Glenn Przybylski and Greg Seelinger captured the 8th CDGA Senior Amateur Four-Ball Championship with a 4-and-3 win over David Feder and Larry Silvestri Thursday at Elgin Country Club.
Day Four: Thursday, October 5
In one of the more competitive playings in the championship’s eight-year history, Glenn Przybylski (Frankfort / Sanctuary GC) and Greg Seelinger (Downers Grove / Village Links of Glen Ellyn) emerged victorious with a 4-and-3 win Thursday over David Feder (Chicago / Conway Farms GC) and Larry Silvestri (Lincolnshire / Grove CC) in both teams’ inaugural Senior Amateur Four-Ball Championship together.
Related Links: (Match Play Bracket) / (Photo Gallery)
“I just think the seniors that are coming up now, guys like Mike Henry, these guys are just turning 55, 56, 57 and are all very accomplished, very good players,” said Przybylski after the win. “Now, they’re going to all be in the mix year after year. I think this was a great venue, it was a real treat to play up here and I think that attracted some good teams. Mark Small, very good player, so there were just a lot of good teams. To win this this one time, I’m extremely happy because you don’t know if you’re going to get another chance.”
Przybylski and Seelinger’s title triumph got off to a roaring start, as the former, with his teammate already in for a birdie on the par-5 first hole, rolled his eagle bid up the hill and into the bottom of the cup. A second hole in red figures, in the form of a birdie at the par-4 third, pushed the duo’s lead to 2 up after just three holes.
“The fact that my birdie didn’t count was a good thing,” said Seelinger. “A hot start helped us get going - we were really tired from yesterday. It was a long day, so after that there was, once we got a couple up, we felt more comfortable and I think we were swinging a little bit more freely. Glenn played really well today. I think he made a lot of key shots that made it a little bit easier to score.”The Przybylski/Seelinger and Feder/Silvestri duos each had their games in a metaphoric cruise control through the remainder of the opening nine, as six-consecutive pars for both sides turned the match at that same 2-up lead.
A sense of déjà vu set in for the competitors on the opening hole of the inward nine when Przybylski carded his second eagle of the day. After finding the left rough off the tee, he maneuvered back up the tree-lined fairway toward the green and left himself with another uphill look. The chip-in pushed the lead to 3-up.
“On No. 10, I just put it in front of the green,” recalled Przybylski. “Based on my drive, I had some trees and the chip was a little aggressive, luckily it was in the center [of the hole] and it went in. I kind of felt like maybe it was going to be our day because we were getting some breaks there.”
Their day it was, indeed. A Feder/Silvestri birdie at No. 12 served as just a minor hiccup, as the eventual champions responded with back-to-back wins at 14 and 15 to win the match, 4 and 3, and cemented the start of a budding partnership that only dates back to last September’s Illinois State Senior Amateur Championship.
“That’s a funny story,” said Seelinger when asked about the new alliance. “We didn’t really play with each other a lot, but last year in the State Senior Am, we were paired together the last day, and it was a good match and we just started talking. From there, we decided we would play in some team events this year, this is like the third one, and it’s been going well.”
A victory in their first try as teammates moved Przybylski and Seelinger’s names into the short list of recent winners in CDGA senior events; a list that is sure to continue growing.
“A nice accomplishment,” said Przybylski of the win, “especially with the teams - there (were) numerous really good teams based on reputation, so we knew it was going to be a tough week. We had to play really well, no real easy matches and we’re just fortunate that we’re here.”
The 8th CDGA Senior Amateur Four-Ball Championship served as the final event on the 2023 CDGA Championship Schedule. The 2024 slate is set to be released in December.
Day Three: Wednesday, October 4
Against the backdrop of a setting sun, the teams of Glenn Przybylski (Frankfort / Sanctuary GC) and Greg Seelinger (Downers Grove / Village Links of Glen Ellyn) and David Feder (Chicago / Conway Farms GC) and Larry Silvestri (Lincolnshire / Grove CC) clinched spots in the Championship match on the 18th hole of their respective Semifinal tilts. They’ll square off Thursday morning at 8 a.m. for the title.
Related Links: (Match Play Bracket) / (Photo Gallery)
Over the course of two matches that went the distance on Wednesday, Przybylski and Seelinger never saw either one feature a spread of more than two holes. After erasing a 2-down-through-11 deficit in the morning Quarterfinal match, Przybylski and Seelinger again found themselves trailing in the afternoon against 2019 champions Brad Kay (Arlington Heights / Ivanhoe Club) and Brien Gerber (Bolingbrook / Bolingbrook GC). However, a birdie on the par-5 10th gave them a 1-up lead they would not relinquish, closing out Kay and Gerber with a par on No. 18.
Alternatively, Feder and Silvestri have yet to trail in either of their three matches. After cruising to two 5-and-4 wins on Tuesday and in Wednesday morning’s Quarterfinals, Feder and Silvestri met stiffer opposition in the form of Mark Small (Frankfort / Prestwick CC) and John Madden (Deer Park / Medinah CC) Wednesday afternoon. With the match tied through 15 holes, Feder rolled in a 20-foot birdie putt on the par-3 16th to inch ahead of Small and Madden for good.
