Bellerive Country Club has hosted it's share of major championships. As recently as last year, the world's top players converged on the Robert Trent Jones design to contest the 2008 BMW Championship. This week, the area's top amateur golfers will walk the fairways and greens of one of the St. Louis metro's most treasured layouts.
Tom Barry won his lone Metropolitan Amateur Championship at Bellerive Country Club in the mid 90's. A recent resurgence from Barry, or Toz as his friends call him, places him once again among the favorites heading into this week's major championship.
Five other past champions will be in the field this week, including defending champion, Adam Long. Long will tee off at 8:00am in one of the morning's feature pairings with Darren Lundgren and Jim Holtgrieve. Patrick Riordan, fresh off his victory at the St. Louis City Championship tees off on the back nine at 8:00am with Jeff Johnson and Jack Eisenbeis.
Another strong pairing in the morning features Skip Berkmeyer, Mitchell Gregson and Chris Kovach. Berkmeyer is amazingly still looking for his first Metropolitan Amateur Championship despite dominating the Metropolitan Amateur Player of the Year award over the past decade.
Brian Kennedy, Ryan Franks and Tom Barry tee off at 1:00pm of the 10th tee. Franks surprised many by winning the Metropolitan Amateur Championship at WingHaven Country Club two years ago. Andy Hogenmiller, having one of the better seasons of the players to not have won a tournament, is paired with Normandie Amateur Champion Ted Moloney and former St. Louis District Amateur Champion, Dustin Ashby at 1:40pm.
Players will compete over 36 holes on Thursday and Friday with the low 40 and ties making the cut to play Saturday. For more information on the Metropolitan Amateur, listen to The Back Nine Radio Show Saturday morning, 8am - 10am. Adam Frillman and Troy Halterman will break down the week's action along with full coverage from the season's last professional major championship at the PGA Championship.
