Drew Goodman (Ben Adelberg/Back of the Range Photo)
For the third year in a row, the Trans-Mississippi Amateur ended in a playoff.
This time around, Drew Goodman won on the first playoff hole against William Sides at Flint Hills National Golf Club in Andover, Kan., to become the second Oklahoma golfer to win in the last two seasons.
Goodman shot rounds of 69-66-71-64 to get to 14-under. His final round bogey-free 7-under 64 was highlighted by five birdies in the first seven holes and seven birdies total, including on No. 18, to get into the playoff with Sides. Sides finished in solo second place after falling in the playoff after rounds of 73-67-64-66.
Goodman is a rising senior at Oklahoma and is currently ranked No. 23 in the Golfweek/AmateurGolf.com World Rankings.
"I kind of got the job done early," Goodman told Ben Adelberg of Back of the Range. "We talked a couple of days ago about kets to the course, and I birdied all the easy holes on the front nine. I knew I was going to give myself a chance if I played well on the back nine. I parred holes No. 15 and 16, hit a nice shot on No. 17, and then got a couple of nice breaks on No. 18 in regulation."
Those breaks he referred to were a bounce off a tree and a good lie in the rough.
This will be Goodman's last summer as an amateur and his last time playing in the Trans-Mississippi.
"It's been a fun ride with the Tran-Mississippi tournament; I have played it four times and all over the place," Goodman told Adelberg. "There are still two big ones at the end of the summer (the Western Amateur and U.S. Amateur) that lead you right into a big college season, so I am pumped I get to go into those as a winner."
Cooper Schultz, the 54-hole leader, shot 3-over 74 to fall to 11-under and T3 with Quinnton Croker. Charles Delong finished in solo fifth place at 10-under to round out the top five. Croker won the 2024 Australian Men's Amateur.
The Trans-Mississippi Golf Association was officially organized on June 8, 1901, with the principal mission of advancing continuing interest in amateur golf.
The first Trans-Mississippi Championship was held that year and has been held every year since, except for a three-year interruption during World War II. The championship is played at a different course each year, at sites near or west of the Mississippi River.
The list of past champions includes some of the biggest names in amateur and professional golf, including Jack Nicklaus (twice), Charlie Coe (four times), Deane Beman, Ben Crenshaw, George Archer, Gary Koch, Bob Tway, and Mark Brooks.
In 1987, the tournament field was restricted to mid-amateurs (those aged 25 and over). In 2009, two major changes were made: The field was re-opened to players of all ages, and the format, which had been 36 holes of stroke play qualifying to determine a 64-player field for match play, was changed to 54 holes of stroke play. Since 2011, it has been a 72-hole stroke play championship.
ABOUT THE Trans-Miss Championship
The Trans-Miss is one of the oldest and
most storied golf tournaments in the United
States.
For 106 years the championship
was played in a match play format.
Past champions include Jack Nicklaus (1958
and 1959), Charles Coe (1947, 1949, 1952 and
1956), Deane Beman (1960), George Archer
(1963), Ben Crenshaw (1972), Gary Koch
(1973), Bob Tway (1978), Mark Brooks (1978)
and other professional tour notables. In
1987 the championship was changed to a mid-
amateur age requirement, and a senior division
was also added. Starting in 2010, the Trans-
Mississippi Championship, returned to its roots
as an
open amateur tournament, and immediately
established itself as a "must-play" among
top collegiate and mid-am players, while
changing to
a 72-hole stroke play format. The field size
starts at
144 players from Trans-
Mississippi Golf Association member clubs (or
players receiving a special invitation from the
Championship Committee). After 36 holes, a cut
is
made to the low 54 and ties who play the final
two
rounds.
View Complete Tournament Information