With his victory, Pierce Grieve became the 12th player all-time to claim the CDGA Amateur and Illinois State Amateur Championships.
105th CDGA Amateur Championship June 23-26 • Briarwood Country Club (Deerfield)
Day Four: Thursday, June 26
GRIEVE ACCOMPLISHES HISTORIC DOUBLE, BACKING STATE AM TITLE WITH CDGA AM GLORY
DEERFIELD, Ill. – Down by two holes at the halfway point of the 36-hole Final Match in the 105th CDGA Amateur Championship at Briarwood Country Club Thursday, Pierce Grieve (Lake Forest / Chicago District GC) felt “backed into a corner.”
His way out? Lunch.
“First of all, lunch was great,” Grieve said of his grilled chicken sandwich with avocado on grilled bread. “That definitely put a little bit more of a smile on my face.”
Belly full, Grieve asserted control of the title tilt against Alexander Creamean (Winnetka / CDGA Member’s Club) by winning the first two holes of the second 18 and never looked back, surging to a historic 4-and-3 triumph. Grieve added the Joseph G. Davis Trophy to the Louis L. Emmerson Trophy he earned by winning last year’s Illinois State Amateur Championship. He becomes just the 12th person to win both events and the first since the legendary Joel Hirsch achieved the feat in 1988.
“It feels great,” the lanky lefty said. “I feel like this and the State Am are the two majors of Illinois golf. To get both of those trophies and put my name on both of them is super special. Not only that, to do it within 11 months is even cooler. I think it speaks on just where my game's at.”
The 21-year-old West Virginia graduate played solid golf on the first 18, only to be outdone by Creamean, who notched five birdies and no bogeys in the morning. Rather than be discouraged by the deficit, Grieve’s championship mindset kicked in as he teed off on Briarwood’s first hole for the seventh time of the marathon event.
“I might have been trailing a little bit, but if anything, that just gave me a little bit more of an edge and kind of added to that competitiveness that I've got inside me,” Grieve said.
“I got after it this afternoon.”
Two holes into the afternoon, the match was tied, as Creamean carded bogeys on Nos. 1 and 2. Two pars on No. 3 set the stage for the par-3 fourth, where Grieve curled in a cross-green 45-footer for birdie and the lead.
“The putt I made on No. 4, I hit it in a very similar spot this morning,” Grieve explained. “This morning, I hit a really good putt, and I turned to my caddie Will [Webb], and I was like, ‘I hit that a little softer, that's in.’ I hit it pretty much in the same spot. Will and I were walking up, and I was like, ‘A little bit softer pace, and this thing's bottoms up.’ I executed that and it felt good to see that one curl in.”
Creamean responded with a birdie on No. 5 before Grieve again relied on the flatstick to surge ahead.
“That was not one I was expecting to make,” Grieve admitted when referring to another 40-footer he drained for birdie on No. 6. “I hit it in the left rough and the ball was sitting down. I was just praying to get it on the green. We were kind of back and forth on the read, but I trusted Will's line and hooped it.”
Yet another birdie on No. 7, which included a brief 15-minute weather delay between his approach and putt, gave Grieve a 2-up advantage and feeling of relative comfort that he had yet to experience all week.
“That was massive,” Grieve said. “I don't think I'd had a 2-up lead until I got to 14 or 15 at all this week. To be on the front nine, which is a nine I struggled with this week, and holding a lead felt good.”
Grieve’s lead remained 2 up stepping to the tee of the drivable par-4 14th. After putting two tee shots out of bounds in the morning round, Grieve flushed his drive to just short of the green. He two-putted for a birdie to go 3 up with four holes to play.
“If I've got a drivable par 4 like that with my length, I might as well take advantage of it,” Grieve explained. “The three matches before today, I'd put it on the green, so that was my game plan. Obviously, with shot dispersions, you're going to have one that doesn't go so well, or maybe two, but I'm happy I could hit a good one this afternoon. It's kind of a hard putt, but I gave it some good pace and then made the little tester coming back.”
Grieve almost clinched the match in remarkable fashion, putting his tee shot on the par-3 15th to within a foot. Creamean conceded and missed his birdie bid, cementing Grieve’s 4-and-3 triumph.
“That was a cool walk-off for sure,” Grieve said.
Grieve will not be back to defend his Illinois State Amateur Championship as he sets his sights on professional golf.
“Professional golf is on the horizon for me,” Grieve said. “I’m not sure when that'll be, but definitely in the near future. Regardless, I'm happy to see my amateur career close with the State Amateur victory and the CDGA Amateur victory.”
