ELMSFORD, N.Y. (February 12, 2010) – The Metropolitan Golf Association will return to Metropolis Country Club in White Plains, N.Y., for the 55th Ike Championship presented by Canon. This is the 12th time the MGA has visited Metropolis, and the Ike, the MGA’s amateur stroke play championship, will be the seventh different MGA event to be played at the club. Defending champion Mike Ballo Jr. of Woodway will have to contend with Metropolis’s fast, well-protected greens if he is to defeat the top amateurs in the Met Area and become the first repeat Ike champion since Ken Macdonald in 1999-2000.

Metropolis has long been considered an outstanding tournament venue, and was ranked the 34th best course in the Met Area by The Met Golfer in 2007. The club was founded as the country adjunct to the Metropolis City Club, a dining and social organization in Manhattan. In 1922 the club purchased the former site of the Century Country Club, including a clubhouse and 18-hole course. The golf course that Metropolis inherited was built by Herbert Strong in 1904, and members of both clubs used it during the years 1923-1924 while Century’s new course was under construction in Purchase, N.Y. Toward the end of the 1920s, Metropolis purchased additional land and hired A.W. Tillinghast to revise the course.

Metropolis features rolling, tree-lined fairways and greens with tricky contours and multiple tiers. It is also known for its tight doglegs, the most famous being the sixth hole that The Met Golfer included as part of its “Dream 18” in 2007. Because of the hills, the course plays longer than its yardage and has proven to be a formidable test over the years, most recently at the 2007 MGA Senior Open and the 2008 French-American Challenge Match between the MGA and the Ligue de Paris.

Several outstanding professionals have served Metropolis over the years. The first of note was Paul Runyan, who was accomplished as a club professional and tournament player. While representing Metropolis, Runyan won two PGA Championships (1934 and 1938), the 1934 Met Open and three Met PGA titles. Jack Burke Jr., a future Masters, PGA and Met Open champion, served the club from 1948 through 1950. A few years later, “Lighthorse” Harry Cooper took over and stayed until his retirement in 1978. The late Gene Borek arrived at Metropolis in 1981 with an outstanding résumé that included three Met PGA Section titles. The current head professional, Craig Thomas, played in the 2009 PGA Championship at Hazeltine National and was the 2004 Met PGA Player of the Year.

Metropolis has been a favorite for local events, including 11 MGA championships over the years. Among the notable winners at the club is Dick Siderowf, who won his first and fifth Met Amateur titles at Metropolis in 1968 and 1990, and Willie Turnesa, who captured his only Met Amateur victory here in 1937. The club has also hosted four Met Opens, in 1939, ’49, ’58 and ’75. Each time a championship has been held here, a player with vast tournament experience and an ability to handle the deceptively difficult greens has come out on top, as evidenced by former Met Open champion Bruce Zabriski when he won the 2007 MGA Senior Open title at the club.

The 2010 Ike Championship presented by Canon promises more of the excitement and drama that has played out at Metropolis over the years. Whether Ballo is able to repeat as champion or another contender emerges from the field, the winner will add his name to an impressive list of champions that have walked the fairways at Metropolis Country Club.