Nicholas Grubnich (left) and Michael Fastert punctuated their triumph with a 5-and-3 Championship Match victory over Brien Davis and John Ehrgott at Skokie Country Club.
11th CDGA Amateur Four-Ball Championship October 5-7 • Skokie Country Club (Glencoe)
Day Three: Wednesday, October 7
FASTERT, GRUBNICH CAP DOMINANT FOUR-BALL TRIUMPH AT SKOKIE
GLENCOE, Ill.– The level of dominance displayed by the duo of Michael Fastert (Libertyville / The Sanctuary GC) and Nicholas Grubnich (Crown Point, Ind. / Innsbrook CC) in the 11th CDGA Amateur Four-Ball Championship at Skokie Country Club was emblematic of a team with years of experience playing alongside one another.
Except, this event marked the first time they had paired up for a high-level competition.
A 5-and-3 victory over Brien Davis (Peoria / WeaverRidge GC) and John Ehrgott (Edwards / Arrowhead CC) Wednesday afternoon punctuated an impressive three-day stretch during which the tandem earned stroke play medalist honors by a commanding four strokes and lost only two holes throughout four matches, winning 6 and 4, 7 and 6, and 7 and 5 before their dispatching of Davis / Ehrgott.
“We made a lot of birdies,” Fastert said with a smirk afterwards. “That's usually a good thing.”
Fastert, 47, and Grubnich, 33, first met roughly 16 years ago when paired together in a U.S. Amateur qualifier. The two stayed in touch throughout the ensuing years, which featured Fastert becoming a mainstay on the local amateur golf circuit and Grubnich playing collegiately at Indiana University before a brief professional career and reinstated amateur status.
They each notched impressive individual amateur golf accomplishments, with Fastert claiming second in the 2017 CDGA Amateur Championship and 2023 Four-Ball, alongside Ethan Farnam, and Grubnich winning last year’s Champion of Champions Tournament at Park Ridge Country Club.
The one thing missing from each of their resumes, however, was a victory in a CDGA-administered competition. This quest eventually united the two for this event, a decision that left both feeling “ecstatic” as the sun set at the north suburban staple.
“It means a lot,” reflected Fastert, crediting his wife and two young children for extra motivation to get over the hump. “Coming in second means you're good enough to get there, but you obviously want to win. It’s amazing.”
“I had a great partner to lean on all week,” Grubnich added. “I’m super thrilled to get it done.”
Grubnich cited fast starts as key to each of their triumphs, with Wednesday afternoon’s joust against the 2024 event champions being no exception. Grubnich’s par on the par-3 second drew first blood before Ehrgott notched a birdie on the par-5 fourth to even the match. Hole Nos. 6-9 proved to be the crucial stretch, as the eventual victors won three of the last four on the outward nine to seize control.
“I feel like we did a really good job of getting people down early, just to build that early momentum,” Grubnich said. “Then, we just kept capitalizing on our opportunities and kept building on those great starts, which was awesome.”
Ehrgott and Davis would not go quietly, however, as they displayed their championship mettle by tying Nos. 10 and 11 to stem the tide. This provided an opportunity for Fastert and Grubnich to regroup and map out a strategy for the closing stretch.
“Mike looked at me on No. 12 tee and said, ‘We at least need three more birdies,’” Grubnich recalled.
“You can't get complacent,” Fastert added. “You still have to put the accelerator pedal down and go for it.”
The plan was executed to perfection. The teams matched birdies on the par-5 13th before Grubnich rolled in putts for 3 on the par-4 14th and 15th holes to close out the victory.
The event was originally scheduled to be contested in July before weather necessitated a postponement to the October dates. The Championship Match marked the penultimate day of the 2026 CDGA Championship season, with the slate set to conclude with the finale of the 11th CDGA Senior Amateur Championship at Ridgemoor Country Club on Thursday.
MATCH PLAY RESULTS Championship Match
(1) Michael Fastert / Nicholas Grubnich def. (6) Brien Davis / John Ehrgott, 5 and 3
Semifinal Matches
(1) Michael Fastert / Nicholas Grubnich def. (5) Benny Mulhearn / Zach Mulhearn, 7 and 5
(6) Brien Davis / John Ehrgott def. (7) Nicholas Feinberg / Justin Schwab, 2 and 1
Day Two: Tuesday, October 6
MEDALISTS CRUISE TO SEMIFINALS ON MORNING-TO-DUSK DAY AT SKOKIE
GLENCOE, Ill.– Twelve matches contested over the course of nearly 11 hours comprised the second day of the 11th CDGA Amateur Four-Ball Championship on a breezy Tuesday at Skokie Country Club. The action was headlined by medalists Michael Fastert (Libertyville / The Sanctuary GC) and Nicholas Grubnich (Crown Point, Ind. / Innsbrook CC) continuing their stretch of dominance. Two other teams clinched Semifinal spots, with the final berth still up for grabs on Wednesday morning, as play was suspended at 6:30 p.m. due to darkness.
