The Metrop
Inside the Issue
Metropolitan Amateur Golf Association
WHO
ARE WE?
An Allied Golf Association of the USGA providing a variety of golf services to clubs and golfers in the Metropolitan St. Louis, Central, and Southern Illinois region.
WHAT WE DO:
- Provide GHIN Handicap Service to 140+ Member Clubs under the World Handicap System
- Provide the USGA Course/Slope Rating service to our Member Clubs
- Regional authority on the Rules of Golf and Amateur Status
- Conduct twelve (12) Metropolitan Championships each season
- Conduct USGA Qualifying for eight (8) USGA Championships each season
- Conduct three (3) Championships in Illinois
- Conduct the Amateur Series of Events for golfers of all ages and abilities
METROPOLITAN CHAMPIONSHIPS
Amateur Championship
Four-Ball Championship
9-Hole Championship East
Normandie
Shogren
Sobbe
Mid-America
Amateur
ILLINOIS CHAMPIONSHIPS
Southern Illinois Amateur
MAGA STAFF
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
C
urt Rohe - curt@metga.org
DIRECTOR, MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS
Caroline Buchan - caroline@metga.org
2024 PJ BOATWRIGHT INTERNS
Will Coleman
Jason Denham
Brennan Strubberg
EXECUTIVE BOARD
Officers
Scott Engelbrecht, President/Treasurer
Mike Marquart, Secretary
At Large Members
John Bugh
Stan Grossman
Kelli Kirchoff
Mike Marquart
Rick Meyer, Jr
John Moore
Mick Wellington
ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Scott Thomas, Chairman
Tom Barry
Skip Berkmeyer
Chris Kovach
Ryan Eckelcamp
Tom Portner
Curt Rohe
THE METROPOLITAN
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Dan O’Neill
MVGCSAA
Dr. Zach Cutler
Curt’s Corner
Curt Rohe - Executive Director
Greetings members!
I am writing this month’s Curt’s Corner from Day 1 of the 34th Metropolitan Amateur Championship! The pinnacle of the season this week at Bellerive Country Club with 156 of the area’s finest amateurs teeing it up to compete for the Jim Tom Blair Trophy. Bellerive is hosting for the 3rd time in its history, 1996 and 2009, where area legends Tom Barry and Skip Berkmeyer respectively won their Amateur titles. It is the championship the golf association was built upon, having conducted the 1st one year prior to the Association being founded. With a record number of entries, 241 this year, a qualifier was conducted back on July 11 and 103 golfers earned their spot to Bellerive. Stay tuned for updates and all recaps in next month’s edition.
July also saw a first, conducting the new US Amateur Final Qualifying, where we had 51 golfers from 18 states and 8 countries compete for 12 spots in the US Amateur at Hazeltine. The day concluded with our 12 qualifiers making it in at 2-under par. Good luck to those in a couple weeks at Hazeltine.
I am cutting this month’s Corner a little short to get back to the Championship at Bellerive...but as always, thank you for taking a little time to read The Metropolitan! We have one more monthly edition in August to wrap the busiest part of the championship season.
By The Numbers
44
- This is the number Hank Aaron and Chris Pronger wore - but that’s not why it is listed here. It’s also the number of strokes over par Tiger Woods finished in the 2024 major championships. Woods played in all four majors for the first time since 2019 - when he won the Masters - but his performances were not good. A par-72 in the second round of the Masters was the only round that did not go “above” the break-even point. Unfortunately, Woods followed that 72 with an 82 and wound up 16-over par, or 60th at Augusta. He then missed cuts at the PGA, U.S. Open and British Open, shooting 77-79-156 over two rounds at the last.
29
- This is the number of official PGA Tour wins Harry Cooper collected in his career - the most for a player who did not win a major. In all, Cooper had 11 top-10 finishes in majors, coming close a number of times. For instance, he lost an 18-hole playoff to Tommy Armour in the 1927 U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club. That said, while Cooper never won one of the so-called “major” championships, he captured the 1934 Western Open which, at that time, was considered among the world’s most important titles.
17
- This pertains to the Ryder Cup trophy, which is 17 inches tall, made of gold, weighs four pounds and measures 9 inches from handle to handle. The trophy was commissioned by the event’s founder, Samuel Ryder, in 1927 and is valued at around $600,000, give or take a few bucks. The figure of the player adorning the top of the trophy is Abe Mitchell, a British professional who was Samuel Ryder’s good buddy and golf instructor. Mitchell played in three Ryder Cups and had a 4-2-0 record. The original Ryder Cup trophy is kept at the PGA of Great Britain and Ireland. A replica is given to the winner of the bi-annual exhibition.
320.1
- As July turned to August, this is the average distance Cameron Champ was ripping it, which led the PGA Tour driving distance statistics. Keep in mind that in 2009 -15 years ago - Robert Garrigus was the top bomber on the Tour, averaging 311.9 yards off the tee. Champ, who has three career wins, has had no wins and no top-10s on the Tour this season. He was ranked 314th in the Official World Golf Rankings, just slightly short of one of his drives.
