Frankfort's Mark Small captured the 23rd CDGA Senior Amateur title with a 2-and-1 defeat of Rick Stewart.
23rd CDGA Senior Amateur Championship June 2-5 • Briar Ridge Country Club (Schererville, Ind.)
Day Four: Thursday, June 5
TWENTY-NINE YEARS THE BRIDESMAID, NOW THE BRIDE: SMALL SECURES 23RD CDGA SENIOR AM
SCHERERVILLE, Ind. – It’s been 29 years since Mark Small (Frankfort / Prestwick CC) hoisted the Louis L. Emmerson trophy as the victor of the 1996 Illinois State Amateur Championship. That win at Wheaton’s Cantigny Golf was the last that the now-61-year-old had secured in a CDGA-administered championship as he geared up for the 2025 golf season. Until Thursday morning at Briar Ridge Country Club, as an elated Small captured the 23rd CDGA Senior Amateur title with a 2-and-1 defeat of Rick Stewart (Park Ridge / Arrowhead GC) to claim the Charles Morgan Auld Cup.
“It's great to finally become the bride instead of the bridesmaid,” Small said following the win. “Last year with Brad (Kay), we played a good match. Brad played really well, and the year before that, I was in the Illinois Senior Open against Mike Small and I didn't have a big enough lead to take him down on the last couple of holes … So I've been playing pretty well for the past couple of years and I just don't know how long I'll be able to hold on to this ride. I am approaching 62 (years old) and there is going to come a time where I can't do this anymore. But while I can, it sure is fun.”
As he mentioned, Small’s layoff from the winner’s circle hadn’t been for a lack of trying, or strong play. Along with the top finishes in the CDGA Senior Am and Illinois Senior Open, he has found himself within the top-10 in each of the last four Illinois State Senior Amateur Championships at week’s end, including a second-place showing in 2021 - an event that Small, even through the joy of this week’s win, admittedly still has his eyes on.
Championship Match
(12) Mark Small def. (14) Rick Stewart, 2 and 1
Day Three: Wednesday, June 4
SMALL, STEWART SET TO SQUARE OFF FOR CDGA SENIOR TITLE
SCHERERVILLE, Ind. – The CDGA Senior Amateur Championship will have a first-time victor, as both previous event winners fell in the Semifinals on a rainy Wednesday morning at Briar Ridge Country Club.
Mark Small (Frankfort / Prestwick CC) ended the home-club surge of 2017 victor Terry Werner (Dyer, Ind. / Briar Ridge CC), 3 and 2, while reigning Illinois State Senior Amateur champion Rick Stewart (Park Ridge / Arrowhead GC) topped two-time winner Tim Sheppard (East Peoria / Pekin CC), 5 and 4.
Small is seeking his first piece of CDGA hardware since claiming the Illinois State Amateur Championship in 1996. He never trailed against the stalwart Werner, going 1 up with a birdie on the par-5 second. Wins on the seventh and ninth led to a 3-up cushion at the turn. Werner would not go quietly, pulling back to within one hole when Small slipped up with a bogey on No. 10. However, Small responded with another par-5 birdie on No. 12 before the two competitors tied the next four holes to bring the match to its conclusion.
The 55-year-old Stewart is quickly building his senior resume in his first full season of eligibility, as he can become just the sixth person to win both senior events with a victory on Thursday. Similar to Small, Stewart birdied the second to go 1 up and never looked back. He was 3 up through 10 holes before notching birdies on Nos. 11 and 12 to surge 5 up. The match concluded with matching pars on No. 14, ending Sheppard’s bid to become the third three-time winner in event history.
Small and Stewart will tee off in Thursday’s Championship Match at 8 a.m.
