11th CDGA Mid-Amateur Championship

Robert Dofflemyer claimed the 11th CDGA Mid-Amateur Championship with a 1-up defeat of Dustin Sloat at Glen Flora Country Club.

11th CDGA Mid-Amateur Championship
May 11-13 • Glen Flora Country Club (Waukegan)

Day Three: Wednesday, May 13

DOFFLEMYER OUTLASTS SLOAT FOR FIRST CDGA-ADMINISTERED TITLE
WAUKEGAN, Ill. – A year ago, Robert Dofflemyer (Loves Park / The Mauh-Nah-Tee-See Club) was back at work as an air traffic controller on the second day of the CDGA Mid-Amateur Championship. A disappointing finish to his opening Stroke Play Qualifying round at Kemper Lakes Golf Club left the 31-year-old wanting more.

“Last year, I went bogey-double on my final two holes to miss Match Play after grinding out what I thought was a solid round…But, just thinking, ‘Alright, if I play as good as I did last year, not including those last two holes, but just grind out a finish, things might be different.’”

And different they were, indeed, as Dofflemyer not only made it to Match Play, but topped the field at week’s end, defeating Dustin Sloat (Charleston / CDGA Member’s Club), 1 up, in the Final Match of the 11th CDGA Mid-Amateur Championship at Glen Flora Country Club Wednesday morning.

Related Links: (Scoring) / (Photo Gallery)

Cool, breezy conditions continued into the final day of play, with temperatures in the 40s at the start of the title tilt. Dofflemyer, who was “trying to get a feel for the swing” early on, relied on his caddie and wife, Melissa, who he claims is the best green reader he knows, and trusty flatstick to get him going the first couple of holes. He rolled in putts on the par-3 second and sixth to gain a 2-up advantage.

A few “squirrely” wedge and iron shots heading into the turn opened the door for Sloat, as pars on Nos. 8 and 9 won both holes to level the match heading to the inward nine.

“Coming in, I just took a quick breather and tried to refocus,” said Dofflemyer. “I felt like I was making good swings, just wasn’t really getting the contact and results I was hoping for. I know I lost a couple of holes, but my putter kind of kept me in the match going to Nos. 12 and 13.”

While he seemingly never lost the putter throughout Match Play, the rest of his game caught back up on the tournament’s final nine holes. Ties at Nos. 10 and 11 led to a golden opportunity for Dofflemyer at the par-4 12th, as a wind-influenced approach landed just off the green. His ensuing chip found the bottom of the cup for birdie and a 1-up advantage.

“I hit a good wedge shot, just a little right,” Dofflemyer said of his birdie at No. 12. “The wind was, I think, difficult to judge today…Dustin was just on the fringe, so I was just like, ‘Hit it up close and see what happens.’ To see it go in was nice because I was definitely hitting it a little squirrely with my irons and didn’t have many birdie opportunities, so to kind of steal one was pretty clutch for the last stretch of the match.”

Sloat answered with a clutch birdie of his own on the following hole to tie the closely-contested match once again. That score would remain until the two reached the par-5 15th. With Dofflemyer’s approach landing in the greenside bunker, the eventual victor splashed out and left himself just five feet for his birdie bid - a putt he admittedly felt was a must make.

“I think so,” Dofflemyer said of the severity of the birdie. “You don’t want to give one away, like, that was a five-footer for birdie to win the hole and a pretty simple read between my wife and I. So, I just hit a good putt. Those are some difficult holes down the stretch - 16, 17 and 18 are tough - so to have a little bit of a cushion was nice.”

With no time to rest, the Dofflemyer duo was quickly back out surveying a relatively lengthy par save at No. 16 after his third from out of the bunker took the terrain to the far right side of the severely sloping green. Read and executed to perfection, Dofflemyer sank the putt to really apply the pressure on Sloat, who had a birdie try awaiting him. Unable to capitalize, Sloat headed to the 17th tee knowing he let what might be his last opportunity slip away.

Pars down the stretch closed out the finale in a 1-up Dofflemyer advantage, as the first-time champion did all he needed to do in matching Sloat’s efforts on the final two holes.

While it was his first win in a CDGA-administered competition, it wasn’t the first time Dofflemyer has been spotted near the top of the leaderboard. A four-round total of 10 under, 278 tied him for fifth in last year’s Illinois State Amateur Championship. A finish that has propelled his confidence ever since.

“Playing in the mid-ams, the running joke is all of us have jobs,” Dofflemyer said. “We all, you know, have families and jobs and this isn’t our full-time thing. Last year, being able to play with some good college golfers and somewhat keep up with them, I think I could have definitely played better, but it was a feeling of, ‘Oh, I can still compete with these guys when I’m playing well.’ To be able to post a decent tournament, that was pretty cool.”