11
- This was the handicap assigned to George Herbert Walker Bush, the country’s 41st president. Bush’s father and grandfather served as presidents of the USGA, so he came from royal golf stock. The former president liked to play fast, which he called “aerobic golf,” and was known to complete 18 holes in an hour and 20 minutes. He was even inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2011, and he had a terrific sense of humor, once saying “It’s amazing how many people beat you at golf now that you’re no longer president.”
2,555 - The number of days between wins for Jhonattan Vegas, who captured the PGA Tour 3M Open in late July to end a winless streak of nearly seven years. Before the victory at TPC Twin Cities, the 39-year old Venezuelan had not tasted victory since winning the RBC Canadian Open in 2017. Vegas capped his return in style in Minnesota. Needing a birdie on the par-5 18th to avoid a Sunday playoff, he hit the green in two and two-putted from just inside 100 feet to reach 17-under and secure the win.
Metropolitan Amateur Championship Preview
In a few short days, 156 of the area’s best golfers will gather at Bellerive Country Club to decide who will be crowned the new champion. Bellerive is a course with immense history and depth, and is sure to show its prowess once again for the 34th Metropolitan Amateur Championship.
Bellerive Country Club is no stranger to championship golf, but it took a moment for the course to get to where it is today. Beginning as a nine hole course in 1897, Bellerive was located in North St. Louis with 166 members. Thirteen years later, the membership incorporated as Bellerive Country Club and Robert Foulis designed the “new Bellerive” in Normandy. 1955 came along and the membership decided after 50 years that they were ready for change. Enlisting architect Robert Trent Jones, Sr, the “Green Monster of Ladue” was created right where we know the course today and opened in 1960. This new course design in its new location would only be the beginning for the legacy of Bellerive Country Club.
In 1965, Bellerive opened its gates to the United States Golf Association as they held the 65th U.S. Open Championship. Bellerive became the “youngest” course to host the U.S. Open with just five years under its belt since opening in this location. This playing of the championship proved to be something special as Gary Player won in a playoff to complete his career grand slam. It took sixteen years, but Bellerive was back in the national spotlight again for the inaugural U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship. Once again the course saw a special win as St. Louis native, Jim Holtgrieve, hoisted the trophy. In 1992, the PGA of America joined in the action by holding the PGA Championship. Marking the second Major to grace the fairways, Nick Price would be victorious for his first major title. 2001 was turning the page to an international stage with the American Express World Golf Championship, but following the aftermath of 9/11, the event was canceled. It was not long before Major Championship golf was back, and this time the seniors made their way to Bellerive. The club hosted the 25th U.S. Senior Open Championship in 2004, where Peter Jacobsen claimed his first major victory.
Following this run, the course underwent a year-long renovation led by Rees Jones - son of Robert Trent Jones, Sr. - before reopening in 2006. With coveted championship history to its name and a new life breathed into its fairways, it is no surprise that the professionals would be back. The 2008 BMW Championship would make its way to Bellerive Country Club and feature Camilo Villegas’ first career tour victory. Now, with its continued impact, the PGA of America would host two championships within a five year span. First, in 2013 the 74th Senior PGA
Championship was held, making Bellerive the first club to host all four United States men’s Major Championships (not including the Masters). Then, came the excitement of the 100th PGA Championship in 2018. For a second time Bellerive was hosting this championship, and was on full display on televisions across the country as we watched Brooks Koepka take home the trophy. In the wake of this championship, it has been a more quiet six years for the club, but have no fear, championship golf is returning with the BMW Championship in 2026 and then the Presidents Cup in 2030.
As we look back on the many incredible and notable names that have graced the fairways of Bellerive Country Club, it is time for the local amateurs to have their shot at making their own history. Bellerive has been generous in hosting Metropolitan Championships in the past, holding the Metropolitan Junior Amateur in 2003, as well as the Metropolitan Amateur in 1996 and again in 2009. The 1996 championship was won by Tom Barry, and in 2009, Skip Berkmeyer etched his name on the Jim Tom Blair trophy. Now, fourteen years down the road, 156 candidates are looking to do the same.
There are seven former champions vying for the win again in this year’s field. With reigning Champion, Peter Weaver, not defending his title, the trophy is anyone’s for the taking. In this 34th playing of the Metropolitan Amateur Championship, the response and strength of the field has hit a new level. In a record breaking registration period, we had 241 registrants at the time the entries closed. Fifty-three players received exemptions into the field, while the 188 remaining players had to participate in a qualifier for their spots. Following the qualifier held on July 11, the field was officially set with 103 players added to the roster. Across the field there are 45 Metropolitan Member Clubs represented. The average age is 29 years old and the average handicap index is +0.83.