The Grieve-less State Amateur is next on the CDGA’s 2025 championship slate, as Illinois’ best will converge upon Stonebridge Country Club in Aurora for the event’s 94th iteration July 15-17.
MATCH PLAY RESULTS
Championship Match
(3) Pierce Grieve def. (5) Alexander Creamean, 4 and 3
Day Three: Wednesday, June 25
CREAMEAN, GRIEVE TO BATTLE FOR CDGA AMATEUR TITLE AT BRIARWOOD
DEERFIELD, Ill. – Just two weeks since being paired together in the 63rd Radix Cup Matches, Alexander Creamean (Winnetka / CDGA Member’s Club) and Pierce Grieve (Lake Forest / USGA/Chicago District GC) are now set to compete against one another for a chance to hoist the Joseph G. Davis Trophy. Both competitors notched their third wins in just over 24 hours time at Briarwood Country Club to set up the Final match in the 105th playing of the CDGA Amateur Championship.
Creamean, who advanced to the Semifinal round a year ago at Beverly Country Club, found himself in a quick 1-down deficit to Jack Mulligan (Burr Ridge / Cog Hill G&CC) after the rising sophomore at Northern Illinois University carded a birdie at the par-4 second. The two would go on to trade pars at Nos. 3 and 4 before the eventual winner put his foot on the gas pedal, securing five of the next six holes, four via birdie, to race out to a 4-up lead through 10.
“It felt like I was playing solid the first few holes,” Creamean said following the match. “Jack was playing good and then I got a few birdies to start falling on the later holes of the front nine and it just started clicking from there. It felt good.”
Only four additional holes were needed before the match was decided, as the rising junior at Penn State University dropped his fifth birdie putt of the day at the par-5 13th to obtain a 5-up lead that wouldn’t be squandered. Both Creamean and Mulligan parred No. 14 to end the match at 5 and 4 and send Creamean one step nearer the title that he got close to in 2024.
“I went pretty far last year,” Creamean said. “It’s just always a fun event playing match play. There are no other events that play match play, so it’s nice to get that going. It’s always fun.”
Meanwhile, Grieve, the reigning Illinois State Amateur champion, followed in Mulligan’s footsteps at No. 2, as a birdie of his own pushed him out to an early 1-up advantage over Devin Swoyer (Hinsdale / YOC IJGA). The incoming freshman at Northern Illinois responded with back-to-back hole wins at Nos. 3 and 4 to gain a narrow lead of his own that he would command for much of the front nine. A Grieve birdie at the ninth leveled the match as the two made the turn to the inward nine.
“I birdied No. 9, which really helped, to tie the match up,” said Grieve. “All three of my matches have been all square through nine, so I felt comfortable in that sense. The mindset was to just keep hitting it solid and trust that the putts will drop.”
After three-consecutive pars by both players to open the back nine, Grieve benefitted from his length off the tee to to birdie the par-5 13th. He then drove the green and sank his eagle try at the par-4 14th to push his lead to 2 up with just four holes to play. The recent graduate of West Virginia University matched Swoyer’s pars at Nos. 15-17 to punch the final ticket into Thursday’s 36-hole finale.
“It helps the most getting to hit second into most par-4s and par-5s,” Grieve said of his advantage off the tee. “Watching what your opponent does before you make your decision really helps, whether it’s judging the wind or just seeing where they put it.”
After 36 holes of stroke play qualifying on Monday, a pair of matches Tuesday and the high-pressure of a Semifinal round Wednesday, Creamean and Grieve have one final match standing between them and a place in the amateur golf history books within the Chicago District. For Creamean, it’s an opportunity to join the illustrious list of CDGA-administered championship winners. For Grieve, it’s a chance to forever be tabbed the 12th player to win both the CDGA and Illinois State Amateur Championships, and first since amateur golf legend Joel Hirsch did so in 1988.
The 36-hole Championship match is set to begin Thursday at 8 a.m.
WEDNESDAY’S SEMIFINAL RESULTS
(5) Alexander Creamean def. (9) Jack Mulligan, 5 and 4
(3) Pierce Grieve def. (15) Devin Swoyer, 2 and 1
Day Two: Tuesday, June 24
SEMIFINALS SET AT BRIARWOOD FOLLOWING TUESDAY’S DOUBLE DIP OF MATCHES
DEERFIELD, Ill. – Daybreak on Tuesday at Deerfield’s Briarwood Country Club brought ideal golfing conditions: light breeze, warm summer air and sun shining through intermittent clouds. Such circumstances were welcomed with open arms by the players readying for the 105th CDGA Amateur Championship’s Round of 16 following stiff winds and a greater than 100 degree heat index during Monday’s stroke play qualifying.