This time was different for Dofflemyer and, with a full season ahead, he will surely look to keep it that way.

The CDGA Mid-Am is the first of 10 championships during the 2026 season. Up next on the slate is the 24th CDGA Senior Amateur Championship, set for May 18-21 at Hawthorn Woods Country Club.

Day Two: Tuesday, May 12 MEET THE FINALISTS OF THE 11TH CDGA MID-AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP
WAUKEGAN, Ill. - The 11th CDGA Mid-Amateur Championship Final Match is set, as Dustin Sloat (Charleston / CDGA Member’s Club) and Robert Dofflemyer (Loves Park / The Mauh-Nah-Tee-See Club) each won twice on Tuesday at Glen Flora Country Club. Read on to learn more about each competitor and their paths to the title tilt.

Related Links: (Scoring) / (Photo Gallery) / (Three-Hole Shot-by-Shot Video)

Dustin Sloat

Background

Age: 42
Occupation: Financial Advisor
College: Eastern Illinois University

Path

Round of 16: def. Mike Mysker, 3 and 2
Quarterfinals: def. Andrew Vitt, 3 and 2
Semifinals: def. Jason Wombacher, 21 holes

Notable

2025 CDGA Amateur Four-Ball runner-up at Eagle Brook Country Club
Enjoys hunting
Father of two

Quotables

On his path to the Final Match, including the 21-hole Semifinal victory over Wombacher…“Yeah, it’s been a good week so far. I’ve played well, had a couple of tough matches, and pulled it out there at the end. Jason was a good competitor; we played together in the first round, so I knew how he played. We kind of went back and forth. It was 1-up, then even, then 1-up. I made a good shot on the last approach there and finally made a putt. He was a good competitor and I had a good time playing with him.”
On building off of his Four-Ball runner-up finish in 2025…“At this point, we’re working guys. So anytime you have a chance to get back out and compete, I have a good time with that. I don’t have a partner to rely on in this one, so it’s all on you. Just grind it out and do the best you can. Either way, I have to go back to work on Thursday.”
On his expectations coming into the event…“I feel like I can still play pretty well if it’s going. Getting a few days in a row definitely helps build the momentum and consistency. This is really a golf course that sets up well for me, because I hit it pretty straight off the tee. So if you keep it in play here, you can fire at some pins. Good greens, good setup. I think I’m where I could be, hopefully continue it tomorrow.”

Robert Dofflemyer

Background

Age: 31
Occupation: Air Traffic Controller
College: Lewis University

Path

Round of 16: def. Grant Goltz, 3 and 2
Quarterfinals: def. Logan Stauffer, 2 and 1
Semifinals: def. Brandon Holtz, 1 Up

Notable

Birdied last two holes to win Semifinal match
Wife is caddying for him during event
T5 in 2025 Illinois State Amateur Championship at Stonebridge Country Club

Quotables

On his emotions upon making the Final Match…“Amazed? I guess. I did not think I would make it this far. There’s some really, really good players that played in this, that I’ve played against so far in match play. To come out on top is pretty cool.”
On defeating U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Brandon Holtz…“At a loss for words. He’s such a good player, obviously. He’s had a tremendous last calendar year. Today, he played really well. He had a few missed chances, same as I did. But overall, his game was so sharp. He didn’t make many mistakes. To be able to compete with him was pretty special.”
On closing birdie-birdie to win the match…“On 15 and 16, I had birdie putts that I had lipped out. A little frustrating. But I knew if I hit a good shot into 17, I knew I would have a chance to tie it up. Luckily, I made a putt. And then the putt on 18, it was a long, sliding putt. I got lucky that it hit the hole and went in. I’ll take it for some of the earlier misses in the match.”

Looking Ahead
Sloat and Dofflemyer will square off beginning at 8 a.m. Wednesday to determine the event victor.

Day One: Monday, May 11

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW FROM DAY ONE OF THE 11TH CDGA MID-AM AT GLEN FLORA
WAUKEGAN, Ill. – The 113th season of CDGA-administered events kicked off Monday in Waukegan, as Glen Flora Country Club welcomed the 11th CDGA Mid-Amateur Championship. Despite the wall-to-wall sunshine, cool temperatures and gusting winds proved to be a difficult test for the Chicago District’s top amateurs age 25 and up. Luke Armbrust (Wheaton / Cantigny Golf) carded a 4-under 66 to earn stroke-play medalist honors before a 10-for-9 playoff at 2-over 72 decided the remainder of the 16-person match-play bracket. See the list below for five key things to know following the Round of 16 matches on Monday afternoon:

Quite the Test
Chicago area spring weather challenged the field of nearly 80 mid-amateur golfers, with wind gusts up to nearly 20 mph. Glen Flora, a par 70, played to just over 6,400 yards on Monday - modestly shorter than most of today’s high-level tracks. Yardage aside, it still provided a tough test, with a scoring average of 75.41 in stroke-play qualifying. The hardest hole, the par-4 eighth, featured a 4.71 scoring average, with no birdies and 39 bogeys or worse - compared to 35 pars. Additionally, Glen Flora’s par-3 finisher measured at just 172 yards and did not feature a single red figure.