The seven past champions in the field are Robert Beckmann (2000), Skip Berkmeyer (2009), Ryan Penfield (2011), Kyle Weldon (2012, 2013), Jimmy Siegfried (2015), Drew Pranger (2016, 2018, 2022), and Brad Carpenter (2019).
Berkmeyer has a strong golf history alongside his Metropolitan Amateur win with five Old Warson Cup titles, a Metropolitan Open title, and numerous player of the year titles. This year is a special return to the championship for Berkmeyer as his 2009 win occurred the last time Bellerive hosted the championship. Pranger holds the record for the number of most Metropolitan Amateur wins at three, while Weldon is one of two champions to win in consecutive years.
Also making a return to the field this year are the co-runner-ups from 2023, Zach Walsh and Thomas Wuennenberg. Zach Walsh has already proven himself this summer by winning the St. Louis District’s Griesedieck Men’s Championship. Walsh is also a former Metropolitan Junior Amateur Champion and set new Metropolitan Amateur Championship records last year for lowest second round score at sixunder par and lowest first 36 holes score at 134. Current Metropolitan Player of the Year leaderboard leader, Blake Skornia, has joined the Amateur field. Skornia is looking to put a cap on his summer after winning the East Side Amateur followed by earning the Co-Low Amateur Honors at the Metropolitan Open. Joining him in the field is his Metropolitan Open Co-Low Amateur Honoree, Tyler Linenbroker.
The Old Warson Cup is a time honored tradition for the Metropolitan, and there are six champions, as well as all three senior champions in this year’s Amateur field. Those six include Skip Berkmeyer (5x), Justin Bryant (2x), Sam Migdal (3x), Drew Pranger, Max Kreikemeier, and reigning champion, Chris Kovach. After kicking off his summer with the win at Old Warson, Kovach has continued to work on his game and found himself in a runner-up position at the St. Louis District’s Griesedieck Men’s Championship. Justin Bryant fought his way into the final match of the Old Warson Cup this year to finish as runner-up for
the second year in a row. Migdal set a new low round record for the Metropolitan Amateur last year with a first round score of seven-under par. He also participated in the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship earlier this year with his brother Joe Migdal, who is also in the field this week.
The senior Old Warson Cup champions joining the field are Brian Lovett, Buddy Allen, and reigning champion, Brian Hall.
Lovett captured the senior East Side Amateur title at the beginning of the summer and will hold a strong knowledge of this Championship site, as Bellerive is his home course. Hall made a splash in last year’s Metropolitan Amateur with one of the second lowest second round scores of four-under par. Joining these three in the field is reigning Metropolitan Senior Amateur Champion, Paul Neeman.
Included in the 2024 field are five prior Metropolitan Junior Amateur Champions. Bubba Chapman, John Guerra, Zach Walsh, and Justin Bryant are all looking to join Jimmy Siegfried in the exclusive club of championing both the Metropolitan Junior Amateur and Amateur Championships. Chapman, one year removed from his Junior win, looks forward to a home club advantage in this year’s Championship. Rising golfers, Trigg Lindahl and Dominic Mazzola made names for themselves as they brought in the lowest scores of the Metropolitan Amateur qualifying round at four-under par. Lindahl will be joining the field just over a week after his debut in the U.S. Junior Amateur.
Four Bellerive members are stepping out for their chance at victory in this year’s Championship. Hoping their home club expertise guides them to a win are Bubba Chapman, Brian Lovett, Gordon Walker, and Thomas Weaver. Players from around the area are not afraid and are ready to take down these four on their home soil. Forest Hills Country Club has the most members competing in the field with 10 members, while there are 45 public - or club unaffiliated - golfers ready to show what they’ve got on this private track. Without a defending Champion, the title is truly anyone’s for the taking.
With the history and accolades around Bellerive Country Club, players are excited to put their skills to the test like all of the distinguished names that have strode across the grounds before them. When Bellerive calls, you answer, and now it is time to face the path ahead. With three rounds and 156 of the area’s best players on a nationally acclaimed course, anything can happen. At the 18th green, the Jim Tom Blair Trophy awaits its 34th victor.
Round 1 & 2 Start Times have been released. Use the Link below to view the schedule. For Top 10 Player of the Year Standings, see page 29 or for total standings click below.
