Volume 8 | No. 6
The Metropolitan
August 2021
The Metropolitan AMATEUR GOLF ASSOCIATION
Nick Westrich
31st Metropolitan Amateur Champion (Pg. 6) Port makes history with win at Sunset (Pg. 8) 1
The Metropolitan
August 2021
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
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6 3. Bio/By the Numbers 4. Curt’s Corner 5. Exposures/Ellen’s Impact 6. Amateur Recap 8. Senior Amateur Recap 10. Normandie Amateur 12. Supe’s On
13. Players of the Year Standings 14. Bogeyman 16-18 USGA Qualifiers 20. Old Warson Announcement 21. Sobbe Cup Playoffs 23. Nicklaus quote
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The Metropolitan
August 2021
By The Numbers
MAGA
6 - The number of captain’s picks that were available to Team
Europe skipper Catriona Matthew as she made out her lineup for the Solheim Cup matches on Sept. 4-6 at Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio. Matthew announced her picks after the AIG Women’s British Open and named three rookies among the additions, including Ireland’s Leona Maguire, Finland’s Matilda Castren and Denmark’s Nanna Koerstz Madsen. German Sophia Popov also made the squad based on the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, giving Europe four first-time players. In the case of Castren and Maguire, it marks the first time their countries are represented in the Solheim Cup competition. “I’m really excited,” Maguire said. “I think it’s going to be great for Irish golf and to show the young girls coming up that it is possible to do things if you set your mind to it.”
WHAT WE DO: - Provide the GHIN Handicap Service to 140+ Member Clubs under the World Handicap System - Conduct ten (10) Metropolitan Championships each season - Conduct USGA Qualifying for nine (9) USGA Championships each season - Conduct the Amateur Series of Events for golfers of all ages and abilities - Provide the USGA Course/Slope Rating service to our Member Clubs
10 - The length in feet of two putts that led to USA’s Xander
Schauffele winning the gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics held earlier this summer. Coming down the stretch in the final round, Schauffele dropped a 6-foot putt for birdie on the 17th hole to take a one-shot lead over Slovakia’s Rory Sabbatini. The 27-year old Schauffele then rammed home a four-foot putt on the 18th to clinch the victory. Schauffele’s father, Stefan, was born in Germany and dreamed of being an Olympic decathlete, but he was injured in a car accident as a young man and never was able to fulfill the dream. After his win on Sunday, Aug. 1, Xander said he was happy to deliver the gold medal to his dad.
- Regional authority on the Rules of Golf and Amateur Status METROPOLITAN CHAMPIONSHIPS Amateur Championship Old Warson Cup (Match Play Championship) Shogren Cup (Match Play PGA Pros vs. MAGA Amateurs) Open Championship Women’s Amateur Championship
40 - The number of years that have passed since Jim Holtgrieve
Junior Amateur Championship Senior Amateur Championship
won the inaugural U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship in 1981 at Bellerive Country Club. With former USGA president Tom O’Toole as his caddy, Holtgrieve defeated Walker Cup teammates Bob Lewis Jr. in the championship match. Lewis, a veteran of six Walker Cups as both a competitor and a captain, died earlier this year at the age of 76. In the ’81 championship match, Holtgrieve took the lead on the 16th hole and sealed the 2 up win with a birdie at No. 18. The same year, Holtgrieve won the Missouri Amateur at Norwood Hills, was low amateur at the Memorial Tournament and shot a 70 in the opening round of the Masters, playing alongside Arnold Palmer. Not a bad year.
Metropolitan Cup Matches Four-Ball Championship 9-Hole Championship Mid-America Junior Cup USGA QUALIFYING ROUNDS U.S. Open U.S. Senior Open
1927 - When the Ryder Cup Matches were first played at
U.S. Women’s Open
Worcester Country Club in Worcester, Mass. The U.S. won that first exhibition by a dominating 9½-2½ score. Moreover, the U.S. either captured or retained the trophy in 20 of 21 meetings from 1935 to 1985. However, since 1979, when continental Europe joined Great Britain in the competition, Team Europe has won or retained the Cup in 12 of 20 competitions, including a 17½-10½ victory at France in 2018. The competition renews on Sept. 21-26 at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisc.
U.S. Amateur U.S. Mid-Amateur U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur U.S. Junior Amateur U.S. Girls’ Junior Amateur U.S. Amateur Four-Ball
2000- The number of calories the average person will
U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball U.S. Senior Amateur U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur
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burn while playing golf and walking 18 holes. The walk will be approximately four miles, depending on how many fairways and greens you hit. And chances are 1 in 300,000 that you will be struck by lighting - unless you are Lee Trevino. The “Merry Mex” has been struck by lightning three times, including once while playing in the 1975 Western Open.
