Larry Blatt outlasted David Keenan in a three-hole aggregate playoff to claim the 29th Illinois State Mid-Amateur title.

Day 2: Tuesday, Aug. 24

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - At first glance, Larry Blatt’s (Chicago) journey to winning the 29th Illinois State Mid-Amateur Championship seems relatively routine.

Following a decorated high school career at Carl Sandburg and notable junior golf success, the Orland Park native played collegiately at both Ole Miss and Illinois. A natural progression for somebody with that skill level would be to eventually claim an elite amateur event, as Blatt did on Tuesday at Bloomington Country Club by outlasting David Keenan (Champaign) in a three-hole aggregate playoff.

However, the stages in Blatt’s life between his collegiate career and hoisting hardware in Bloomington were anything but traditional.

Related Links: (Full Recap) / (Results) / (Photo Gallery)

Day 1: Monday, Aug. 23

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - Normally, when asked for comment following a round, most high-level golfers would say they left a few shots out there. In championship golf, there’s always room for more birdies.

On the first day of the 29th Illinois State Mid-Amateur Championship Monday at Bloomington Country Club, Ben Murphy (Algonquin) had a bit of a different take.

“I should have made a lot more bogeys,” said Murphy following rounds of 69-67 to hold the Day One-lead at 6-under, three shots clear of Larry Blatt (Chicago) and David Keenan (Champaign). “I made a lot of 4-to-5 footers. I even rolled in a few 20 footers. The putter was better than most days.”

Related Links: (Scores) / (Round 3 Tee Times) / (Photo Gallery)

The 34-year-old’s day didn’t quite begin like he had hoped. Starting on Bloomington’s 10th hole, Murphy carded a triple bogey on the par-4 13th after some difficulty around the green. He would remedy that mistake, carding five birdies with no blemishes, as he finished the morning round with a 2-under 69. 

Murphy, a 2009 graduate of Illinois State University where he competed on the men’s golf team, has played the Bloomington track “maybe 10-15 times” and utilized a calculated strategy of irons off tees as he navigated his afternoon round. Five more birdies, to just one bogey on the par-3 16th, positioned him with a 4-under 67 and put him at 6-under overall. 

Much of Murphy’s damage was done on the three par 5s, of which he birdied four of out six times throughout the day. Beckoning back to his somewhat conservative approach on the tee, he managed to bounce back from wayward tee shots on those holes by going to his strong suit - his short game.

“I was kind of offline on those par 5s a lot and I just got it back in play and hit good wedge shots,” said Murphy. “I tried to just play smart, lay back. Not try to force it through the trees. I made some putts.”

Sitting on a lead is something new for Murphy, who admittedly didn’t check the field’s scores throughout the day and was surprised to see his name atop the leaderboard upon his second round’s completion. For a guy who “doesn’t play as much as I used to,” he will look to continue his upward trend on Tuesday.

“I didn’t really care to know [scores],” said Murphy. “I was trying to go along and make birdies.  Like today, I hit a lot of iron off tees. I’m kind of playing relatively smart out there. So, same thing, just try to roll in some putts.”

Overall, 40 players made the cut at day’s end, which fell at 11-over. Those advancing to Tuesday’s final 18-hole round include hometown-hopeful Mike Henry at -2, two-time Illinois State Mid-Amateur Champion Chadd Slutzky (Deer Park) at -1, 2019 CDGA Mid-Amateur Champion Jake Erickson (Springfield) at even par, 2021 CDGA Amateur runner-up Brett Tomfohrde (Chicago) at even par and defending State Mid-Am winner John Ramsey (Glenview) at +5.

Tee times begin at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, with the final pairing of Murphy, Blatt and Keenan slated to begin their rounds at 10:27.

Preview

LEMONT, Ill. - The state’s top golfers age 25 and older will descend upon Central Illinois for the 29th Illinois State Mid-Amateur Championship, Aug. 23-24 at Bloomington Country Club. The second of three CDGA-administered state championships in 2021 heads to a familiar site throughout the years, with the club having hosted eight State Amateurs and one State Senior Am.

The 54-hole event begins with a trying 36 holes on Monday. The low 35 and ties will then advance to the final 18-hole round on Tuesday to crown a champion.

ABOUT THE FIELD

The field of 78 players was determined by exemptions and three qualifiers at Village Greens of Woodridge, Red Tail Run Golf Club and Balmoral Woods Country Club in late July and early August. A total of 23 players were exempt, with 208 players attempting to qualify for the Championship. Registration was open to any Illinois resident with an official USGA Handicap Index® not exceeding 7.4 and who will reach their 25th birthday on or before the start of the event.

Related Links: (Full Preview) / (Round 1 Tee Times) / (Round 2 Tee Times) / (Field) / (2020 Recap) / (Event History)

Championship Information

The Illinois State Mid-Amateur Championship, conducted annually by the Chicago District Golf Association, features the state’s best golfers 25 and older. It began in 1993 when it was won by Tom Studer. Currently, the championship is 54 holes, with the entire field playing 36 holes the first day and the low 35 and ties playing 18 holes on the final day. Glenview native John Ramsey won the Championship last summer.

Qualifying