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St. Albans, MO - The Final Round of the 36th Metropolitan Amateur was a grind. The field was cut to the low 24 and ties following Round 2 with 33 players making the cut. Play for the last round began at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday. Due to time constraints, the remaining players were split into two to start on Hole 1 and Hole 10 simultaneously. The lead groups started on Hole 1. The course played to a par 71. 

When the round began, Ryan Sullivan led the field at six-under par. He was followed closely by past champion, Justin Bryant, and Conner McCall, who sat at five-under. Jarrett James was three back at three-under.  

The day’s weather continued on its path of misty rain pestering the competitors as they fought for the title. For much of the first nine holes, the leaderboard sat fairly stagnant. Conner McCall of Vandalia Country Club and Jarrett James of the SIGA eClub were bogey free through the eighth with one birdie each. This kept them in the mix and looking like there was still plenty of time to make a move on the back nine. James made the turn at three-under, while McCall made the turn at five-under.  Keenan Flemming of the Metropolitan eClub made the turn bogey free and sitting in potential striking distance if he could keep the momentum going at two-under par.  

In the final pairing, Ryan Sullivan of Tapawingo National Golf Club was moving along as he had been all week. Sullivan added two birdies to his card and was bogey free until Hole 8. He made the turn at seven-under par. Justin Bryant of St. Louis Country Club fought hard to hang in with Sullivan. A birdie on the ninth had Bryant making the turn still one back at six-under par.  

Once players made the turn, that is when you started to see a few shifts on the leaderboard. The weather began to take its toll, especially on those who were closing in on a 36 hole day. Wet clothes, wet hands, and wet clubs provided an extra layer of challenge for the golfers. The back nine proved to be a deciding factor, with the first through fifth hardest playing holes of the day coming from the back.  

James started the back nine with a birdie, pushing him to four-under par. For a few holes, James moved into second. With the leaders playing in the group behind, James tried to keep the damage to a minimum and stay with them. James carded three bogeys coming in to finish the championship at one-under (-1) par. McCall had a rougher start to his second nine and just couldn’t get the momentum to shift back in his favor. He would fall down the leaderboard to finish the championship at two-over (+2) par. 

Bryant had a hard start to the back nine with a double bogey on the tenth, giving wiggle room to Sullivan and opening the door for James. Sullivan opened his second nine with a par and looking like he could close things out if he could maintain his consistency. Sullivan and Bryant pushed through the back nine. With two bogeys each on the next four holes, the pair’s scores dropped back, but Sullivan still remained on top. On Hole 16, Bryant found a late round birdie to regain a stroke and move to three-under.  

Entering the final two holes, Sullivan held a three shot lead at five-under. The final pair made their way down 17. A long putt for par for Sullivan was just short, knocking him back to four-under. Meanwhile Bryant made par to stay at three-under. One hole left to play and the trophy on the line, the competition was back to just a one shot difference for the first time since the turn.  

Bryant and Sullivan then came down the stretch as daylight was dwindling. Sullivan’s second shot into the 18th green was short and found the creek that runs along in front of the green. Bryant’s second shot found the back of the green. Sullivan decided playing from the creek was not an option and took a drop. Hitting onto the green, Sullivan then ended his round with a two putt, finishing at two-under (-2) par and opening the opportunity for his competitor. Bryant stepped up to his putt for par and sunk it to sweep in a late minute victory..  

Pure grit, perseverance, and tenacity were evident in the final pairing. In the end, Bryant’s unwillingness to surrender led him to a second Metropolitan Amateur Champion title at three-under (-3) par. Bryant becomes the fourth player in championship history to claim two titles, joining Don Bliss, David Estes, Kyle Weldon, and Drew Pranger. It was a long and arduous three day fight for all players, but Justin Bryant leaves as the 36th Metropolitan Amateur Champion.