The Metropolitan
MAGA STAFF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Curt Rohe - curt@metga.org 2021 EXECUTIVE BOARD Officers Stan Grossman, President Scott Engelbrecht, Secretary/Treasurer At-Large Members Kelli Kirchoff Mike Marquart Rick Meyer, Jr. John Moore Mick Wellington ADVISORY COMMITTEE Scott Thomas, Chairman Dustin Ashby Tom Barry Skip Berkmeyer Chris Kovach Ryan Eckelcamp Tom Portner Curt Rohe DIRECTOR, MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS Will Redmond P.J. BOATWRIGHT INTERNS Mary O’Leary Steven Wendling John McCauliffe THE METROPOLITAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER Dan O’Neill
August 2021
Curt’s Corner Curt Rohe - Executive Director Greetings Members! With the end of August comes the downhill slide to the end of another season of championships and USGA qualifying rounds. Every season is busy, but this season has seemed busier than most...maybe it is my age and wrapping up my 20th season as a full-time staffer with MAGA. While I begin this journey in 1998 as an intern, I returned in the fall of 2001 full-time. I have been so fortunate to see and do many amazing things on this 20+ year journey with MAGA...officiated at several USGA championships, assisted in conducting every USGA championship here in St. Louis since 1998, spent the day with Jack Nicklaus at Normandie just a few weeks ago on the Nicklaus and Normandie project and many other things. However, Wednesday August 25 will go down as the most historic day I have spent on the golf course when Ellen Port took the title in our 29th Metropolitan Senior Amateur Championship! I shared our recap on my personal Facebook page that evening saying while I knew Ellen would play well, I did not think she would win. She has played in several of our, what I would call ancillary championships in the past, against the men from their same tees and has fared well. She finished T-4 the weekend prior at the Normandie Amateur in the Senior Division. This was our Senior Championship, the best seniors from our region were teeing it up for the George F. Meyer Trophy, this was different. And she went ahead and did it anyway...Even par in Round 1, 5-under in Round 2 to force a playoff and win it as with a 20-foot birdie on the 4th playoff hole, amazing! Another season of USGA qualifying is in the books and it was so great to be back at it after the 2020 qualifying season was cancelled for Covid-19. I have said it many times before, asking players “Do you accept this qualifying certificate?” is one of the highlights of my job! At US Amateur Four-Ball Qualifying this past week, Davis Boland from Kentucky and his partner Josh Rhodes earned the 2nd spot in the playoff. As they came off the 18th green at St. Albans, I handed them their certificates and asked that question. Davis looked at me and said, “Wow, I have never had any ask me that when I received one of these, they don’t do that from where I’m from.” With August coming to a close, two of our Boatwright Interns have fulfilled the summer internships with us. Thank you Mary O’Leary and Steven Wendling for all your hard work and time you put in to ensuring another successful championship season. While I know I work these guys pretty hard, I hope the experiences they take away help them along the way in their careers. This August issue wraps up our monthly editions of The Metropolitan. While we have a few more events to go for the year, please follow our social media feeds and the website to keep up to date with what is going on! As always, thank you for reading. 4
The Metropolitan
August 2021
Exposure: Recaps Using Unique Photo Layouts Click on the photos below for our Exposure recaps from our events this season!
Ellen Port: A National Impact After her historic win, Ellen Port’s story spread throughout the golf world, including articles in Golf Digest, Golfweek, and Golf Channel. Ellen visited with Rich Lerner on Golf Central last Friday night after BMW Championship coverage to talk about her historic win to cap it all off.
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The Metropolitan
August 2021
Westrich Wins 31st Metropolitan Amat
Nick Westrich with the Jim Tom Blair trophy Ladue, MO – Nick Westrich won the 31st Metropolitan Amateur Championship on Saturday at St. Louis Country Club, setting two 54-hole scoring records in the process. The junior at Central Missouri shot 8-under 205 over the three days of competition to set new 54-hole scoring and lowest score to par records. “What a beautiful course, just in perfect shape,” Westrich said. “You just have to keep it in the fairway out here. Keep it in the fairway and hit the greens and you’re going to make some putts. The greens are just perfect so you can get the ball rolling. Luckily, I was able to do that this week, I just kept it in the fairway pretty well and kept attacking.” The Crown Pointe member, who never played a practice round at St. Louis CC, shot par-or-better all three days (71-66-68) to best the 156-player field. Westrich shared the lead with Joe Migdal at 5-under overall heading into the final 18. He wasted no time, carding a birdie on the par 4 1st, the hardest hole of the day averaging 4.68 strokes. He would keep the lead the rest of the way. A bogey on No. 4 was his only miscue, but he erased it with a tap in birdie on the par 5 5th. A birdie on the par 3 7th got him to 7-under overall before the turn. He would add another birdie on No. 10, and pars the rest of the way gave him the two-shot victory. His championship moment came on No. 17. After hitting it in the trench greenside bunker, he was able to save par and hold that two-shot lead with two to play. Westrich had his college teammate, Bennett Tiefenbrunn, on the bag for the final round. “[Bennett] helped so much, I really appreciated his help. He knows the course really well, he’s a great player, one of the best short-game players I’ve ever seen, so I knew he was going to help me a lot on the greens. I couldn’t have done it without him.” Westrich, who won the 2020 Missouri Amateur and made the cut at the World Wide Technology Metropolitan Open Championship in June, now adds the Jim Tom Blair trophy to his amateur golf accomplishments.
