Roselle's Daniel Stringfellow earned 2024 Player of the Year honors, while Glenn Przybylski (Frankfort) took home the Senior recognition.
STRINGFELLOW, PRZYBYLSKI CLAIM MAIDEN CDGA PLAYER OF THE YEAR CROWNS
LEMONT, Ill. – Daniel Stringfellow (Roselle / Medinah CC) is the 2024 CDGA Player of the Year, with Glenn Przybylski (Frankfort / Sanctuary GC) claiming 2024 CDGA Senior Player of the Year honors. Stringfellow is the recipient of the Charles N. Eckstein Trophy, while Przybylski has earned the Raymond B. Anderson Trophy. The awards were determined by an accumulation of points based on performances in various local and national events.
Stringfellow excelled in his first full season with reinstated amateur status following a brief professional career. The 32-year-old Auburn University alum kickstarted his campaign with a runner-up finish in the 104th CDGA Amateur Championship at Beverly Country Club in June, narrowly falling to Tyler Greenspahn (Winnetka / Skokie CC) in the 39-hole title tilt. Stringfellow also finished second in one of the Association’s premier stroke play events, the 32nd Illinois State Mid-Amatuer Championship in August at Park Ridge Country Club, falling two shots short of Andrew Price (Lake Bluff / Conway Farms GC).
Nationally, Stringfellow qualified for two USGA championships, making match play in one of them. In August, he competed in the U.S. Amateur at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Minnesota and missed the cut by three strokes despite carding a 4-under 66 in his second round. About a month later, Stringfellow traveled east to take part in the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship at Kinloch Golf Club in Virginia. He advanced from a 14-for-12 playoff to earn the No. 60 seed in match play, falling to past champion Scott Harvey in a hard-fought 2-and-1 affair.
In total, Stringfellow earned 750 Player of the Year points, the highest total since 2019. Chadd Slutzky (Deer Park / The Grove CC), the 2022 Player of the Year, finished in second 185 points behind Stringfellow. Price, T.J. Barger (Bloomington / Bloomington CC), one of last year’s co-players of the year, and 2024 Illinois State Amateur victor Pierce Grieve (Lake Forest / USGA-Chicago District GC) comprised the rest of the top five.
After finishing second in the Senior Player of the Year race last year, the 57-year-old Przybylski snagged this year’s title with a year-end surge. He laid the groundwork for his season with a second-consecutive trip to the Quarterfinals of the CDGA Senior Amateur Championship in early June at Kishwaukee Country Club. Shortly thereafter, Przybylski was the fourth-best amateur at the Illinois Senior Open, finishing in a tie for 13th.
Come September, Przybylski kicked into high gear. He placed T4 in the Illinois State Senior Amateur Championship at Itasca Country Club, making it career three-for-three top-five finishes in the preeminent stroke play event for 55-and-up amateurs. Still, Przybylski entered the final championship of the year, the 9th CDGA Senior Amateur Four-Ball, needing to defend his title alongside Greg Seelinger (Downers Grove / Village Links of Glen Ellyn) to leapfrog 2023 Senior Player of the Year Mike Henry (Bloomington / Weibring GC at ISU). Przybylski did just that, cruising to the title and earning the 150 points needed to best Henry, 480-435. Brad Kay (Arlington Heights / Ivanhoe Club), Dave Esler (St. Charles / Black Sheep GC) and Mark Small (Frankfort / Prestwick CC) rounded out the top five.
In total, the 2024 CDGA Championship calendar featured 50 events, including 10 Illinois State or CDGA Championships, 28 Illinois State or CDGA qualifiers, 12 USGA qualifiers and the Radix Cup Matches. The 2025 schedule will be released on Wednesday, Dec. 11.
Roselle's Daniel Stringfellow earned 2024 Player of the Year honors, while Glenn Przybylski (Frankfort) took home the Senior recognition.
