Volume 8 | No. 8
The Metropolitan
November/December 2021
The Metropolitan AMATEUR GOLF ASSOCIATION
MAGA Course Rating Team at Boone Valley Golf Club (Pg. 10)
New MAGA President (Pg. 8)
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The Metropolitan
November/December 2021
The Metropolitan
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
November/December 2021
By The Numbers
MAGA
61 - The number of players on the PGA Tour during the 2020-21 season
that averaged in excess of 300 yards in Driving Distance, according to PGA Tour statistics. Among them, 13 averaged more than 310 yards. The leader ini Driving Distance for last season was Bryson DeChambeau, who was credited with 323.7 yards per drive. Rory McIlroy was next at 319.3 yards, while Keegan Bradley brought up the rear for the 300 Club, averaging 300.2 yards. It is perhaps worth noting that DeChambeau finished 178th in Driving Accuracy for the season, hitting 54.18 percent of the fairways. In 2011, or 10 years ago, there were 21 players averaging 300-plus yards in Driving Distance - or 40 fewer. The ’11 leader was J.B. Holmes, with an average of 318.4 yards.
WHAT WE DO: - Provide the GHIN Handicap Service to 140+ Member Clubs under the World Handicap System
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- 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
4 - The number of times Jack Nicklaus finished second to Lee Trevino in majors. Nicklaus won 18 professional major championships, but it would have been more if not for the “Merry Mex.“ The most famous of those battles came at Merion in the 1971 U.S. Open. Before the two teed off in a Monday playoff, Trevino jokingly tossed a rubber snake at Nicklaus. Trevino then won the playoff with a 2-under-par 68, as Nicklaus shot a 71. Trevino credits a rainstorm delay for softening the course that day and favoring his low ball flight. But Nicklaus gives Trevino full credit: “I didn’t play that badly (in the playoff),” he told the USGA’s Dave Shedloski. “But he went out and shot 68, and a 68 at Merion is darn good golf. He had a knack for playing some of his best golf against me.”
- Provide the USGA Course/Slope Rating service to our Member Clubs - Regional authority on the Rules of Golf and Amateur Status
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METROPOLITAN CHAMPIONSHIPS Amateur Championship Old Warson Cup (Match Play Championship) Shogren Cup (Match Play PGA Pros vs. MAGA Amateurs) Open Championship
1811 - The year the first recorded golf tournament for women was held. The event took place on Jan. 9, 1811 at Musselburgh, East Lothian, Scotland. Local fishermen’s wives played a tournament on the 18-hole pitch-and-putt course. The winner received a creel and a shawl, with the runner-up receiving two fine handkerchiefs from Barcelona. In 1867, or 56 years later, the first women’s golf club was formed at St. Andrews. Initially formed as The Ladies Club of St Andrews, the club later became known as the St Andrews Ladies Putting Club and is currently known as The Ladies Putting Club of St Andrews.
Women’s Amateur Championship
3. Bio/Numbers 4. Curt’s Corner 6. New MAGA President 7. Normandie Update 8. Metropolitan POY Reception
10. MAGA’s Course Rating Team 12. Supe’s On 14. Bogeyman 16. Global Golf Post All-Am Teams 17. 2030 Presidents Cup 18. P.J. Boatwright Intern Openings
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Junior Amateur Championship Senior Amateur Championship Metropolitan Cup Matches Four-Ball Championship 9-Hole Championship Mid-America Junior Cup
6.3 - Bob Goalby will shudder to read it, but this represents the amount of money in millions that Louis Oosthuizein won last season - without a win. That is, Oosthuizen collected the most money ($6,306,679, seventh overall) among PGA Tour players who did not capture a single event. Others on the Top 25 money list - who did not have a win win - include Xander Schauffele ($5,240,653); Scott Scheffler ($4,505,589); Sungjae Im ($4,157,182) and Corey Conners ($4,007,567). Then again, over the last two MLB seasons combined, Matt Carpenter batted .176 and made $37 million.
USGA QUALIFYING ROUNDS
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U.S. Open U.S. Senior Open U.S. Women’s Open U.S. Amateur U.S. Mid-Amateur U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur
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1,097 - The yardage of the longest golf hole in the world, i.e. No. 3 on
U.S. Junior Amateur
the Jeongeup Course at Gunsan Country Club in South Korea. The hole has a Stroke Index of 1 and features water just about everywhere. The hole is a par-7 on the card, meaning if you reach the green in five you have yourself a Green In Regulation.
