Skokie Country Club served as host for the event, which was claimed by the duo of Chadd Slutzky and John Ramsey

5th CDGA Amateur Four-Ball Championship
July 27-29 • Skokie Country Club (Glencoe)

Day 3: Wednesday, July 29

SLUTZKY AND RAMSEY CLAIM SECOND CDGA AMATEUR FOUR-BALL CROWN

GLENCOE, Ill. - Five simple words from Chadd Slutzky efficiently summarized the wide range of emotions he was experiencing Wednesday evening at Skokie Country Club.

“We’re glad to be back,” Slutzky said.

Back playing in a CDGA championship – the first of 2020 after COVID-19 canceled the initial four on the schedule – and back on top of the CDGA Amateur Four-Ball Championship. Slutzky (Deer Park / Royal Fox CC) and his partner John Ramsey (Glenview / North Shore CC) combined to win their second Four-Ball title in the event’s five-year history with a 20-hole triumph over Andrew Vitt (Lake Forest / Exmoor CC) and Nick Smith (Chicago / Exmoor CC).

“Coming out on top in that match feels fantastic,” Slutzky added.

Related Links: (Full Recap) / (Match Play Tree) / (Photo Gallery) / (Video Recap)

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Day 2: Tuesday, July 28

SEMIFINAL MATCHES SET FOLLOWING PLAY ON TUESDAY
GLENCOE, Ill. - The 5th CDGA Amateur Four-Ball Championship was dwindled down to four duos following the Round of 16 and Quarterfinal matches on Tuesday at Skokie Country Club. Semifinal matches begin at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, with the Championship match to follow.

The remaining pairings include defending champions Scott Dunsire Jr. (New Buffalo, Michigan / Medinah CC) and Tommy Dunsire (Naperville / Medinah CC), 2017 CDGA Amateur Four-Ball champions John Ramsey (Glenview / North Shore CC) and Chadd Slutzky (Deer Park / Royal Fox CC), Nick Smith (Chicago / Exmoor CC) and Andrew Vitt (Lake Forest / Exmoor CC), and Grant Goltz (DeKalb / Black Sheep GC) and Jack Paeglow (DeKalb / IJGA Members).

Related Links: (Match Play Tree) / (Photo Gallery)

In the morning, the Dunsire duo was able to take down Christopher Dupuis (Chicago  / Mistwood GC) and Derek Mason (Plainfield / White Eagle GC), 3 and 2. A birdie on the par-5 third put the brothers 1 up before Dupuis and Mason birdied the par-4 sixth to tie the match. The Dunsires then birdied the par-3 ninth, eagled the par-5 11th and carded another birdie on the par-5 13th to take the sizable lead and eventual win. They then met medalists Brian Hickey (Burr Ridge / Edgewood Valley CC) and Ryan Neill (Downers Grove / Butterfield CC) in the afternoon. The match was tightly contested, with the score tied on 12 of the 18 regulation holes, including the last. The Dunsires managed to break the tie with a birdie on the 20th hole to win the match.

Ramsey and Slutzky squared off with two-time champions Michael Natale (Burr Ridge / Edgewood Valley CC) and Steve Sawtell (Northfield / Merit Club) in the Round of 16. Natale and Sawtell, the 2016 and 2018 victors, built a 2-up lead through five holes, and despite Ramsey and Slutzky winning Nos. 6 and 7, took back the lead with a birdie on No. 8. Ramsey and Slutzky then rattled off a birdie on No. 10 and an eagle on No.11, and with a birdie on the 15th, held on for the win, 2 and 1. They too went to extra holes in the afternoon, matching up against Michael Cascino (Palos Park / Olympia Fields CC) and Jack Mortell (Burr Ridge / Olympia Fields CC). The former champs took a 1-up lead to the 18th, where Cascino jarred his approach with a short iron to extend the match to extra holes. Ramsey and Slutzky advanced via a par on the 19th to set up a match of prior winners on Wednesday morning.

On the other side of the bracket, the pair of Smith and Vitt were able to defeat the duo of Brien Gerber (Bolingbrook / Springbrook GC) and Mark Small (Frankfort / Sanctuary GC) in the Round of 16. Smith and Vitt built a lead as high as 3 up through 11 holes, just to see Gerber and Small birdie Nos. 14 and 15. Pars the rest of the way secured the win for Smith and Vitt, 1 up. They then met Blake Hilliard (Effingham / Effingham CC) and Craig Toler (Sullivan / Sullivan CC) in the Quarterfinals, where they quickly went 2 down through three holes. Despite tying the match by No. 7, they again went 2 down by No. 11. They managed to come back with wins on Nos. 12 and 14. A par on No. 17 was good enough to take a 1-up lead, setting the stage for the eventual win and an appearance in the Semifinals.