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August 2021
teur Championship in Historic Fashion Curtis Brokenbrow shot the lowest round of the day, firing a 6-under 65 on Saturday to earn runner-up honors. His final round total was the lowest final round score in Metropolitan Amateur Championship history, and the secondlowest 18-hole score. Brokenbrow shot even par the first two days and was five back of the lead at the start of his final round. Bogeys on the two long par 3s got him heading in the wrong direction, but Brokenbrow carded an incredible 8 birdies his last 15 holes to post a 6-under round. The Missouri Baptist graduate and now assistant coach was clubhouse leader at 6-under overall, playing in the fourth-to-last pairing of the day. “I got off to a slow start, but here at St. Louis Country Club it is a tough start with those two long par-3s opening up,” Brokenbrow said. “Once I was 2-over through three, I thought ‘If I can get something rolling here in the next couple of holes, I might have a chance going into the back 9.’ Thankfully, I birded 5 of the last 6 on the front 9 which helped a lot. Going into the back holes, I wasn’t sure how far up I was, but I just knew if I could pick up a couple more coming in I could give it a good push.” Brokenbrow was Low Amateur at the World Wide Technology Metropolitan Open Championship and won the 2021 Missouri Amateur this year. His three-day total of 207 (71-71-65, -6) tied for the second lowest 54-hole score in the championship’s history. Peter Weaver finished in third place alone after a final round 5-under 66. The sophomore at Villanova made bogey on his first hole of the day, and went bogey-free his last 17 holes with six birdies. Weaver had a three-day total of 208 (72-70-66, -5) for the third-lowest 54-hole score in the championship’s history. Ryan Eckelkamp moved into a tie fourth after a final round 1-under 70. The Franklin County Country Club member shot 2-under overall, going 71-70-70–211. The final round scoring average this year was 74.81, just under two strokes better than the last time the championship was held at St. Louis Country Club in 2011, when it was 76.75 strokes. Westrich will defend his title at the 32nd Metropolitan Amateur Championship at Old Warson Country Club next August.
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The Metropolitan
August 2021
Port Makes History, Wins 29th Metropolitan
Ellen Port with the George F. Meyer trophy Sunset Hills, MO – Ellen Port made history on Wednesday, becoming the first woman to win the Metropolitan Senior Amateur Championship. The two-day championship was played at Sunset Country Club. Port, a 7-time USGA champion and 16-time Metropolitan Women’s Amateur champion, will now have her name etched on the George F. Meyer trophy. “That’s a beautiful trophy, and like I said in my speech, that trophy doesn’t know if it’s a man or a woman holding it, it just knows it’s someone who loves golf,” Port said. “I know that Rick Meyer’s father who donated it would be tickled because I love this game and the people who play it.” Playing from the same tees as the men, the Sunset member shot even par during the first round and was five shots back of the lead heading into the final round. Port followed that up by shooting the low round of the day on Wednesday, a bogey-free 5-under 67, to make a playoff for the championship. “Sometimes your home course is tough to play on, and I overcame that mentally and said, “Let’s turn it into an advantage.” I’m so comfortable here, we’ve been members here 30 years, we love Sunset—the people, the club—it’s just home.” Port quickly got into red figures with back-to-back birdies on No.’s 3 and 4. She added another birdie on the par 5 7th and made the turn 3-under, and was just one shot back of the lead. Back-to-back birdies on No.’s 12 and 13 with pars the rest of the day had her in the clubhouse at 5-under just one shot back at the time. Port played in the third-to-last group of the day. “I didn’t know where I stood, I just knew I had a good round. I really didn’t expect to win this or be in a playoff at all, and I think that’s good, that’s a sign that you just stayed in the moment. My friends and family were here and they said, “Joe’s got a one-shot lead.” Well, then he bogeyed and I parred. I had a really good birdie chance and misread it on 18, but I was thankful to still be alive.” Port and Joe Malench went into a playoff that lasted four holes (10-13-14-15). The pair parred the first four holes, which brought the playoff to the long par 3 15th. Port went first and knocked it 20 feet above the hole. Malench went to the right of the green and needed a good chip to save par. 8
The Metropolitan
August 2021
Senior Amateur Championship at Sunset CC He hit it within ten feet and the door was open for Port to win it. She stood over it and hit the ball dead center of the cup, hands in the air, to win the championship. “We went quite a few holes and I knew one of us was going to make a putt, and I was really tickled to make that right-to-left breaker on 15.” Port shot the third-lowest total score in Metropolitan Senior Amateur Championship history, going (72-67–139, -5). She tied for the championship lead in birdies with nine. She became the first woman to compete in the championship flight at MAGA’s senior amateur. Her win on Sunday marks her third MAGA championship title at her home club. Port was champion of the 2006 and 2016 Metropolitan Women’s Amateur, both hosted at Sunset. Joe Malench finished runner-up after going 70-69–139 over the two days. The Metropolitan eClub member tied for the championship lead in pars with 25 and knocked in eight birdies, tied for second-most in the championship. Didier Villard moved into third place by himself after a a final round 2-under 70. The WingHaven member went 2-under for the championship (72-70–142). Paul Neeman and Pat O’Neill tied for fourth, finishing in red figures at 1-under overall. After the win, Port’s story spread throughout the golf world, including articles in Golf Digest, Golfweek, and Golf Channel. Ellen visited with Rich Lerner on Golf Central last Friday night after BMW Championship coverage to talk about her historic win to cap it all off.