U.S. Girls’ Junior Amateur U.S. Amateur Four-Ball U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball
11 - As in “Redan,” as in the par-3 11th hole at The Country Club,
U.S. Senior Amateur
which will be in the routing for the 2022 U.S. Open. Bypassed in previous U.S. Opens, the hole was part of the 18-hole layout employed in 1913, when 20-year old amateur Francis Ouimet won the championship at the historic course in Brookline, Mass.
U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur
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The Metropolitan
November/December 2021
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Curt Rohe - Executive Director
Curt Rohe - curt@metga.org
Officers Scott Engelbrecht, President/Treasurer Mike Marquart, Secretary At-Large Members Kelli Kirchoff Stan Grossman Rick Meyer, Jr. John Moore Mick Wellington John Bugh
Greetings golfers! As the final issue of the The Metropolitan goes out here for 2021, it is always a time to reflect back on the season! And another amazing season it was for the Metropolitan Amateur Golf Association. It is time to be thankful for what this game provides to us...competition, frustration, humbleness and so much more. 2021 was my 20th season as a full-time staffer with MAGA, 20 seasons! While I started as an intern in 1998, the last 20 years has given me so much to be thankful for. I came to MAGA as that intern in 1998 with no premontion a career was going to be made from golf. I did not play as a junior, my parents or family did not play and I barely knew what golf was. True story, I first played in a cow pasture on the Reuther Farm in Dutzow, MO.
ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Now in 2021 I look back on where the game has brought me and, more importantly, I look ahead to where the game is going!
Scott Thomas, Chairman Dustin Ashby Tom Barry Skip Berkmeyer Chris Kovach Ryan Eckelcamp Tom Portner Curt Rohe
2021 was a remarkable year, our membership is up again for the 3rd straight year, we have added more member clubs already for 2022. While the Nicklaus and Normandie project may have stalled a bit in 2021 after the announcement this spring, there are some exciting things happening behind the scenes that we should be able to talk about in the near future. The Amateur Series took off in 2021, 75% growth in participation and I look for 2022 to be another banner year. We started the Amateur Series to give ALL golfers an opportunity to compete and the feedback and participation in 2021 was extraordinary.
2021 P.J. BOATWRIGHT INTERNS
Looking at 2022 we have another fantastic slate of venues for MAGA Championships, USGA Qualifying Rounds and the Amateur Series. Our Member Clubs continue to amaze me with their support in hosting our events. They are unlike any in the country!
Mary O’Leary Steven Wendling John McCauliffe
2022 is a monumental year for MAGA, our 30th year as a USGA Allied Golf Association providing services, tournaments to this region. We have some big plans to celebrate the year, stay tuned!
THE METROPOLITAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
So as we move into 2022, Happy New Year to you and yours! Golfing season will be here before we know it and another busy season at MAGA will upon us.
Dan O’Neill
November/December 2021
Curt’s Corner
MAGA STAFF
2022 EXECUTIVE BOARD
The Metropolitan
“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
As always, thanks for taking a minute to read The Metropolitan and for your support as a Member of the Metropolitan Amateur Golf Association!
Normandie for a community in need will have a long-lasting positive impact on the lives of youth in St. Louis.” .
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- Jack Nicklaus on his involvement in Normandie GC project
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The Metropolitan
November/December 2021
Scott Engelbrecht Elected as MAGA President
The Metropolitan
November/December 2021
Normandie to Remain Open for 2022 Season
Scott Engelbrecht - New MAGA President Executive Board Member since 2002
At the Metropolitan Amateur Golf Association annual meeting, Scott Engelbrecht was unanimously voted in to serve as its President for 2022. Engelbrecht has been on the Executive Board since 2002. He is the Chief Geographic Officer for CliftonLarsonAllen and has been with the firm for 25 years. With Engelbrecht coming in as President meant Stan Grossman stepped down as President, a role he served in from 2000-2021. By order of the Executive Board, Grossman was forever titled President Emeritus for his long-standing dedication, counsel and outstanding leadership. Without such, the Metropolitan Amateur Golf Association would not have achieved the success and stature it holds in the game today.