34th Metropolitan Amateur Championship Field
Buddy Allen
Brendan Bargetzi
Clayton Becher
Michael Becker
Robert Beckmann
Sam Beggs
Benjamin Berger
Skip Berkmeyer
Derek Besant
Parker Boehne
Bryan Bohme
Andrew Boudreau
Sean Brennan
Patrick Britt
Jack Bruening
Max Bruening
Parker Bruening
Justin Bryant
Tom Buffington
Michael Bugyis
Brad Carpenter
John (Bubba) Chapman
Corey Choate
Alex Ciaramitaro
Courtney Cooper
Alex Cusumano
Logan Daily
Chris Dale
Dylan Davidson
Logan Davis
Hunter Degrand
Matthew Delanty
Matt Dunham
Ryan Eckelkamp
Christopher Elliott
Dominick Emig
Eric Ewing
Owen Farley
Keenan Flemming
Logan Forister
Mack Freeman
Eric Galanti
Luke Gardner
Ben Gelven
Nick George
Eli Glass
Carter Goebel
Dane Gray
John Guerra
Brian Hall
Colin Hall
Rhoads Hall
Dylan Handlan
Max Harres
Dedrick Harris
Josh Hayes
Andy Hennen
Quin Hoenig
Dylan Holdenried
Brent Holmes
Anthony Houska
David Hughes
Brett Hulsey
Jarrett James
Tucker Jensen
Kevin Jeske
Augie Johnson
Tim Kaiser
Ryan Keller
Isaac Kelley
Chris King
David Kirkman
Jack Klingel
Allen Kohnen
Chris Kovach
Charles Kramer
Max Kreikemeier
Ryan Kruse
Jason Landry
Thomas Lantzy
Parker Lawrence
Jack Lematty
Clayton Lewis
Trigg Lindahl
Tyler Linenbroker
Will Lorenz
Brian Lovett
Presley MacKelburg
Gus Maloney
Logan Malott
Tate Matheny
Blake Mazzola
Dominic Mazzola
Connor McCown
Justin McCoy
Brian McDonough
Ryan McKillips
Ryan McNeil
Joe Migdal
Sam Migdal
John Moore
Jack Moran
Nate Neal
Alex Nealis
Paul Neeman
Chad Niezing
Aidan O’Keefe
Luke Orf
Ryan Penfield
Adam Pfeiffer
David Pfeil
Josh Phillips
Aj Porter
Drew Pranger
Zachary Pranger
Nick Profancik
Jacob Rogers
Andrew Rottschalk
Trey Rusthoven
Trip Sanfelippo
Clay Savage
Scott Schaeffer
Rob Scherer
David Schilp Jr.
Thomas Shuert
Hudson Shy
Jimmy Siegfried
Tom Sinak
Blake Skornia
David Speicher
Mike Speicher
Kyler Spencer
Griffin St.Pierre
Jordan Stapp
Andrew Steffan
Drew Suhre
Ryan Suhre
James Sullivan
Mike Sullivan
Michael Todorovich
Chance Trottman-Huiet
Remy Tyrrell
Austen Velazquez
Cohen Vierling
Tom Vogt
Teddy Walbaum
Gordon Walker
Ryan Walsh
Zach Walsh
Thomas Weaver
Kyle Weldon
Noah Whitaker
Jason White
Drew Wielgus
Thomas Wuennenberg
Keenan Yelliott
Alternates:
Jim Greenstein
Mike McKillips
9-Hole Championship
Twenty-two players arrived to Ballwin Golf Course this morning to test their skills in just nine holes. The 6th 9-hole Championship once again allowed golfers to get a quick, short competitive round in. The day began at 7:30am and was complete before noon.
We had three divisions that competed in gross and net competitions. In the men’s gross division, Wes Allard and Manon Labeur of the Metropolitan eClub turned in scores of one-over (+1) par. Using a scorecard playoff, Allard would take the prize, leaving Labeur in second. In the men’s net division, Justin Zhang of Ballwin Golf Club used his handicap strokes to his advantage. Zhang’s net score was even (E) par and placed him on the top of this leaderboard. John Hardin of Franklin County Country Club came in second with a net score of two-over (+2) par.
In the senior gross division, Rich Keuss ran away with the prize with a bogey-free round of two-under (-2) par. Second place was awarded to Alfred Padilla of the USGA/MetAmateur GC at four-over (+4) par. Chris Scaglione of the Metropolitan eClub got a few strokes in the senior net division to finish the day at net even (E) par and win the trophy. Brendan Moore of the Metropolitan eClub would be the senior net second place at seven-over (+7) par.
Coming in last was the super senior division. Matt Hall of the Metropolitan eClub left victorious in the gross division at one-over (+1) par. Rick Seebeck of Bellerive Country Club ended the day in second with a gross score of five-over (+5) par. Once the handicap strokes were applied, Steve Klopfer of the Metropolitan eClub would earn the super senior net division at four-over (+4) par. Michael Derbak of the Metropolitan eClub was second at net eight-over (+8) par.
Women’s Amateur Update
The Metropolitan Women’s Amateur Championship was scheduled for July 1-2 at Spencer T. Olin Golf Course. At the end of June, just days before the championship to begin, a 100-foot wide and 30-feet deep sinkhole opened up in the Alton Park’s soccer complex. This sinkhole swallowed the turf, benches, and an entire light pole. With Spencer T. Olin located within the same park and needing the street that runs by the affected complex, the entire area was closed off and subsequently the course was closed. Until investigations are made and areas of the park are deemed safe from further sinkholes or damage, the course will remain closed. This caused us to postpone the Metropolitan Women’s Amateur due to a closed venue.
