Cusumano Dominates Men’s Championship
Alex Cusumano (Norwood Hills Country Club) put on a dominating display of match play golf by rolling past 2024 Medalist Joe Migdal (Persimmon Woods Golf Club) 7-and-5 at The St. Louis District Golf Association (STLDGA) Men’s Championship at Norwood Hills Country Club on Sunday, July 20 in Normandy, Mo. The 2011 champion and 2012 finalist, Cusumano never trailed through four rounds of match play and set a standard for most years between titles at 14.
Under partly cloudy skies that gave the competitors some relief from heat and humidity, Cusumano never let Migdal breathe as he carded six birdies in the first seven holes to grab a plus-6 advantage. Migdal finally slowed the steamroller with an eagle on No. 8, but Cusumano only needed 12 putts on the front nine to lead by five.
“From the start, everything was clicking,” explained Cusumano, a Westminster High School product. “I was hitting nearly everything perfectly, reading the greens perfectly, hitting my lines, short game was there when I needed it. Everything was working all day today.”
When Cusumano notched two more birdies on 11 and 13, he had nine birdies in 13 holes, and it was over. Having that comfortable lead didn’t make the Loyola of Chicago alum cautious. “Joe’s capable of making a lot of birdies,” Cusumano noted. “I didn’t feel as if I needed to press as much, but still needed to hit quality golf shots, tried to make par, and if the ball went in for birdie, that’s great.”
In the semifinals Sunday morning, Cusumano eliminated medalist Bubba Chapman (Bellerive Country Club) 3-and-1, while Migdal stopped Drew Pranger (Glen Echo Country Club) 5-and-3. Cusumano again started fast and went 3-up through six holes, but Chapman pulled back within one after birdies on 7 and 8, but Cusumano responded immediately going 2-up through nine and expanded to 4-up through 14. Chapman again got back within two after 16, but couldn’t add more pressure. Chapman was bidding to become only the sixth medalist to claim the championship in the past 25 years.
A rising sophomore at the University of Missouri-Columbia, Chapman was going to present a challenge as Cusumano could relate to being the young upstart. “I certainly understand where he was coming from,” the 34-year-old Cusumano said. “From my perspective, I knew he was a great player. I knew I needed to play extremely solid to beat him. For me, when we’re playing golf again the best players, that’s when it’s the most fun. It was fun playing against him, and I think he’s going to be a great player in the future.”
Cusumano described how his game has evolved during the past 14 years, “I’m hitting it better than I ever was, putting it better than I ever was. The game has changed so much in 14 years with the golf balls, the technology and the clubs. It seems a lot easier to play good golf than it did back then.”
In the other Sunday morning semifinal, Migdal was plus-1 through nine against Pranger, but won five of the first seven holes on the back nine to win it, setting the stage for the title match.
The championship is open to all district members with a handicap index of 5.0 or lower. Two days of stroke-play result in the low 16 qualifying for match play on Saturday and Sunday.
SATURDAY – Match Play
In highly competitive match play Saturday morning, top seed Bubba Chapman (Bellerive Country Club) lost a 4-up lead through eight holes and had to go 19 holes to oust Brevin Giebler (Dalhousie Golf Club). Giebler eventually tied the match on the 17th, but his bogey on the playoff hole cost him dearly. Mack Freeman (Forest Hills Country Club) eliminated Brett Meeske (Meadowbrook Country Club) 7-and-5. Scott McClellan (Wing Haven Country Club) defeated 2022 champion Justin Bryant (St. Louis Country Club) 1-up. Alex Cusumano (Norwood Hills Country Club) slipped past Ben Gelven (Glen Echo Country Club) 3-and-2. Joe Migdal (Persimmon Woods Golf Club) edged Owen Farley (St. Louis Country Club) 5-and-4, while Logan Lowery (St. Clair Country Club) also shaded Sean Brennan (Westborough Country Club) 5-and-4. Parker Goldman (Meadowbrook Country Club) topped Patrick Britt (Norwood Hills Country Club) 1-up, and Drew Pranger (Glen Echo Country Club) knocked off five-time champion Skip Berkmeyer (The Legends Country Club) 2-and-1.