2022 Executive Board Scott Engelbrecht – President/Treasurer Mike Marquart – Secretary Stan Grossman – President Emeritus Rick Meyer, Jr. – At-Large Member Kelli Kirchoff – At-Large Member Mick Wellington – At-Large Member John Moore – At-Large Member John Bugh – At-Large Member 6
We wanted to take this opportunity to update our patrons, the golf community at large and 24:1 communities on the progress of the Nicklaus and Normandie Project. Jack Nicklaus visited the property in late summer and spent a substantial amount of time reviewing the property, golf course, routing and its potential. He was very impressed with the manner the golf course was routed on a piece of property with limited acreage by today’s design standards. It was truly amazing to watch him work through golf shots, design elements and player experience all in his head, his vision is remarkable. The work necessary to embark on a project of this magnitude takes time. While many of us wish for it to be completed as rapidly as possible, doing things the right way and with the proper strategy is paramount. We have taken the time to ensure that these crucial items were completed step by step. Our fundraising efforts are now in full swing, and we are working with the corporate community to convey the message and vision for the project. We are very thankful to our initial group of significant donors. These companies and individuals have provided the financial foundation to launch the project. There will be a time in the near future for those golf enthusiasts in the St. Louis region to join the effort by contributing to this worthy cause. The decision has been made that during this period of fundraising, the golf course will remain open to the public for the 2022 golf season. Information on Season Passes, Senior Bundles and Tournament dates will be released this month. The excitement continues to grow as this project moves toward a reality. When it was originally announced that the greatest golfer of all time had joined the effort, it took the project to a place no one could have expected. It is now time to complete the fundraising and make our dream a reality. Be patient, stay tuned and continue to support Normandie the way you always have. For more information on or to support of the Normandie Golf Course project contact Curt Rohe, Executive Director, MAGA at curt@metga. org or (314) 567-MAGA. Thomas J. O’Toole Jr., Metropolitan Golf Foundation Chris Krehmeyer, Beyond Housing Jeffrey C. Smith, Walters Golf Management 7
The Metropolitan
November/December 2021
The Metropolitan
November/December 2021
Metropolitan Player of the Year Awards Reception
Curtis Brokenbrow accepted his award as Metropolitan Player of the Year. The Missouri Baptist graduate’s first stroke play competition came at the Metropolitan Open Championship, where he earned the honor of Low-Amateur after going 2-under in a field of 94 professionals and only 40 amateurs.
Brian Lovett of Bellerive Country Club was recognized as Senior Men’s Player of the Year. Lovett was Sectional Qualifying medalist at the Fort Wayne U.S. Senior Open qualifier. He fired a 1-under 70 and earned a spot in the field at Omaha Country Club in July. He won the Metropolitan Four-Ball Championship with Buddy Allen at Franklin County Country Club. The team fired a 13-under over two rounds to win the Senior Division.
The Manchester, England native finished runner-up at the Amateur Championship in August. His final round 6-under 65 was the lowest final round score in the championship’s history.
Ryan Johnson, Head Golf Professional at Sunset Country Club, accepted the Professional Staff of the Year Award. Ryan and his staff played host to Ellen Port’s historic win at the 29th Metropolitan Senior Amateur in August. During the blistering heat over the two days of competition, Ryan and his staff played a crucial part in making sure their venue was ready to host MAGA’s premier senior men’s championship.
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Tim Burch, Superintendent at St. Louis Country Club, accepted the award for Course Superintendent Staff of the Year. Tim and his staff hit a home run in their preparation for MAGA’s amateur championship in early August. The staff worked long hours in the days leading up to and during the championship to get their historic venue in pristine shape for the region’s best amateurs.
Joe Schwent, Director of Golf at the Country Club of St. Albans, accepted the Senior Women’s Player of the Year Award on behalf of Kathy Glennon. Kathy’s summer started out with a top-three finish at the Metropolitan Women’s Amateur. In July, she got in to the U.S. Senior Women’s Open after qualifying down in the Sarasota, Florida area.
Ellen Port of Sunset Country Club accepted her award as Metropolitan Women’s Player of the Year for the 23rd time. Ellen had an incredible summer of golf on a national and local scale. Port’s play this season was highlighted by her win at the Metropolitan Senior Amateur, where she was the first women to compete in the championship flight and first woman to win MAGA’s premier senior men’s championship.
