SPRINGFIELD, N.J., (August 2, 2015) – Peter Kim of Royce Brook, a 20-year-old cadet at West Point, is the 113^th Met Amateur champion after defeating Ryan Snouffer of Essex County 1 up in the 36 hole final match Sunday on Baltusrol Golf Club’s Upper Course in Springfield, N.J.

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Snouffer and Kim were back and forth all day throughout the 36 hole final match, and Snouffer held the lead going into the turn in the morning round. Kim quickly fought back, however, and was 2 up after 18 holes. Snouffer, a senior at Seton Hall University, won four holes in the final 18 holes, and got himself to only one down with four holes left to go. Even battling tendonitis in his ankle and walking the final five holes with a noticeable limp, Kim could not be caught and he closed out the match on the 36^th hole to claim his second MGA win since the 2008 MGA/MetLife Boys Championship.

“It was a real battle out there, he was a phenomenal player, and to be able to be able to play well enough to make it, it’s such an honor,” Kim said.

Kim is about to begin his junior year at West Point, and only had a few weeks off from summer training to sneak in some golf this season.

“Going into this tournament, I honestly had no expectations only having such a short amount of time to get ready for this tournament after coming back from summer training. I just wanted to see where my game was at, see what were my strengths and weaknesses but to come this far, win the whole tournament, I can’t even describe the joy I feel right now,” the winner said.

One of those strengths Kim mentioned was definitely precision, as evidenced by not only his great shots off the tee but his accurate and tight up-and-downs as well. Kim was on quite the hot streak this week at Baltusrol – during on-site stroke play qualifying, it took him 7 playoff holes to claim the 16^th seed for match play. In his first match (Round of 16), he defeated number one seed and co-medalist Luke Feehan of Mahopac 6 & 5, the same score he would defeat Kyle Brey of Bethpage by later that afternoon. Joe Saladino of Huntington challenged Kim in Friday’s semifinal match, and it took 19 holes but Kim won that match to advance to the final on Sunday.

With this win, Peter Kim is exempt into the 100^th Met Open Championship at Winged Foot later this month, and earns 200 MGA Player of the Year points, putting him just eight points behind current Player of the Year leader Cameron Young.    

Baltusrol was a terrific host for the Met Amateur, and the Upper Course provided the perfect backdrop for match play action.

Next year’s Met Amateur will be played at Country Club of Fairfield in Fairfield, Conn., and this year’s quarterfinalists are exempt into the championship.