Amateur Series Championship Concludes
Maryland Heights, MO - After two beautiful days at the Quarry at Crystal Springs Golf Course, the 2023 Amateur Series has come to a close. 60 players across the seven divisions qualified and entered the Series Championship. Following the six regular season events, Courtney Cooper, Anthony Arcese, Paul Downing, Dave Draucker, James Oslica, Stephen Weinstock, and Peggy Shamleffer stood on top of the points standings in their respective divisions.
In the Open Division, Chris Wager found the lead in round 1 at even (E) par. He held a seven stroke lead over his next competitor at seven-over (+7) par, Courtney Cooper. Coming into the Final Round with his lead, Wager just needed to hang on to his lead. Though the day was tougher than the first, Wager managed to keep a five shot lead to bring in a winning score total of seven-over (+7) par. Chris Wager would take home the prize with Nick George in second at twelve-over (+12) par and Courtney Cooper in third at thirteen-over (+13) par.
The Net Division saw Chris Canfield leading after round 1 with a score of two-under (-2) par. He sat with a six stroke cushion above Kyle Fuehne who shot four-over (+4) par. Canfield also found the second round to be more trying than the first. With a total score of six-over (+6) par, Canfield stood victorious in the division. Fuehne would come in second at ten-over (+10) par.
In the Senior Open Division, Bret Sinak shot four-over (+4) par in round 1 to capture the lead by three-strokes. James Storey followed behind at seven-over (+7) par and David Rudd sat at eight-over (+8) par. During the second round, Rudd was able to overtake the competition with a score of four-over (+4) par which brought his total to twelve-over (+12) par to give him the title. Storey came in second at fifteen-over par while Sinak came in third at sixteen-over par.
For the Senior Net Division, John Wasmuth and Douglas Weck were tied at one-over (+1) par after the first round. The two had a seven stroke lead over Daniel Delaney. Following up his first round, Wasmuth shot a second round of three-over (+3) par to be the division champion at four-over (+4) par. Matt Hall threw together a round under par on day 2 to take second place at six-over (+6) par, followed by Weck at eleven-over (+11) par.
In the Super Senior Division, Michael Mervis and Kevin Erxleben sat tied at ten-over (+10) par after Round 1. Keeping it a tight race, the pair both shot back-to-back scores of 80, bringing their totals to twenty (+20) par. A playoff was needed to determine a winner. Mervis won the playoff to beat Erxleben and become the champion. Erxleben would be the runner-up and James Oslica was third at twenty-three-over (+23) par.
The Super Senior Net Division saw Terry Souchek shoot one-under (-1) par in the first round to be the leader. Stephen Weinstock sat just behind at even (E) par. Souchek pulled together a second round of even par to keep his total at one-under (-1) par and take home the title. Michael Scoles came in second at four-over (+4) par, while Weinstock finished in third at eight-over (+8) par.
As for the Women’s Division, Pam Lenhard was leading after Round 1 with a score of even (E) par. She had a two-stroke lead over Debra McGinnis and a six-stroke lead over Linda Meyer and Sandy Franklin. McGinnis kept her game tight over the two days, bringing in a second round score of 73 to top the leaderboard. With a total of five-over (+5) par, McGinnis is the Champion. Lenhard would come in second at seven-over (+7) par, while Meyer came in third at sixteen-over (+16) par.
This concludes the 2023 Metropolitan Amateur Series season. Congratulations to Debra McGinnis, Chris Wager, Chris Canfield, David Rudd, John Wasmuth, Michael Mervis, and Terry Souchek on taking home the trophy in their division.