on thisday over half the field of 28 walked off the green with bogey, or worse. Persimmon Woods was set up for a solidtest of golf. At 6,734 yards par-71, only the short par-4 thirteenth, which was drivable at 292 yards, playedunder par for the day. Eleven holes played a half-stroke over par or more. It was a very tough day to score.
At the end of 18 holes, Mike Tucker and JC Anderson each posted rounds of 69, 2-under par, tied for the topspot. However, only one spot was allocated to this qualifying location. It would take an extra 4 holes before theday would draw to a close with Tucker out-dueling Anderson for a trip to Del Paso Country Club, Sacramento,California for the U.S. Senior Open. This will be Tucker’s first trip to the U.S. Senior Open.
The 2014 area qualifier, amateur Mark Gardiner, nearly made it two-for-two. His round of 72 placed him inthird position. Jeff Whitfield, who qualified for the Senior Open in 2010 and 2013 tied for fourth with RobSedorcek of the CC at St. Albans.
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The Metropolitan May 2015
KEEPING FIT: ENJOYING THE GAME MORE - E3 FITNESS
Most people tend to stand in a bad pattern. They lean into their right hip and create a compensation with a leftoriented rib cage. For example Jim, a right handed golfer, comes in and through our evaluation process, wedetermine that he is limited in t-spine (mid back) rotation left -35* vs. right-55*; 40*-60* is normal for mostpeople. He is starting 10* to the left. So the first 10* to the right is really just getting back to neutral.
When Jim, as a right-handed hitter, takes a swing, he has to rotate to the left through impact. But Jim struggles toget around on the ball and blocks his driver to the right. Sound familiar?
If we can help Jim re-create a neutral oriented rib cage, or upper torso, he can get back to his left side easier. NowJim has the ability to follow through and rotate around his spine to the left. When someone like Jim comes in, inthat pattern, we use some specific exercises to get him in a better position.
Part of the left-oriented rib cage is a tight life pectoralis. To open on the leftpec, we do the following exercise.
D2F stretch with ball (2-3x for 5 breaths)Lie on your back and rest your left arm above your head with a 1-2 lb weightWhile squeezing a ball or towel between your knees, rotate legs to the rightGently push your left foot into the floor to shut off your backFeel your lower ribs move down as you exhale
Another piece of the bad pattern is a right shoulder blade that doesn’t sitproperly on the torso. A weak right low trap will allow the right elbow toseparate from the body creating the “chicken wing.” Here’s an exercise toalleviate that issue.
Supine weighted Triceps Curl (2-3x for 10 breaths)Lie on your back, knees bent, and hold a light dumbbell in your right handBegin with your right arm vertical and your palm facing your headSlowly bend your elbow bringing your hand down towards your head. You should feel the muscles in the back of your right arm engageSlowly straighten your arm and repeat
Volunteers are the lifeblood of State andRegional Golf Associations all around thecountry. That statement could not bemore true than right here in St. Louis
with MAGA.
MAGA volunteers assist with the conduct of MAGA Championships, USGAQualifying Rounds and USGA Course & Slope Rating service provided to our member
clubs. Do you have any interest in getting involved with the game in our region?
Visit the Volunteer page of our website by clicking on the image at the left.
VolunteerA tremendous part of the success of the MAGA Championship Program is our team of volunteers, officially
designated as MAGA Rules Committee Members. The MAGA is proud to have a large collection of volunteerswho assist with our MAGA Championships, USGA Qualifying Rounds and Amateur Series. While ourCommittee Members come from very diverse backgrounds, they all share one common trait: their love of thegame!
Rules CommitteeCommittee Members serve a variety of functions at our Championships such as Rules Officials, Starters,
Scoring Officials, Forecaddies and many other important roles at each event.
Scoring CommitteeScoring Committee Members serve a variety of functions at our Championships such as collecting scores on
course for Live Scoring to the setup and posting of scores on our scoreboards and more.
Course Rating CommitteeCourse Raters have the responsibility of ensuring the accuracy of course measurements as part of the USGA
Course Rating System. Click here if you’re interested in joining the Course Rating Committee. Course Ratingsare an essential part of the Handicap System and accurate measurements are a vital part of Course Ratings. TheMAGA has the responsibility of implementing the USGA Course Rating System throughout the St. LouisMetropolitan region.
Become a MAGA Volunteer today! Here’s how to do it:
Complete the MAGA Volunteer Information Form. Once you have completed the Committee InformationForm please return the completed form to the MAGA.Observe at a Tournament: Once we receive your Volunteer Information Form, we will help you schedule a
day to attend an event and shadow one of our current Committee members. .Join the MAGA as a Volunteer: Once you have completed the above steps, you will receive additional
volunteer and training information including your Rules Committee Shirt and Name Badge.
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The original Golfing Before The Arch, published in1997, was the definitive history of golf across the St. Louisarea from 1896 to 1996! This updated version, covers theyears 1997 through 2014 with updated historicalinformation, new photographs and course details.
This is definitely themust-have book for seriousgolfers looking to uncoverthe great history of areagolf!
Jim Healey has published over a dozen books on area golf history, including Club Histories forBellerive, Old Warson, Westwood, St. Louis CC, Bogey Hills, Sunset, Glen Echo, Norwood Hills andAlgonquin. He did extensive writing for Fairways & Greens Magazine and his work has been publishedin LINKS Magazine, GolfWeek, Golf World, St. Louis Magazine and a number of websites. He hasbeen a contributor to a various area golf talk shows and has given golf history presentations to dozens ofgroups across the region. In 2014, he served as media director for the 2014 Curtis Cup, producing theMatch program and related material His knowledge of St. Louis golf history is second to none.
Individual print copies of Golfing Before The Arch: 1896-2014, may be purchased atwww.lulu.com, an on-demand publishing site, by searching for the book title.
THE UPDATED Golfing Before The Arch; 1896-2014
IS NOW AVAILABLE!
544-pages of information on St. Louis golf history•Updated details from 1997 - 2014•Updated player and event details•New, never-before seen course photographs•Complete listing of every significant event held in the•area from the 1904 Olympic Matches through the2014 Curtis Cup Match! Listing of qualifiers for USGA championships.•Listing of District, MAGA, MGA and Women’s•District events, plus Publinks, Bogey Hills Invitational,St. Clair Open, Lou Fusz St. Louis Open, Michelob Open and more.Course chronology and “lost area courses”•
Golfing Before The Archthe History of St. Louis GolF1896-2014
Go
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Ar
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- Th
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isto
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JamesHealey
A History & Compendiumby
James Healey
The Metropolitan May 2015
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DRIVE, CHIP AND PUTT
MetropolitanThe
Metropolitan Amateur Golf Association • 11777 Clayton Rd. • St. Louis, Missouri 63131 314.567.MAGA • Fax: 314.261.9250 • [email protected]
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