Ferris Captures 30th Amateur Championship in Dramatic Fashion
At the start of the final round on Saturday at Meadowbrook Country Club, Chris Kovach and Chris Ferris played from the 1st tee at 10:10a with Kovach
having an 8-shot cushion over Ferris, 8-under to Even par. Ferris had a game plan in mind if he had any chance of taking the title and over come what seemed to be an insurmountable deficit.
“I just went out and played my game. I knew the front 9 was my 9 and played the front in 6-under the first two day, if I played it in 3-under it would make it a match on the back 9” commented Ferris. He did that and better, firing a 5-under 31 for the first 9 holes while Kovach turned at 1-over and the lead was just 2.
Going to the back 9 at Meadowbrook Ferris said he “just needed to wait for his opportunity” and he kept the pressure on Kovach. Playing the par 3 13th, Ferris found the green while Kovach missed the green to the far right; however, a great up and down by Kovach and 3-putt bogey by Ferris and the lead remained at 2.
Ferris sprayed his tee shot on the drivable par 3 14th into the tall fescue, but it was found and he took an unplayable while Kovach drove it right in front of the green. What looked like could be a big swing in the final round, Ferris played a great shot to the green and made his putt for par. Kovach chipped up but missed his birdie chance to extend the lead.
The Hole 15 tee was moved up on Saturday giving players a better look at getting home in two, which Ferris pulled off after hitting his tee shot left in the rough. Ferris would two putt for a birdie, Kovach made par and the lead was now one. The 16th hole at Meadowbrook statistically played the hardest hole all week as a 490 yard par 4. Ferris found the fairway with 300+ yard drive. Both would two putt for par and head to 17.
The 17th is a great downhill 158 yard par 3 that makes up the difficult 3-hole finishing stretch at Meadowbrook. With the hole cut back right, over the water, Ferris would find his tee shot long in the landscaping behind the green while Kovach pulled his tee shot left into the greenside bunker. Ferris got a free drop as the landscaping was being played as a No Play Zone this week, which he dropped in the Drop Zone behind the green. Kovach played a nice bunker shot out to about 10 feet. Ferris, who had holed 2 shots from the fairway on Thursday for eagles, holed his chip from behind the green for birdie and Kovach 2 putted for bogey and we were tied going up the hill to the 18th hole.
Both players missed the fairway on 18, Ferris was in the bunker while Kovach missed right of the bunkers and found himself stymied behind a tree. A punch was required up the right. Ferris played a nice shot from the bunker to just short of the putting green. Kovach had a difficult lie in the right rough and came up short of the green.
Ferris sealed the win with a pitch shot from the front to inches for a tap in par and the 30th Amateur Championship was his! Ferris adds his name to the Jim Tom Blair Trophy along with Jim Holtgrieve, Skip Berkmeyer, Drew Pranger, David Estes and so many other of the great amateurs from St. Louis. Ferris joins Adam Long and Jimmy Siegfried who have won both the Metropolitan Junior and Amateur titles.
Many thanks to Meadowbrook Country Club for their hospitality and cooperation this past week in hosting the Amateur for the 3rd time. The golf course was fabulous and the staff at Meadowbrook is always a pleasure to work with in conducting MAGA championships.
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