Shawn Barnes, PGA Head Golf Professional at Gateway National Golf Links, accepted their award for Public Facility Host of the Year. Gateway National hosted MAGA’s first championship of the season, the East Side Amateur, in May.
Dennis Byrne, General Manager of St. Louis Country Club, accepted his club’s award as Private Facility Host of the Year. St. Louis Country Club played host to MAGA’s premier event this year, the 31st Metropolitan Amateur Championship in August.
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The Metropolitan
November/December 2021
The Metropolitan
November/December 2021
MAGA’s USGA Course Rating Team The well-known courses in the area are always the most interesting to do a course rating for because you see how the different course designers challenge the golfers. As for the toughest courses to rate, it is the courses that have the most hazards that require golfers to play around or over that take the most time to evaluate, since the player must lay up to a hazard to avoid a big number on their scorecard. The toughest course Ron has ever had to rate? Boone Valley Golf Club. Ron and his team were there two weeks ago in what was their last rating of the season. It took them over six hours to rate the course – the longest it has ever taken for an 18-hole layout.
MAGA’s USGA Course Rating team rated Boone Valley mid-November for their last rating of the season Formed in 1992, the Metropolitan Amateur Golf Association is an Allied Golf Association licensed by the United States Golf Association to provide a variety of amateur golf services to its member clubs. One of the most important services, if not the most important, that MAGA provides is USGA Course Rating. Ever wonder where those rating and slope numbers come from when you post scores in GHIN? MAGA’s Course Rating committee has the responsibility of implementing the USGA Course Rating System throughout the St. Louis Metropolitan area. The committee traditionally re-rates courses on a ten-year cycle, paying special attention to new clubs, which are rated three times in the club’s first ten years. This type of schedule allows a course to mature and for the Course Rating Committee to closely review the growth of the course. Many clubs continue to make design changes to their courses, and the committee works closely with the club staff and membership to gather important information that will be needed during the rating procedure. This collaboration with club leaders, including course superintendents and head professionals, helps to ensure accurate and updated measurements are being used in a rating. Accuracy and consistency are the keys to effective Course Rating. A course must first be accurately measured, and the measured length must be corrected to factors that affect play, which are roll, changes in elevation, forced layups, doglegs, wind, and altitude.
All of MAGA’s raters are avid golfers who share a common interest in seeing the variety of courses available to local golfers, and who understand the importance of generating a course rating which allows golfers of all skill levels to compete against each other based on fair and equitable handicaps. “We work closely together conducting course ratings and learn from one another about the intricacies of the rating process while challenging each other to improve our knowledge of the USGA rating process,” Rhoades said. The captain is the person who takes the lead in communicating with the course to be rated to gather all of the necessary background information and set up a date for conducting the on-course evaluation. He/she also organizes the number of volunteers needed to conduct the rating and distributes the work plan for the day. Once the on-course work begins, the captain will ask detailed questions about certain aspects of a given hole to assure that the volunteers have included them in their detailed analysis and will review the final rating values to make certain that the ratings are accurate and based on the measurements and observations of the team. The captain also must enter the final rating values into the USGA computer system to generate the final rating results. When the on-course work is finished, the volunteers will gather for a meal at the clubhouse before grabbing their clubs to play. If you or anyone you know is interested in volunteering with MAGA’s Course Rating Team, contact Ron Rhoades (rerhoades03@charter.net) or Curt Rohe (curt@metga.org).
