Chapman and McLaughlin Champion 24th Metropolitan Junior Amateur
Sunset Hills, MO - After another beautiful day at Sunset Country Club, four juniors came out triumphant after Round 2 of the 24th Metropolitan Junior Amateur. The Boys’ 13 and Under Division kicked things off at 7:30am, followed by the Boys’ 15 and Under Division. Rounding out the tee times were the Girls’ Division followed by the Overall Boys’ Division. After Round 1, Bubba Chapman, John DeLuca, Hudson Shy, and Reese Reinhardt were each the leader in their respective divisions.
John ‘Bubba’ Chapman of Bellerive Country Club entered the Final Round at two-under (-2) par. Looking to put together another good round, Chapman started his day with a birdie on Hole 1. Two more birdies and two bogeys on the front nine put him at one-under for the day and three-under total. The back nine proved more difficult for Bubba today, but he managed to keep his game under control to finish the championship at one-over (+1) par. This performance was enough to clench the title for Chapman. Augie Johnson of Whitmoor Country Club sat at four-over (+4) par after Round 1, and was ready to put the pressure on his competitors in Round 2. Though his round was back-and-forth, Johnson was able to come into the clubhouse at even (E) par for the day and remain at four-over (+4) par to finish in solo second place. After putting together an even (E) par performance on day one, William Bomkamp of Forest Hills Country Club had a rougher day two to finish in solo third place at six-over (+6) par.
Reese Reinhardt of Fox Run Golf Club was able to shoot just four-over (+4) par in Round 1, but Round 2 proved more difficult. A few hiccups in her round left Reinhardt finishing the championship twenty-two-over (+22) par and in solo second place. Avery McLaughlin of Bellerive Country Club started the day at eleven-Over (+11) par. McLaughlin came ready for the Final Round and improved upon her Round 1 score by one-stroke. With a ten-over (+10) par Round 2 score, McLaughlin beat Reinhardt by one-stroke with a total of twenty-one over (+21) par to be the Girls’ Division Champion. Peyton Cusick of the Metropolitan eClub had a difficult Round 1, but made a ten-stroke improvement in Round 2 to finish in solo third place at thirty-over (+30) par.
John DeLuca of Forest Hills Country Club came into the Final Round with a nineteen stroke lead in the Boys’ 13 and Under Division. Though he was unable to duplicate his performance of six-over (+6) par, DeLuca still held the two lowest rounds in the division. Totalling seventeen-over (+17) par, DeLuca was the 13 and Under Division Champion. Following behind in solo second place, Subaru Kikuchi of The Quarry at Crystal Springs finished the championship at fifty-four-over (+54) par. In the Boys’ 15 and Under Division, Hudson Shy of Bogey Hills Country Club led the way after Round 1, but a tough Round 2 left him finishing in fourth place. Caden Fehr of the Country Club of St. Albans sat in second place following his first round, and he capitalized on his position in the Final Round. Improving by eight strokes, Fehr finished the day at even (E) par and the tournament at eight-over (+8) par to be the 15 and Under Division Champion. Shota Tiger Kikuchi of The Quarry at Crystal Springs also made improvements to his scorecard for Round 2 by returning a five-over (+5) par for the day and sixteen-over (+16) par for the championship. Kikuchi, much like his younger brother, also finished in solo second in his division.
Throughout the Championship, Bubba Chapman was the only player to return a score under par with his Round 1 score of two-under par. Only three players posted even-par rounds: Augie Johnson, William Bomkamp, and Caden Fehr. Hole 12 seemed to rank as the hardest hole based on field performance, while Hole 10 ranked as the easiest. Mack Freeman of Forest Hills Country Club made the only eagle of the championship during his first round on Hole 16.
Out of a field of 66 players, four came out triumphant. Bubba Chapman (Overall Boys’), Avery McLaughlin (Girls’), Caden Fehr (Boys’ 15 and Under), and John DeLuca (Boys’ 13 and Under) are the 2023 Metropolitan Junior Amateur Champions.