Press Release via the Louisiana Golf Association
Metairie, Louisiana – June 7, 2026
The 107th Louisiana Amateur Championship was one for the ages. The historic Metairie Country Club and the modern golfer merged this past week for an incredible display of what the game is all about at its essence. Questions about whether the golf course from the Golden Age of Architecture would hold up have been answered with a resounding yes. Louisiana’s best players battled over four rounds, and Connor Cassano successfully defended his title as the best amateur golfer in the state. Cassano showcased his ball-striking ability and touch around the greens in a brilliant performance, finishing at four-under par 276 for the championship with rounds of 74-65-67-70. The drama down the stretch was intense, and the penultimate hole, the par 3 17th “Short” saw a four-shot swing as Cassano made a birdie and 54-hole leader Grady Brame, Jr. made a triple bogey. Cassano is the ninth player all-time to win back-to-back Louisiana Amateur Championships, and the first since Brame repeated as champion in 2015. It was a Metairie masterpiece from start to finish. Cassano won last year’s Amateur Championship at 19-under par, and this year he proved he can perform on different styles of courses and pass a different test.
Cassano was trailing Brame by three shots heading into Sunday’s final round. He kept himself in contention on the first nine holes, making seven pars along with birdies at #5 and #8 to turn at two-under par 33. After consecutive pars to start the second nine, Cassano stumbled with a double-bogey 5 at the par 3 12th hole. He made a par at 13 and birdie at 14, but another bogey at 15 looked like it would derail his chances to win. Cassano made a par on 16 then the championship swung in a direction nobody thought was coming on 17. His birdie gave him a two-shot lead with one hole to play. Cassano made a bogey to close but it was enough for an even par round of 70. With this win, Cassano punched his ticket to the U.S. Amateur Championship at Merion Golf Club in August. “Definitely a little shaky on 18 tee the way we played but happy it worked out the way it did,” said Cassano about his finish today.
Three other players, all from Baton Rouge finished under par for the championship:
2011, 2022, and 2024 Champion Greg Berthelot (73-67-68-69/277) and Carter Schmitt (69-68-69-71/277) finished tied for runner-up.
2014 and 2015 Champion Grady Brame, Jr. finished solo fourth (72-69-62-75/278)
Metairie Country Club played to a par 70 at approximately 6,741 yards on Sunday. Director of Agronomy Drew Street and crew had the course in superb condition, and it drew rave reviews from this field of the best amateur golfers in Louisiana. The par 4 9th hole (508 yards) was the most difficult of the championship. The shot of the day on Sunday came from Kyle Traub who made an albatross on the 14th hole. The low 30 and ties are exempt into next year’s championship.
