| 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 | September 18, 2024 |
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| NEWLY ELIGIBLE STEWART SHINES IN STATE SENIOR DEBUT | |
| Wednesday, September 18, 2024 - Itasca, Ill. - The 38th playing of the Illinois State Senior Amateur Championship could not have been scheduled at a more perfect time for Rick Stewart (Park Ridge). One week prior, and the eventual victor of this week’s championship at Itasca Country Club would have been ineligible, as he turned 55 just two days ahead of the event. Stewart carded rounds of 71, 72 and 69 to win by two shots Wednesday over John Wright (Oswego). “I feel great,” Stewart said following the win. “It was an excellent experience. I had great playing partners for all three days and am really glad to finally get a win; I've had a couple close events, but this feels great.” As steady as they came throughout the week, Stewart was one of three competitors to play all three rounds at even par or better. He opened his title quest with a 1-under 71 on Monday. The round included an eagle, two birdies and two bogeys. His second round was a near carbon copy of the day prior, with a closing bogey the only difference, to earn Stewart a spot in the penultimate group, as he sat four shots behind the then-leader Tim Sheppard (East Peoria). With Sheppard carding a 4-over 40 on Wednesday’s opening nine, Stewart’s consistency began to pay dividends, as an outward 36 earned him a share of the lead. A birdie at the par-3 10th, his second of the day, gave Stewart the solo lead for the first time all week. “I kind of had just an even par front nine and I made a bad bogey on No. 9,” Stewart said. “Then, I made a good birdie on No. 10 and I just kept giving myself looks. I was just trying to make another birdie and another birdie.” Those looks soon became crunchtime birdies, as Stewart nabbed another at the par-5 13th to increase his lead. Just when the Earl R. Liff Trophy seemed to be within arm’s reach, the 55-year-old was unable to get up-and-down from the greenside bunker at No. 15 for his only blemish on the closing nine. Simultaneously, Wright, just one group ahead, poured in his eagle try at the par-5 16th to earn a place alongside Stewart atop the leaderboard at 2-under par. Unaware of the exact situation at hand, Stewart stuck to his game plan and it paid off in a big way. He found the fairway off the tee at No. 16 and left himself plenty of green to work with on his uphill chip just short of the green following his second shot. A chip and a putt pushed him one shot clear again in the blink of an eye before a stellar tee shot at the uphill par-3 17th left him under 10 feet to extend his advantage to two. “I'm not a scoreboard watcher, but my caddie kind of let me know (where I stood) on Nos. 17 and 18,” said Stewart. “Glenn (Przybylski), who I played with today, I felt, we were kind of even all day, and I then kind of pulled ahead a little bit. I thought it was big making that birdie on No. 17.” Stewart’s approach from the fairway at No. 18 ended up just long of the green. With many of his fellow competitors looking on, Stewart once again remained calm and got up-and-down; this time to save his par and secure the win. “I felt really calm and comfortable and, all three days, I didn't let my emotions get to me,” said Stewart. “I was really proud and happy about about the way I finished.” Though competing in an individual event, Stewart’s Illinois State Senior Amateur title was truly a team effort, both in person, through his caddie and friend, Mark Woodcock, and in spirit, through his late father who recently passed this winter. “I lost my dad this past winter, so he'd be proud,” Stewart said. “He was my biggest golf fan and I’ve had him in the back of my mind all summer because usually he'd always want to know how I was doing. I could tell him about all of my rounds, so I feel really glad. I'm proud that I was able to finally win something, it's really hard to win out here with a great field, great players, but I got it done.” With the newly-minted 55-year-old claiming the top spot, a number of familiar faces amongst the CDGA’s senior circuit were close behind to round out the top five. Wright, who carded a final-round 70, finished second at 2 under. The two-time event champion in Sheppard was the third of three who finished under par, just one shot behind Wright, in third. Przybylski and Dave Esler (St. Charles) each carded three-consecutive even-par rounds to finish in a tie for fourth place. The seniors will remain at the forefront and complete the 2024 CDGA Championships slate when the 9th CDGA Senior Amateur Four-Ball Championship is contested, Sept. 30-Oct. 3, at Ivanhoe Club. | |
| 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 adaptive, therapeutic and youth Sunshine Programs, with an emphasis on serving disabled and veteran communities. | |
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