In the quarterfinals Saturday afternoon, Chapman dispatched Freeman 5-and-4, and Cusumano knocked out McClellan 6-and-5. On the other side of the bracket, Migdal defeated Lowery 5-and-4, while Pranger got by Goldman 1-up.
THURSDAY/FRIDAY – Stroke Play
Mizzou rising sophomore Bubba Chapman (Bellerive Country Club) took medalist honors on Friday, July 18. In Thursday’s opening round of stroke play, Chapman surged to a three-stroke lead with a 7-under par 64, featuring six birdies and an eagle on No. 8, and followed with a 4-under par 67 on Friday to finish at 11-under 131.
Chapman analyzed his pace-setting opening round, “Made a couple nice putts, which was nice as I had a little trouble with that recently. I hit a lot of good tee shots, and the ones that were not good were in spots that I could get it on the green or leave it in a spot where I could make par.
“Except for a bogey on 16, it was a pretty spotless scorecard, kept it in front of me nicely. Very smart, I would say, and I was in control of my golf ball pretty well.”
2024 medalist Joe Migdal (Persimmon Woods Golf Club) trailed by three strokes after the first round, but opened Friday’s round with three birdies in the first five holes to tie Chapman before he teed off. But Chapman responded with three birdies of his own in the first five holes to create breathing room. Migdal ended up posting back-to-back 67s and was runner-up at 8-under 134.
Chapman wasn’t playing it safe with the lead on the second day. “The second half of my round today, my irons weren’t as sharp,” the Chaminade High School alum noted. “I had birdie looks , but they weren’t as close. I continued to hit it well off the tee, but just didn’t make as many birdies late in the round.
“I felt pretty comfortable the whole day, knew I was going to make it to match play. I just wanted to continue to make pars and give myself opportunities when I could. I wouldn’t call it conservative, just two full days of making good decisions.”
Gordon Walker (Bellerive Country Club) took honorary “Hole of Day” with a double-eagle on the par-5 No. 8.
Skip Berkmeyer (The Legends Country Club) shot the low score in the second round with a 5-under par 66 to slide into the sixth seed for match play,
The final four slots for match play were decided in a two-hole play-off as five players finished at 2-over 144. Scott McClellan (Wing Haven Country Club) and Parker Goldman (Meadowbrook Country Club) each birdied No. 1 to claim the 13th and 14th seeds, respectively. Owen Farley (St. Louis Country Club) and Brevin Giebler (Dalhousie Golf Club) each sank par putts on No. 2 to grab the final two seeds when Ryan Eckelkamp (Franklin Country Club) bogeyed as he came up short on an 8-footer.
Last week’s STLGDA Junior Champion Hudson Shy (Bogey Hills Country Club) finished 3-over, missing the playoff by a stroke.
The remainder of the match play field:
Patrick Britt (Norwood Hills Country Club) (-6)
Justin Bryant (St. Louis Country Club) (-4)
Ben Gelven (Glen Echo Country Club) (-4)
Skip Berkmeyer (The Legends Country Club) (-3)
Logan Lowery (St. Clair Country Club) (-3)
Brett Meeske (Meadowbrook Country Club) (-1)
Mack Freeman (Forest Hills Country Club) (even)
Sean Brennan (Westborough Country Club) (even)
Drew Pranger (Glen Echo Country Club) (even)
Alex Cusumano (Norwood Hills Country Club) (+1)
Chapman was undaunted by his lack of match play experience. “I haven’t played a ton of match play, played two matches last year at the Missouri Amateur,” the Des Peres native said. “It’s just one whole at a time. I can’t do anything about the last hole or the next hole, which is similar to stroke play.
“There’s times when your opponent is in for birdie, and you’ve got to make a putt, you’ve got to play a little more aggressively. It doesn’t change the way I play this golf course. If I play every match the way I played that first round, I think I’ll have a good chance.”
All that qualified for match play gain entry to The Jim Jackson Invitational at Algonquin Golf Club in October.
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