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5th Metropolitan Open Showcases Areas Top Talent and Beyond
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Updated: Wed 7/7/2010 7:56 pm
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St. Louis - June 7 - The 5th Metropolitan Open Championship is set to tee off tomorrow at the Country Club of St. Albans featuring arguably the strongest field in St. Louis golf history; absent the PGA Tour coming to town.
Headlining the cast of characters is none other than two-time champion, Scott Langley. Langley is coming off a whirlwind month which saw him finish T16 at the United States Open and represent the United States in the Palmer Cup where he won the clinching point for Team USA in Northern Ireland. Langley qualified for the U.S. Open through Sectional Qualifying on this very golf course with a pair of 66's to earn his spot at Pebble Beach. To say Scott Langley likes the Country Club of St. Albans would be a mild understatement.
If Langley is to win his 3rd consecutive Metropolitan Open Championship he will do so against a very strong field of top amateur, area professionals and mini-tour professionals. Bob Gaus, coming off a T23 finish at the PGA Professional Championship in French Lick, IN is considered one of Langley's top challengers. If not Gaus, a player like Mike Tucker from Bellerive Country Club or Rob Sedorcek of CC of St. Albans is capable of putting together three good rounds to compete for the top prize.
While the Professionals from the Gateway Section will provide stiff competition, it very well may be the professionals trying to make a living playing this game that emerge this week. Players such as Justin Bardgett (former Missouri Amateur Champion), Adam Long (standout at Duke), Mitchell Gregson (former K-State golfer), Shawn Jasper (Missouri graduate and mini-tour player), Zach Barlow (University of Illinois graduate), Todd Obergoenner (past USAPL qualifier), Adam Betz, David Suggs, Chris Naegel, Andrew Pranger and Michael Wellington are among the group of players with aspirations of playing at the next level as a member of the Nationwide or PGA Tour. And then there's Jerry Haas, the Wake Forest University golf coach, who is returning to the St. Louis area to compete in what has quickly become the state's premier Open Championship.
But don't forget the other amateurs teeing it up in the 5th Metropolitan Open Championship. To be clear, a professional has only won this championship one time in the 4 year history. Darren Fletcher of Arizona won the championship in its second year, but otherwise the champion has had an 'a' after their name. Of the amateurs in the field, besides Langley, considered to be a factor come the final round on Saturday afternoon, Skip Berkmeyer has to be on top of that list. Berkmeyer won the inaugural Metropolitan Open Championship and has been regarded the area's top amateur player for the past decade. He lost in the semi-finals of the Missouri Amateur Championship a week ago to eventual champion Brad Nurski and is playing some of his best golf coming into this tournament.
Other amateurs to keep any eye on include Ted Moloney who is the feature pairing with Jerry Haas and Scott Langley on Thursday and Friday. Moloney battled Berkmeyer down the stretch at Bellerive Country Club last year when Berkmeyer won his first Metropolitan Amateur Championship. Playing together in the 8:30am pairing on Thursday are Darren Lundgren and Chris Brant. Brant recently won the East Side Amateur Championship and Lundgren has been one of the elite amateurs for several years.
An emerging player to keep an eye on is Tim Cochran, a senior at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Cochran's strength is his ball striking and the Lewis and Clark course at St. Albans requires what we like to call "meat and potatoes" in straight drives and solid struck long irons. Along those lines, don't count out Bob Meeh who recently finished as 2nd alternate at the U.S. Senior Open Qualifying at Lake Forest Country Club. Meeh was the first round leader after a 67 at the East Side Amateur, finishing T3 behind John Anderson and Chris Brant.
The championship will consist of 18 holes on Thursday, 18 more on Friday with a cut to the low 40 and ties. Those players making the cut will finish with 18 holes on Saturday with the low scorer after 54 holes being the 2010 Metropolitan Open Champion.
Follow all of the action online with regular Twitter Updates @BackNineSTL or http://www.espnbacknine.com.
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