Four competitors shone brightest come dinner time, as Jack Mulligan (Burr Ridge / Cog Hill G&CC), Alexander Creamean (Winnetka / CDGA Member’s Club), Devin Swoyer (Hinsdale / YOC IJGA) and Pierce Grieve (Lake Forest / USGA/Chicago District GC) each secured two match wins to advance to the Semifinal round Wednesday morning.
Mulligan, who earned the event’s No. 9 seed following rounds of 75 and 75 on Monday, began his day with a 2-and-1 triumph over Trey Boecker (Beecher / CDGA Member’s Club) in which he never trailed. He then advanced to face medalist Patrick Raupp (Arlington Heights / CDGA Member’s Club) in the afternoon, following a pair of brief rain showers at midday. After trading wins at Nos. 2 and 3, Mulligan collected four-consecutive victories ahead of the turn to secure a 4-up lead with nine holes to play. A birdie at the par-3 15th earned Mulligan his 5-and-3 win and the first spot in the Semifinals.
Creamean, a rising junior at Penn State University, notched a 3-and-2 win in the Round of 16 over Soo Ahn (Chicago / CDGA Member’s Club) to set up his Quarterfinal matchup with fourth-seeded Ryan Banas (Winnetka / North Shore CC). A pair of early bogeys for Creamean pushed Banas to a 2-up advantage before the eventual victor secured five wins in a six-hole stretch at Nos. 5-10. The two played the following six holes in a dead heat to close the match with a 3-and-2 advantage for Creamean.
The third Semifinalist, Swoyer, advanced through an arduous path of past CDGA Am champions in Jordan Less (Elmhurst / CDGA Member’s Club) and Charlie Waddell (Kenilworth / Shoreacres). His Round of 16 match with Less was highlighted by four-straight wins at Nos. 11-14 to close out the 2019 event winner, 5 and 4. In the afternoon, Swoyer got out to an early 5-up lead over the 2022 champ through eight holes. Waddell’s comeback try fell short, as his three wins at Nos. 9-11 were erased by back-to-back fours for Swoyer in the latter’s eventual 4-and-3 victory.
Grieve, the defending 2024 Illinois State Amateur champion, rounds out those advancing to Wednesday morning’s competition. The recent West Virginia University graduate posted a 2-and-1 win over Justin Schwab (Beach Park / The Club at Strawberry Creek) to advance to the afternoon. The two traded a pair of wins on the opening nine before Grieve collected Nos. 10, 12 and 13 to lead to his triumph. Grieve then competed with one of the most decorated champions in the Chicago District in Chadd Slutzky (Deer Park / The Grove CC) in the afternoon. Neither player captured more than a 1-up advantage before Grieve carded birdies at Nos. 13, 14 and 17 to capture the final spot.
The four who are scheduled to return to Briarwood Wednesday will begin their Semifinal matches at 8:30 a.m. The 36-hole finale is set for Thursday morning.
TUESDAY’S QUARTERFINAL RESULTS
(9) Jack Mulligan def. (1) Patrick Raupp, 5 and 3
(5) Alexander Creamean def. (4) Ryan Banas, 3 and 2
(15) Devin Swoyer def. (10) Charlie Waddell, 4 and 3
(3) Pierce Grieve def. (11) Chadd Slutzky, 2 and 1
TUESDAY'S ROUND OF 16 RESULTS
(1) Patrick Raupp def. (16) William Caronchi, 4 and 3
(9) Jack Mulligan def. (8) Trey Boecker, 2 and 1
(5) Alexander Creamean def. (12) Soo Ahn, 3 and 2
(4) Ryan Banas def. (13) Michael Spitzer, 4 and 2
(15) Devin Swoyer def. (2) Jordan Less, 5 and 4
(10) Charlie Waddell def. (7) Noah Zyung, 2 up
(11) Chadd Slutzky def. (6) Jackson Hulsey, 2 up
(3) Pierce Grieve def. (14) Justin Schwab, 2 and 1
Day One: Monday, June 23
RAUPP RISES TO THE TOP, CLAIMS 105TH CDGA AMATEUR MEDALIST HONORS AT BREEZY BRIARWOOD
DEERFIELD, Ill. – A marathon day of 36 holes on the CDGA schedule each year, Monday’s stroke-play qualifying of the 105th CDGA Amateur Championship at Briarwood Country Club turned up the heat on the field.
