PINE VALLEY, NJ (September 13, 2018) -
Skip Berkmeyer and
Brad Nurski have battled each other for years in their home state of Missouri. Nurski is the back-to-back reigning Missouri Amateur champion, matching Berkmeyer's total of three titles. In the Missouri Mid-Amateur, Berkmeyer has lifted the trophy three times with Nurski winning twice.
The rivalry continues at the 94th Crump Cup, with Nurski of St. Joseph, and Berkmeyer, of Chesterfield sharing the first-round lead after matching 68s at Pine Valley Golf Club.
Related: Crump Cup Week: Top mid-ams, seniors return to Pine Valley
Related: Is the Crump Cup the Best Tournament in Amateur Golf?
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Brad Nurski |
Skip Berkmeyer |
They got there in different ways. Berkmeyer played a flawless front nine, going out in 3-under 32, before back-to-back bogeys slowed his momentum early on his back nine. Nurski turned in 37, with eight pars and a double-bogey 7 on the long Hell's Half Acre 7th hole. He then came home in 31, going 4-under on his last seven holes including back-to-back birdies to finish.
Berkmeyer won the Crump Cup in 2009 and has played well this summer; he was one of just a handful of mid-amateurs to make the cut at the U.S. Amateur at Pebble Beach.
Stewart Hagestad (Newport Beach, Calif.), who made the final 16 at Pebble Beach -- the deepest run of any mid-amateur -- is one shot back after a 69.
The defending and two-time champion
Michael McDermott (Bryn Mawr, Pa.) shot a shocking 82, putting him near the back of the field and showing how Pine Valley can humble even its best players.
Last year's runner-up
Bill Williamson (Cincinnati, Ohio) shot a 1-over 71 and is in good position to make the top 16 and qualify for the Championship match play flight.
There are 68 players in the Mid-Amateur Division competing for 48 spots in match play. The championship flight will be comprised of the top 16 players after tomorrow's second round, with two additional flights of 16 players each. After round one, 21 players sit at 2-over or better, and the cut for the 48th match play spot is currently 8-over 78.
In the Senior Division, 2013 Senior Crump champion
Marty West (Rockville, Md.) and
Oscar Mestre (Berwyn, Pa.) are the co-leaders after opening rounds of 72.
28 senior players are contending for 16 spots. The top 8 will make up the championship flight, with one additional flight of 8 players. After round one the cutoff for the championship flight is 5-over 75; for the second flight it is 8-over 78.
Gene Elliott (W. Des Moines, Iowa), currently the #1 ranked player in the
AmateurGolf.com Senior Rankings, shot a 74 and is tied for sixth.
The defending champion
John McClure (Los Angeles, Calif.) is right on the cut line for the Senior Championship flight after a 75.
Notes on Round 1: Overcast skies and low wind allowed for good scoring by Pine Valley standards. Five scores were par-or-better, with another 10 players at 1 over. No one broke par in the first round of last year's tournament.
There were also fewer scorecard disasters than usual, although Chris Ault (Yardley, Pa.) did make an 8 on both the 7th and 9th holes. Matt Parziale (Brockton, Mass.), who will be defending his U.S. Mid-Amateur title later this month, made a triple-bogey 7 on the 9th hole en route to a 76.
Four-time champion Mike McCoy (W. Des Moines, IA), who is eligible for the Senior Division but is competing as a Mid-Amateur, shot a 76.
A pair of two-time champions are in good position after rounds of 72. Michael Muehr (McLean, Va.) won the title in 2008 and 2014, while Carlton Forrester (Atlanta, Ga.) won in 2006 and 2015.
ABOUT THE
Crump Cup
The George A. Crump Memorial Tournament --
named
for the
hotelier and course architect most famous for
building
Pine Valley -- is arguably the premier mid-
amateur
event in the United States. The invitational field
is
made of of top players from around the United
States
and the UK. The format for the four days is two
rounds
of stroke play qualifying, followed by four
rounds
of
match play. Players are flighted according to
their
qualifying position, and a separate Senior flight
includes three of those flights. Jay Sigel has won
the
event the most times, with nine victories
between
1975 and 1993.
Normally, the public is invited to attend the Sunday
final matches but that tradition has been suspended.
View Complete Tournament Information