Three Northern Kentucky-area golfers made it to the round of 16 at the Tony Blom Metropolitan Amateur Championship in Cincinnati. The grueling six-day, seven-round tournament concludes Saturday with the match play final. It’s the event’s 115th year.
Former Ryle High School golfer Chris Harpum, former Cooper star Rylan Wotherspoon and one-time Highlands standout Luke Muller enjoyed the most success among locals at this week’s event. While Wotherspoon and Muller failed to advance to the match play quarterfinals at Maketewah Country Club, Harpum made it to the semifinals with a chance to earn the final.
Harpum, a University of Cincinnati golfer representing Triple Crown Country Club in Union, is seeded 38th. He made it to Friday’s match play semifinals with a 5 and 4 win over University of Findlay’s Luke Metzger in the quarters. Harpum defeated Cayse Morgan 5 and 4 in the round of 16.
Wotherspoon, also from UC, lost to Metzger 1-up in the round of 16. Metzger, from Mason, Ohio, golfed at Bishop Fenwick High School. Representing Traditions Golf Club in Hebron, Wotherspoon entered Thursday’s match on a roll. He nearly medaled during two-day stroke play qualifying and earned the No. 3 seed. He won his first match 7 and 6 in the round of 64.
One golfer representing a Northern Kentucky club made it to the match play quarterfinals at the expense of another. No. 8 seed Harrison Sims, a University of Cincinnati golfer representing Traditions, defeated No. 9 Muller. Sims won 3 and 1 in Thursday’s round of 16. Muller, a golfer at Northern Kentucky University, plays out of Highland Country Club in Fort Thomas.
Sims beat Nate Gonring, 3 and 2, in the round of 32. Wotherspoon eliminated Charlie Mullin, 2 and 1 in the round. Muller defeated JD Collins, 1-up. Former Newport Central Catholic golfer Caleb Eaglin made it to the round of 32. He lost to AJ Wilhelm, 2 and 1. Eaglin, heading to NKU, tied for 49th in two-day stroke-play qualifying. The top 64 advanced to the match play bracket.
Wotherspoon finished second during qualifying at 2-under 139, topping all locals. Sims and Muller tied for sixth at 141. Harpum tied for 32nd at 147.
Former Highlands golfer and current Xavier player Justin Gabbard tied for 21st in qualifying. He shot 145. NKU golfer Zach Beard finished in a tie for 25th. Former Covington Catholic golfer Ian Asch, now at Wright State, tied for 32nd in qualifying. They all went down in the round of 64.
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AREA GOLFERS HUMBLED AT KENTUCKY AMATEUR
Harpum, Wotherspoon and Muller were coming off action two weeks prior at the 110th Kentucky State Amateur at Traditions Golf Club. The event wrapped up with five golfers with local connections finishing in the top 60. Harpum tied for 17th with a three-round score of 2-over-par 218. He shot 1-under 71 the final round. Wotherspoon tied for 20th at 3-over 219. He shot a tournament-low second-round score of four-under-par 68.
In a six-way tie for 20th with Wotherspoon was NKU’s Beard. He shot a first-round 2-under 70. Muller finished in a tie for 31st at 5-over 221. He shot 1-under 71 each of the first two rounds. Recent Ryle graduate Tanner Lorms finished in a six-way tie for 51st at 10-over 226. Lorms, fifth at the 2023 KHSAA Region 7 tournament, shot even-par 72 the first round at Traditions.
The leadup to the Kentucky Amateur included several local golfers involved in crucial performances. Here are the highlights.
VETERANS OUTDO COLLEGIATES ON WILLOWS
Five golfers qualified for the Kentucky Amateur via finishes at the state qualifier at the Golf Courses at Kenton County. Among them was Covington Catholic player Mitchell Gastright. There was also St. Henry golfer Connor Albrinck and one-time Boone County golfer Dakota Finn. Gastright, the 2023 KHSAA Region 7 champion, tied Albrink for fourth, both with scores of 80. Finn, a golf teammate of Albrink’s at Thomas More University, placed third at 79.
Fred Geraci and Rob Petrey also qualified for the Kentucky Am while upstaging the collegiates. Geraci, representing The Stephens Golf Academy, was medalist with even-par 72. That was two shots ahead of Petrey, who shot 2-over 74 while representing Traditions.
Geraci, 46, and Petrey, a senior golfer, are local veterans. Petrey has won nearly a dozen local club championships at Kenton County and Hickory Sticks. Geraci and Petrey tied for third at the 2018 Northern Kentucky Four-Ball Championship. Petrey was fifth at the 2022 Northern Kentucky Amateur.
LORMS TAKES ADVANTAGE OF SECOND CHANCE
Lorms finished in a tie for second at the Kentucky Amateur Second Chance Qualifier. Representing Triple Crown Country Club, Lorms shot 2-under-par 70 at Gay Brewer Jr. Course at Picadome in Lexington. He finished one shot behind medalist Zach Watterson (69) from Eastern Kentucky University. Lorms is heading to Queens University in Charlotte. It’s a Division I program in North Carolina that competes in the Atlantic Sun Conference.