Literally.
On the backend of a three-day, 100-plus-degree heat wave, along with brisk wind gusts, players navigated challenging conditions while vying for one of 16 match-play spots. Patrick Raupp (Arlington Heights / CDGA Member’s Club) was the only player to finish the two rounds at even par or better overall, on a day which saw the scoring average soar to 78.7. He earned medalist honors following rounds of 68 and 74 on the par-71 layout, claiming the No. 1 overall seed in a match-play bracket that features a slew of talent and past champions.
The 19-year-old rising sophomore at Northern Illinois began his morning with steady play, notching birdies on the two par 5s on Briarwood’s outward nine, as well as the par-4 ninth. More red figures on Nos. 14 and 16 were sandwiched by dropped shots on Nos. 12 and 17. Following a brief break from the heat for lunch, Raupp’s second round began with another birdie on No. 10. Three bogeys on his way out were then levied with another birdie 4 on No. 5. Dropping two more shots on his way toward the house positioned him with a 3-over 74.
Sitting two shots back at day’s end were a duo of previous CDGA-administered Championship victors. Pierce Grieve (Lake Forest / USGA/Chicago District GC), winner of the 2024 Illinois State Amateur last summer at Atkins Golf Course at the University of Illinois, fired rounds of 74-71 to finish at +2 overall. The latter score for the former West Virginia University Mountaineer was the only under-par round of the afternoon session. Also sitting at +2 was Jordan Less (Elmhurst / CDGA Member’s Club), the Joseph G. Davis Trophy holder following his triumph at Glen View Club in 2019. The 27-year-old winner of the CDGA Mid-Amateur early this spring notched rounds of 73-71 as he looks to add a third CDGA title to his name.
Other notable players to advance to Tuesday’s action include eight-time CDGA-administered event champion Chadd Slutzky (Deer Park / The Grove CC), as well as 2022 CDGA Amateur winner Charlie Waddell (Kenilworth / Shoreacres), who both finished at +9 overall. No playoff was needed to round out the bracket, with the cut line falling at the aforementioned +9.
Round of 16 matches will commence at 8 a.m. Tuesday morning, with Quarterfinals following in the afternoon. Wednesday will feature the Semifinals before Thursday’s 36-hole Championship finale.
TUESDAY'S ROUND OF 16 MATCHES
(1) Patrick Raupp vs. (16) William Caronchi
(8) Trey Boecker vs. (9) Jack Mulligan
(5) Alexander Creamean vs. (12) Soo Ahn
(4) Ryan Banas vs. (13) Michael Spitzer
(2) Jordan Less vs. (15) Devin Swoyer
(7) Noah Zyung vs. (10) Charlie Waddell
(6) Jackson Hulsey vs. (11) Chadd Slutzky
(3) Pierce Grieve vs. (14) Justin Schwab
Preview
The CDGA's oldest championship returns to Chicago's North Shore, as the 105th CDGA Amateur Championship will be contested at Briarwood Country Club, June 23-26. The entire field will compete in 36 holes of stroke-play qualifying to determine the low 16 who will advance to match play. Four rounds of matches, including a 36-hole finale, stand in the way of hoisting the Joseph G. Davis Trophy.
Schedule
Monday, June 23 The entire field will play 36 holes of stroke play to determine the low 16 who will advance to match play.
Tuesday, June 24 The Round of 16 and Quarterfinal matches will be contested.
Wednesday, June 25 The Semifinal matches will begin at 8 a.m.
Thursday, June 26 The 36-hole Championship match will occur.
CLICK HERE or the image for a full preview and notes package.
One of the oldest amateur competitions in the Midwest, the CDGA Amateur Championship was first played in 1914 at Ravisloe Country Club in Homewood. Golf great Charles “Chick” Evans, Jr. won the tournament that year. In 1935, invitations were issued nationally, and in 1941 the event became known as the Great Lakes Amateur Championship. In 1955 the CDGA board of directors decided to make the championship an association event again and to limit the field to players who were CDGA members. Currently the Championship is open to any CDGA member with a Handicap Index of 7.4 or under. Since 2003, qualifying golfers play 36 holes of stroke play on the first day of the championship. From there, 16 individuals advance to match play. The eight quarterfinalists from the previous year’s championship are exempt into the 36-hole qualifying. Tyler Greenspahn took home the hardware in 2024 at Beverly Country Club in Chicago.
With his victory, Pierce Grieve became the 12th player all-time to claim the CDGA Amateur and Illinois State Amateur Championships.
Preview
