Team Metropolitan Etches 5th Consecutive Shogren Cup Victory
St. Louis, MO - The annual meeting of the amateurs and the professionals has concluded. In a Ryder Cup style format, the amateur golfers of the Metropolitan Amateur Golf Association and the professionals of the Gateway PGA go head-to-head for the coveted Robert A. Shogren Cup. Two teams of 14 players play four-ball, foursomes, and singles matches across two days. To win, a team needs 14.5 points and the defending champions need just 14 points to retain the Cup. Team Metropolitan entered this year’s competition on a four year winning hot streak and were coming off the largest win margin in the championship history. They set out to do the unthinkable: win again for their fifth consecutive Cup.
Team Metropolitan: Skip Berkmeyer, Corey Choate, Brad Carpenter, Ryan Eckelkamp, Tony Gumper, Chris Kovach, Brian Lovett, Joe Migdal, Sam Migdal, John Moore, Chad Niezing, David Strickland(c), Ryan Sullivan(c), and Jason White
Team Gateway: JD Auping, Jimmy Bals, Sophie Faulkner, Bob Gaus, Matt Gindler, Sam Lee, Brett Moomey, Will Postlethwaite, Ryan Roy, Blake Sharamitaro, Mike Suhre, Kyle Szyhowski, Mike Tucker, and Jeff Whitfield
Jump to Session 1 Recap (Four-Ball) Recap
Jump to Session 2 (Foursomes) Recap
Jump to Session 3 (Singles) Recap
The fight for the fifth Cup started with the four-ball format matches on Sunday afternoon. A four-ball format is what some know as the best ball form of play. Two players on a side play their own ball and the better score is the one that counts for the side.
Kicking things off for the Metropolitan were the side of Corey Choate and Jason White versus Gateway’s JD Auping and Mike Suhre. Team Metro took the early lead winning the first hole, but Gateway struck back to be two up by the end of the 9th hole. Choate and White were mounting a comeback on the back and were one up in the match on the 16th hole. With fight coming from both sides, Gateway won the final hole and the match finished Tied with each side taking a half point for their team.
Next up were the mixed matches featuring one regular player and one senior player paired together on each side. Team Metropolitan sent Chris Kovach and Brian Lovett to face Will Postlethwaite and Mike Tucker of Team Gateway. Once again Team Metro was up after the first hole. It was not until the 5th hole that Postlethwaite and Tucker got the match back to even and then followed it with winning the next two holes. In identical response Kovach and Lovett won the next three holes to regain the lead on the 11th. By Hole 14, Gateway took the lead back. The match finished on the 18th green with Team Gateway walking away with the full point for their team 1 Up.
The second mixed match was captains Ryan Sullivan and David Strickland for Team Metropolitan against Kyle Szyhowski and Jeff Whitfield for Team Gateway. Sullivan and Strickland kept it simple, take control and don’t let it go. By Hole 5, the pair were three up in the match. Gateway tried to cut in by winning the 9th hole, but Sullivan and Strickland won Holes 11 and 12. Gateway won one more hole after that. Sullivan and Strickland earned Team Metropolitan a full point with their 3 & 2 win.
Middle of the pack were Team Metropolitan’s Migdal brothers, a dynamic duo with a four-ball success rate. Sam and Joe faced Gateway’s Sophie Faulkner and Ryan Roy. In their first outing together in this championship, Sam and Joe had the same idea as their teammates in front of them. The Migdals were three up by Hole 5. Despite Team Gateway’s efforts of winning Holes 7 and 10, Sam and Joe closed the match out by winning Holes 14 and 15 to secure the Metropolitan a second full point in a 4 & 3 win.
Following behind was the all senior match, which saw Team Metropolitan’s Skip Berkmeyer and John Moore face Team Gateway’s Jimmy Bals and Bob Gaus. At this point, it seemed like a pattern and flow for Team Metropolitan was beginning to settle in. Berkmeyer and Moore only let Team Gateway win one hole throughout the entire match. The pair were three up by the turn and won their last two holes to end the match 5 & 4 on the 14th green. Berkmeyer and Moore secured the third full point for Team Metropolitan.
