Tom Kearfott and Tim Sheppard teamed up to hoist the CDGA Senior Amateur Four-Ball Championship trophy for the fourth time, besting Matthew Horwitch and Steven Jacobs 3 and 2 in the title tilt.
Day Four: Thursday, Sept. 30
RIVERWOODS, Ill. - Nick Saban. Bill Belichick. Tim Sheppard. Tom Kearfott. Four men who are all synonymous with winning in the fall over the last decade.
The latter duo in Sheppard (East Peoria / Pekin CC) and Kearfott (El Paso / El Paso GC) continued its dynastic reign Thursday at Ravinia Green Country Club by adding its fourth CDGA Senior Amateur Four-Ball trophy to its mantle in the event’s sixth iteration with a 3-and-2 win in the Championship match.
The tandem, in what was a rematch of the Semifinal round in 2020 against Matthew Horwitch (Northbrook / Merit Club) and Steven Jacobs (Highland Park / Pine Meadow GC), found itself in yet another early lead during the Championship match after not trailing for the entirety of the first three rounds. A drive down the second fairway, followed by a 240-yard shot with his hybrid, left Sheppard with just 10-12 feet for his eventual eagle.
Related Links: (Full Recap) / (Match Play Tree) / (Photo Gallery)
Day Three: Wednesday, Sept. 29
RIVERWOODS, Ill. - Wednesday marked the penultimate day of 2021 CDGA championship competition, as the pool of eight Quarterfinal tandems in the 6th CDGA Senior Amateur Four-Ball Championship was cut to two at Ravinia Green Country Club.
Earning two victories on Wednesday were the dynamic duo of Tom Kearfott (El Paso / El Paso GC) and Tim Sheppard (East Peoria / Pekin CC), who are seeking their fourth title in the event’s six iterations, and the pairing of Matthew Horwitch (Northbrook / Merit Club) and Steven Jacobs (Highland Park / Pine Meadow GC). Horwitch/Jacobs will be the fourth different Championship match opponents for Kearfott/Sheppard. The pairs also squared off in the 2020 Semifinals of this event at Aurora Country Club, with Kearfott/Sheppard winning 2 up.
Related Links: (Match Play Tree) / (Photo Gallery)
The only times that Kearfott and Sheppard weren’t in the lead on Wednesday was when they were standing on the first tee. In both the Quarterfinals and Semifinals, the reigning champs claimed the first hole and never looked back. Vance Antoniou (North Barrington / Butler National GC) and Mark Esposito (Elgin / Blackberry Oaks GC) were the first victims, falling 4 and 3, before the Semifinal match against Joseph Guin (Hawthorn Woods / Ivanhoe Club) and George McGuire (Green Oaks / Ivanhoe Club) ended on No. 13 green in 6-and-5 fashion.
Horwitch/Jacobs faced tougher tests, as both of their matches were at some point on the back nine. In both cases, however, the stalwarts kicked their games into another gear. The Quarterfinal match against Edward Kantor (Forest Park / Maple Meadows GC) and John Penn (Chicago / Harborside International GC) was tied through 10, before a surge by Horwitch/Jacobs resulted in a 4-and-2 triumph. They were similarly successful on the back nine in the afternoon Semifinal faceoff with Jerry Delaney (Lake Zurich / The Grove CC) and Tommy Robinson (Grayslake / Deerfield GC), as they won five of the final seven holes to clinch another 4-and-2 win.
The title tilt will tee off at 8 a.m. on Thursday.
Day Two: Tuesday, Sept. 28
RIVERWOODS, Ill. – Co-medalists and No. 2 seed Tim Sheppard (East Peoria / Pekin CC) and Tom Kearfott (El Paso / El Paso GC) were among eight teams who advanced from the 6th CDGA Senior Amateur Four-Ball Championship Round of 16 at Ravinia Green Country Club Tuesday.
The three-time championship-winning tandem faced off against the No. 15 seed in Craig Duncan (La Grange / River Forest CC) and Kevin Gacek (Elmhurst / River Forest CC). The match proved to be business as usual for Sheppard and Kearfott as the duo did not lose a hole en route to a 4-and-3 victory. Sheppard / Kearfott are set to meet 2019 runners-up Mark Esposito (Elgin / Blackberry Oaks)and Vance Antoniou (North Barrington / Butler National) in Wednesday morning’s Quarterfinal round. Esposito and Antoniou knocked off John Cullen (Northbrook / Heritage Oaks GC) and Dennis Newman (Algonquin / Kemper Lakes GC) in 19 holes following a birdie on their second time playing the first hole.