A Course Rating is based on the expected performance of a scratch and bogey golfer. Using the USGA and R&A’s Course Rating System Guide, through the collection of extensive data from players and golf holes, the factors that affect the difficulty of a golf hole have been evaluated and assigned numerical values that get plugged into a table. That said table yields an accurate Course Raring and Slope Rating when done with an entire course. Ron Rhoades and his team have been rating courses for MAGA for 17 years and counting. “I was volunteering with MAGA and they needed more course raters, so I thought I would give it a try,” Rhoades said. “Turns out, I liked the idea of visiting local courses and spending time learning how they are laid out and how architects designed courses to challenge both the scratch golfer and the everyday player.” Being able to play the courses after rating them is not a bad perk either. 10
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The Metropolitan
November/December 2021
Supe’s On
June 2021 November/December 2021
The Metropolitan
Player of the Year Points Standings Presented by:
Rob Kick
Algonquin Golf Club Mississippi Valley GCSA President
The weather outside is frightful…. We have all heard the saying “if you don’t like the weather in St. Louis just wait 5 minutes”. Our geographic location, as it relates to weather patterns in the St. Louis area, is known as the transition zone. A thin zone running east to west smashed in between the cooler north and warmer south. This is the reason our weather is so unusual. We really never seem to be aligned with warmer or cooler temps for too long. We do have four distinctive seasons, however we often see very drastic pattern shifts within a short period of time. I mean here we are, in late December, and the temperature topped out in the 70’s on Christmas Eve. I hope Santa brought some shorts as he made his way through The Lou this year! Being stuck in the middle is also the reason our turf selections seem to be atypical compared to most parts of the country, or the world for that matter. Most courses here tend to have a blend of warm and cool season grasses. If you were to travel a few hundred miles in just about any direction you would be hard pressed to find courses that share similar turf schemes. Here, warm season turf such as Zoysia, tend to become better as the heat and humidity rise during summer months, and conversely our Bents, Fescues and Bluegrasses tend to decline a bit as they are not designed to sustain long periods of extreme heat. Every year they all seem to come together for one glorious week in early June and again for another in October. I am kidding, it’s more like 10 days in June! Diversity, with respect to our weather and turf plans, has become increasingly difficult to manage as rising expectations and more frequent extreme weather events have descended on our area. Those of us who manage golf properties here in town have to be able to adjust and adjust very quickly as the weather waits for no one. Superintendents rely on a mixture of technology, science and art to create the landscapes we have all become accustomed too. Each course is different, whether it is amount of play, budgets, staffing, size of the property or expectations, but we all share one thing in common…the weather. The weather here is ever changing and presents a unique set of obstacles for area turf managers to overcome. Day in and day out they perform at extremely high levels and hold themselves to the highest of standards. Admittedly, we often lose a battle with the weather, honestly there isn’t much you can do when Mother Nature decides to strike. But, as we all do, we create a plan, execute it, and resume normal operations on the course as quickly as possible. As I write this, I can hear thunder and see lightning outside my window…and it’s December. Shouldn’t it be snowing? I hope you have all been enjoying the unseasonably warm temperatures and are sneaking in a few late season rounds before winter actually sets in…if it sets in. On behalf of all of the area Superintendent’s I hope you have all enjoyed a Merry Holiday Season and wish you all a very Happy New Year!
Award-winning dining, a booming craft beer scene and exceptional year-round golf on courses along Men’s of the the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail await youPlayer in Alabama. Plus,Year with Jerry Pate’s Kiva Dunes and Arnold Name Affiliation No. Events No. Totalyou Pts Palmer’s Craft Farms in Gulf Shores, from the mountainsWins to the coast can take it Pts all in.Behind
Curtis Brokenbrow Chad Niezing Christopher Ferris Sam Migdal Tony Gumper Max Kreikemeier Ryan Eckelkamp Peter Weaver Jason Landry Ryan Sullivan
The Quarry
3 1 2 0 Aberdeen GC 0 0 Norwood Hills CC 2 1 Old Hickory GC 2 2 Forest Hills CC 1 0 Franklin County CC 3 0 www.GolfAlabama.org Bellerive CC 0 0 Greenbriar Hills CC 2 0 Tapawingo National GC 3 1 Metropolitan eClub
1275 975 940 932.5 925 832.5 727.5 595 480 437.5
300 335 342.5 350 442.5 547.5 680 795 837.5
Full standings here Name Brian Lovett Buddy Allen Joe Malench Paul Neeman Joe Richardson Joe Timpone Kevin Giese David Bremer
Senior Men’s Player of the Year