With a sinkhole of this size to open in an area filled with mines, a thorough and lengthy investigation has to happen to ensure the safety of all in the area. The golf course continues to remain closed for these ongoing investigations and safety inspections. We at the Metropolitan Amateur Golf Association remain in contact with the club’s staff on the subject. We remain dedicated to holding this championship and will provide updates on the rescheduling of this event as soon as we have more information. We will notify all participants that originally signed up upon light of new dates and details, as well as informing all of our female membership of new dates. We are aware that new dates may change the availability of both participants and those who were not previously registered. Once we have new dates, we will open registration again for participants. When we have new information available, we will notify you promptly, so please stay tuned for any new developments!
We, along with Spencer T. Olin, thank you for your patience during this unforseen time. We could have never seen this coming in our wildest dreams and hope that we can provide a further update in the near future. Until then, keep practicing and we hope to see all of you real soon!
On July 29, we held the fourth Amateur Series event of the season. The day started out with some drizzles, but play was able to get off without a hitch at 9:00am. The skies began to clear as the day continued and all play was concluded by early afternoon.
Players are earning points to gain entry into the Series Championship based on how they finish in each Series Event. There are 2 events left to earn those points!
Presented by
Amateur Series Standings
Senior Net Division - Joe Blandina
Super
Women’s Net Division - Julie Derr
Anita van Housen
Marge Behrens
USGA Championship Qualifying
Competing August 12-18 at Hazeltine National Golf Club
The Forest Through the Trees
TThe Bogeyman
Dan O’Neill
he last major championship of the season was notable for a couple of reasons. For starters, the British Open at Troon was won by Xander Schauffele, who also won the PGA Championship in May.
Schauffele knocked on the door in previous years, so the fact he won a major in 2024 is no surprise. The fact he won two, becoming the 20th player in history to win two or more majors in one season, was not so predictable.
The other story of interest from the British Open was the play of Tiger Woods, and the nonsense it inspired. Woods missed the cut for the third consecutive time in a major - he finished 60th at the Masters - and his 36-hole score of 14-over-par 156 at Troon matched the worst score of his professional career.
In 10 major championship rounds this year, Woods’ average score was 75.6. He was over par in all but one — a par-72 in the first round at Augusta. It has been 15 consecutive majors rounds since Woods last broke par. He hasn’t finished higher than T37 in any major during the 2020s, and he’s withdrawn from or missed the cut at six of the past seven in which he’s played.
Meanwhile, he still deals with and recuperates from considerable physical damage created by an automobile crash in February, 2021. And at the end of the current calendar year, he turns 49.
He also is Tiger Woods, who has won three British Opens and has won 15 major championships. He is Tiger Woods, on the shortest of short lists of the greatest players in the history of the game. He is the player golf galleries still swell to see, TV ratings still soar, championships still long to have in their competitive fields.
But he is not performing as the younger, healthier version of himself, which has some suggesting he should stop trying. Colin Montgomerie, who never won a British Open or any other major, is among them.
“Aren’t we there?” Montgomerie said. “I’d have thought we were past there. There is a time for all sportsmen to say goodbye, but it’s very difficult to tell Tiger it’s time to go.”
Woods’ response was spot on: “As a past champion, I’m exempt until I’m 60,” he said. “Colin is not. He’s not a past champion, so he’s not exempt. So he doesn’t get the opportunity to make that decision. I do.”
In short, there’s no “we” here, certainly not one that includes Montgomery. At the same time, there are clownish commentators like Skip Bayless, who suggests Woods should quit because he’s “embarrassing” himself.
Full disclosure, I have questioned why Woods continues, why he puts himself through what he does in order to do it. He has accomplished so much, he is a legendary piece of both golf and cultural history. He is wealthy beyond wildest dreams and famous beyond imagination.
Yes, he needs one more win to pass Sam Snead and have a record of 83 all to himself. Yes, he needs three more majors to catch Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18, four to pass it. Can he do those things - recent results aren’t encouraging. Does he need to do them - no.
Woods as an ordinary golfer does nothing for his otherworldly reputation or his iconic brand. Nike recognized that.
But, while you might question why he does it, there is no question whether Woods has the right to continue. Arnold Palmer played in his last major at age 74, Nicklaus at age 65. As mentioned, Woods is turning 49, not 69.
No one, certainly not players who have fallen well short of Woods’ resume - players who were handsomely enriched by his presence - should be calling for him to quit. On his worst day, Woods brings more to the table than they could ever generate. On his worst day - on any day - Woods “embarrasses” himself less than Bayless.
Perhaps Woods is no longer capable of a major championship. At this point, he can’t play or practice frequently enough to make that seem plausible. Perhaps in the future his body will allow him to do so. Frankly, if Phil Mickelson can win a major a month shy of his 51st birthday, who is to say Woods can’t.