The sixth match of the day presented Brad Carpenter and Chad Niezing of Team Metropolitan versus Sam Lee and Blake Sharamitaro of Team Gateway. It was a tight match with Carpenter and Niezing winning the first hole, followed by Lee and Sharamitaro taking the lead by Hole 5. Team Metro fought back and were able to tie the match up on the 14th hole. Team Gateway struck back on the 16th, but Carpenter and Niezing responded on the 17th. Making their way down the final hole, Carpenter and Niezing closed out the match Tied and taking a half point for Team Metropolitan.
In the final match of the session, Team Metropolitan sent Tony Gumper and Ryan Eckelkamp to battle Team Gateway’s Matt Gindler and Brett Moomey. This was a true fight to the finish match. Gumper and Eckelkamp won Hole 4 to take the lead. Gateway tied the match on Hole 7, but this was short lived as Gumper and Eckelkamp won the 8th and 10th to go two up. Gindler and Moomey responded and were able to bring the match back to all square by the 12th hole. The two sides would go blow for blow, remaining tied from Hole 13 through to the end on Hole 18. Gumper and Eckelkamp secured the final half point for Team Metropolitan.
At the end of the four-ball session, Team Metropolitan had earned 4.5 points and Team Gateway had earned 2.5 points. This left Team Metropolitan needing 9.5 points to retain the Shogren Cup.
The teams returned bright and early Monday morning for the Foursomes matches. Foursomes is the alternate shot format. Two players on a side play one ball alternating the person who hits the ball until the hole is complete.
To get the day started, Team Metropolitan sent out the Migdal brothers to face off against Team Gateway’s Sam Lee and Blake Sharamitaro. The day looked to be starting well for Team Metropolitan with Joe and Sam winning on the first. Team Gateway struck back on the second and it was a fight from there. Though Lee and Sharamitaro held the lead for most of the match, the Migdals won Holes 6, 13, 14, and 17 to keep the match alive. They would end up falling just short on the last, leaving Team Gateway to take the match point 1 Up.
Second out were seniors Brian Lovett and David Strickland of Team Metropolitan versus Mike Tucker and Jimmy Bals of Team Gateway. Tucker and Bals led three times in the match but Team Metro did not give in. Each time they took the lead, Lovett and Strickland responded by winning the next hole to bring the match back to even. Lovett and Strickland won Hole 14, 15, and 17 to claim Team Metropolitan a full point 2 & 1.
Chad Niezing and Brad Carpenter for Team Metropolitan paired up to take on Kyle Szyhowski and Ryan Roy for Team Gateway. This match was a tough test for Team Metropolitan, but they made Team Gateway play all 18 holes. Szyhowski and Roy made their statement on the first hole, but Carpenter and Niezing responded on the second hole before losing the third. Carpenter and Niezing were never able to claim a lead in the match, but did win Holes 11, 12, and 15. Unable to get one last hole win in, Carpenter and Niezing would see Szyhowski and Roy take the full point back to Team Gateway in a 1 Up defeat.
Marking the midway point were Team Metropolitan’s Corey Choate and Ryan Sullivan as they faced Team Gateway’s British invasion of Will Postlethwaite and Sophie Faulkner. Choate and Sullivan meant business, winning the first two holes to take the early lead. Postlethwaite and Faulkner struck back on Holes 4 and 5, but Team Metropolitan would not let that last for long. Choate and Sullivan won Holes 8 through 11 to go four up in the match. Gateway gave one last effort on the 12th, but Choate and Sullivan put the match to rest by winning the final two match holes to win 5 & 3. This added another full point to Team Metropolitan’s total.
Next out were Jason White and Chris Kovach of Team Metropolitan against Mike Suhre and Matt Gindler of Team Gateway. Suhre and Gindler held the lead through Hole 3, but White and Kovach started the kick into gear after that. By Hole 8 the match was back to square. Gateway won the 10th. White and Kovach took that personally and went lights out to win the next 5 holes. White and Kovach brought in another Metropolitan full point with a 4 & 3 victory.