Affiliation No. Events No. Wins Total Pts Pts Behind Bellerive CC 0 0 710 Metropolitan eClub 1 0 450 260 Metropolitan eClub 1 1 350 360 Persimmon Woods GC 1 0 267.5 442.5 Old Hickory GC 0 0 200 510 The Quarry 1 0 200 510 Metropolitan eClub 1 0 162.5 547.5 Persimmon Woods GC 1 0 132.5 577.5 Full standings here
Name
Women’s Player of the Year
Affiliation
No. Events No. Wins Total Pts Pts Behind McKenna Montgomery Persimmon Woods GC 1 1 1075 Kathy Glennon Country Club of St. Albans 1 0 750 325 Alyssa McMinn Far Oaks GC 1 0 525 550 Ellen Port Sunset CC 0 0 400 675 Melanie Wolf Bogey Hills CC 1 0 400 675 Madeline Larouere Metropolitan eClub 1 0 350 725 Full standings here
Hole 1 - Algonquin Golf Club 12
Renaissance Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, Birmingham
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The Metropolitan
November/December 2021
The Metropolitan
November/December 2021
Wo o d s’ R e tu r n R e m a i n s Un c e r t a i n A s Ne w Ye a r Un f o l d s The Bogeyman Dan O’Neill
(Editor’s note: This story appears courtesy of Morning Read (www. morningread.com) As one year closes, as another begins, one of the most compelling pictures encircles Tiger Woods. Tiger’s car crash last February was the biggest sports headline of 2021, and should he return to competition in 2022, the font will be equally bold. “Competition” is the operative word. Yes, Woods returned to the game at the end of the year. He appeared as the face of the Hero World Challenge in late November. He clearly demonstrated he can swing a club and hit a ball with proficiency, and ended the year playing with his son Charlie in the PNC Championship. “It’s crazy how good he’s hitting it and how far he’s hitting it for what he’s been through,” said Mike Thomas, Justin Thomas’ father, who played alongside. But the PNC is a golf competition the way Whitey Herzog’s annual tournament is a competition. There’s carts, there’s laughs, there’s parents-kids and lots of tender moments. The PNC winner gets $200,000, which the team of John Daly and John Daly II were happy to secure, but that’s little more than a bread slice on the dinner table of competitive purses.
circulation in the lower portion of his right leg. The condition made it virtually impossible for him to walk 18 holes. These days, Martin, 49, is the golf coach at the University of Oregon. Last October, the condition made it necessary for his right leg to be amputated.
averaged more than 20 events in recent seasons — not counting the pandemic pinched 2020. Woods hasn’t played 20 events in a season since 2005. Over the past 12 years, he has averaged fewer than 10 and over one two-year period — 2016-17 — he played once.
Woods suffered a litany of leg and ankle injuries in his horrific crash, to say nothing of the numerous procedures he’s undergone on his lower back. When he conducted his press conference at the Hero, he indicated simply sitting in the chair for the event was causing discomfort.
Even before the crash, Woods was a variable piece of the golf landscape. On Dec 30, as he continued to rehab significant reconstruction of his right leg and ankle, he turned 46. So, no one — not sponsors, fans, media or fellow players — should expect Wood’s future includes a robust playing schedule. Captain Obvious could have been the pool reporter for that announcement.
So, yes, he can hit a golf ball and use a cart to play a round with his son. But can he hit a ball some-70 or more times, with meaning? After each strike, will he be able to walk to where it landed and do it again? Woods always has focused on the most prestigious championships, and it’s hard to imagine that has changed, hard to see him working through rehab to tee it up at the John Deere Classic. Big events, major championships, generally are conducted on the most demanding properties to play and to walk. The physical element is part of the challenge. So the question isn’t whether Woods can tee it up at places like Augusta National, or Oakmont, or Bethpage Back. The question is whether he can tee it up 18 times per day, for four days in succession, walk up and down the hills and distance in between? What about a practice round or two? These are questions that remain unanswered by press conferences and madefor-TV scramble events. In his Q&A at the Hero, Woods said he hopes to continue playing competitive golf. But, henceforth, he doesn’t foresee playing full time on the PGA Tour.
If it turns out Tiger Woods needs help to compete, will he ask for a cart? He insists he won’t. “That’s just not who I am,” he said. But what if, all the rehab notwithstanding, that’s who he has to be in order to compete? Would the industry that fought Casey Martin all the way to the Supreme Court, the one that profits so dramatically from Woods’ ratings-spiking presence, swallow its principles and hand him a key? Could be an interesting year.
That’s like Adam Wainwright saying he doesn’t foresee throwing 98 miles an hour again. Really? Wainwright hasn’t thrown that kind of a fastball for years, and Woods hasn’t played that kind of schedule in nearly a decade.
There’s no doubt Tiger can address a golf ball and send it soaring, the phone videos show as much. But so can a lot of amputees and physically-challenged people. There’s quite a bit more physicality to competing in a professional golf tournament, ask Casey Martin.