Perhaps that won’t happen, perhaps the reconstructed body will never allow him the strength and repetitions needed to walk a back nine on Sunday, to fist-pump one more win. Perhaps he is to be little more than a sentimental favorite, a ceremonial figure.
He insists he will not be, but how would you expect him to respond? He’s a competitor - among the best the world has ever known. Like Nicklaus and Palmer before him, he will never concede.
Whether he does or not, he has earned the right to be there. What’s more, golf needs him to be there, to continue as long as he wants.
In the 1989 PGA Championship at Kemper Lakes, 59-year old Arnold Palmer shot
an opening 68. He was one shot off the lead, a place he hadn’t been in more than a decade. I walked with him the next day, was one of the most exciting days you might ever witness.
“The King” couldn’t keep it up, he finished tied for 63, the last cut he made at a major. In fact, over the last 61 major championships he competed in, Palmer didn’t have a single top-10.
Do you think the people who saw him through all those years, wish he had stopped playing earlier?
In 1998 at Augusta, limping with an arthritic hip, 58-year old Jack Nicklaus was in contention. When he birdied No. 15 on Sunday’s back nine, he was within two shots of the lead. Souls filled with chicken soup, hearts swelled with romance, galleries exploded.
Nicklaus, who hadn’t been in contention in 31 consecutive majors before that week, couldn’t quite pull it off. Mark O’Meara won and the “Olden Bear” tied for sixth. Pretty sure those at Augusta on that magical day were happy he hadn’t called it quits after missing the cut at the PGA eight months earlier.
That performance in ’98 was the only top-20 for Nicklaus over his final 43 majors. He missed the cut in 20 of them, but it’s doubtful anyone attending regretted seeing him.
If you are expecting Woods to be more competitive, to contend on the weekend at majors, if you believe that is the only measure that matters, you are not seeing the forest through the trees. In fact, you’re not even seeing the trees.
Whether he publicly accepts or acknowledges his game is diminished or not, Woods has more than earned the right to keep competing. The greatest names in the sport have continued to try, well past their prime.
What’s more, the sport and its fans are more than happy to have them do so.
Importance of Rotation in the Golf Swing
> Thoracic spine rotation is very crucial in order to produce a very powerful and consistent golf swing.
> The thoracic spine makes up the middle portion of the spine and consists of 12 vertebrae. The majority of rotation of the torso comes from the thoracic spine and how the joints are oriented.
> Limited thoracic spine rotation for golfers results in lack of depth in the back swing, more arm dominance, and most commonly results with swinging “over the top”.
> Improving thoracic spine rotation will result in a more full back swing, more separation between the upper and lower body, and the ability to create more power!
> Below are a few movements that you can try out to improve your T-Spine Rotation!
For videos on exercises and more tips to improve your golf game mobility, follow these links:
Golf Movement Screens, Medical Professionals, and PGA Teaching Professionals
> Golf movement assessments pinpoint areas of the body that are limited in regard to range of motion. Combining mobility assessments, with power and swing assessments, gives medical professionals and teaching professionals a full view on how well a golfer’s body moves.
> Golf movement assessments all medical professionals and personal trainers to create personalized treatment and exercise programs for exactly what you need work on.
> The mobility, stability, power, and swing results are then combined with the golfer’s goals, to create the most personalized program for each and every golfer.
> Golf movements assessments allows golfers to train most effectively while keeping engaged with the PGA Teaching Instructors.
Sup’s On:
Carter DeMay
Forest Hills Country Club
Flooding & Rainwater Management on the Golf Course
This month has been a seesaw of emotions with the weather for your area golf course managers. We have had days of extreme temperatures and heat, heavy and isolated rain events that have caused flooding and then some unseasonably cool 80 degree days with 60 degree overnight lows. We course managers try not to do anything to upset Mother Nature because she can be ruthless, but we do make efforts to ensure that our properties can handle and survive through these flooding events. Unfortunately, some of the best laid plans can go to waste.
investment of $2 million dollars to solidify our creek banks and establish water flow management structures to protect our property from receding waters after flood events. We were happy to see that our investment paid off tremendously and our creek banks survived but we were not left without our scars.
At Forest Hills Country Club, the rain event on July 16th was one of those events we couldn’t have been equipped to handle. We received 2 plus inches of rain in an hour and our property couldn’t handle that amount of water in that short of time. The flooding we had was the worst we have had in some 25 years or more. The infrastructure in place for stormwater management had just received an
Besides a lot of repairs needed to our bunkers with silt and moving sand back around in bunkers, water can sometimes always win. A few land bridges being undermined and some low water overflows having erosion is the result and requiring some further work to repair. Many of the area courses that have similar damage can recover and repair these damages. But I would be remised if my heart didn’t go out to those properties that have a harder time recovering.