Three of the four competitors will be seeking their first hardware from a current CDGA-administered Championship on Thursday. Feder claimed the Illinois State Senior Amateur Championship in 2021, while Przybylski won the now-defunct Illinois State Amateur Public Links Championship in 2014.
Day Two: Tuesday, October 3
Kay and Gerber took a 1-up lead with a par on the par-3 fourth hole. Frankenreider and Mulvey then evened the match with a birdie on the par-5 eighth hole. The sides proceeded to trade wins with a Kay/Gerber birdie on No. 10 and a Frankenreider/Mulvey birdie on No. 11. The latter then took the lead with another red figure on No. 13. Kay and Gerber kept pace, and with wins on Nos. 14, 16 and 18, secured the 2-up victory to keep their championship hopes alive.
Related Links: (Match Play Bracket) / (Photo Gallery)
While Kay and Gerber look to secure a second CDGA Senior Amateur Four-Ball title, the hopes of a sixth victory by the side of Tim Sheppard (East Peoria / Pekin CC) and Tom Kearfott (El Paso / El Paso GC) were slashed on Tuesday, as the defending champions lost, 5 and 4, to the duo of David Feder (Chicago / Conway Farms GC) and Larry Silvestri (Lincolnshire / Grove CC). Feder and Silvestri got off to a hot start, taking four of the first six holes. Two more wins on Nos. 8 and 10 pushed the lead to 6 up, before Sheppard and Kearfott looked to kick-start a comeback by winning holes 11 and 12 with birdies. That thought was quashed with a Feder/Silvestri birdie on No. 13 and tying pars on No. 14.
Wednesday’s action will begin with Quarterfinal matches teeing off at 8 a.m. before the Semifinal matches in the afternoon. The stage will then be set for the Championship match on Thursday morning.
Day One: Monday, October 2
Kay and Gerber, who triumphed at Calumet Country Club, started their round with a birdie on Elgin’s par-5 opener. They then rattled off two more red figures on Nos. 3 and 5, a pair of par 4s. A bogey on the par-4 seventh was recouped by a birdie on the par-5 eighth to turn at 3 under. The duo maintained the momentum through the turn, with another birdie on No. 10 before an eagle on the par-5 14th. Two more bogeys sandwiched a birdie coming in, situating Kay and Gerber atop the leaderboard at 5 under.
Related Links: (Stroke Play Results) / (Match Play Bracket) / (Photo Gallery)
A trio of teams are close behind in second, as Mike Henry (Bloomington / Weibring GC at ISU) and Sean Mccaw (Bloomington / Weibring GC at ISU), Tim Saurs (Pekin / Pekin CC) and Greg Fornoff (Pekin / Pekin CC), and John Wright (Oswego / Oak Brook GC) and John Finnin (Frankfort / Olympia Fields CC) all finished with 4-under 68s. The former turned in a blemish-free scorecard, with birdies on Nos. 1, 7, 11 and 12. Meanwhile, Saurs and Fornoff, who started on the back nine, finished with five birdies to just one bogey to sit in a tie for second. Wright and Finnin surged up the leaderboard by playing their final two holes, Nos. 8 and 9, at 3 under with an eagle and a birdie.
Other notable tandems to make it to the Round of 16 include defending champions Tim Sheppard (East Peoria / Pekin CC) and Tom Kearfott (El Paso / El Paso GC). The five-time event winners posted a 3-under 69. 2023 CDGA Senior Amateur victor Ted Pecora (Winnetka / Bob O'Link) teamed with Dave Esler (St. Charles / CDGA Member's Club) to card a 2-under 70, while last month's Illinois State Senior Amateur victor Scot Frankenreider (Peoria / Arrowhead CC) earned the No. 16 seed alongside Tom Mulvey (Dunlap / Arrowhead CC).
In total, 20 teams finished at 1 under or better, with a 6-for-2 playoff determining the final two match play spots.
The Round of 16 matches are set for Tuesday morning, with the Quarterfinal and Semifinal matches taking place on Wednesday. The title tilt will then be contested on Thursday morning.
Preview
The 110th season of amateur golf championships conducted by the CDGA concludes with the 8th CDGA Senior Amateur Four-Ball Championship, Oct. 2-5, at Elgin Country Club in Elgin. One round of stroke play and four rounds of match play await a field featuring 48 duos comprised of the state's top amateurs age 55 and up.
Schedule
Monday, October 2
The entire field will play 18 holes of stroke play in the morning to determine the 16 duos that advance to match play.
Tuesday, October 3
The 16 teams that advanced from Monday’s qualifying round will compete in Round of 16 matches.
Wednesday, October 4
The Quarterfinal and Semifinal matches will take place.
Thursday, October 5
The Championship match will be contested in the morning.
CLICK HERE or the image 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 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 fifth time in 2022 at Crystal Lake Country Club.
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