“I mean, I don’t feel like he’s played full time on the PGA Tour since 2013, really,” Rory McIlroy said. “So it shouldn’t be a surprise for anyone to hear that.” McIlroy was simply pointing out that, throughout his career, Woods has been an occasional performer. When you’ve won 15 majors and 82 PGA Tour events, when you’ve collected all those checks, you have that luxury.
In 2001, Martin’s lawsuit citing the Americans with Disabilities Act made it to the U.S. Supreme Court. The court ruled 7-2 in his favor, as he won the right to use a cart on the PGA Tour.
Moreover, Woods has incurred a myriad of incidents, accidents, surgeries and rehabs. His body has more pins and screws than a hardware store. Piece it all together and you have an irregular schedule.
Martin was born with Klippel-Trenaunay-Weber syndrome, which restricted
To wit: players like McIlroy, Bryson DeChambeau and Jordan Spieth have
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But as you look ahead, you see the 2022 schedule that includes a British Open at St. Andrews, as walkable a venue as one could hope for, and a place where Woods has won in the past. And as you look ahead, you wonder if Woods will be able to compete, or if the case the PGA Tour lost in 2001 comes full circle.
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The Metropolitan
November/December 2021
Four Saint Louisans Named to Global Golf Post All-Am Teams
The Metropolitan
November/December 2021
Bellerive Country Club Awarded 2030 Presidents Cup
Ellen Port
Skip Berkmeyer
Sunset Country Club
The Legends Country Club
Women’s Senior First-Team
Mid-Amateur Second Team
Metropolitan Senior Amateur Champion Runner-up at U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur T20 at U.S. Senior Women’s Open while earning Low-Am honors Made Round of 32 at U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Missouri Senior Women’s Amateur Champion T4 at Missouri Women’s Amateur First woman to compete in championship flight and first to win Metropolitan Senior Amateur
Top-10 at Porter Cup Round of 16 at U.S. Mid-Amateur Semi-finalist at Old Warson Cup Top-20 at Metropolitan Amateur Championship Advanced to match play at Crump Cup
Ladue, MO – The PGA TOUR announced on Wednesday that Bellerive Country Club will host the Presidents Cup in 2030. The biennial global team competition started in 1994, and Bellerive will be the seventh different venue in the United States to host the prestigious event. Bellerive is no stranger to being on the game’s biggest stage. The “Green Monster of Ladue” hosted the 1965 U.S. Open won by Gary Player. Since then, it has hosted a U.S. Mid-Amateur (1981), two PGA Championships (1992, 2018), the 2004 U.S. Senior Open, the 2008 BMW Championship, and the 2013 Senior PGA Championship. The club made headlines during the 2018 PGA Championship that was won by Brooks Koepka because of the turnout and the player’s overall experience with the fans. “St. Louis is a passionate and iconic sports town and one which embraces teams and events such as the Presidents Cup with tremendous enthusiasm. The combination of St. Louis and Bellerive Country Club will make for a memorable experience for fans onsite and those watching around the world,” PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan said. Bellerive has hosted the Metropolitan Amateur Championship twice (1996, 2009) and played host to the inaugural Robert A. Shogren Cup this past June.
Curtis Brokenbrow
Chris Kovach
The Quarry at Crystal Springs
Old Hickory Golf Club
Mid-Amateur Honorable Mention
Mid-Amateur Honorable Mention
Low Amateur at WWT Metropolitan Open Runner-up at Metropolitan Amateur Missouri Amateur Champion Quarterfinalist at Old Warson Cup T3 at Southern Illinois Amateur T8 at Missouri Mid-Amateur 71.4 stroke everage in MAGA championships Six rounds par-or-better Fired lowest final round score in Amateur Championship history (6-under 65)
Individual champion at U.S. Mid-Amateur Team Championship Won Open Division at 35th Normandie Amateur T15 at Metropolitan Amateur Championship T3 at Metropolitan Four-Ball Championship T3 at Missouri Mid-Amateur
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“Bellerive is thrilled to host the 2030 Presidents Cup and once again showcase the best golfers in the world in St. Louis,” said Bellerive Country Club President Rick Walsh. “It will be an incredible event for the community, fans and players, and a great celebration of St. Louis.” The Presidents Cup was last played in 2019 at Royal Melbourne, where the U.S. Team made a thrilling comeback to beat the International Team on the final day in Australia. Future sites that have been determined include next year when the event goes to Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte. The 2024 edition will head north of the border to The Royal Montreal Club in Quebec, Canada, before returning to the Midwest in 2026 at Medinah Country Club outside of Chicago. It will be a long waiting game until 2030, but St. Louis and Bellerive Country Club will be ready when the time comes.
