2025 Players of the Year Awarded
St. Louis, MO - As another season closes, we make the final tallies to determine the Players of the Year. Throughout the summer, golfers earn points for their performance in each of the events they participate in. Points come from playing in Metropolitan Championships, select outside events, and should they qualify, USGA Championships.
All season awards will be presented on November 12 at Old Warson Country Club. All are welcome to attend the evening, where we will reflect back on the 2025 season and all of our new Champions. To register for the evening, click here .
Five awards are given each year to indicate the top five players from the season. These awards include Men, Women, Senior Men, Southern Illinois Men, and Southern Illinois Senior Men. The 2025 Players of the Year are Ryan Sullivan, Brooke Biermann, David Strickland, River Stilley, and Tom Portner. Each has earned their place on top
Introducing the 2025 Players of the Year:
Ryan Sullivan claims the 2025 Men’s Player of the Year award after an impressive year on the course. Sullivan - a Tapawingo National Golf Club golfer - began and ended his year with wins en route to the 1,742.5 points that put him on top. To kick off the season, Sullivan won the East Side Amateur at seven-under par. A little over month later, he showed this was no fluke by finishing as the Low Amateur in the Metropolitan Open. This was then followed by making it to the Round of 32 in the Missouri Amateur. In August, Sullivan finished tied for 20th in the Metropolitan Amateur, tied for 6th in the Missouri Mid-Amateur, and as an Alternate for the U.S. Mid-Amateur. Sullivan capped off his year with a third place finish in the Southern Illinois Amateur followed by one final win in the Metropolitan Four-Ball with partner Ryan Eckelkamp. Paired together, this was enough for Sullivan to take the title 307.5 points above the rest.
Brooke Biermann rocketed to the top to claim the 2025 Women’s Player of the Year award. Biermann - a member of the Country Club of St. Albans - became the pride of St. Louis as she competed this summer in two USGA Championships. Early in the summer, she competed in the U.S. Women’s Open after qualifying with medalist honors at the St. Louis area qualifier at St. Clair Country Club. With hopes of becoming a professional, Biermann had one last amateur event on her mind - the U.S. Women’s Amateur. Biermann successfully qualified for the championship at the Michigan area qualifier at Kent Country Club. Setting a goal to make the cut, she not only did so, but went on an incredible run. As St. Louis watched from home, Biermann made her way into the final match and finished as runner-up. With 1,650 points, Biermann overtook the rest of the ladies to claim the title. This may be one last amateur title for Brooke as she is going through Q-school to start her professional career.
David Strickland put up a good fight this year to claim the 2025 Senior Player of the Year award. Early in the year, Strickland made it through to the final stage of qualifying for the U.S. Senior Open. This gave him confidence as he went into the summer. Only once did this Tapawingo National Golf Club golfer finish outside of the top 4 this season, which was a tie for 12th finish in the Metropolitan Senior Amateur. Strickland finished tied for 4th in the Missouri Senior Amateur and the Southern Illinois Senior Amateur. He also finished in third in the East Side Senior Amateur and second in the City Senior Championship. Most notable for Strickland this year was his runner-up finish in the Metropolitan Amateur. He closed out the year by finishing tied for 2nd in the Metropolitan Senior Four-Ball with partner Brian Lovett. With 1,597 points, Strickland secured his first player of the year title.
River Stilley claimed the Southern Illinois Player of the Year award in just a few events. Stilley, a SIGA eClub member, competed in the SIGA Championship at the end of June this year. At the end of the championship, he was tied for the lead, but championed the event after a playoff. This was just the start of the summer for Stilley. He competed in the U.S. Amateur Local Qualifier in Paducah, KY, where he earned an alternate spot for Final Qualifying. Stilley concluded his summer by playing in the Benton Gold Cup and finished tied for 3rd. After earning 1,425 points, Stilley won the title by just 12.5 points.
Tom Portner is claiming his fourth consecutive Southern Illinois Senior Player of the Year award. He has played as a member of Green Hills Golf Club and Apple Creek Golf Club. Portner’s season points started with the SIGA Senior Championship, where he finished in third. He also played in the Illinois State Senior Amateur after earning an exemption into the field. Portner then won the Weeks Fall Classic to add to his count. Portner closed out his summer with the Southern Illinois Senior Amateur, where he finished tied for 6th. All together, he earned 1,162.5 points to take the title once again.
At the end of each season, we also ask season participants to vote on the host club awards. We award four clubs in Best Private Facility, Best Public Facility, Best Professional/Staff, and Best Superintendent/Staff. All clubs in the running hosted a Metropolitan Championship or USGA Qualifier. Players were given until November 1 to cast their vote. Once voting was closed the following clubs were awarded:
Best Host Private Facility - Westwood Country Club
Best Host Public Facility - Gateway National Golf Links
Best Host Professional - Jay Roux (WingHaven Country Club)
Best Host Superintendent - Corey Witzman (Westwood Country Club)