Leo Metzger, a two-time Channel League champion at San Marcos High School, staged a dramatic comeback Monday to win the 63rd Annual Santa Barbara City Golf Championship in a two-hole playoff.
At 17, Metzger ties for the second-youngest winner of the prestigious tournament at Santa Barbara Golf Club.
Metzger was three behind then-leader Garett Wagner with four holes to play in regulation in Monday’s final round. The teenager then birdied No. 15, parred 16 and 17, and dramatically birdied the par-5 18th hole to force the playoff.
That gave him a final round 1-under 69 and a tie at 4-under 206 for the three-round tournament with Scott MacDonald, a 2006 Stanford graduate.
Both players parred the first playoff hole, the 18th. Revisitng the 18th for the second playoff round, Metztger hit a great second shot from under a tree just off the fairway on the left side. That shot hit the green above the pin about 20 feet away for a potential eagle. Metzger two-putted for his second birdie on 18.
MacDonald, meanwhile, hit the same bunker on both playoff holes, managing par both times for a second-place tournament finish.
Birdies on 18 to tie in regulaton and then to win in sudden death for Metzger. Pressure?
“I’ve dreamed of winning this tournament my whole life, so definitely feeling (the pressure),” Metzger said.
“But that’s why I play golf,” he added, to face the pressure and get better.
Metzger will be a senior at San Marcos in the fall, and this past season he has played very well at SBGC, a course he knows well.
“This is my fourth time playing this tournament, the first time I felt like I really had my game,” he said. “So I’m really thrilled to play well under pressure and I just couldn’t be happier.”
Metzger hit a consistent 70-67-69 for the three rounds, MacDonald a 68-67-71.
Wagner came in third, with a 67-70-72 — 209. Teddy Vigna, who just finished his freshman year at Dos Pueblos, was fourth with 76-66-68 — 209.
Vigna wasn’t far off from adding to the all-time youngest list of winners. The youngest ever was Michael Chavez, who was 15 when he won in 1994 with a 5-under 205. Metzger is in a tie at 17 with Niels Andersen in 2015 and Steve Pate in 1978. Pate went on to a PGA Tour career.
“It hasn’t really sunk in yet,” Metzger said. “I’ve been so focused for five hours.
“I’ve seen so many great players win this tournament. I feel like this is a golf course I can play well on, and I’m just really happy to win.”
Metzger credited his older brother Sam, who caddied for him all three rounds.
“He just kept me calm,” Leo Metzger said. “Helped me play well under pressure. It was a team effort.”
Metzger is committed to UC-Davis for college golf after his senior year at San Marcos.
SANTA BARBARA CITY CHAMPIONSHIP
At Par-70 Santa Barbara Golf Club
CHAMPIONSHIP FLIGHT
Final 54-Hole Scores
Leo Metzger 70-67-69—206 (won title in 2-hole playoff)
Scott Macdonald 68-67-71—206
Garet Wagner 67-70-72—209
Teddy Vigna 76-66-68—210
Mitch Martin 72-71-69—212
Alec Constantinides 69-69-74—212
Brian Helton 65-69-78—212
Jonathan Collins 65-73-75—213
Steve Mcpherson 66-72-76—214
Cooper Groshart 73-71-71—215
Grady Smith 70-71-74—215
Kelly Foy 78-67-71–216
Michael Gaven 71-72-73—216
Brian Walker 74-71-72—217
Shams Jahangir-Arshad 72-66-77—217
Vedanth Gaitonde 72-72-74—218
Ethan Ashbrook 72-71-75—218
Jeffrey Forster 73-70-75—218
Jordan Scott 68-77-74—219
Michael Feher 74-71-74—219
Jeff Myers 71-73-75—219
Brandon Gama 75-68-77—220
Matthew Pate 71-71-82—224
Andy Knight 79-66-80—225
Doug Hyland 73-70-83—226
Quinn Murray 72-72-87—231
PALMER FLIGHT
Yog-Ten71-73-74—218
Brody Ricci 68-75-76—219
Danny Carroll 70-71-75—222
Steven Trider 74-75-73—222
Orlando Hernandez 78-66-78—222
NICKLAUS FLIGHT
Jeremy Westmacot—73-71-71—215
David Martinez 72-71-71—216
Matt Bazzani 79-69-73—221
HOGAN FLIGHT
Alex Mowry 70-66-75—211
Michael Mier 72-71-74—217
Aaron Webster 72-76-73—221
PATTY BERG FLIGHT
Susan Parker 76-73-79—228
Sandra Featherson 77-74-78—229
Sheri Dean 82-72-75—229
Chizuko Boberg 73-79-78—230