Bryant & Berkmeyer are Victorious at the Old Warson Cup
St. Louis, MO - The final day of the 27th Old Warson Cup was full of action and better weather. Though the temperatures were cool, the absence of rain was a welcome feature. Four players remained in the Old Warson Cup at the beginning of the day, along with two seniors ready for their final match. The semifinal matches began at 7:00am and 7:10am. The Senior final match began at 11:30am with the Old Warson Cup final following behind at 12:00pm.
The first semifinal match was between Chris Kovach, the number 5 seed, and Chad Niezing, the number 8 seed. The pair were tied through three holes before Niezing won the fourth to go up in the match. Continuing to match each other, it was not until holes 10 and 11 that Niezing extended his lead to 3. Kovach was fighting hard and finally pulled one back to his corner on Hole 15. This gave him hope, but a missed putt on 16 for Kovach ended the match. Niezing would win 3 & 2 to take down the defending champion and take his place in the final.
The second semifinal match saw the number 2 and 3 seeded players, Blake Skornia and Justin Bryant, duke it out. Bryant was the first to take the lead and was 2 Up through three holes. Shortly after, Skornia found his strength and had completely flipped the match to make the turn 2 Up over Bryant. Hole 11 is when Bryant kicked back into drive, and by Hole 14, was back in the lead. Hitting Hole 17 with Bryant 2 Up, Skornia put in one last punch to extend the match to the 18th. Bryant would win the match 2 Up on the 18th green to collect his ticket into the final match for the third year in a row.
As the last semifinal match was finishing up, the seniors were teeing off in the final match of the Senior Old Warson Cup. This was a matchup between numbers 1 and 2 in this division. Skip Berkmeyer (No. 1) is in his first year as a senior and Buddy Allen (No. 2) is participating in his fourth Senior Old Warson Cup, having won the first year. Berkmeyer was the first to take the lead on Hole 2, but it was short lived with Allen pulling it back on Hole 3. On Hole 4, Allen went 1 Up in the match, but Berkmeyer tied it up on Hole 6 before regaining the lead on Hole 8. A wayward tee shot on Hole 10 for Berkmeyer gave Allen the chance to tie the match again. A determined and undeterred Berkemeyer won at the 11th and again at the 13th. Sinking his putt for birdie on Hole 17, Berkmeyer stood victorious 3 & 1 to be the 4th Senior Old Warson Cup Champion.
Then came the marquee event: the final match. This was a true battle to the finish between Justin Bryant (No. 3) and Chad Niezing (No. 8). Going toe to toe through the first four holes, it was not hard to tell this was going to be a tough fight. Niezing was the first to make a move, going 1 Up through Hole 5 and holding on for a few holes. Bryant tied the match on Hole 8 and then made the turn 1 Up. Niezing sunk his putt on Hole 11, hoping it would do the trick, but Bryant matched him by also sinking his putt to tie the hole. With each one still fighting for it, Niezing was now the one to tie the match on Hole 12. A mishit tee shot on the 14th that found the water by Bryant, allowed Niezing to capitalize to reclaim the lead. Bryant refocused and moved forward to bring the match back to all square on the 15th. Moving on to Hole 16, Bryant found himself on the 17th tee box, rather than the 16th green. With a great up and down, he managed to win the hole to be 1 Up with 2 to play. The 17th came down to two par putts, and with both going in the hole, the match was moving on to Hole 18. Sitting 1 Up, Bryant just needed to tie the hole to win. Neither player hit the green with their approach shots and had lengthy putts after chipping on. Bryant would putt first. His putt would curve outside the hole, giving Niezing a chance to extend the match. Niezing, though he gave it his best, was also unable to get his putt to find the hole. A tied hole would mean that Justin Bryant wins the match 1 Up to become the 27th Old Warson Cup Champion.
Bryant and Berkmeyer’s victories mark some milestones and additions for the Old Warson Cup history book. Skip Berkmeyer’s debut Senior Old Warson Cup win makes him the first player to have won both divisions of this championship. He is a three time Old Warson Cup Champion (2007, 2008, 2009), and now a Senior Old Warson Cup Champion. Berkmeyer also joins Brian Lovett as the second player to hold the Metropolitan Senior Amateur and Senior Old Warson Cup titles at the same time. [Both won the Metropolitan Senior Amateur first, and then the Senior Old Warson Cup the following spring.] Justin Bryant’s win today makes him a three time Old Warson Cup Champion, having previously won in 2011 and 2012. This third win places him in the small group of individuals who have accomplished this feat, accompanied by Skip Berkmeyer and Sam Migdal. Bryant also joins another illustrious group with this win as a player who has held the Metropolitan Amateur title along with the Old Warson Cup title. He is once again in good company with Skip Berkmeyer (2009) and Drew Pranger (2018). Both Berkmeyer and Pranger won the Old Warson Cup followed by the Metropolitan Amateur, whereas Bryant won the Metropolitan Amateur last summer and has followed it with the Old Warson Cup.
Justin Bryant and Skip Berkmeyer have both added another Champion title to their resumes as the Old Warson Cup and Senior Old Warson Cup Champions.
