| Midwest Golf House | Contact: Casey Richards |
| 11855 Archer Avenue | (630) 685-2324 |
| Lemont, IL 60439 | crichards@cdga.org |
| Contact: Tim Merrick | |
| (630) 685-2302 | |
| tmerrick@cdga.org | |
| Contact: Jacob Bomeli | |
| (630) 685-2345 | |
| jbomeli@cdga.org |
| For Immediate Release | August 9, 2023 |
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| RAMSEY, SLUTZKY REPEAT, WIN TANDEM`S FOURTH CDGA FOUR-BALL TITLE | |
| Wednesday, August 9, 2023 - 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). "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). With both teams starting the championship match 3-under through the opening four holes, a battle was sure to ensue. A fourth birdie at the par-5 fifth for the Kirkham-Marshall side gave it a 1-up lead before both teams played Nos. 6, 7 and 8 in even par. A birdie at No. 9 for Ramsey and Slutzky tied the match ahead of the driveable par-4 10th – a score both teams would continue to familiarize themselves with as the match continued. "The match never got out of hand either way," said Slutzky. "I think it was 1-up or 1-down at most either way and, you know, they don't give you any gifts - if one of them is kind of out of it, the other one is going to do something good. Those guys are so good, so we just knew we had to stick to it, battle and play our best golf." A Slutzky eagle to begin the closing nine neutralized a Kirkham/Marshall birdie to give he and Ramsey another 1-up edge. The duos traded birdies at Nos. 11 and 12 before back-to-back birdies at Nos. 15 and 16 from the college stalwarts led to a 1-up advantage for Kirkham/Marshall. Playing from the right rough into No. 17, Slutzky stuck his approach to eight feet and buried yet another birdie bid to send the match to the difficult par-3 18th tied. With none of the four competitors overly pleased with their tee shots, the severely-sloped 18th green served as one more test for the quartet. Sending his chip from in front of the green up the hill, Slutzky got up-and-down for par to set the stage for Marshall, who had a quick and testy side-sloping putt left for a par of his own. Settling over and trusting his and Kirkham's read, Marshall found the bottom of the cup to send the match into extra holes. After four safe tee shots off the match's 19th hole, Kirkham and Marshall seemed to turn the momentum back in their favor with an approach to within four feet for what was sure to be a birdie. Knowing this, Slutzky calmly stood over his 20-foot birdie try and rolled it into the back of the cup. "No. (19) was really good because they were in tight with three-and-a-half feet, or something, for birdie," Slutzky said. "You had 20 (feet), I had 20 (feet) and mine was like a downhill breaker and it went dead center. That was like stealing one right there, but we'll take it." The match's 20th and final hole was played on Glen Flora's par-3 second, which featured a hole location behind the front-right bunker, blocking the view of the cup. With Ramsey safely on and in the middle of the green, Slutzky took dead aim over the bunker and at the flag. "I did not [know it was that close]," Slutzky said. "Our buddy Graham (O'Connor-Brooks) was caddying for us and I said, 'well, it must not be that good because no one did anything,' so I didn't think it was too close, but then we got up there and it was good." Rewarded for his effort, Slutzky, just under 10 feet from the hole for birdie, watched on as Kirkham and Marshall gave their long birdie bids valiant efforts. Never a doubt, Slutzky jarred a fourth-straight clutch putt to clinch the duo's back-to-back victory. "I watched a lot of putts go in from (Slutzky) - it was unbelievable," Ramsey said. "He's a great putter, but I've never seen him putt like he did today. That afternoon round, he made everything he looked at, I mean everything, it was unbelievable." Unbelievable, indeed, as is the two's record in Amateur Four-Ball competition. Along with their four wins in this event, Ramsey and Slutzky's success has translated nationally, as they have advanced to the Round of 16 in both the 2015 and 2022 iterations of the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship. "We're getting older, they're getting younger and longer and better," said Ramsey of the increasingly tough competition. "I feel like last year we said that we played a lot of really tough matches, but I think this year, we played even better." Though Kirkham and Marshall, along with many of the area's top college players, are now set to return to their respective schools, the summer season continues for Ramsey and Slutzky, as another event the two are quite familiar with is on deck. The 31st Illinois State Mid-Amateur Championship will head to Biltmore Country Club in North Barrington, Aug. 21-22, and the two will both look to add another State Mid-Amateur trophy to their crowded cases. | |
| Chicago District Golf Association The Chicago District Golf Association (CDGA) is authorized by the United States Golf Association (USGA) as the governing body for amateur golf in our region. The CDGA is a membership organization consisting of more than 106,000 individual golfers and 400 clubs in Illinois and parts of Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin. Golfers receive member offers, a Handicap Index® from the USGA® and competitive playing opportunities, while clubs receive Course Rating™ and Slope Rating™ measuring services, turfgrass diagnostics and educational seminars. The CDGA also creates opportunities for everyone to experience the benefits of the game through therapeutic and recreational Outreach Programs, with an emphasis on serving individuals with special needs, youth and veterans. | |
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