Rick Meyer, Ellen Port, Tom O’Toole Jr.
Ellen Port on the first playoff hole
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The Metropolitan
August 2021
Kovach, Berry Win Open and Senior D
Chris Kovach - Open Division Winner
Tom Barry - Senior Division Winner
St. Louis, MO – Chris Kovach and Tom Barry won their respective divisions on Sunday at the Normandie Amateur. The 35th running of the tournament went 36 holes over two days at Normandie Golf Club. Kovach came from behind to take first in the Open Division. Beginning the day four shots back, Kovach made the turn at 2-under on the day and was tied for the lead headed into the par 3 12th with Joe Migdal and Jason White. He then made a birdie putt above the hole for the outright lead at 6-under overall. The Old Hickory member drove the green on the par 4 13th and had an easy two-putt for birdie to get to 7-under overall. Migdal birdied No. 17 to tie Kovach at 7-under down the stretch, but Kovach matched it minutes later and went into No. 18 with a two-shot lead after Migdal made bogey on the last. An errant tee shot had Kovach in trouble on the right side of the long par 3 18th, but he hit an incredible shot to put it within 20 feet, and a four on No. 18 gave him the one-shot victory. “The key here is just keeping the ball in play,” Kovach said. “If you hit fairways, you can hit some good wedges in and take advantage, if not, there’s a lot of bogeys. I did a good job with the driver, when I did miss, I played pretty smart and gave myself opportunities to recover.” With the win, Kovach moves into tenth in the Rapsodo Men’s Player of the Year points standings. Top 16 make the Old Warson Cup, MAGA’s match play championship, next season. “That was the main reason I came out here. The beginning of the summer I didn’t quite have it, found it the last month or so. Had a rough second round at St. Louis Country Club, just wasn’t making anything out there and knew I was around 12th or 13th (points standings). Old Warson Cup is one of my favorite events of the year and I don’t want to miss it so wanted to get a couple points here.” Joe Migdal finished runner-up after a final round 4-under 67. A birdie on No. 9 got him to 2-under on the day, 5-under overall and just one shot back. He would go on to birdie the par 3 12th to tie for the lead at 6-under overall.
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August 2021
Divisions at 35th Normandie Amateur Migdal, who plays out of Aberdeen Golf Club, birdied the par 5 17th to tie Kovach, but a bogey on the last proved costly as Kovach took home the title by one shot. Migdal and Kovach were the only two in the field to shoot both rounds in the 60s. Kovach went 7-under (68-67–135) while Migdal shot 6-under (69-67–136). Tom Barry shot even par on day two to win the Senior Division at his home course. Barry, now a fourtime champion of the Normandie Amateur, went 7-under over the two days of competition (64-71– 135). For the second straight day, Barry eagled a par 4 on the front. Saturday, he holed out from 150 on No. 9, Sunday he carded a four on the par 4 8th. He was the only player in the Senior Division to shoot paror-better both rounds. “I hit a lot of greens, didn’t putt great today, but I hit it really well,” Barry said. “To win anywhere is great, the older I get the harder it is to win. I always feel it’s in my blood, it’s special here, this is my home.” Tony Nolfo finished runner-up after a 4-under 67. Nolfo made the turn on the final day at 2-over, birdied six straight on the back (holes 12 through 17) to post a 67 and get into red figures at 1-under overall.
