John Ramsey and Chadd Slutzky earned their second-consecutive, and fourth overall, CDGA Amateur Four-Ball Championship title with a 20-hole victory over Joshua Kirkham and William Marshall at Glen Flora Country Club.Day Three: Wednesday, Aug. 9
WAUKEGAN, Ill. -The heat of the summer is known to bring the stiffest competition around golf courses within the Chicago District, as college players are home for break and ready to battle it out. The competition, though growing increasingly more difficult for the two, continues to prove not quite strong enough for John Ramsey (Glenview / Glenview Park GC) and Chadd Slutzky (Deer Park / Royal Fox CC), as the two captured their fourth overall, and second-consecutive, CDGA Amateur Four-Ball Championship Wednesday at Glen Flora Country Club in the event's eighth iteration. The championship-clinching win came in the form of a 20-hole defeat of rising fifth-year college golfers Joshua Kirkham (Hinsdale / CDGA Member's Club) and William Marshall (Elburn / Hughes Creek GC).
Related Links: (Full Recap) / (Match Play Tree) / (Photo Gallery)
"I can't believe we came out on top," said Slutzky after the win. "We played four really tough matches, they all came down to the wire. Every single one, everyone went low, birdies were made all over and they were all great matches - somehow we're standing here right now."
After earning the event's No. 3 seed with an 8-under 62 on Monday, the eventual champions disposed of the 14th-seeded team of Brett Tomfohrde (Chicago / Butler National GC) and Bradley Rendell (Chicago / North Shore CC), 2 and 1, in Tuesday morning's Round of 16. A Quarterfinal battle with No. 11 seed Marco Nieto (Chicago / Mistwood GC) and Joey Maziar (Chicago / Merit Club) ended in a 1-up victory to advance the two into Wednesday's final day.
Wednesday began with a duel against Bradley Goldstein (Highland Park / The Glen Club), a fifth-year senior at Stetson University, and home-club hopeful Jeremy Schwab (Gurnee / Glen Flora CC). The opener proved to be a sign of what was to come throughout the day, as neither team held more than a 1-up advantage through the first 14 holes. Holding a narrow lead on the par-5 15th tee, Ramsey and Slutzky sandwiched a par loss at 16 with birdies on Nos. 15 and 17 to win the match, 2 and 1.
Meeting the duo in the Final match were Kirkham and Marshall, fifth-year seniors at Northern Illinois University and the University of Nebraska, respectively, following their 2-and-1 Semifinal win over mid-amateurs Jason Wombacher (Byron / Prairieview GC) and David Beto, Jr. (Rockford / Rockford CC).
MATCH PLAY RESULTS
Final Match
(3) Chadd Slutzky / John Ramsey def. (1) Joshua Kirkham / William Marshall, 20 holes
Semifinal Matches
(1) Joshua Kirkham / William Marshall def. (12) Jason Wombacher / David Beto, Jr., 2 and 1
(3) Chadd Slutzky / John Ramsey def. (2) Bradley Goldstein / Jeremy Schwab, 2 and 1
Day Two: Tuesday, Aug. 8
WAUKEGAN, Ill. - Four teams endured stiff competition, a challenging Glen Flora Country Club layout and nearly three hours of weather delays to win two matches and secure Semifinal spots in the 8th CDGA Amateur Four-Ball Championship on Tuesday.
Against a setting sun, three-time event winners and defending champions Chadd Slutzky (Deer Park / Royal Fox CC) and John Ramsey (Glenview / Glenview Park GC) were the final pair to clinch a spot in the final four. After a nervy 2-and-1 Round of 16 victory in the morning against Brett Tomfohrde (Chicago / Butler National GC) and Bradley Rendell (Chicago / North Shore CC), the stalwarts were similarly challenged in the afternoon by Marco Nieto (Chicago / Mistwood GC) and Joey Maziar (Chicago / Merit Club). With the match tied on the tee of the par-3 18th, Slutzky put his approach to 20 feet and deftly two-putted the severely-sloped green to secure the conquest.
Related Links: (Match Play Tree) / (Photo Gallery)Slutzky / Ramsey will square off against home club hopeful Jeremy Schwab (Gurnee / Glen Flora CC) and Bradley Goldstein (Highland Park / The Glen Club) in the Semifinals. The duo lost their first hole of the day, but quickly erased the deficit and never trailed again, winning 4 and 3 in the morning and 4 and 2 in the evening.
The top-seeded team of Joshua Kirkham (Hinsdale / CDGA Member’s Club) and William Marshall (Elburn / Hughes Creek GC) picked up where they left off following their bogey-free 61 on Monday, maintaining clean cards over the course of two wire-to-wire triumphs Tuesday. The Northern Illinois Huskie and Nebraska Cornhusker, respectively, withstood the guile of two-time Four-Ball champions Steve Sawtell (Northfield / Merit Club) and Michael Natale (Burr Ridge / Edgewood Valley CC) in the Quarterfinals, winning five holes between Nos. 6 and 15 to clinch a 5-and-4 victory.
