As the Metropolitan Golf Association this year celebrates its landmark 125thanniversary, it is pleased to announce a purse increase for the Met Open Championship Presented by Callaway to $200,000.
The $50,000 increase over the purse’s previous total, which has been in place since 2007, is effective for the 107thplaying, August 23-25 at Bethpage State Park’s famed Black Course and elevates the always exciting opportunity for professionals competing in the field. The first-place prize for the 54-hole championship will now stand at $36,500—an increase of $9,000.
“I can’t think of a better way to celebrate our organization’s 125th anniversary than by boosting one of our oldest and most significant assets – the Met Open,” says MGA Executive Director Brian R. Mahoney. “The purse increase reflects the MGA’s continued commitment to upholding the Met Open as a premier regional open and rewards Met Area golf professionals with the opportunity to compete for one of the leading purses in the country among golf associations.”
The Met Open debuted in 1905 at Fox Hills Golf Club on Staten Island and was considered a major tournament on the professional circuit until World War II, in part because of its purse size. After a brief hiatus from 1941-1948, the championship was reinstated in 1949 and quickly re-established itself as a premier event thanks to outstanding venues and competitive fields.
“We couldn’t be more excited to increase the purse of the Met Open as the field faces one of the region’s most iconic championship venues in Bethpage Black,” says MGA Director of Championships Chris Gaffney. “It adds a lot of excitement for local professionals and heightens their anticipation to play in or qualify for the championship.”
The Met Open’s list of winners includes some of the game’s greats, from inaugural winner Alex Smith and early champions Walter Hagen, Gene Sarazen, and Byron Nelson, to contemporary champions such as Darrell Kestner, Mark Brown, Johnson Wagner, and Andrew Svoboda.
Should an amateur claim the top position for the ninth time in the championship’s history, the top prize would go to the low professional.
Registration is currently open for the Met Open and the entirety of the MGA, LIGA, and WGA schedules. Qualifying for the Met Open will take place at six sites throughout the Met Area between July 25 and August 9.
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