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| Contact: Jacob Bomeli | |
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| For Immediate Release | July 17, 2025 |
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| LESS CONTINUES WINNING WAYS, ADDS 94TH ILLINOIS STATE AM TITLE TO HIS MANTLE | |
| Thursday, July 17, 2025 - AURORA, Ill. - Heading into the 94th Illinois State Amateur Championship at Stonebridge Country Club, there were just 12 men who had earned the chance to hoist both the Louis L. Emmerson and Joseph G. Davis Trophies as State Am and CDGA Amateur victors, respectively. Most recently, it was Pierce Grieve achieving that feat at the 105th CDGA Amateur Championship this June. Jordan Less (Elmhurst) added his name to that historic list Thursday with a clutch 15-foot birdie putt on the 18th green to defeat Connor Hamm (Macomb) by one shot.
Less’ win, however, was also the start of a new list. The 2019 CDGA Amateur champ also won the 2025 CDGA Mid-Amateur Championship at Kemper Lakes Golf Club in May. The trifecta secured on Thursday is one-of-a-kind, and one that will forever be difficult for the top amateurs in the state to match. His championship pedigree certainly aided Less to another elite-level amateur win and isn’t going away anytime soon. “To rely on the championships in the past and the situations that you’re put in helps out the most,” Less said. “You can hit shot after shot on the range, but knowing how your body is going to respond under pressure is obviously really beneficial. So it’s good to have those in the back of your mind.” Entering Thursday’s 36-hole day, Less had carded rounds of 67 and 69 to put himself just one shot behind Hamm and in the final group. Both players were off and running early, as two birdies at the par-5 first set up an exhilarating day of golf. Less made six birdies to just two bogeys in the third round Thursday morning to get his overall total to 12-under par. Pretty good, right? Well, Hamm, who is readying for his first full season with the University of Arizona golf team following more than two years at Bradley University, utilized a back-nine 29 en route to a tournament-best 63. The round included six-consecutive birdies from Nos. 9-14 to give the eventual second-place finisher a six-shot lead over the field. Less did his part to neutralize the daunting deficit by carding consecutive birdies at Nos. 17 and 18 to head to lunch on a positive note. “There’s momentum you can build throughout a round by making some putts or getting a good up-and-down, but to eat lunch knowing that I rolled those few last ones in just builds momentum to the next round and most likely helped the birdie there too,” Less said. The aforementioned birdie came at the fourth-round opener, while Hamm began with a bogey of his own to initiate an early two-shot swing. Up ahead, Nicolas Simon (Elk Grove Village), fresh off a third-round 67 of his own, notched an eagle at the par-5 first to push his total to 13-under par and enter his name into championship contention, just one behind Hamm. Less and Hamm traded pars at the second before a lost ball led to a triple bogey for the latter at the par-3 third. The 27-year-old Less posted a bogey of his own to remain two back, but Simon, who was two groups ahead, sat steady at -13 through his first five holes to put himself into second place. With Less and Simon each making bogeys at No. 6, Hamm regained his early momentum. The three competitors each secured a pair of birdies before they turned to the inward nine to keep Hamm’s lead at a two-shot advantage at 16-under par. Lurking quietly between the two groups, mid-amateur stalwart Chadd Slutzky (Deer Park) carded a 33 of his own on the opening nine of the final round to push himself into fourth place, one shot behind Less and Simon and three shy of the leader at the time in Hamm. Slutzky would go on to play the back nine in 1-over 37 to finish in fourth place at 12-under par in his first State Am appearance since 2016. On to the last nine holes of a grueling test of golf. Hamm, Less and Simon continued jockeying back and forth through No. 14, as Hamm retained his narrow advantage over the field by parring each of the five holes. Then came the par-4 15th. A bogey in for Simon, a rising sophomore at the University of Michigan, up ahead, Hamm found the fairway bunker along the left side of the hole off the tee. An errant shot rolled out of bounds and led to an eventual double bogey. Less earned his fourth par of the week at the 380-yard dogleg left to bring all four competitors to their final three holes at 14-under par. Nearly driving the green at the par-4 16th, Hamm posted a birdie to push his total to -15. Sticking to his game, Less hit driver off the tee and into the fairway bunker. He would eventually hit up just shy of the green and get up-and-down for his par to head to the final two holes one shot behind Hamm and one shot ahead of Simon, who had just bogeyed the 17th. With a roar from Simon reverberating up the finishing hole after pouring in his birdie bid, Less stepped up to the par-3 penultimate hole and threw a dart. Hamm within tap-in range for his par, Less found the back of the cup for two and yet another share of the lead. Simon’s 14-under-par week earned him a third-place finish. “Throughout the round, with all the back-and-forth, even in my head, it was a