Tom Kearfott and Tim Sheppard captured their fifth title in the event's seventh iteration Thursday.

7th CDGA Senior Amateur Four-Ball Championship
September 26-29 • Crystal Lake Country Club (Crystal Lake)

Day Four: Thursday, September 29

SHEPPARD, KEARFOTT WIN SELF-PROCLAIMED `WORLD SERIES OF GOLF,` CAPTURE DUO`S FIFTH CDGA SENIOR AMATEUR FOUR-BALL TITLE
CRYSTAL LAKE, Ill. – An event only featuring one repeat champion in its seven-year history would typically host more than three teams on its trophy. The CDGA Senior Amateur Four-Ball Championship trophy, however, continues to be an exception to that thanks to the tandem of Tim Sheppard (East Peoria / Pekin CC) and Tom Kearfott (El Paso / El Paso GC), as the two captured the event`s seventh iteration, their fifth in total, on Thursday at Crystal Lake Country Club.

Calling it their "World Series of Golf" following the win, Sheppard and Kearfott were beaming with pride as if they had won for the first time all over again after defeating Steven Jacobs (Highland Park / Pine Meadow GC) and Matthew Horwitch (Northbrook / Merit Club), 2 and 1, in the event`s Championship match for the second consecutive year.

"It feels great," said Kearfott. "You know, I`ve got such a wonderful partner, in this event you meet so many really, really good guys, and it`s just a special thing to have this five out of six years, actually, we`re five out of seven, but we didn`t play one year. I tell you what, you get a partner like Tim Sheppard, and it is a lot easier to win."

Related Links: (Full Recap) / (Results) / (Photo Gallery)

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Day Three: Wednesday, September 28

SHEPPARD/KEARFOTT, JACOBS/HORWITCH SET FOR SENIOR-FOUR BALL CHAMPIONSHIP REMATCH
CRYSTAL LAKE, Ill. - Annually serving as the longest day in the CDGA Senior Amateur Four-Ball Championship, Wednesday again played host to the Quarterfinal and Semifinal matches during the event’s seventh iteration at Crystal Lake Country Club, the only 36-hole day during the Championship.

Related Links: (Match Play Bracket) / (Photo Gallery)

At day's end, the duos of Tim Sheppard (East Peoria / Pekin CC) & Tom Kearfott (El Paso / El Paso GC) and Steven Jacobs (Highland Park / Pine Meadow GC) & Matthew Horwitch (Northbrook / Merit Club) each secured two victories to set up a rematch from last year’s finale at Ravinia Green Country Club.

After disposing of Dan Roan (Elmhurst / Cog Hill G&CC) and Brad Barker (Bloomington / Bloomington CC), 5 and 4, in the morning Quarterfinal round, four-time champions Sheppard and Kearfott found themselves in a three-hole deficit to 2019 champions Brad Kay (Arlington Heights / Ivanhoe Club) and Brien Gerber (Bolingbrook / Bolingbrook GC) through 11 in the Semifinals. Three consecutive victories on Nos. 12-14, including a pair of birdies, quickly leveled the match. After a trio of ties coming down the stretch, Sheppard knocked his approach to three feet at No. 18 before finding the bottom of the cup for the win.

Joining the duo in the Finals for the second-consecutive year is the pairing Jacobs and Horwitch, as the two downed Al Thompson (Bloomington / Crestwicke CC) and Daniel Freed (Lexington / Crestwicke CC), 1 up, Wednesday morning before topping medalists Bob Schachner (Libertyville / Ivanhoe Club) and David Passaglia (Kildeer / Ivanhoe Club) in the afternoon Semifinal round. Trailing for more than one-third of their morning match, Jacobs and Horwitch maintained a wire-to-wire lead in the afternoon to eventually win 3 and 2.

Set to face off for the third-straight year in the event, first dueling in the 2020 Semifinal round at Aurora Country Club, the teams will return to Crystal Lake Thursday morning at 8 a.m. to determine a champion.

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Day Two: Tuesday, September 27

MEDALISTS, FOUR-TIME CHAMPS AMONG DUOS TO ADVANCE
CRYSTAL LAKE, Ill. - Chalk reigned supreme in the Round of 16 Matches of the 7th CDGA Senior Amateur Four-Ball Championship Tuesday at Crystal Lake Country Club. The better-seeded team won all but one of the eight matches, with the only upset coming in the 8-9 tilt.