Related Links: (Scoring) / (Photo Gallery)

A Whole New Bracket
A total of 11 players who advanced to the match-play bracket in 2025 at Kemper Lakes Golf Club were listed in the field ahead of Monday’s stroke-play qualifying. Only two - Dustin Sloat (Charleston / CDGA Member’s Club) and Maxwell Scodro (Lake Forest / Knollwood Club) - advanced to the Round of 16 matches in this iteration and both earned their spots following the 10-for-9 playoff. Sloat, who lost in the CDGA Amateur Four-Ball Championship last summer alongside Tyler Comerford (Glen Carbon / CDGA Member’s Club), and Scodro, the 2025 Illinois State Mid-Amateur champion, both won their Round of 16 matches on Monday afternoon.

Medalist Match Goes the Distance
Armbrust faced off with No. 16-seeded Jason Wombacher (Byron / PrairieView Golf Club) in a match that lasted all 18 holes. Wombacher held a quick 2-up lead through three holes before the match turned at 1-up in his favor. More back-and-forth action ensued on the back nine, as the match was tied approaching the 18th tee. A par on Glen Flora’s finishing hole proved enough to secure the upset.

Holtz Advances in Debut
Brandon Holtz (Bloomington / Crestwicke CC) has had an action-packed spring and has settled back into the Chicago District following his appearance at the Masters last month. Holtz made the trek up from Central Illinois to compete in his first CDGA-administered event since regaining his amateur status and carded a 2-over 72 before advancing from the playoff. He met Greg Bauman (Crystal Lake / Biltmore CC) in the Round of 16, who held a 2-up lead through seven holes. Holtz would tie the match with a birdie on No. 9 and would eventually gain a 3-up lead with another red figure on No. 15. His 3-and-2 victory sets up a Quarterfinal battle with Matthew Payne (Chicago / USGA/Chicago District).

Looking Ahead
Tuesday will feature both the Quarterfinal and Semifinal matches, with the former set to commence at 8 a.m. The title tilt is slated for Wednesday at 8 a.m., with the winner etching their name on the CDGA Mid-Amateur Championship trophy.

MATCH PLAY RESULTS

Round of 16
(16) Jason Wombacher def. (1) Luke Armbrust, 1 up
(9) Maxwell Scodro def. (8) Will Hickey, 2 and 1
(12) Dustin Sloat def. (5) Mike Mysker, 3 and 2
(4) Andrew Vitt def. (13) Ryan Kowalski, 3 and 2
(2) Matthew Payne def. (2) Matt Buse, 21 holes
(10) Brandon Holtz def. (7) Greg Bauman, 3 and 2
(6) Logan Stauffer def. (11) Jack Watson, 1 up
(14) Robert Dofflemyer def. (3) Grant Goltz, 3 and 2

Preview

The 113th season of amateur golf championships conducted by the CDGA will kick off with the 11th CDGA Mid-Amateur Championship, May 11-13 at Glen Flora Country Club in Waukegan. One 18-hole round of stroke play qualifying and a 16-golfer match play bracket awaits a field featuring 78 of the Chicago District's best amateur golfers age 25 and up.

Schedule

Monday, May 11
The entire field will play 18 holes of stroke-play in the morning to determine the low 16 who will advance to match play. The first round will take place in the afternoon.

Tuesday, May 12
The Quarterfinal and Semifinal matches will take place.

Wednesday, May 13
The Championship match will be contested on Wednesday morning.

CLICK HERE or the image for a full preview and notes package.

Related Links: (Full Preview) / (Stroke Play Tee Times) / (Field) / (2025 Recap) / (Event History)

Championship Information

The CDGA Mid-Amateur Championship debuted its current format in 2015. Open to CDGA members age 25 or older with a handicap index not exceeding 7.4, the CDGA Mid-Am features an 18-hole stroke play round to determine a 16-player match play bracket. Elmhurst's Jordan Less is the defending champion, notching his first CDGA Mid-Am crown in 2025 with a 20-hole victory over Charlie Waddell at Kemper Lakes Golf Club.