A familiar pair, Tony Gumper and Ryan Eckelkamp were back out for Team Metropolitan to take on Brett Moomey and JD Auping of Team Gateway. Eckelkamp and Gumper won the first hole and held that until the fifth hole. Team Gateway took the lead on Hole 6, but Gumper and Eckelkamp responded to tie it back up on the 7th. The match remained tied through Hole 12. Moomey and Auping would shut Team Metropolitan down to finish the match 3 & 2 and take a full point for Team Gateway.
The final match of the morning was the senior match of Team Metropolitan’s Skip Berkmeyer and John Moore versus Team Gateway’s Jeff Whitfield and Bob Gaus. It was an even start for the two sides until Team Metropolitan ramped up starting on Hole 4. By the turn, Berkmeyer and Moore were four up in the match. Gateway started a comeback after the turn, cutting the Metropolitan’s lead down to just one up. Berkmeyer and Moore refused to lose the match and won Holes 15 and 16 to claim a 3 & 2 win and the final full point for Team Metropolitan.
At the conclusion of the second session, Team Metropolitan stood with 8.5 points and Team Gateway had 5.5 points. Session 2 produced four points for Team Metropolitan and 3 points for Team Gateway. This left Team Metropolitan needing 5.5 points to retain the Shogren Cup or 6 points to win.
The third and final session of the championship was the Singles matches on Monday afternoon. Following a short break and a quick lunch, the players turned back around for their head-to-head, one-on-one match ups. With 14 matches, there were 14 chances to earn points for your team.
Sam Migdal and Blake Sharamitaro took the plunge to hit the course first. Sam showed early hope for Team Metropolitan, going three up through 5. On Hole 8, Sharamitaro began to cut into that lead. The two were tied by Hole 13 and Sam would win only one more hole after that. Migdal would fall 2 &1 and see Sharamitaro take a point for Team Gateway.
Next out was Brian Lovett of Team Metropolitan ready to face Jimmy Bals of Team Gateway. Bals won the first hole, but Lovett reeled it back on Hole 3 and proceeded to go two up by Hole 7. The match would be tied by the end of the 10th and remain that way through the 14th. Lovett won on the 15th and sealed the deal on 18 by winning 2 Up to claim a full point for Team Metropolitan.
Third out to play was the Metropolitan’s David Strickland to take on the Gateway’s Mike Tucker. In an evenly paired match, both players held the lead at one point in the day. Tucker took the lead first on the front nine, then Strickland came back to take the lead on the back nine. By the finish of the 16th hole, they were back to being all tied up. Strickland and Tucker would finish the day Tied and each take a half point back to their side.
Team Metropolitan sent Jason White to take a stand against Team Gateway’s Ryan Roy. White carried the momentum from the end of his foursomes match into his singles match. He put up a dominant performance to win six out the first nine holes. White nailed the match shut by not losing a hole to end 6 & 5 and gain a full point for Team Metropolitan.
Corey Choate for Team Metropolitan was next to hit the course as he faced Sam Lee of Team Gateway. Lee started the match hot, winning the first two holes and going three up by Hole 5. Choate fought to keep the match alive all day, but was just unable to bring the match back in his favor. He did win five holes throughout the match and forced it to the 18th. Lee would end the match 2 Up to take the point back to Team Gateway.
Captain Ryan Sullivan of Team Metropolitan took on Will Postlethwaite of Team Gateway. Postlethwaite was ready to make a positive impact for his team and won the first hole along with the fourth. Sullivan knew this would be a tight match and won Holes 6 and 7 to bring the match back to square. By Hole 12, Postlethwaite was up by 3, but Sullivan fought back to get things even again by the 16th. The match was taken to the 18th where Postlethwaite defeated Sullivan 1 Up and placed another point on Team Gateway’s board.
Closing out the first half of the matches was Ryan Eckelkamp of Team Metropolitan and Mike Suhre of Team Gateway. This match was a battle to the end. Eckelkamp took an early lead on the first hole, followed by Suhre winning the second before Eckalkamp won the third. The pair continued to go back and forth with each taking the lead and bringing it back. Tied through 15, Suhre tried to make a last effort to rock Eckelkamp with a hole-in-one on the 16th. Eckelkamp refused to be shaken, taking the match to 18 and winning the final hole to finish the match Tied. Each player walked away with a half point for their team.
