Bryant Believes at Bellerive
Ladue, MO - Once again, it was a hot and sunny day for the Final Round of the 34th Metropolitan Amateur Championship at Bellerive Country Club. 41 players made the cut after the second round and returned for one last go at the title. Five of these players are past Metropolitan Amateur Champions. Tied at the top of the leaderboard were Corey Choate, Drew Pranger, and Justin Bryant at one-over (+1) par. All known for being exceptional golfers, this teed up the Final Round to be a battle to the finish. Kennan Flemming sat in solo fourth at three-over (+3) par, while Tom Buffington and Sam Migdal were tied for fifth at four-over (+4) par. Six players - Skip Berkmeyer, Chad Niezing, Justin McCoy, Parker Lawrence, Max Kreikemeier, and Brad Carpenter - sat just four back of the lead at five-over (+5) par. With a stacked leaderboard featuring past champions and proven skilled golfers, they were not ruled out of the equation either. All were hoping that a good round on the final day at Bellerive would lead to hoisting the Jim Tom Blair Trophy.
We saw players move around the leaderboard all day in the Final Round, but Max Kreikemeier of Forest Hills Country Club brought in the lowest score of the round. Kreikemeier shot a bogey-free front nine followed by an even back nine, despite a few bogeys, to finish the day at two-under (-2) par. This round was enough for Kreikemeier to move through the crowd and climb up the leaderboard into a position just off the lead at three-over (+3) par for the championship. Kreikemeier played five groups in front of the leaders, so he had to wait to see his fateful finish. The next two lowest rounds came from Jason Landry of Greenbriar Hills Country Club and Bryan Bohme of Meadowbrook Country Club at one-under (-1) par. This was the best round of the weekend for both players and pushed each up the leaderboard. Bohme would finish just outside of the top ten in a tie for eleventh at eight-over (+8) par, while Landry moved into a tie for fifth at six-over (+6) par.
Chad Niezing of Meadowbrook Country Club spent the day following the Kreikemeier’s pairing on the course. Niezing almost had a bogey-free front nine, but a mishap on Hole 9 ruined that. Niezing tried to get his wits back on the back nine and it was looking like a dreary round was upon him until an eagle on Hole 17 - coupled with his three birdies on the front - brought him back to even par for the day. Niezing would finish the weekend at five-over (+5) par and in solo fourth place. The group behind Niezing featured past champion, Skip Berkmeyer of The Legends Country Club. Berkmeyer managed his round to finish the championship at six-over (+6) par and in the tie for fifth.
When it came down to the three tied at the top, anything was possible. Justin Bryant of St. Louis Country Club was placed in the pairing before the last due to the order in which the tied players came into the clubhouse for the second round. Bryant knew he would need to not deviate too far from the score he had coming into the day if he were to make his champion dreams a reality, and he did just that. On both sides of the course, Bryant shot one birdie, one bogey, and seven pars to finish the round at even par. This would leave Bryant at one-over (+1) par for the championship and waiting to see what his opponents would do behind him.
Drew Pranger of Glen Echo Country Club and Corey Choate of The Legends Country Club were the final pairing of the day. Choate tried to play a factor in the race for the top spot, but was just unable to find stable ground to make birdies to cancel out the bogeys. This would leave Choate to finish the weekend at six-ove (+6) par and joining Landry and Berkmeyer in the tie for fifth. Pranger fought throughout his round to stay toe-to-toe with Bryant. The three-time past Champion knew Bryant would not give up easily, and that it was on himself to force his way to the top. Even though he remained close, Pranger struggled to find that last birdie needed to force a tie or multiple to win. As this final group made their way up Hole 18, everyone looked on - including Bryant - to see if Pranger could somehow make a last minute birdie from the greenside bunker in an effort to force a playoff. With Pranger unable to convert the shot, Bryant could take a sigh of relief and enjoy the moment of knowing he would be the Champion when the final putt was dropped. As for Pranger, finishing a second day in a row at two-over par, he would fall to three-over (+3) for the championship and meet Kreikemeier in the tie for second.
Justin Bryant is the 34th Metropolitan Amateur Champion at one-over (+1) par and can sleep well knowing it is his name that will be engraved on the Jim Tom Blair Trophy. After years of competing in this championship, Bryant had belief that he could be victorious at Bellerive and he was. Drew Pranger and Max Kreikemeier leave as co-runner-ups. Rounding out the top ten for the championship are Chad Niezing, Jason Landry, Skip Berkmeyer, Corey Choate, Sam Beggs, Ryan McKillips, and Keenan Flemming. Bellerive was a true test for these golfers, and each one pushed themselves to achieve greatness. Only one could wind up on top, and Justin Bryant triumphs at Bellerive for the 34th Metropolitan Amateur title.