The beauty of the day belied most of the golf that was played on Day 3 of the 104th Metropolitan Championship.
Cameron Phillips, one of the handful of golfers who can hold the trophy after Thursday’s final round, had the succinctly perfect words.
“Not good.”
Yet, Phillips and first- and second-round leader Logan Sutto are where they want to be. They walked off No. 18 on Wednesday, June 24, disappointed in their rounds but excited to share a two-shot lead at 9-under par.
Logan Sutto watches his tee shot on No. 18 while Cameron Phillips prepares for his on Wednesday, June 24, 2026. They share the Metro lead at 9-under par at Beavercreek Golf Club. JEFF GILBERT/CONTRIBUTED
Sutto, a college player at Butler from the Toledo area, soared to 11-under par with rounds of 67 and 66 and only two bogeys. But he made four bogeys and a double bogey for a 74.
“I just kind of slapped it around, didn’t play very good, but didn’t play very bad, and the course was playing a little tougher today,” he said. “They put the pins in some tricky spots, a lot of back flags, especially on 18, and the wind kept swirling.”
Still, he found himself tied for the lead and 18 holes from earning a spot in the U.S. Amateur in August near Philadelphia.
“If you told me I’d be tied for the lead going into the last day to start the week, I would have taken it,” Sutto said. “So, go out there and try and win the best I can. If it doesn’t happen, oh, well.”
Phillips, from Portsmouth and a member of the Univ. of Kentucky team, entered the day two shots behind Sutto and struggled with approach shots. He bogeyed four of the first six holes, then had to climb back up the leaderboard with a 33 on the back nine to shoot 72.
“I honestly just hit it pretty bad for me, hit it all over the place,” he said. “A lot of bad shots in the wrong spots — just hard to make pars from spots I was in.
“It’s nice to know I’m still up there and have a chance because after nine holes I was not up there. But worked my way back to where I needed to be.”
Timmy Hollenbeck shot 74 Wednesday, June 24, 2026, in the third round in the Metro at Beavercreek Golf Club. However, he remained two shots off the lead. JEFF GILBERT/CONTRIBUTED
Timmy Hollenbeck, a Wright State golfer who is transferring to Cincinnati for his senior year, began the day tied with Phillips. But he shot 74 to fall into a three-way tie for third at 7-under with Brody Simms and Liam Curtis.
“Just plodded my way around the course today, and had a couple of bad swings, and got a couple bad breaks,” Hollenbeck said. “Every shot matters out here, especially in a tournament like this.”
Simms, an Alter graduate who plays at Cleveland State, shot himself into contention with a 69 in a round with only one bogey. Curtis, the son of 2003 U.S. Open champion Ben Curtis and member of the Kent State team, was tied for the lead until a double bogey on 18 finished his day with a 71.
Players at 5-under with a chance to make a run at the leaders are Shane Ochs (Carroll High School, Wright State), Justin Horn of Cincinnati and Rylan Wotherspoon (Univ. of Cincinnati).
The leaders, especially, will have a night to sleep on the idea that Thursday could be the day they earn a spot in the U.S. Amateur, a tournament none of them have played in. Mostly, they’re trying not to think about it.
“I honestly just don’t think about golf,” Phillips said. “Probably go eat, walk around the mall, or just do something not golf. Maybe come back later and chip and putt for a little bit, but kind of keep my head off golf. And maybe call a couple buddies back home and just talk.”
Cameron Phillips hits final tee shot Wednesday, June 24, 2026, of the third round in the Metro at Beavercreek Golf Club. He is tied for the lead with Logan Sutto at 9-under par. JEFF GILBERT/CONTRIBUTED
Hollenbeck will find other things to think and talk about, but he is confident because he’s won a couple college tournaments and knows how to approach the final day.
“I know what it feels like coming down the stretch, when you’re one or two back and you got to make something happen,” he said. “And I’ve also had the lead before with a couple holes left too, so I think I’m in a great, great spot.”
Sutto wants to win, but he’s also trying not to put pressure on himself.
“Obviously going to be a little nervous, probably going to be thinking about it at night, but hopefully I’ll play in bigger tournaments than this and the U.S. Am down the road, kind of the steps leading up to where I want to go,” he said. “So all in all, it’s probably not as big of a tournament as it might seem.”