Related Links: (Match Play Bracket) / (Photo Gallery)

Headlining the eight duos to advance was the team of Bob Schachner (Libertyville / Ivanhoe Club) and David Passaglia (Kildeer / Ivanhoe Club), who earned medalist honors and the top seed on Monday. They never trailed en route to a triumph over Tim Scott (Orland Park / White Pines GC) and Mike Munro (Addison / Itasca CC), breaking a tied match through 16 with wins on Nos. 17 and 18.

Also moving on are Tim Sheppard (East Peoria / Pekin CC) and Tom Kearfott (El Paso / El Paso GC), who are in search of a three-peat and their fifth title overall in this event. They notched a wire-to-wire 3-and-2 win over Mark Esposito (Lakewood / Blackberry Oaks GC) and Vance Antoniou (North Barrington / Butler National GC). The team of Brad Kay (Arlington Heights / Ivanhoe Club) and Brien Gerber (Bolingbrook / Bolingbrook GC), the 2019 Senior Four-Ball champions, also advanced, besting Alan Pondel (Crystal Lake / Crystal Woods GC) and Tommy Robinson (Grayslake / Deerfield GC), 2 and 1.

Wednesday will feature two rounds of action, with the Quarterfinals slated for the morning and the Semifinals scheduled for the afternoon. The two remaining duos will then face off in the Championship Match on Thursday.

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Day One: Monday, September 26

MATCH PLAY BRACKET DETERMINED AT CRYSTAL LAKE
CRYSTAL LAKE, Ill.- Sixteen 55-and-up tandems withstood blustery fall conditions Monday at Crystal Lake Country Club to secure spots in the match-play portion of the 7th CDGA Senior Amateur Championship.

Earning medalist honors and the No.1 seed was the duo of Bob Schachner (Libertyville / Ivanhoe Club) and David Passaglia (Kildeer / Ivanhoe Club), who carded a 6-under 65. After turning at just 1 under, Schachner / Passaglia surged on the back nine, notching birdies on five of the 100-year-old club’s final six holes to post the day’s low round. Passaglia punctuated the impressive display by burying a downhill birdie putt on the 391-yard finisher.

Related Links: (Stroke Play Results) / (Match Play Bracket) / (Photo Gallery)

Hot on the heels of Schachner / Passaglia are Tim Sheppard (East Peoria / Pekin CC) and Tom Kearfott (El Paso / El Paso GC), the four-time winners of this event who have claimed the last two iterations. Sheppard / Kearfott turned in a clean 5-under 66 card, highlighted by an eagle on the par-5 15th, and enter match play as the No. 2 seed.

In addition to Sheppard / Kearfott, the two other duos to claim previous wins in this event are on to match play. The team of Brad Kay (Arlington Heights / Ivanhoe Club) and Brien Gerber (Bolingbrook / Bolingbrook GC) started on the right foot with a 4-under 67 to claim the No. 3 seed, while 2017 champions John Finnin (Frankfort / Olympia Fields CC) and Terry Werner (Dyer, Ind. / Briar Ridge CC) earned the No. 11 seed following a 1-under 70.

In total, 18 teams posted a round of even-par or better. A 6-for-4 playoff was conducted to determine the last four match play spots.

The Round of 16 will unfold on Tuesday, beginning at 8 a.m. Wednesday will feature the Quarterfinal and Semifinal tilts, before a champion is crowned on Thursday.

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Preview

7TH CDGA SENIOR AMATEUR FOUR-BALL CONCLUDES 2022 CDGA CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
LEMONT, Ill. – The CDGA Senior Amateur Four-Ball Championship is once again set to bring the Association’s championship slate to a close when the seventh playing of the event visits Crystal Lake Country Club Sept. 26-29.

FORMAT

The championship begins with 18 holes of stroke play on Monday, Sept. 26 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, Sept. 27. Quarterfinal and Semifinal matches are slated for Wednesday, with a champion set to be crowned on the morning of Thursday, Sept. 29.

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 36 pairs. Eligibility was open to any CDGA member with a current Handicap Index® from the USGA® 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) / (Field) / (Stroke Play Tee Times) / (2021 Recap) / (Event History)

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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 third time in 2021 at Ravinia Green Country Club.

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