Chris Kovach
Tom Barry
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The Metropolitan
August 2021
Supe’s On Austin Allen
Assistant Superintendent
We Grow Our Best Zoysia on Pavement
Bellerive Country Club
It has become a running joke among the Bellerive agronomy team that we grow our best zoysia grass sod in our parking lot. Whenever we have leftover sod pieces from a sodding project out on the golf course, we lay out the excess pieces in the parking lot of our ground maintenance facility until a new location to lay the sod on the course can be identified and prepped. As crazy as it seems, an asphalt parking lot does have its pros as a growing environment. It’s a constant warm environment which zoysia enjoys being a warm season turf species, the turfgrass isn’t subjected to the stresses of being mowed or run over by golf carts, and it has a readily available supply of water being situated next to our equipment wash station. No superintendent enjoys sodding zoysia grass, sodding tall fescue is much easier by comparison. If fescue is kept hydrated it will blend into the existing turf in a matter of weeks to months. Zoysia is a multi-year commitment as it can take up to three years for zoysia sod to completely blend into the existing turf. A superintendent once said that in year one zoysia sod sleeps, year two it creeps, and year three it leaps. Zoysia grass already has a slow growth and recovery rate compared to other turfgrass species such as bermudagrass, but that slow growth rate is even slower in freshly sodded zoysia which takes a few years to get going. Being a warm season turfgrass species that goes dormant in the colder months zoysia’s slow growth rate is hampered even further by only having an active growing season in our climate from April-May through September-October. This is why divots on a tee box take an exceedingly long time to heal over and golf cart traffic on fairways is often restricted over the winter months as it would cause damage to the plant that cannot be seen until it exits dormancy in the spring. Zoysia typically has a mowing height of 0.500-0.600” which requires zoysia sod to match up perfectly with the existing turf, as mowers would scalp if the transition between sod and existing turf wasn’t perfect due to the low height of cut. To help alleviate this problem it is preferred to walk mow zoysia sod for its first season as a walk mower reduces the risk of scalping and is easier on the plant. With all of these factors stacked against it maybe there’s some truth to our running joke about growing our best zoysia on pavement.
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The Metropolitan
Player of the Year Points Standings
August 2021
Presented by:
Men’s Player of the Year
Name Affiliation *No. Events Curtis Brokenbrow The Quarry 5 Chad Niezing Metropolitan eClub 4 Sam Migdal Norwood Hills CC 3 Chris Kovach Old Hickory GC 5 Ryan Eckelkamp Franklin County CC 4 Nick Westrich Crown Pointe GC 2 Christopher Ferris Aberdeen GC 1 Tony Gumper Old Hickory GC 2 Peter Weaver Bellerive CC 1 Max Kreikemeier Forest Hills CC 1
*No. Wins
1 0 1 1 0 1 0 2 0 0
Total Pts 1812.85 1471.25 1407.5 1235.42 1102.5 1100 1061.25 1055 1020 932.5
Pts Behind 341.6 405.35 577.43 547.5 712.85 751.6 757.85 792.85 880.35
Full standings here
*MAGA events, MAGA wins
Senior Men’s Player of the Year
Name Affiliation *No. Events *No. Wins Brian Lovett Bellerive CC 2 0 Buddy Allen Metropolitan eClub 3 0 Joe Malench Metropolitan eClub 3 1 Paul Neeman Persimmon Woods GC 1 0 Ellen Port Sunset CC 2 1 David Bremer Persimmon Woods GC 1 0 Tony Nolfo Metropolitan eClub 2 0 Didier Villard WingHaven CC 1 0 David Pfeil The Legends CC 1 0 Pat O’Neill The Quarry 2 0 *MAGA events, MAGA wins
Total Pts Pts Behind 1030 947.5 82.5 885 145 810 220 797.5 232.5 500 530 500 530 480 550 465 565 375 655 Full standings here
Women’s Player of the Year
Name Affiliation *No. Events *No. Wins Total Pts Pts Behind Ellen Port Sunset CC 0 0 1132.5 McKenna Montgomery Persimmon Woods GC 1 1 1075 57.5 Kathy Glennon Country Club of St. Albans 1 0 900 232.5 Alyssa McMinn Far Oaks GC 1 0 525 607.5 Momo Kikuchi The Quarry 1 0 490 642.5 Melanie Wolf Bogey Hills CC 1 0 400 732.5 *MAGA events, MAGA wins
Full standings here 13
The Metropolitan
August 2021
A m a z i ng : S o m e t h i ng E l l e n The Bogeyman Dan O’Neill
(Editor’s note: This story appears courtesy of Morning Read (www. morningread.com) Perhaps the best way to start this essay is to defer to MAGA executive director Curt Rohe, who made this post after the final round of the MAGA Senior Amateur Championship on Aug. 25: “I have been fortunate to see and do some amazing things in my 20+ years with MAGA, but today may have taken the cake! First, it was two of the hottest days I can remember on the golf course, so for that I want to say thank you to my staff and volunteers for showing why we are the best at what we do, bar none! Second, Ellen I knew you would play well this week, but I’m being honest saying I did not think you would win and I should know better! I tell people all the time you may be the most competitive golfer I know and you proved that today! You are amazing and today was one of the most memorable, historic days I’ve spent on the golf course….so thank you and congratulations!” Two things about that post - first, yes, Rohe and his band of golf brothers do a first-rate job, and their efforts in the crockpot conditions at Sunset Country Club on Aug. 24-25 were terrific. Second, and central to this space, “amazing” is something Ellen Port never runs out of. Since laying down a tennis racket and taking up a golf club in her mid-20s, Port has put stacked one remarkable moment on top of another, moments that include seven USGA championships and way too many national qualifications and local championships to list. For perspective, only JoAnne Carner has more women’s USGA titles - one more. And with the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur on Sept. 10-15 looming, the distinction is tenuous. In between, Port has raised two children, played on and captained U.S. Curtis Cup teams, taught physical education at John Burroughs School, coached golf
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at Washington University, nurtured a m her best friend, caddy and supportive hu chewed gum at the same time.
