“MAGA” Moments in the Amateur Championship
The 2020 Amateur will be the 30th playing of what is this regions most coveted amateur golf title. As we look back at the previous 29 championships, there have been many, many great moments. The MAGA Staff and Advisory Committee have put together the following list of 16 of the top moments in championship history. These 16 moments have been seeded #1 to #16 by the Staff and Advisory Committee and put into a bracket.
Voting will be done on our Twitter and Facebook platforms, combining the votes of these 2 platforms to decide the outcomes. Below is the schedule of the Rounds, voting will begin at 9am for each round below and last for 2 days on each platform.
Round of 16: April 15th
Quarterfinals: April 18th
Semifinals: April 21st
Finals: April 24th
Here are your Top 16 Moments:
#1 Seed: Holtgrieve Wins at St. Albans
Jim Holtgrieve captures his one Metropolitan Amateur title in 1994 with an epic playoff win over Don Bliss and David Estes at The CC of St. Albans. These were arguably the 3 best amateurs in Missouri at this time. The 1994 championship is considered by many the championship that put MAGA on the map!
#2 Seed: Berkmeyer Wins in 2009
Skip Berkmeyer breaks through to capture his only Metropolitan Amateur title of his career, doing so on one of the toughest Amateur layouts ever at Bellerive CC. Also, another stellar leaderboard with Adam Long, Scott Langley and Runner-Up Ted Moloney.
#3 Seed: Schnurbusch Beat the Heat
Craig Schnurbusch endured the record heat at Spencer T. Olin Golf Course in 1995 to capture his only title. Stories of the heat that week are still reminisced each year at the Amateur.
#4 Seed: Estes Four Year Run & Back-To-Back Titles
David Estes became the first to win back-to-back titles in 1997-98 at Fox Run GC and Old Warson CC respectively. Additionally, Estes was Runner-Up in 1996 and 1999, before and after his back-to-back wins!
#5 Seed: Sabo Runs Away at Westwood
In 2002, Mike Sabo wins his Amateur title by the largest margin ever, 7 shots over veteran David Lucks.
#6 Seed: If You Ain’t First, You’re Last
Skip Berkmeyer has 13-top 5 finishes from 2001 to 2019, including 4 Runner-Up finishes to go with his win in 2009
#7 Seed: Fann Takes Title in Record Fashion
Scott Fann grabbed the 2001 title from veteran Scott Thomas while setting the scoring record of 207 (6-under) for the championship.
#8 Seed: Home Cooking at Meadowbrook
As if winning at your home club is not hard enough, the 2000 and 2010 championships at Meadowbrook CC were captured by members Bob Beckmann and Eli Grant. Will history “three-peat” itself in 2020?
#9 Seed: Lundgren Comes Through
After back-to-back Runner-Up finishes, Darren Lundgren brought home the title in a playoff in 2006 at Boone Valley GC against Parker LaBarge.
#10 Seed: Edwards Wins in Playoff
Scott Edwards would bring home the title on his home turf in a playoff in 2003 against Shawn Jasper, he would also become the oldest competitor to capture the amateur at 49.
#11 Seed: Weldon Goes Back-to-Back
Kyle Weldon became the 2nd competitor to capture back-to-back titles in 2012-13 at Old Warson and Persimmon Woods respectively. His win in 2013 came with a heavy heart as his high school coach from Parkway South had recently passed away and Weldon honored him with his victory.
#12 Seed: Bliss Wins Inaugural
Don Bliss captured the 1st Metropolitan Amateur at The Legends in 1991 and would go on to win again in 1993. What many do not know, the 1991 championship was conducted BEFORE the Metropolitan Amateur Golf Association officially formed in 1992.
#13 Seed: Pranger Wins 2 of 3
Drew Pranger took his first title on his home turf, which is never easy to do, in 2016 at Glen Echo CC. Then he fended off a former champ (Skip Berkmeyer) and future Player of the Year (Crimson Callahan) to win in 2018 at The CC of St. Albans.
#14 Seed: Long Wins at Norwood
Adam Long held off home club favorite Berkmeyer to capture the title in 2008 at Norwood Hills CC. The leaderboard of the 2008 championship was also extremely stacked with future Korn Ferry Tour winner Scott Langley and future mini-tour professionals Justin Bardgett and Mitchell Gregson.
#15 Seed: Carpenter Sets Scoring Records
Brad Carpenter takes title in 2019 at Aberdeen GC breaking the scoring record set by Fann in 2001. Carpenter finished at 206 (7-under) over the Par 71 layout, setting a blistering pace of 6-under over the first 36-holes
#16 – Kelly Wins Before Amateur Run
John Kelly celebrated the 100th anniversary of the playing of golf in the Olympics in 2004 at Glen Echo CC with his victory in the Amateur. Kelly would go from the Metropolitan Amateur on to Hazeltine National GC in Chaska, MN to the U.S. Amateur where he finished Runner-Up.
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