MATCH PLAY RESULTS
Semifinals
(12) Mark Small def. (1) Terry Werner, 3 and 2
(14) Rick Stewart def. (2) Tim Sheppard, 5 and 4
Day Two: Tuesday, June 3
MEDALIST WERNER HIGHLIGHTS SEMIFINALISTS AT BRIAR RIDGE
SCHERERVILLE, Ind. – It was an even mix of familiar faces and first-time hopefuls competing at Briar Ridge Country Club on Tuesday, as the match-play portion of the 23rd CDGA Senior Amateur Championship trekked on through blistering winds. The group of usual suspects stood supreme, with medalist and Briar Ridge member Terry Werner (Cedar Lake, Ind. / Briar Ridge CC) being one of four to earn a spot in Wednesday’s Semifinal round.
Werner began his day with a 3-and-2 defeat of Aiden Walsh (Roselle / Medinah CC) in the Round of 16. The 2017 event champion never trailed in the match, and even saw his advantage grow as large as 4 up through 13 holes. He continued to use his wealth of course knowledge to his advantage in the afternoon against Tom DeStefani (La Grange Park / Village Links of Glen Ellyn), securing an early 4-up lead through the opening five holes. The two traded wins down the stretch, eventually leading to a 5-and-4 triumph for Werner.
Meeting Werner in the Semifinals will be 2021 CDGA Senior Player of the Year Mark Small (Frankfort / Prestwick CC). Small continued his quest for a first Charles Morgan Auld Cup with a 5-and-4 disposal of Tim Byers (McHenry / McHenry GC). The two shared wins at Nos. 2 and 3 before Small rang off four-consecutive wins to take a commanding 4-up lead that would propel him to an eventual win. The 61-year-old went on to defeat John Haffner (Winfield / NIMAGA), 3 and 1, in the Quarterfinals. The two went back and forth until the turn, before Small captured Nos. 11, 13, 15 and 17 to secure the victory.
Two-time event champion Tim Sheppard (East Peoria / Pekin CC) highlights one-half of the other Semifinal match following a pair of wins of his own on Tuesday. Sheppard opened his run in this year’s match play bracket with a dominant 4-and-3 win over Steve Daly (Wheaton / Chicago GC). He never trailed throughout. Fellow Central Illinois native Curt Minkel (Pekin / Pekin Park District) earned the right to compete with Sheppard in the Quarterfinal round following a win of his own in the morning. Sheppard earned a 4-up lead through the opening seven holes and would never look back, eventually earning a second 4-and-3 triumph of the day at a track he is also familiar with following his 2019 CDGA Senior Amateur win at the northwest Indiana facility.
Set to face off with Sheppard is reigning Illinois State Senior Amateur champion Rick Stewart (Park Ridge / Arrowhead GC). The 55-year-old bested Patrick Becker (Barrington / The Club at Wynstone), 2 up, in the Round of 16, a match in which he never trailed. The morning propelled Stewart to his second victory of the day, as he opened his Quarterfinal match with two birdies and a par to take a 3-up lead through three holes. He would never surrender his advantage en route to a 5-and-4 defeat of Mike Karney (Crystal Lake / Crystal Lake CC).
The four men who secured the two victories needed to advance are set to compete Wednesday morning with two spots in Thursday’s Final match on the line. Play is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. both days.
MATCH PLAY RESULTS
Round of 16
(1) Terry Werner def. (16) Aiden Walsh, 3 and 2
(9) Tom DeStefani def. (8) Ronald Wastyn, 7 and 6
(12) Mark Small def. (5) Tim Byers, 5 and 4
(4) John Haffner def. (13) Christian Novay, 2 and 1
(2) Tim Sheppard def. (15) Steve Daly, 4 and 3
(10) Curt Minkel def. (7) Peter Milne, 3 and 2
(11) Mike Karney def. (6) Ralph Spevere, 2 up
(14) Rick Stewart def. (3) Patrick Becker, 2 up
Quarterfinals
(1) Terry Werner def. (9) Tom DeStefani, 5 and 4
(12) Mark Small def. (4) John Haffner, 3 and 1
(2) Tim Sheppard def. (2) Curt Minkel, 4 and 3
(14) Rick Stewart def. (11) Mike Karney, 5 and 4
Day One: Monday, June 2
HOME-CLUB HOPEFUL WERNER MEDALS IN 23RD CDGA SENIOR AM
SCHERERVILLE, Ind. – On a sun-draped Monday at Briar Ridge Country Club, Terry Werner (Schererville / Briar Ridge CC) ushered in the warm summer weather with a 3-under 69 to earn medalist honors in the 23rd CDGA Senior Amateur Championship. The 2017 event victor will begin his march towards a storybook title with the No. 1 seed when Tuesday’s Round of 16 matches begin.