Next off the blocks was Joe Migdal for Team Metropolitan versus Brett Moomey for Team Gateway. Joe started strong, winning the first two holes to show he meant business. Moomey however was not rattled and tied the match up by the end of the 6th. It wasn’t until the 10th, when Joe won the hole that anyone was up again in the match. Moomey kicked into form on the back and ended up winning the match 3 & 1 over Migdal. Moomey took a full point back for Team Gateway.
The ninth match of the day would prove to be crucial as Team Metropolitan’s Chris Kovach battled Team Gateway’s Sophie Faulkner. Within the first two holes it was obvious this could be close with Faulkner winning hole 1 and Kovach winning Hole 2. Faulkner took the lead after winning Holes 4 and 5, but Kovach responded by winning the next two. Kovach took his first lead of the match on the back nine with success on Holes 11, 12, and 15. Faulkner wouldn’t give up by trying to mount a comeback on the 16th and 17th. Sitting 1 Up, Kovach’s tee shot on the 18th went way left, but he was able to get in for par and match Faulkner on the hole. At that time in the day, Team Metropolitan sat just a half point shy of retaining the cup and a whole point from an outright win. Kovach secured a whole point for Team Metropolitan by winning the match 1 Up and officially clenched the Metropolitan win!
Up next were Chad Niezing of Team Metropolitan and Kyle Szyhowski of Team Gateway to go toe-to-toe. The first nine holes were a back and forth battle. Szyhowski took the lead thrice, but Niezing was able to keep him at bay and tie it back up each time. Niezing took his first lead on Hole 8, but the pair made the turn all square. Niezing turned the heat up on the back, not letting a single hole slip away. Winning Holes 12 through 15, Niezing claimed a full point for Team Metropolitan with a 4 & 3 victory.
Brad Carpenter of Team Metropolitan stepped in to face Matt Gindler of Team Gateway. Gindler took no mercy into this match. Despite Carpenter’s efforts, he just could not slow Gindler down. By the end of ten holes, Gindler was seven up. Carpenter finally won a hole on the 11th to keep the game alive, but Gindler shut it back down to win the match 7 & 6. Gindler swiped another point into the Team Gateway bucket.
Getting towards the end of the matches, Team Metropolitan’s Tony Gumper took on Team Gateway’s JD Auping. Auping won the first hole, but then Gumper hit the gas. Gumper won five holes on the front and showed no signs of slowing down. He won the tenth and was looking at finishing it fast. Auping tried to bounce back by winning the 11th. Gumper would hold steady to close it out 5 & 3 to bring home the full point to Team Metropolitan’s tally.
Team Metropolitan sent John Moore out to compete with Bob Gaus of Team Gateway. It was a tight match as it made the way around the loop. Gaus took the lead first. Moore put in his best effort and tied the match twice, but despite his efforts, just couldn’t quite grab the lead himself. The match would end on the 17th with Gaus taking a point for Team Gateway, 2 & 1.
The anchor match of the week saw Skip Berkmeyer of Team Metropolitan versus Jeff Whitfield of Team Gateway. Through four holes the pair were at a stalemate. Berkmeyer sent the first hit, winning Hole 5. It didn’t last long though because Whitfield won the next three to go two up in the match. By Hole 12, Whitfield was three up and looking to close the match out. Berkmeyer refused to take that and went on to win Holes 14, 16, and 17. The match would finish Tied with both players ticking a half point onto their team’s total.
The Gateway PGA gave it a good run in the final session of the Shogren Cup in their attempt to slow the Metropolitan amateurs. Team Gateway PGA raked in 7.5 points to add to their total, while Team Metropolitan pulled in 6.5 points. This brought the final total to Team Metropolitan with 15 points and Team Gateway with 13 points.
This was another historic moment for Team Metropolitan as they hoisted the Shogren Cup for the 5th consecutive time, proving that the amateurs can hang with the professionals. Team Metropolitan hasn’t just kept the trophy for five years, they have won it outright. Though the Shogren Cup is just six years old, Team Metropolitan keeps making history and doesn’t want to stop. Etch it into the record books; Team Metropolitan is on a tear.
The two sides will reconvene next spring at Bellerive Country Club for the 7th playing of the Shogren Cup.