Over the years, Port’s game has fluctuat goes. So it is with golf, so it is with any carried Port through for all these years spades. She has it for golf, for competi people.
To say you expected Port to become the traditionally male version of the Senior That is not something one predicts. Th knows her would rule it out.
Joe Malench might have thought if he s final round, if he made eight birdies and 2 environment of two days and 100-degree good enough. Who wouldn’t?
That said, no one who knows Ellen Por back, shot a 5-under 67 in the final roun foot birdie putt, would say “that’s not pos
Of course it is. Of course she did those th
Earlier this summer, Port played in the included some of the LPGA greats of the Sorenstam. The field also included Carn Thompson, who played alongside Port du
After shooting 71-69, Port was four stro Club going into the weekend, rubbing lea Davies, Catriona Matthew, etc. When s conference on Friday, when she paused tearing up.
She apologized to the media center gath don’t care,” Port said. “I love to cry. The o emotion …”
To know Port is to be able to finish the s emotion … then what are you here for?”
The game is charged with emotion … the of playing poorly … the appreciation of
The Metropolitan
August 2021
n Po r t Ne v e r R u n s O u t O f
marriage of 36 years with usband Andy Port … and
ted. Her best comes and yone. But one thing has - passion. She has it in ing and most of all, for
e first women to win the Amateur would be silly. Then again, no one who
shot a 3-under 69 in the 25 pars in the suffocating heat indexes, it would be
rt, who hears she came from five strokes nd and won a four-hole playoff with a 20ssible.”
hings. She’s Ellen Port.
U.S. Women’s Senior Open, a field that game, including eventual winner Annika ner and legendary amateur Carol Semple uring the first two rounds.
okes off the lead at Brooklawn Country aderboard elbows with Sorenstam, Laura she was asked to reflect on it in a press d think about it, she couldn’t keep from
hering, and then she didn’t apologize. “I older I get it’s like if you can’t have some
sentence for her. “If you can’t have some
e thrills of playing well … the frustrations new friends and the treasure of old ones
… the bad breaks, the good breaks and all breaks in between … the trials and tribulations of hitting a very small ball into a very small hole and using “weapons singularly ill-designed for the purpose” … the demands on your character and the test of your integrity. If you can’t have some emotion, why waste your time. Ellen Port doesn’t waste time. Years ago, the Bogeyman and KMOX golf analyst Dan Reardon were playing Pinehurst No. 2 when they were joined on the back nine by Ellen and Andy Port. Ellen, with Andy on the bag, had competed in the Women’s Open at nearby Pine Needles. The results had been disappointing, as she missed the cut. But on that Saturday morning, you never would have known it. Rather, it was the Bogeyman brandishing an attitude, sulking about the sorry state of his game. Port wasn’t having it. “I don’t want to hear any whining from someone sho doesn’t work at it,” she said. “How often do you practice? If you don’t practice, you don’t have any right to get upset.” Then she changed the dynamics. She insisted we break into teams. Andy, a respectable player in his own right, teamed with Reardon. Ellen clamped a ball and chain to her ankle and took the Bogeyman as a partner. Suddenly, the day was about where we were, what we were doing and with whom we were with. Fun was poked, laughs were had and an everlasting memory was made. The Bogeyman even contributed a decent shot or two as the team of Port-O’Neill prevailed. He learned a valuable lesson that day. When you’re in a match, and Ellen Port is your partner, you should always raise the stakes. Amazing is something she never runs out of.
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August 2021
Two Teams Punch Tickets to 7th U.S. Amateur Four-Ball
Sean Niles and Max O’Rourke Josh Rhodes and Davis Boland St. Albans, MO – Two teams punched their tickets to the 7th U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship Tuesday at St. Albans.
