Ryan Kowalski claimed the 6th CDGA Mid-Amateur Championship be defeating David Keenan, 3 and 2Day Three: Wednesday, May 19
GLENCOE, Ill. – A mere four months ago, Ryan Kowalski (Arlington Heights / Mt. Prospect GC) was on the outside looking in at the field of the 6th CDGA Mid-Amateur Championship, as qualifying spots filled quickly in mid-January.
Kowalski didn’t let that slow him down, as his medalist-earning, 2-under 70 at the late-added Palatine Hills Golf Course qualifier propelled the 27-year-old into this week’s championship field.
“Yeah, it’s pretty amazing, when I was looking to sign up, everything was booked and I was lucky to be able to get into the Palatine Hills [qualifier],” said Kowalski following the championship match. “From there to be able to come here, it’s a little bit amazing.”
And amazing he was.
Capped off by his 3-and-2 win over David Keenan (Champaign / Lincolnshire Fields CC) in Wednesday’s finale, Kowalski hardly faced a deficit throughout match play. After wire-to-wire victories in his first two matches, Kowalski cruised to a 5-and-3 defeat of Cole Taylor (Oakland / CDGA Member’s Club) to reach the championship bout. Keenan, the event’s No. 2 seed, entered the day on back-to-back 4-and-3 wins.
Related Links: (Full Recap / Match Play Tree) / (Photo Gallery)
Day Two: Tuesday, May 18
GLENCOE, Ill. – 
The CDGA Mid-Amateur Championship had been dominated by stalwarts in its previous five iterations, as three of the four previous individuals to win the event had previously claimed the Illinois State Mid-Amateur Championship.
Not so for 2021, as Wednesday’s Championship match is slated to feature two relative newcomers – Ryan Kowalski (Arlington Heights / Mt. Prospect GC) and David Keenan (Champaign / Lincolnshire Fields CC) – following Tuesday’s Quarterfinal and Semifinal matches at Lake Shore Country Club. Despite the lack of experience, Kowalski and Keenan have made easy work of the rest of the field, with neither trailing in a match up to this point.
Related Links: (Match Play Tree) / (Photo Gallery)
The fourth-seeded Kowalski, playing in his first CDGA championship, dispatched of Kevin Zudycki (Plainfield / Heritage Bluffs GC) in the Quarterfinals, 2 and 1, before besting Cole Taylor (Oakland / CDGA Member’s Club) in the afternoon Semifinals, 5 and 3. The 28-year-old former Methodist University golfer views his length off the tee as a strength, one that is particularly useful on the open Lake Shore track.
“With it being so open, you have the freedom just to swing, swing hard and go after it,” Kowalski explained.
“It really helps me, personally, getting it out there far and being able to dictate having shorter clubs into a lot of these greens.”
Keenan, while seeking his first victory in a CDGA-administered event, already has notched a notable victory in his career, winning the NJCAA Individual National Championship in 2013 while at Parkland College in Champaign. Now 28, Keenan has utilized his steady course management to put him in position for another monumental triumph following wins over Zach Jecklin (Glen Ellyn / Butterfield CC), 4 and 3, and Scott Phegley (Peoria / WeaverRidge GC), 4 and 3.
“I’m not really hitting it that great, but I’m playing my misses, keeping it play and making sure I have a chance to make par on every hole,” Keenan admitted. “[I’m] really just trying the best I can to play mistake free and let the other guys make mistakes.”
Conspicuously absent from the afternoon’s Semifinal slate was defending champion and top seed Jake Erickson (Springfield / Panther Creek CC). Following an 8-under 63 in Monday morning’s stroke play, he was unable to capture the same magic in match play. Erickson needed a rally to advance out of Monday afternoon’s Round of 16 before falling to Taylor in Wednesday morning’s Quarterfinals, 2 down.
The Kowalski-Keenan title tilt will tee off at 8 a.m. Wednesday.Day One: Monday, May 17
Preview
A field of 80 amateurs age 25 and older return to Lake Shore just five years removed from the 2nd CDGA Mid-Amateur Championship in 2016, in which Kyle Nathan defeated Matthew Mclaughlin 3 & 2 in the Championship Match.
FORMAT
The entire field will play 18 holes of stroke play the morning of Monday, May 17, with the low 16 advancing to match play. The first round of matches will be contested Monday afternoon, with the Quarterfinals and Semifinals occurring on Tuesday, May 18. A champion will be crowned following the Championship Match the morning of Wednesday, May 19.
ABOUT THE FIELD
Registration was open to all CDGA members age 25 and older with a USGA Handicap Index® of 7.4 or below. More than 340 individuals signed up for the event, with exemptions and a tournament-record four qualifiers earlier this spring at Maple Meadows Golf Club, Palatine Hills Golf Course, Kankakee Elks Country Club and Sunset Valley Golf Club determining the final field.
Related Links: (Full Preview) / (Round 1 Tee Times) / (Field)Championship Information
The CDGA Mid-Amateur Championship debuted its current format in 2015. Open to CDGA members age 25 or older, the CDGA Mid-Am features an 18-hole stroke play round to determine a 16-player match play bracket. Jake Erickson is the defending champion, notching his first CDGA Mid-Am crown in 2019 at Northmoor Country Club. The 2020 rendition of the event was canceled due to COVID-19. (2019 Recap) / (Event History)
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