Davis, Gotterup to Square Off For 117th Met Amateur Title, Sunday

CROTON-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. (August 3, 2019) –⁠ Sunday's 36-hole finale in the 117th Met Amateur Championship will feature an all-Jersey and all-Big Ten battle, after reigning champion Ryan Davis of New Jersey National and recent New Jersey State Open winner Chris Gotterup of Rumson earned semifinal victories on Saturday morning at Hudson National Golf Club.

Related: Match Play Bracket | Semifinal Photos | Videos

Davis' win makes him the first reigning Met Amateur champion to return to the final since Cameron Wilson in 2010, as he aims to become the first back-to-back winner of the MGA's oldest championship since Johnson Wagner in 2001-02. Consistency led Davis to the title at Arcola last year, where he never trailed en route to claiming the title, and it has been much of the same at Hudson National as the 21-year-old has moved through the bracket.

Davis and 2019 Ike champion Dawson Jones of Eagle Oaks traded Nos. 2 and 3 before a pair of ties. A chip-in birdie seemingly ignited momentum for Davis, who then won Nos. 8 and 9 to make the turn with a 3-up advantage. The rising Penn State senior then rolled in an 18-footer for birdie on the par-3 13th to go 4-up.

Looking to close out the match, Davis converted a 15-footer for eagle on the par-5 14th, but a determined Jones matched the score with a 10-foot look of his own. Davis' only two bogeys of the day came on the following two holes, with Jones taking advantage and cutting the deficit from four to two, with two holes to play. However, Davis rolled in a 25-footer for birdie on the par-4 17th to close the door and lock up his return trip to the final. 

"I was hitting my irons great and making a lot of putts," said Davis, who played the 17 holes in 5-under par. "I didn't even realize I was that many under-par, I was just kind of focusing on playing him and then someone told me after the round."

Looking back on his experience in 2018, Davis is excited about the opportunity to repeat. "Last year at Arcola was great. It's probably my biggest win I've ever had, so to do it again would be awesome," said Davis. "I'm going to fight tomorrow for sure. It's going to be a battle against Chris. It should be a lot of fun, I'm expeccting a good match."

In the second semifinal, Gotterup got off to a quick start by making a par and birdie on the first two holes to go 2-up. "I stuffed a six-iron in on two to about two feet and got off to a good start," said the rising junior at Rutgers. "It was kind of up and down from there we both were winning holes and losing holes."

Despite the quick deficit, 18-year-old Adam Xiao of Old Westbury didn't let the slow start phase him. The soon-to-be freshman at Harvard settled in and took advantage of Gotterup miscues on Nos. 3, 5 and 7 to square the match. Xiao then rolled in a birdie look on the par-5 9th to claim his first lead of the match.

Unfortunately for Xiao, that would be his last hole won of the afternoon, as Gotterup tallied birdies on Nos. 11, 14 and 16 on the way to a 3-and-1 victory. Overall, the match had just seven tied holes over the 17 holes played.

"I had a couple good holes coming in," said Gotterup, referencing his birdies. "I made a bomb on 16, which really kind of did it in. It was a good match. Adam fought really hard."

Gotterup has had his "A" game as of late and is looking to become the first person since David Pastore in 2014 to claim both a regional open championship and the Met Amateur in the same season. He would be the first ever to win the New Jersey State Open and Met Amateur in the same season.

"I'm feeling good," said Gotterup, "I feel good, I love this course and I'm ready to go for tomorrow. It's going to be fun, a couple of New Jersey boys battling it out."

Ryan Davis • 21 • Berkeley Heights, N.J. • New Jersey National • Penn State
​Path to the Final

• 72-72 in stroke play qualifying, to receive the No. 8 seed
• Round of 16: Def. Darren Lin of Spring Lake, 3&2
• Quarterfinal: Def. MGA eClub - NJ member Vince Kwon, 3&2
• Semifinal: Def. Dawson Jones of Eagle Oaks, 2&1

Chris Gotterup • 20 • Little Silver, N.J. • Rumson • Rutgers
Path to the Final

• 69-70 in stroke play qualifying to receive the No. 2 seed
• Round of 16: Def. Jimin Jung of Trump National - Westchester, 3&1
• Quarterfinal: Def. Jack Wall of Manasquan River in 19 holes
• Semifinal: Def. Adam Xiao of Old Westbury, 2&1

Friday Coverage: Recap | Photos
Thursday Coverage: Recap | Photos
Additional Coverage: Preview | Met Am History | Met Am Records