48 teams played for two qualifying spots and two alternate positions. Monday’s first round was completed and three teams finished at 10-under par. A three-hour weather delay pushed the final starting times to finish just before dark, and the playoff was forced to happen first thing Tuesday morning. Sean Niles and Max O’Rourke earned the first qualifying spot after Niles birdied the second playoff hole, the par 4 9th. Niles had a little over 120 yards in and stuck it within a foot for an easy birdie. “For myself, it’s my second USGA event of the year after the US Am so I’m really excited to be back at that level event,” Niles said. “The USGA always does a phenomenal job so I’m really excited to be back at that. This is where my Junior PGA was (at St. Albans), so was kind of a coming home party.” The team from the Detroit area was in the first group off on Monday morning and were the first ones in at 10-under par. They made the turn at 3-under, including back-to-back birdies to start, and were in at 29. The 7-under on the back was highlighted by an eagle on the par 5 11th. “It’s pretty exhilarating for me, I’ve never qualified for a USGA event, haven’t even qualified for the Michigan Am, so doing this is a huge step,” O’Rourke said. “I can’t even describe what I’m feeling it’s crazy and really cool.” Two playoff holes later, Josh Rhodes and Davis Boland punched their ticket with a birdie on No. 18. Rhodes sunk a 30-footer to end it. The team was in the second group off on Monday morning. Rhodes, from Paducah, Kentucky, made five 2s during the round on Monday. He birdied every par 3 and had an eagle on the drivable par 4 5th. Bryan Bohme and Steve Shuert are first alternate after the playoff. Skip Berkmeyer and Brad Nurksi are second alternate after shooting 9-under on Monday. The seventh playing of the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship will take place May 14-18, 2022, at the Country Club of Birmingham in Birmingham, Alabama.
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The Metropolitan
August 2021
Migdal, Straub Punch Tickets to 40th U.S. Mid-Amateur
Eric Straub
Sam Migdal
Marion, IL – Sam Migdal and Eric Straub earned the two qualifying spots to the 40th U.S. Mid-Amateur at MAGA’s qualifier at Kokopelli Golf Club on Monday, August 16. Migdal earned Low Scorer honors and claimed the first qualifying spot after a 5-under 66. Migdal’s only bogey came on the par 4 2nd. He’d go bogey-free the rest of the day with six birdies to get the first spot by two strokes. This will mark the second time Migdal will head to the U.S. Mid-Amateur, having qualified in 2018 when the championship was held at Charlotte Country Club. Eric Straub earned the second qualifying spot after coming out of a three-man playoff. Straub chipped in for eagle on the second playoff hole after he shot a 3-under 68. The Paducah, Kentucky, native made the turn at even par but made three birdies down the stretch to make the playoff. Aaron Ingalls and Todd Obergoenner earned first and second alternate, respectively. St. Louis’ own Skip Berkmeyer is exempt for the championship due to his World Amateur Golf Ranking. U.S. Mid-Amateur eligibility is open to any amateur golfer who has reached their 25th birthday as of Sept. 12 and whose Handicap Index does not exceed 3.4. The USGA received a record 5,339 entries for this year’s playing with 264 making up the final field. The 40th playing of the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship is Sept. 25-30 at Sankaty Head Golf Club in Siasconset, Massachussetts. Miacomet Golf Course will serve as co-host for stroke play.
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The Metropolitan
August 2021
Pfeil, Daniel Qualify for U.S. Senior Amateur and U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur
Quincy, IL – David Pfeil and Kay Daniel each punched their tickets to the U.S. Senior Amateur and U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur at MAGA’s qualifier at Quincy Country Club on Monday, August 9th. Pfeil fired a 1-over 71 to claim the qualifying spot to the 66th U.S. Senior Amateur. The Eureka, Missouri, native started with three straight bogeys, but bounced back with three birdies, two coming on No.’s 8 and 9, to make the turn at even par. A pair of bogeys on the par 4 12th and 14th pushed the round to 2-over, but making a birdie on the last got him in at 1-over 71. “Quincy Country Club was wonderful, to think it’s only 6,400 yards, man it’s a hard 6,400-yard golf course,” Pfeil said. “I made some putts finally, I started out bogey-bogey-bogey, and was thinking I just played myself out of it. I came back with a few more birdies and had a decent round.” Scott Briggs and Harry Roberts are first and second alternate, respectively. Briggs earned the first spot in a playoff after both posted 3-over 73s in the final grouping of the day. The U.S. Senior Amateur is wrapping up with the finals match today. Pfeil missed the cut after going 81-75--156 (+12). It was a memorable experience for Pfeil, who got to play in his first USGA championship. Kay Daniel earned the qualifying spot to the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur. The Covington, Louisiana, native shot a 5-over 76. Lisa Morrissett and Val Brennan are first and second alternate, respectively. The U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur is September 10-15 at The Lakewood Club in Point Clear, Alabama.
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The Metropolitan
August 2021
Ball on Bridge Support This edition of Rules Quiz features an excerpt from MAGA official John Thorman’s e-book, Let’s Get It Right.