The 71-year-old Werner utilized his keen course knowledge by besting the field of senior players age 55 and up by two strokes on a day when the scoring average reached 78.6. The 2017 CDGA Senior Player of the Year’s round didn't get off to an ideal start, however, with a double-bogey on the par-3 third and another bogey on the par-5 sixth. Werner then responded with a birdie barrage, notching red figures on five of his next six holes. He maintained his scintillating pace with birdies on Nos. 14 and 17, before a dropped shot on No. 18 capped off the 3-under 69. Only three other players finished at even par or better.
Werner, who finished as event runner-up to Ted Pecora (Winnetka / Bob O’Link) in 2023 at Aurora Country Club, headlines a match-play bracket featuring a slew of talent. Two-time CDGA Senior Amateur Champion Tim Sheppard (East Peoria / Pekin CC) carded a 1-under 71, including two birdies and an eagle on the par-4 14th. Mark Small (Frankfort / Prestwick CC), the 2021 CDGA Senior Player of the Year and runner-up in last year’s CDGA Senior Amateur at Kishwaukee Country Club, notched a 2-over 74 to claim the No. 12 seed. The defending Illinois State Senior Amateur champion, Rick Stewart (Park Ridge / Arrowhead GC), continued his strong form with a 2-over 74 of his own to earn the No. 14 seed.
The cut line fell at +3 on the day, with a host of senior stalwarts not advancing past Monday’s action. Defending champion Brad Kay (Arlington Heights / Ivanhoe Club), fresh off qualifying for the U.S. Senior Open last month, carded a 5-over 77 to end his chances of a repeat. Two-time Illinois State Senior Amateur champion Scot Frankenreider (Peoria / Arrowhead CC), 2023 CDGA Senior Player of the Year Mike Henry (Bloomington / Weibring GC at ISU) and 2021 Illinois State Senior Am victor David Feder (Chicago / Conway Farms GC) all finished one shot over the cut at 4-over 76.
Tuesday’s Round of 16 matches will commence at 8 a.m., as Werner takes on the No.16-seeded Aiden Walsh (Roselle / Medinah CC). The Quarterfinal and Semifinal matches are slated for Wednesday, with the title tilt scheduled for Thursday morning.
Preview
The 2025 season of amateur golf championships conducted by the CDGA continues with the 23rd CDGA Senior Amateur Championship, June 2-5 at Briar Ridge Country Club in Schererville, Indiana. One 18-hole round of stroke play qualifying and a 16-golfer match play bracket awaits a field featuring 83 of the area's best amateur golfers age 55 and up.
Schedule
Monday, June 2 The entire field will play 18 holes of stroke play in the morning to determine the low 16 who will advance to match play.
Tuesday, June 3 The Round of 16 matches will take place on Tuesday morning.
Wednesday, June 4 The Quarterfinal and Semifinal matches will take place.
Thursday, June 5 The Championship match will be contested on Thursday morning.
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Created in 2002, the CDGA Senior Amateur Championship is a match play tournament for golfers age 55 and up. In 2019, the maximum handicap limit was increased to 10.4. The event begins with an 18-hole qualifier for the entire field, with the low 16 players advancing to match play. The champion of this tournament is the recipient of the Charles Morgan Auld Cup. Arlington Heights' Brad Kay is the defending champion of the event following his win in 2024 at Kishwaukee Country Club.
Frankfort's Mark Small captured the 23rd CDGA Senior Amateur title with a 2-and-1 defeat of Rick Stewart.
Preview