There are many beautiful and tremendous area public courses that may take longer to recover from significant damage to their properties. Although many of us have flood insurance, insurance typically only covers structures like outbuildings and maybe bridges but not always. Any damage done to the land itself remains uncovered and the cost to repairing or rebuilding falls solely on the property owners. Please be sure to support these properties by still giving them your patronage during the recovery of such events. What we would hate to see is for these properties to struggle to come out on top and remain. Public golf is such a great thing to have in our communities through providing a great outdoor activity and green space.
Flooding is something that comes with our gig as property managers and we strive to overcome the adversity of these events. It takes time, resources and support no matter the properties situation and we all thank you for the continued patronage and support of our great and numerous golf facilities in the St. Louis Metropolitan area.
Wishing It Was Lost
Rules Center Ball Spotted But Not Identified Within 3 Minutes
During the second round of the Open Championship, Shane Lowry sent his second shot flying into thick gorse bushes on the 11th hole. Upon doing so, a heated Lowry appeared displeased with a nearby cameraman and immediately dropped another ball to hit. It was later confirmed that he called the second ball a provisional. This ball landed exactly where Lowry would have liked the first one: on the green. Hoping, possibly even praying that he could just move forward with the second ball, Lowry was hit with a snag. A spectator found his ball...
The ball was nestled down in the gorse bushes. With the [potential] location of the ball known Lowry had to go over and identify it. After identification that it was his ball, Lowry had no choice but to play his original ball. The location of the ball left it in a difficult place and Lowry had to take an unplayable. With 3 options of relief under the unplayable rule, Lowry opted to go back on the line to the pin from where the ball lay. He went all the way back to the 12th fairway for his fourth shot and was unable to come out unscathed. With a double bogey on the card, Lowry had to be wishing the ball was just lost. He did seem in okay spirits about the whole thing in his post-round interview, so at the end of the day, he was able to find some light.
So what would have happened in Lowry had chosen not to look for the ball and a spectator hadn’t ratted out the location? And how long would he have had to search and identify his original ball?
John explains Ball Search and Identification -->
Must a Player Look for a Ball?
Dear John: Last Friday I sliced my drive on the 5th hole so deep into the woods that Lassie wouldn’t have been able to find it if it were wrpped in bacon (credit to David Feherty). Do I have to look for it? - Timmy
Dear Timmy: A ball can’t be declared lost (definition of LOST), but there is no requirement that the player look for it. Simply play another ball from the teeing area under penalty of stroke-and-distance (Rule 18.1). You’ll be hitting three with your second tee shot (and your original ball will be out of play after that stroke).
Dear John: I was playing a stroke-play round with some buddies. At a par-4, I hit my drive into very tall grass running along the right side of the hole. Two other players in the group and I saw it go toward a red-and-white pole standing in the rough. I announced and hit a provisional ball, which I also pushed right. We clearly saw the provisional ball bouncing along the cart path. Upon arriving at the area, we spotted a ball just left of the path Everyone assumed that was the provisional ball, so we proceeded to look for my original ball in the tall grass to no avail. After three minutes of searching, I walked over to the ball by the cart path and played it onto the fringe the green, from where I holed a putt.
At the next hole, a par-3, I hit a nice tee shot onto the green. As I marked my ball, I realized that it was my original ball from the previous hole, not the provisional! No one in the group knew how to treat the issue/penalty, so we just kept playing. What should the verdict have been? - Oops
Dear Oops: A ball is deemed lost if not found within three minutes after the player, player’s caddie, partner, of partner’s caddie has begun searching for it (definition of LOST). In this instance, the player spotted a ball (which turned out to be their original ball) at the outset of the search but did not promptly attempt to identify it as their original ball within the three-minute seach period. Therefore, the original ball was lost (and out of play) under the Rules of Golf (Clarification 18.2a(1) 3).
A ball out of play is a wrong ball. Making a stroke at a wrong ball results in a two-stroke penalty in stroke play and loss of hole penalty in match play (Rule 6.3c(1)). Further, in stroke play, play of a wrong ball must be corrected before the player makes a stroke at the next hole (or, for the last hole of the round, before returning their scorecard); otherwise, the player is disqualified. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.
Identification errors can be killers. Here’s what a player can do to help themself:
1. Play a provisional ball with a different identification mark than the original ball (it’s a good idea for the player to state the difference when announcing play of a provisional ball).
2. Upon arriving at the search area, check the identity of every ball in sight, as balls often take strange bounces.
3. Always identify the ball before making the next stroke.
4. Utilize the ball-identification procedure in Rule 7.3 by: 1) marking the position of the ball before touching or lifting it, and 2) cleaning the ball only to the extent necessary to identify it.
Incidentally, if a ball is found near the end of the three-minute search period, the player is allowed a reasonable amount of time to identify the ball (up to one minute) after getting to the spot where the ball lies (Rule 18.2a(1) and Clarification 18.2a(1)/3).
Keeping Up with the USGA
USGA announces changes to U.S. Senior Open qualifying model, beginning in 2025
LIBERTY CORNER, N.J. (June 24, 2024) – The United States Golf Association (USGA) today announced that the U.S. Senior Open Championship will move to a two-stage qualifying model and adopt modified exemption categories, beginning in 2025.