Dear John: I hit a great drive from the elevated tee on the 17th hole of the Lewis & Clark Course at the Country Club of St Albans. Unfortunately, it headed toward the left-hand side of the creek that transverses the fairway. About two minutes into the search, we spotted a ball in the grass next to the bridge. It was my ball and was resting on the ledge of the I-beam support under the bridge. Unbelievable! I had no shot. Is there any hope of free relief? -- BeamMeUp Dear BeamMeUp: What are the odds?! I’m sorry but there is no free relief in this situation. Under Rule 16.1b, free relief from interference with lie of the ball or areas of intended stance and swing by an abnormal course condition (the bridge is an immovable obstruction) is allowed anywhere on the course except when the ball is in a penalty area (the bridge is in a yellow penalty area). The player’s options are: 1. Improvise and somehow play the ball as it lies. 2. Take back-on-the-line relief with a one-stroke penalty (Rule 17.1d(2)). That is, go behind the penalty area as far as desired, keeping the point where the ball last crossed the edge of the penalty area between the player and the hole. Upon finding a good spot, drop a ball the right way within one-club of a reference point on this imaginary line no nearer the hole. [Note: If the dropped ball rolls outside the relief area and Model Local Rule E-12 is in effect, the player a choice of re-dropping within the relief area OR playing the ball as it lies so long as it did not roll more than one-club length in any direction, even nearer the hole, from where it first struck the course in the relief area when dropped.] 3. Return to the teeing area under penalty of stroke-and-distance (Rule 17.1d(1)).
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The Metropolitan
August 2021
Old Warson to Host 32nd Metropolitan Amateur Championship in 2022
Ladue, MO – The Metropolitan Amateur Golf Association (MAGA) is excited to announce Old Warson Country Club as the site for the 32nd Metropolitan Amateur Championship. The three-day championship will run August 4-6, 2022. “All of us at Old Warson are excited to host the region’s top amateurs next year for the 32nd Metropolitan Amateur Championship,” Steve Houg, PGA said. “We’ve had the honor of hosting MAGA’s match play championship, the Old Warson Cup, annually since 2003, and are excited to have a full field out here next August.” It will be the third time Old Warson Country Club has hosted the region’s most coveted amateur title. The first time it played host was in 1998, when David Estes shot even par to win. Most recently, Kyle Weldon won in 2012, shooting 6-under over the three days of competition. Old Warson Country Club will join Meadowbrook Country Club and Norwood Hills Country Club as the only three-time hosts of MAGA’s amateur championship.
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The Metropolitan
August 2021
2021 Sobbe Cup Playoffs Underway
St. Louis, MO – The 2021 Thomas O. Sobbe, Jr. Cup Playoffs are set and Joachim Golf Club entered as the No. 1 overall seed. Two quarterfinal matches are set, as we are just waiting on results from two matches on the right side of the bracket. The 16-team bracket will be trimmed down to eight teams by next week, and the remaining eight teams will have two weeks to play their quarterfinals matches before the Final Four on September 24th at Algonquin Country Club. The Thomas O. Sobbe Cup is a year-long competition between Member Clubs of MAGA. Teams are comprised of 8 players from each club, 7 amateurs and 1 professional. Each round, Regular Season and Playoffs, there are 6 matches contested: A Professional Match, 2 Singles Scratch Matches, 1 Singles Handicap Match, 1 Senior Four-Ball Handicap Match and 1 Four-Ball Handicap Match.
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The Metropolitan
August 2021
2021 MAGA Ch
Championship Location
East Side Amateur
Gateway N
Robert A. Shogren Cup
Bellerive
Old Warson Cup
Old Warso
Women’s Championship
St. Clair C
Open Championship
Lake Fore
9-Hole Championship
Ballwin G
Junior Championship
Normand
Four-Ball Championship
Franklin
Amateur Championship
St. Louis C
Normandie Amateur
Normand
Senior Championship
Sunset CC
Southern Illinois Amateur
Green Hil
Thomas O. Sobbe Cup Final Algonquin
Mid-America Junior Cup
Kansas C
MAGA Cham
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August 2021
hampionships
Date Entries Close
National GL May 15-16
CC
May 5
May 23-24
Invitational
on CC
June 5-6
Invitational
CC
June 7-8
May 26
est CC
June 17-19
June 7
GC
June 26
June 16
die GC
June 28-29
June 16
County CC July 11-12
June 30
CC
Aug. 5-7
July 21
die GC
Aug. 21-22
Aug. 11
C
Aug. 24-25
Aug. 11
lls GC
Sept. 11-12
Sept. 6
n
Sept. 24
City, Mo.
TBD
mpionships
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August 2021
2021 Amateur Series
Tournament
Date
Winghaven CC Woods Fort GC
May 20
Annbriar GC
June 24
Birch Creek GC
July 29
Persimmon Woods
Aug. 16
Sunset Hills CC
Sept. 20
The Quarry GC
Oct. 11-12
MAGA Amateur Series
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May 3
The Metropolitan
August 2021
“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 GC project
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