Wrapping up the final four were Goltz and Paeglow, who played a whopping 46 holes on the day. In the morning marathon match against Andrew Abel (Geneva / Cantigny Golf) and Eric Hatczel (Batavia / Eagle Brook CC), the latter had built a 3-up lead with four holes to play. Goltz and Paeglow then managed to work their way back, and eventually tie the match with a par on the last. Ten playoff holes later, the pair advanced via a par on the 28th hole. Following a quick turnaround, John Ehrgott (Edwards / Mt. Hawley CC) and Blake Johnson (Winnetka / Glen View Club) awaited them in the Quarterfinals. Though Ehrgott and Johnson accrued a 3-up advantage through seven holes, Goltz and Paeglow found their second wind with birdies on Nos. 9 and 10. Wins on Nos. 14, 15 and 18 secured the comeback victory and a matchup against Smith and Vitt.

The first Semifinal match featuring the Dunsires vs. Ramsey and Slutzky will tee off at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday morning, with the Smith and Vitt vs. Goltz and Paeglow match following at 7:40 a.m. The Championship match will be contested in the afternoon.

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Day 1: Monday, July 27

HICKEY & NEILL GO LOW, EARN MEDALIST HONORS AT SKOKIE
GLENCOE, Ill. - Forty pairs took to Skokie Country Club for 18 holes of stroke-play qualifying on Monday in the 5th CDGA Amateur Four-Ball Championship, with the duo of Brian Hickey (Burr Ridge / Edgewood Valley CC) and Ryan Neill (Downers Grove / Butterfield CC) emerging to earn medalist honors with a 9-under round of 62. Round of 16 matches begin tomorrow at 7:30 a.m.

Related Links: (Stroke Play Results) / (Match Play Tree) / (Photo Gallery)

Hickey and Neill, runners up in this event in 2018 at Mistwood Golf Club, struggled out of the gate with a bogey on the par-4 first. They managed to right the ship, and then some, rattling off 10 birdies the rest of the way. The key stretch started on No. 9, with a red figure on the par 3. The pair then managed to string together four more birdies through No. 13. As the No. 1 seed, Hickey and Neill will take on Jason Buffone (New Lenox / Sanctuary GC) and Edward Roderique (Frankfort / Sanctuary GC), following their advancement via a 6-for-5 playoff.

Defending champions Scott Dunsire (New Buffalo, Michigan / Medinah CC) and Tommy Dunsire (Naperville / Medinah CC) also advanced to the Round of 16 following a 4-under 67. The brothers carded six birdies to just one bogey to keep their title defense hopes alive. Joining them as past champions in match play are John Ramsey (Glenview / North Shore CC) and Chadd Slutzky (Deer Park / Royal Fox CC), winners of the 2017 iteration at The Club at Wynstone, and Michael Natale (Burr Ridge / Edgewood Valley CC) and Steve Sawtell (Northfield / Merit Club), who won titles in both 2016 and 2018.

With seven birdies on their card, Ramsey and Slutzky’s lone blemish came in the form of a bogey on No. 10. Natale and Sawtell fired a 3-under 68 to earn a spot in the playoff, in which they advanced via a birdie on the second hole. With that, all former champions in the event’s history still have a chance at capturing another title.

Tuesday morning will feature the Round of 16 in the morning, followed by the Quarterfinal matches in the afternoon. The Semifinal and Final matches are slated for Wednesday.

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Preview

SKOKIE COUNTRY CLUB WELCOMES CDGA’S TOP TANDEMS
LEMONT, Ill. - The CDGA’s 2020 Tournament Schedule officially gets underway at Glencoe’s Skokie Country Club with the playing of the 5th CDGA Amateur Four-Ball Championship, July 27-29. The first CDGA-administered championship to be contested following schedule modifications due to the coronavirus, the event will mark the beginning of the CDGA’s 107th season of championship golf in the Chicago District. Skokie plays host to its first CDGA championship since 1992, and only its fourth in total, having been the site for three CDGA Amateur Championships (1920, 1989, 1992).

FORMAT

Forty duos will compete in 18 holes of stroke-play qualifying on Monday, July 27 to determine the low 16 teams for match play. The Round of 16 and Quarterfinal matches will take place Tuesday, July 28, with the Semifinal and Championship matches scheduled for Wednesday, July 29.

The event debuted in 2016 and was created to emulate the exceedingly popular U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship. Each competitor plays their own ball, with the lowest gross score from each hole counting as the team’s score.

FIELD

Ninety teams attempted to qualify for the Championship, with the field being determined by seven exempt teams and 33 teams who advanced from two qualifiers held earlier in July. Registration was open to any CDGA member with an official USGA Handicap Index® not exceeding 10.4.

Related Links: (Full Preview) / (Stroke Play Tee Times) / (Field) / (2019 Recap) / (Event History)

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Qualifying

Date	Site	Information
July 8	Blackstone Golf Club (Marengo)	RESULTS
July 13	Heritage Bluffs Public Golf Club (Channahon)	RESULTS

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Championship Information
New to the CDGA championship slate in 2016, the CDGA Amateur Four-Ball Championship is a team match play event. Two-person teams begin the Championship with 18 holes of stroke play on the Monday of the event before the low 16 teams are seeded into a match play bracket. Both team members play their own ball throughout, with the lowest score on each hole counting. Brothers Scott and Tommy Dunsire hoisted the hardware in 2019.