NEWS
The 16th Annual Missouri Open lit up Funny Bone in St. Louis this past weekend, bringing four days of Golden Tee action, passion, and an incredible community that continues to deliver year after year. With 144 competitors across multiple events and 138 players grinding through the Main Event, it was yet another weekend where the National Golden Tee Tour shined and powered by the people who keep showing up and showing out! Funny Bone was ready for the storm of shots, roars, and hole-outs. And as always, this tour stop did not disappoint.
The road to bracket play went through a five-course gauntlet of Bahama Isles, Bear Lodge, Lexington Stables, Pine Coast, and Sahara Dunes. When the qualifying dust settled, Joe Massara and Paul Luna sat atop the leaderboard with matching -152 scores. Massara grabbed the top spot thanks to a beastly 243,696 Great Shot Points, outpacing Luna by over 63k.
We also saw five different players etch their names as the top course qualifiers:
Re-watch: Saturday Qualifying on YouTube HERE
The Gold Bracket is always stacked, but our Final Four was as legendary as it gets: Andy Haas, Evan Gossett, Joe Massara, and Paul Luna are names that are plastered across national tour titles, World Championship wins & podiums, and record books.
Haas, in trademark fashion, played like a man possessed, shooting a -32 against Luna’s -30 to reach the King of the Hill. Meanwhile, on Rocky Hollow, local favorites Gossett and Massara battled in a Missouri classic, with Evan squeaking by with a -31 to Joe’s -30 to mark his spot in the King of the Hill.
Then came the clinic. On Bahama Isles, Haas holed out FOUR times, shooting a huge -33 against Gossett’s strong -30. When Haas is in that kind of zone, it forces even the best, yes, even a former World Champ like Gossett to push the limits.
In the loser’s bracket, we got a rematch of Missouri’s finest. Gossett edged out Massara again by a single stroke, this time carding a -31 on Palmetto Coast to book a return trip to face Haas in the finals. And what a final it was!
Gossett came out firing, going toe-to-toe with Haas in a -29 to -29 draw that went to a thrilling 15-hole playoff at Basin Lake. Evan grabbed the first match in overtime, handing Haas his first loss of the event.
The final showdown on Sahara Dunes had it all: a Haas hole-out on 4, a rare water ball on 7, a missed putt on 10, and laughter between two legends. But it was hole 15 where the tides turned and Gossett missed a 7 degree fringe putt, and Haas stayed clean. That was all the opening Haas needed.
With one more clean stretch, Andy Haas locked in his first National Golden Tee Tour title of 2025, capping off another unforgettable Gold Bracket battle.
The Purple Bracket always brings the heat with a Golden Tee World Championship pass on the line and this time James Duggan refused to let it slip away. He went undefeated, knocking off Jordan Cook in both the King of the Hill and the finals to punch his ticket to the 2026 Golden Tee World Championship. Ice cold under pressure and well earned!
While Duggan cruised, the Pink Bracket gave us a gritty comeback story. After dropping an early loss, Chad Dougherty clawed his way through the loser’s bracket to face King of the Hill Danny Ellis. Not content with just showing up, Dougherty won both final matches to complete the comeback and take home the Pink Bracket crown.
To every player, fan, and friend who made the trip, streamed the matches, or rooted from afar, we thank you. The Golden Tee community remains one of the strongest, most passionate forces in all of eSports. Thank you Paige Gossett, Steve Sobel, and Russ Layton of Power Events for running another flawless event, Richard King snapping photos and to the Funny Bone staff for helping make this four-day celebration of Golden Tee possible!
The National Golden Tee Tour now takes a summer breather as we gear up for the 2025 Golden Tee World Championship, July 17–20 in Las Vegas. After that, we head to one of the biggest party stops of the year, Music City Madness in Nashville, Tennessee, August 7–10. Get all the info you need about the Music City Madness HERE.
We’ll see you on the stream or on the trackball!
If you missed any of the 2025 Missouri Open action, watch the Championship Sunday stream below and check out all of the photos here.
