News

O’Fallon, MO - It was a beautiful autumn day for the Final of the 33rd Thomas O. Sobbe Cup. All summer, clubs of the Metropolitan have been battling against each other in an eight man team match play competition. After making it out of the round robin group stage, 16 teams moved on to the knockout playoffs. By the end of the summer, two teams - The Legends Country Club and Glen Echo Country Club - remained. The Legends Country Club was the number 2 seeded team while Glen Echo Country Club was the number 8 seeded team.

Meeting at a neutral site for the final, the two sides met at WingHaven Country Club to determine who would take the Sobbe Cup back to their club and have the bragging rights as the best club team for the next year.  

The eight man teams feature five different playing divisions for the matches. They consist of 2 singles scratch matches, 1 singles professional match, 1 singles handicapped match, 1 handicapped four-ball match, and 1 handicapped senior four-ball match. 

Team The Legends fielded Skip Berkmeyer and Corey Choate as the singles scratch matches, Brian Schmersahl as the professional match, Andy Roth as the singles handicapped match, Jack Soetaert and Jim Roth as the handicapped four-ball match, and Brian Martin and John Siebert as the handicapped senior four-ball match. Team Glen Echo fielded Drew Pranger and Michael Becker as the singles scratch matches, Michael Herbig as the professional match, Josh Cocking as the handicapped singles match, Jay Ott and Zach Kratofil as the handicapped four-ball match, and Kevin McLaughlin and Nathan Calcari as the handicapped senior four-ball match.  

In this final face-off, the single scratch matches went off first. Skip Berkmeyer took on Drew Pranger, while Corey Choate faced Michael Becker. It took four holes between Berkmeyer and Pranger before anyone broke the stalemate. Pranger won the fourth to go 1 Up and held on to it for a few holes. Berkmeyer brought it back to all square on the seventh. The back nine is where Pranger picked up some momentum that Berkmeyer couldn’t break through. Winning holes 10, 14, and 16, Pranger closed the match 3 & 2 to get Glen Echo its first point.  

Meanwhile, Choate and Becker were in a close match up. Choate took the first lead on Hole 2, but Becker tied it up on the next hole. Winning Holes 5 and 7, Choate went 2 Up in the match. Becker then came back on Holes 8 and 10 to take the pair back to where they started. Becker would only win one more hole in the round after this. Choate took control to win on the eleventh, thirteenth, and sixteenth holes, which would be enough to end the match on Hole 17. Choate claimed the first point for The Legends, 2 & 1.  

In the professional match, Brian Schmersahl and Michael Herbig faced off. Herbig took the early lead on the first hole, but Schmersahl was right behind. Schmersahl won the next four holes to go 3 Up. Trying to hang in there, Herbig won holes 6 and 8, but it wouldn’t be enough. Keeping things at bay by tying each hole and with a win on Hole 14, Schmersahl closed the match on Hole 17 to claim a second point for The Legends at 2 & 1.  

Playing alongside the pros was the singles handicap match. Andy Roth and Josh Cocking were in a contentious battle through the sixth hole. Cocking won Hole 3 and Roth won Hole 4 and the rest were tied through Hole 6. On Hole 7, Cocking kicked into gear. Roth would only be able to capture holes 9 and 15, while Cocking would take holes 7, 8, 10, 12, and 17. Glen Echo earned their second point from Cocking’s win 3 & 1.  

The handicap senior four-ball match was the last match of the day and would be an important factor for the cup. Brian Martin and John Siebert dominated the match minus a few holes in the middle. Kevin McLaughlin and Nathan Calcari won four holes including holes 5, 9, 10, and 12. Martin and Siebert were 2 Up through 4, then 3 Up through 7. The match was back to all square after McLaughlin and Calcari’s mid-round run, but Martin and Siebert regained their speed. Winning holes 14 through 16, Martin and Siebert won their match 3 & 2 to claim the third full point for The Legends. With just one match still on the course in front of them, this point nearly sealed the deal for The Legends Country Club.  

The handicap four-ball match - that went off second to last - was mostly controlled by The Legends side of Jack Soetaert and Jim Roth. Jay Ott and Zach Kratofil tried to mount a comeback twice, but couldn’t quite hold out to the end. Soetaert and Roth won the first hole, but was short lived with Ott and Kratofil’s win on the second. Ott and Kratofil took their first and only lead on Hole 5. Soetaert and Roth took it back on the next hole and then won holes 7 and 8 to make the turn 2 Up. Ott and Kratofil were able to tie the match by the thirteenth.  

Making their way up 17, the group caught wind that the match behind them had finished and secured the third point for The Legends. Glen Echo would need to win a full point to tie the team totals and force a playoff. The Legends needed only to tie the match to get a half point and win the cup. On the 17th green, Roth played the hero for his team as he sunk his putt to win the hole. This meant that the side was 1 Up with 1 to play and the best Glen Echo could do was get a half point. The Legends Country Club was guaranteed the Sobbe Cup. In the spirit of sportsmanship and camaraderie - and race against a setting sun - the sides decided to call the 18th hole a tie.  

The Legends Country Club collected 4 points while Glen Echo Country Club collected 2 points. The Legends Country Club won their first Thomas O. Sobbe Cup and walk away with their heads held high.