CHICAGO DISTRICT GOLF ASSOCIATION

As fate would have it, the 2023 event victors Przybylski and Seelinger would meet Guin and partner George McGuire (Green Oaks / Ivanhoe Club) in the Championship match Thursday morning, with the former beating the home-club hopefuls, 5 and 4.

“[Joseph] was pointing out some of the areas,” said Przybylski with a laugh after the win. “We used a little bit of that knowledge today. We knew it was going to be a tough match, with Joe and George being members here. It was nice to be out on top.”

“Yeah it was a good win,” added Seelinger. “We knew it was tough to defend, anytime.”

With a small gallery of Ivanhoe members following along, Guin and McGuire took an early 1-up lead on the par-4 second. Przybylski and Seelinger evened the match on the par-3 fourth before consecutive wins on Nos. 6 and 7 gave them a 2-up advantage of their own. A par win on the eighth by Guin and McGuire cut the deficit to 1-up approaching the par-5 ninth.

“Right off the bat, we thought we were going to be in trouble,” said Seelinger of the opening stretch. “It was going to be a long day. As members, they know the greens.”

On nine, McGuire stuffed an approach shot to earn a conceded birdie, with Przybylski looking at a 20-foot birdie attempt of his own to tie the hole. Admittedly “overreading” putts for most of the week, the 57-year-old read less of a break and drilled the putt to squash any momentum for the Guin/McGuire side.

“As soon as I hit it, I could see the line was going end over end and thought it was a good stroke if the line was right,” said Przybylski. “And it picked up pace and broke right in.”

Seelinger, looking to hold up his end of the partnership, followed with a birdie win of his own on the par-5 10th to give his side a 2-up lead. The scorching-hot flat sticks could not be extinguished, as Przybylski again drained a lengthy putt on the par-3 12th, in the face of a Guin/McGuire par. On in two on the delicate 13th, Seelinger and Przybylski looked over the former’s upcoming putt and, as they had most of the week, gave each other thoughts and committed to trusting the line.

“That putt was just, we both read it and said to just feed it out there and let the break come in. It was lucky it went in because it was such a difficult putt, but at least we picked the right line and right pace and that’s a bonus,” said Seelinger. “Anytime you make one like that, it’s a bonus.”

With another title in their sights, Seelinger confidently knocked his approach to tap-in range on the par-4 14th and sank the birdie to secure the championship, 5 and 4. After acknowledging the tandem didn’t have its “best stuff” earlier in the week, Przybylski and Seelinger pointed to their resilience in the face of tough situations, as well as their strong partnership, as the impetus for their back-to-back titles.

“We’re always going to be grinding and trying to find a way to get the ball into the hole to win the hole,” said Przybylski. “I have confidence in Greg, I have confidence in myself. You just have to get through it and do it. We’ve been able to persevere.”

With the triumph, Przybylski and Seelinger join Tom Kearfott (El Paso / El Paso GC) and Tim Sheppard (East Peoria / Pekin CC) as the only duos to successfully defend their CDGA Senior Amateur Four-Ball titles. Earlier this week, the five-time champions failed to advance to match play for the first time in the event’s history.

The 9th CDGA Senior Amateur Four-Ball Championship served as the culmination of the 2024 CDGA Championship season. The 2025 slate is set to be released in December.