CHICAGO DISTRICT GOLF ASSOCIATION

Both are sons of PGA professionals who competed in previous Radix Cups, with Zach`s father Danny a veteran of 11 and Will`s dad Mike having played in four. This familiarity played a role in Mulhearn, Troy and the rest of the CDGA Amateurs besting the squad of IPGA Professionals, 11.5-6.5, Thursday at Oak Park Country Club.

"For me it means a little more, just with the experience my father has had playing in this event," Mulhearn said after earning 1.5 points alongside partner Justin Smith (River Grove / Oak Park CC). "Just seeing how full circle everything has come. He was the first one I reached out to right away when I got the email saying that I was invited. It was a great experience and hopefully I`ll be back for more.

"This event is important to our family and it means a lot to us," added Troy, noting that his great grandfather, Illinois Golf Hall of Famer Zigfield Troy, served as a Radix Cup Captain in the event`s early years.

"It means a lot. This is really special."

The teams of 12, based on performance in 2022 professional and amateur events, competed in six best ball matches featuring Nassau scoring. Two CDGA pairings - Chadd Slutzky (Deer Park / Royal Fox CC) / John Ramsey (Glenview / Glenview Park GC) and Jake Erickson (Chatham / Panther Creek CC) / Tim Sheppard (East Peoria / Pekin CC) - earned the full three points. The IPGA`s top-performing duo was Brian Carroll (The Hawk CC) and Kevin Flack(Mauh-Nah-Tee-See Club), who earned 2.5 points.

First played in 1962 in honor of the venerable Harry Radix, 58 of the event`s 61 iterations have been contested at Oak Park Country Club. The club`s head professional, Carson Solien (Oak Park CC), teamed with his assistant, Kyle Donovan (Oak Park CC), to tie their match.

"It`s always a lot of fun having everyone out here," Solien said. "It`s a great day that all of us Professionals look forward to. I think I can say the same thing for the amateurs. We had two solid teams out here competing today. Looks like the Amateurs were a little bit better than we were today. This is a great event, and we love carrying on the tradition here at Oak Park Country Club."

The IPGA Professionals lead the all-time series 37-22-2. The victory marked the CDGA`s first repeat since 2017-18, with the five-point margin of victory being the largest for the Amateurs since 2012.