Related Links: (Match Play Tree) / (Photo Gallery)
The day’s big upset was delivered by the event’s No. 16 seed as Tommy Robinson (Grayslake / Deerfield GC) and Jerry Delaney (Lake Zurich / The Grove CC) defeated 2019 event champions, Brad Kay (Arlington Heights / Ivanhoe Club) and Brien Gerber (Bolingbrook / Bolingbrook GC), in 19 holes. Robinson and Delaney will be challenged by Bob Schachner (Libertyville / Ivanhoe Club) and David Passaglia (Kildeer / Ivanhoe Club) following the No. 9 seed’s 5-and-4 defeat of Dave Ryan (Taylorville / Illini CC) and Todd Creviston (North Barrington / The Club at Wynstone).
Rounding out the teams advancing to Wednesday morning are John Penn (Chicago / Harborside International GC) and Edward Kantor (Forest Park / Maple Meadows GC) (5 and 4), Steven Jacobs (Highland Park / Pine Meadow GC) and Matthew Horwitch (Northbrook / Merit Club) (20 holes), Joseph Guin (Hawthorn Woods / Ivanhoe Club) and George McGuire (Green Oaks / Ivanhoe Club) (4 and 2) and Jeff Ott (Dunlap / Coyote Creek GC) and Jeff Polonus (Peoria / Peoria Park District) (3 and 2).
Match play is set to continue with the Quarterfinal round Wednesday morning at 8 a.m, with the Semifinals following in the afternoon. The Championship match is slated for Thursday morning.
Day One: Monday, Sept. 27
RIVERWOODS, Ill. – The Chicago District’s top tandems age 55 and older embarked upon Ravinia Green Country Club for the opening round of the 6th CDGA Senior Amateur Four-Ball Championship on Monday.
A pair of former championship-winning duos highlighted the leaderboard, as Tim Sheppard (East Peoria / Pekin CC) and Tom Kearfott (El Paso / El Paso GC), victors in 2016, 2018 and 2020, and 2019 champions Brad Kay (Arlington Heights / Ivanhoe Club) and Brien Gerber (Bolingbrook / Bolingbrook GC), each carded rounds of 7-under 65 to earn co-medalist honors.
Related Links: (Stroke Play Results) / (Match Play Tree) / (Photo Gallery)
Beginning the day 4-under through seven holes, Sheppard and Kearfott appeared to be in cruise control before back-to-back bogeys at Nos. 9 and 10 attempted to derail the proverbial train. The duo bounced back with the field’s lone eagle of the day at the par-5 11th and birdies on Nos. 12, 13 and 18 to show the star-studded senior bunch they are yet again here to contend.
One year removed from missing the cut by two strokes during their title defense, Kay and Gerber combined for seven birdies, including five on the opening nine, to join Sheppard and Kearfott atop the leaderboard in the CDGA’s final championship of the 2021 season.
Also earning a top seed at No. 4 overall is the team of Steven Jacobs (Highland Park / Pine Meadow GC) and Matthew Horwitch (Northbrook / Merit Club). Semifinalists from a year ago at Aurora Country Club, Jacobs and Horwitch kept a clean card to finish at 5-under.
Rounding out the tandems that reached the Round of 16 are Tommy Robinson (Grayslake / Deerfield GC) and Jerry Delaney (Lake Zurich / The Grove CC). Robinson and Delaney earned their spot as the last team standing in what ended up being a five-for-one, three-hole playoff.
Match play will begin with the Round of 16 at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday. The Quarterfinals and Semifinals are slated for Wednesday, with the title tilt set to go out Thursday.
Preview
LEMONT, Ill. – The CDGA’s championship slate returned in full for 2021 and the 6th CDGA Senior Amateur Four-Ball Championship is set to conclude the schedule when the top 55-and-older duos embark on Ravinia Green Country Club in Riverwoods Sept. 27-30.
FORMAT
The championship begins with 18 holes of stroke play on Monday, Sept. 27 to determine the low 16 teams that will advance to the match-play bracket. Match play gets underway with the Round of 16 on Tuesday morning. Quarterfinal and Semifinal matches are slated for Wednesday, with the Championship match taking place on Thursday morning.
Designed to emulate the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship, each golfer plays their own ball. The low gross score on each hole counts as a team’s score.
ABOUT THE FIELD
There were no qualifiers held for this event, with the field consisting of 44 pairs. Eligibility was open to any CDGA member with a current USGA Handicap Index® not exceeding 10.4 and who has reached their 55th birthday on or before the start of the event. Partners are not required to be from the same club.
Related Links: (Full Preview) / (Round 1 Tee Times) / (2020 Recap) / (Event History)Championship Information
New to the CDGA championship slate in 2016, the CDGA Senior Amateur Four-Ball Championship is a team match play event for those over the age of 55. Two-person teams begin the Championship with 18 holes of stroke play on the Monday of the event before the low 16 teams are seeded into a match play bracket. Both team members play their own ball throughout, with the lowest score on each hole counting. The duo of Tom Kearfott and Tim Sheppard won the Championship for a second time in 2020 at Aurora Country Club.
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