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The Metropolitan The Metropolitan
November/December March/April 20212021
The Metropolitan The Metropolitan
Join Team MAGA in 2022 Each year the USGA provides assistance to Allied Golf Association’s (AGA’s) around the country in the form of the P.J. Boatwright Internship grant, MAGA has been a benefactor of this grant since its inception in 1992. In fact, Executive Director Curt Rohe began his golf career as a PJ Boatwright Intern in 1998 with MAGA. Several former MAGA Boatwright Interns have gone on to careers in golf after their time with MAGA.
In 2022, we have three (3) opportunities for internships for the season. The 3 descriptions can be found below. 2022 Operations Internship Description (6 month) 2022 Operations Internship Description (3 month) 2022 Communication Internship Description
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November/December 2021
Remove Loose Impediment or Not This edition of Rules Quiz features an excerpt from MAGA official John Thorman’s e-book, Let’s Get It Right.
Dear John: As a right-hander taking relief from a cart path curb, I determined the nearest point of complete relief and measured the one club-length relief area no nearer the hole. Before dropping, I cleared out most of the leaves. My drop bounced forward outside of the relief area. Although I tried to avoid it, my redrop first struck a leaf on the ground and rolled outside the relief area. The next step in the relief procedure is placing a ball where the redropped ball hit the course. May I remove the leaf before placing a ball or do I have to place the ball on the leaf? -- Autumn Dear Autumn: Keep going. You’re doing fine. You may remove the leaf before placing a ball on the spot. Why? Because a new position on the course for the ball hasn’t been re-established yet. The player had interference with the ball positioned near the cart path. Taking relief establishes a new position. Until the relief procedure is completed, loose impediments may be moved before each required step of relief (Interpretation 15.1a/3). That would include dropping, redropping, placing, replacing, and placing at the nearest point where the ball will stay at rest. [Also, the player may use any ball before each required step of relief; Rule 14.3a]
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The Metropolitan
November/December 2021
The Metropolitan
November/December 2021
2022 MAGA Championships Championship Location Date
Old Warson Cup
Old Warson CC
April 30-May 1
East Side Amateur
Gateway National GL
May 14-15
Open Championship
CC of St. Albans
May 18-20
Robert A. Shogren Cup
Greenbriar Hills CC
May 22-23
Women’s Championship TBD June TBD
9-Hole Championship
Creve Coeur GC
June 25
Junior Championship
The Bogey Club
June 27-28
Four-Ball Championship
Franklin County CC
July 10-11
Amateur Championship
Old Warson CC
August 4-6
Normandie Amateur
Normandie GC
August 20-21
Senior Championship TBD August TBD
Southern Illinois Amateur
Green Hills GC
Thomas O. Sobbe Cup Final Fox Run GC
September 10-11 September 23
MAGA Championships
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November/December 2021
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November/December 2021
2022 USGA Qualifying Rounds Qualifier Location Date
U.S. Women’s Open
Fox Run GC
May 4
U.S. Open Local Lake Forest CC May 9 U.S. Girl’s Junior Ama. Sunset CC June 21 U.S. Junior Amateur Sunset CC June 21
U.S. Senior Women’s Am.
Algonquin GC
June 23
U.S. Amateur
Persimmon Woods GC
July 5-6
U.S. Senior Amateur Bogey Hills CC July 21
U.S. Mid-Amateur
Dalhousie GC
August 9
‘23 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball
WingHaven CC
August 29
‘23 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball WingHaven CC
August 29
USGA Qualifying Rounds
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November/December 2021
2022 Amateur Series
Tournament
Date
Winghaven CC Crescent Farms GC
June 13
Persimmon Woods GC
June 20
Glen Echo CC
July 18
Innsbrook Resort GC
August 15
Sunset Hills CC
Sept. 12
The Quarry GC
Oct. 17-18
MAGA Amateur Series
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May 2