The U.S. Senior Open, which will be contested next year at The Broadmoor’s East Course, in Colorado Springs, Colo., will feature a qualifying framework that is similar to the U.S. Open with 32 local sites and 12 final sites. In 2024, there was one stage of qualifying with 33 sites in 24 U.S. states. The USGA accepted 3,019 entries, the third-highest total in championship history.
Additionally, the U.S. Senior Open’s qualifying model will feature a limited overall reduction in full exemptions along with the appropriate alignment of major championship exemptions. Local exemption criteria will recognize accomplishments at the senior amateur and professional level.
“Retaining the U.S. Senior Open’s openness while ensuring that high-caliber players are provided ample opportunity to earn a spot in the field and that qualifying can be conducted at the highest level is paramount,” said Brent Paladino, USGA senior director, Championship Administration. “Our structure has evolved to ensure the long-term sustainability of qualifying without excessively burdening Allied Golf Associations (AGAs) and host clubs.”
National Intern Day
July 25 marked National Intern Day. We have three PJ Boatwright Interns this summer, learning the ins and outs of golf administration. Jason Denham, Brennan Strubberg, and Will Coleman have been with us since May. Brennan and Will’s times with us are coming to a close soon in August, while Jason will continue on to October. Our Association would not be the same without the Boatwright Interns each summer.
Learn About Our Interns!
About the Boatwright Internship Program
PGA Tour
John Deere Classic - Davis Thompson
ISCO Championship - Harry Hall
Barracuda Championship - Nick Dunlap
3M Open - Jhonattan Vegas
Korn Ferry Tour
The Ascendant - Cristobal Del Solar
Price Cutter Charity Championship - Matt McCarty
NV5 Invitational - Thomas Rosenmueller
PGA Tour Americas
Explore NB Open - Ian Holt
Bromont Open - Ryan Burnett
Commissionaires Ottawa Open - Barend Botha
PGA Tour Champions
Senior Open Qualifier - Jay Jurecic
Kaulig Companies Championship - Ernie Els
Senior Open Championship - K.J. Choi
World of Golf July
Dana Open - Chanettee Wannaasaen
CPKC Women’s Open - Lauren Coughlin
DP World Tour
BMW International Open - Ewen Ferguson
Genesis Scottish Open - Robert MacIntyre
Open Championship - Xander Schauffele
LET
VP Bank Swiss Ladies Open - Alice Hewson
Aramco Team Series London - Leona Maguire
Amundi Evian Championship - Ayaka Furue
Dutch Ladies Open - Jana Melichova
Challenge Tour
Euram Bank Open - Frank Kennedy
Black Desert NI Open - Conor Purcell
Epson Tour
Hartford HealthCare Women’s Championship - Daniela Lacobelli
Twin Bridges Championship - Lauren Stephenson
Sunshine Tour
SunBet Challenge Wild Coast - Jaco Ahlers
LPGA Legends
Florida Women’s Open - Tammie Green
The Legends Return to Eagle’s Landing - Angela Stanford
Tennessee Women’s Open - Cheryl Fox
Up Next for MAGA
Hall of Champions 2024
Brian Hall Senior Old Warson Cup
Ryan Cole Metropolitan Open
Brian Lovett East Side Senior
Blake Skornia East Side Amateur
Team Metropolitan Robert A. Shogren Cup
Luke Lasley SIGA Championship
Michael Brees Junior SIGA Championship
Chris Kovach Old Warson Cup
Sarah Hyten Girls’ Junior Amateur
Harper Ackermann Junior Amateur
DeLuca & Tiefenbrunn Junior Amateur Age Greg Stewart Super Senior SIGA Champ.
Tom Portner
SIGA Championship
Flores Women’s SIGA Championship
9-Hole Championship
Normandie Project Update: Keep Up with the Foundation
The Metropolitan Golf Foundation owns Normandie Golf Course and is behind the Normandie Reimagined project in conjunction with Beyond Housing. As this project continues forward, we want you to be in the know that is why we encourage you to follow the Metropolitan Golf Foundation on social media. We will be posting updates and information about this venture as much as we can to keep the public in the loop. Use the links below to follow the Foundation across the social media landscape.
Follow Us:
MetroGolfFoundation on Instagram
MetropolitanGF on Facebook and X
Metropolitan Golf Foundation on LinkedIn
For more information on the Normandie Renovation Project and how you can help, visit https://www.metga.org/nicklaus-and-normandie or contact normandie@metga.org
“The appeal of this project to me was to be involved in an effort that could serve as a catalyst to change needed in our country today, beginning with parts of St. Louis County. Restoring Normandie for a community in need will have a long-lasting positive impact on the lives of youth in St. Louis.” -Jack Nicklaus on his involvement in Normandie Reimagined