little hard to keep track of where we stood,” said Less. “Going to the tee on No. 17, I knew that I was one down to Connor. It was a really good number on No. 17 - the tee was moved back a little bit from this morning, which I kind of needed just to hit a stock one. I hit a good one there and rolled the putt in. On No. 18, I knew we were tied and most likely it was going to be one of us that made a birdie to win it.” And he did just that. Both on in three at the par-5 18th, Less, who stayed as cool as they come throughout the championship, put the pressure on one last time by burying the aforementioned 15-foot birdie try to give way to Hamm and a 10-footer of his own. His putt slid just by the hole for a closing-round 75 to finish one shot behind the eventual victor. With the win, Less not only secured his third CDGA-administered championship victory, but also became the first mid-amateur to win the Illinois State Amateur since Todd Mitchell did so in 2003. This was the first State Am Less competed in since falling just short in a three-hole aggregate playoff with two-time event champions Ethan Farnam and Mac McClear in 2021, as he competed professionally over the course of the last four years. “It really wasn’t on my mind at all,” Less said of his most recent try at Mistwood. “I’m at a different spot in life now and I feel like my game is in a more mature state. I think that kind of speaks to coming down the stretch and the nerves that were there and how I handled them.” The little nerves that were lurking down the stretch lifted off the champion’s back at the 72nd hole with a fist pump and a contagious smile that will surely remain shining during his trip to the 2025 U.S. Amateur Championship at The Olympic Club in San Francisco, California this August. Less earned an exemption into the event with his win this week. “I played when it was hosted at Riviera, and, kind of similar to how I spoke to it earlier, I feel like my game and my mindset are in a much more mature state,” Less said of his upcoming trip out west. “So I feel pretty good going out there.” Joining the top competitors within the top five and ties was the trio of Alexander Creamean (Winnetka), Brien Davis (Peoria) and Robert Dofflemyer III (Loves Park), who each posted 10-under for the tournament. The CDGA Championships slate continues later this month with the 10th CDGA Amateur Four-Ball Championship, July 28-30, at Eagle Brook Country Club in Geneva. QUOTES OF NOTE: Jordan Less (Elmhurst) on the success of other mid-amateur’s in the field … “It’s pretty cool. I spoke to it at the ceremony that the mid-ams in this state, I’d put up against anyone. They’re a solid group of guys and they can really play.” Connor Hamm (Macomb) on the tough breaks at the beginning of his final round … “The first hole I hit the cart path and got a terrible bounce. It was a little bump in the road and then the third hole I thought I was in the bunker, but the ball was nowhere to be found. I was proud of the way I fought back after that.” Nicolas Simon (Elk Grove Village) on his birdie on the 72nd hole to get to 14-under … “I bogeyed 17 and thought it was game over. I refreshed myself going into No. 18 and saw that the leader was only one shot ahead, so I stuck to my process and rolled in an 18-footer.” Chadd Slutzky (Deer Park) on competing as a mid-amateur against younger players… “The State Am is very different – you’re competing against college kids instead of mid-ams. This is what they do for a living essentially – they play golf tournaments – so the competition is much higher and much tougher.” Daniel Stringfellow (Roselle) on his first State Am appearance since 2014…“I was exempt due to the CDGA Amateur last year but couldn’t compete in it because of work. I really wanted to play in something this year and figured I could play in the State Am, so I registered a few weeks ago and here I am. It was exciting to compete again.” Devin Swoyer (Hinsdale) on how his experience at the 2024 Illinois State Amateur prepped him for this year…“I remember last year I made three doubles over the first two days and if I didn’t make those double bogeys I would’ve made the cut. All I was trying to do this year was minimize mistakes and avoid those massive numbers.” John Creamean (Winnetka) on his eagle to make the cut with his brother (Alex)…“I needed a birdie on the final hole to make the cut, and I was able to put it on the green in two on the par-five ninth. Drained a 50-foot putt for eagle so that was awesome for both of us to make it.” Michael Jorski (Clarendon Hills) on his mindset as the youngest competitor in the field…“I expect to play as well as I can. Many of the people here are better than me but I just focus on developing and getting better each time I go out there. I played well this week but still feel like I left a few shots out there. I also gained a few with the hole in one.” Kyle Davies (Chatham) on his ace at the par-3 8th…“It was playing about 175 yards, a little downwind. I flushed an 8-iron a little left, caught the slope and it ran right into the hole. It’s my third hole-in-one, first in competition. It ranks at the top.” NOTABLES:
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| 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 112,000 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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