Conversely, the other duo featuring two college players to make the Quarterfinals, Illinois State Redbirds Alex McCulla (Quincy / CDGA Member’s Club) and Will Troy (Naperville / Cog Hill G&CC), succumbed to their elder counterparts. 46-year-old Jason Wombacher (Byron / Prairieview GC) and 45-year-old David Beto, Jr. (Rockford / Rockford CC) withstood a late rally from the college teammates, playing the final four holes at 1-under to secure a 1-up win.
The event will conclude on Wednesday, with the Semifinals teeing off at 8 a.m. and the two advancing teams squaring off in the afternoon.
MATCH PLAY RESULTSRound of 16 Matches
(1) Joshua Kirkham / William Marshall def. (16) Jeff Laski / Dan Bradley, 5 and 4
(8) Steve Sawtell / Michael Natale def. (9) Nick Schenk / Dan Gratton, 19 holes
(12) Jason Wombacher / David Beto, Jr. def. (5) Michael Fastert / Graham O’Connor-Brooks, 3 and 2
(4) Alex McCulla / Will Troy def. (13) Gage Johnson / Davis Johnson, 4 and 3
(2) Bradley Goldstein / Jeremy Schwab def. (15) Cole Taylor / Matt Hussong, 4 and 3
(10) Mike Segneri / Joe Emerich def. (7) Timmy Crawford / Gregory Brehm, 19 holes
(11) Marco Nieto / Joey Maziar def. (6) Grant Goltz / Jack Paeglow, 1 up
(3) Chadd Slutzky / John Ramsey def. (14) Brett Tomfohrde / Bradley Rendell, 2 and 1
Day One: Monday, Aug. 7
WAUKEGAN, Ill. - Under seasonably comfortable conditions just a few miles from Lake Michigan, the tandem of Joshua Kirkham (Hinsdale / CDGA Member’s Club) and William Marshall (Elburn / Hughes Creek GC) carded a blemish-free 9-under 61 to earn medalist honors in the 8th CDGA Amateur Four-Ball Championship at Glen Flora Country Club on Monday. The field of 45 teams competing in stroke-play qualifying was whittled down to 16 in advance of match play, which begins Tuesday morning.
Related Links: (Qualifying Scores) / (Match Play Tree) / (Photo Gallery)The fifth-year seniors - Kirkham at Northern Illinois and Marshall at Nebraska - began their round on Glen Flora’s back nine. Birdies on the par-3 11th and par-4 13th preceded back-to-back red figures on Nos. 15 and 16. The pair then began a streak of four birdies in a row from Nos. 18-3 with one of only four birdies carded all day on the par-3 18th. Another birdie on the par-5 5th sealed the 9-under 61, good enough for medalist honors by one stroke.
Joining Kirkham and Marshall in match play are a pair of past titleholders. Defending champions Chadd Slutzky (Deer Park / Royal Fox CC) and John Ramsey (Glenview / Glenview Park GC) earned the No. 3 seed by virtue of an 8-under 62. The three-time event winners (2017, 2020, 2022) carded six birdies, as well as an eagle on the par-5 15th. Two-time Four-Ball champions Steve Sawtell (Northfield / Merit Club) and Michael Natale (Burr Ridge / Edgewood Valley CC) look to add a third title to their resume following triumphs in 2016 and 2018, as the duo fired a 6-under 64 to earn the No. 8 seed. The round was capped off with a lengthy, side-winding birdie putt on the par-3 18th by Sawtell.
An 8-for-4 playoff determined the final teams for match play. Round of 16 matches will be contested Tuesday morning beginning at 8 a.m., ahead of the Quarterfinals in the afternoon. The Semifinals and Championship match will follow on Wednesday.
Preview
The 110th season of amateur golf championships conducted by the CDGA continues this August for the 8th CDGA Amateur Four-Ball Championship, August 7-9, at Glen Flora Country Club in Waukegan. Eighteen holes of stroke play qualifying and a 16-team match play bracket await a field featuring 48 of the Chicago District's top tandems.
Schedule
Monday, August 7
The entire field will play 18 holes of stroke play in the morning to determine the low 16 who will advance to match play.
Tuesday, August 8
The Round of 16 and Quarterfinal matches will take place.
Wednesday, August 9
The Semifinals and Championship match will be contested on Wednesday.
CLICK HERE or the image to the right for a full preview and notes package.
Related Links: (Full Preview) / (Stroke Play Tee Times) / (Field) / (2022 Recap) / (Event History)
Championship Information
New to the CDGA championship slate in 2016, the CDGA Amateur Four-Ball Championship is a team match play event. 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. Deer Park's Chadd Slutzky and Glenview's John Ramsey hoisted the hardware for the third time in 2022.
Qualifying
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