Get to know the three teams who have advanced thus far ahead of Wednesday’s final day, which is slated to include the conclusion of the final Quarterfinal, the Semifinals and the Championship Match:
Round of 16: def. (16) Beecher Abeles and Christopher Nelson, 6 and 4
Quarterfinals: def. (8) John Hakewill and Michael Slovitt, 7 and 6
Both victories were wire-to-wire, with the duo winning the first hole each match and not looking back
First time competing as a team in this event
Grubnich won the 2025 Champion of Champions Tournament at Park Ridge Country Club
Fastert is a two-time CDGA-administered event runner up, including the 2021 iteration of the Four-Ball at Flossmoor Golf Club alongside Ethan Farnam
(5) Benny Mulhearn (Wheaton / Glen Oak CC) and Zach Mulhearn (Wheaton / Glen Oak CC)
Stroke Play: 68 (-3)
Round of 16: def. (12) Matthew Cohen and Cameron Karney, 1 up
Quarterfinals: def. (4) Charles Waddell and Maxwell Scodro, 2 and 1
Brothers and sons of longtime Glen Oak head golf professional Danny Mulhearn
First time qualifying as a duo for the CDGA Amateur Four-Ball Championship
Benny birdied No. 18 to break a stalemate against Cohen/Karney and claim victory
Zach was runner up in the 2023 CDGA Amateur Championship at Glen Flora Country Club, losing to Waddell in the title tilt; competed collegiately at the University of St. Thomas and Loyola (Chicago)
(7) Nicholas Feinberg (Chicago / Olympia Fields CC) and Justin Schwab (Beach Park / CDGA Member’s Club)
Stroke Play: 68 (-3)
Round of 16: def. (10) Michael Natale and Steve Sawtell, 4 and 2
Quarterfinals: def. (15) Jason Wombacher / David Beto, 19 holes
Second year competing together; made Round of 16 in 2025 at Eagle Brook CC
Trailed by at least two holes in both matches Tuesday, including a 3-down-through-12 deficit in the Quarterfinals
Schwab birdied No. 18 to force extra holes before Feinberg claimed victory with a birdie on No. 1 in the Quarterfinal defeat of Beto/Wombacher
The fourth Quarterfinal featuring No. 14 seeds Trevor Jay (West Chicago / The Grove CC) and Tyler Murphy (Arlington Heights / The Grove CC) and 2024 champions Brien Davis (Peoria / WeaverRidge GC) and John Ehrgott (Edwards / Arrowhead CC) was suspended due to darkness while tied through 16 holes. That match will resume on Wednesday morning in advance of the event’s final two rounds.
MATCH PLAY RESULTS Round of 16 Matches
(1) Michael Fastert / Nicholas Grubnich def. (16) Beecher Abeles / Christopher Nelson, 6 and 4
(8) John Hakewill / Michael Slovitt def. Ryan Anetsberger / Mike O'Connell, 4 and 2
(4) Charles Waddell / Maxwell Scodro def. (13) Robert Bruce / Gino Brizuela, 5 and 4
(5) Benny Mulhearn / Zach Mulhearn def. (12) Matthew Cohen / Cameron Karney, 1 up
(15) David Beto / Jason Wombacher def. (2) Brian Hickey / Will Hickey, 4 and 3
(7) Nicholas Feinberg / Justin Schwab def. (10) Michael Natale / Steve Sawtell, 4 and 2
(14) Trevor Jay / Tyler Murphy def. (3) Collin Piercy / John Callahan, 3 and 2
(6) Brien Davis / John Ehrgott def. (11) Trevor Lay / AJ Merz, 1 up
Quarterfinal Matches
(1) Michael Fastert / Nicholas Grubnich def. (8) John Hakewill / Michael Slovitt, 7 and 6
(5) Benny Mulhearn / Zach Mulhearn def. (4) Charles Waddell / Maxwell Scodro, 2 and 1
(7) Nicholas Feinberg / Justin Schwab def. (15) David Beto / Jason Wombacher, 19 holes
(14) Trevor Jay / Tyler Murphy vs. (6) Brien Davis / John Ehrgott, tied through 16 holes
Day One: Monday, October 5
MATCH PLAY SET FOLLOWING 11TH CDGA AMATEUR FOUR-BALL STROKE-PLAY QUALIFYING AT SKOKIE
GLENCOE, Ill.– More than two months after its originally scheduled dates, the 11th CDGA Amateur Four-Ball Championship kicked off with stroke-play qualifying on Monday at Skokie Country Club. Under perfect autumnal skies, just under 40 tandems competed for one of 16 available match-play spots, with the duo of Michael Fastert (Libertyville / Sanctuary GC) and Nicholas Grubnich (Crown Point, Ind. / Innsbrook CC) leading the way by day’s end with a 9-under 62. The cut line fell at -1.
After a steady first two holes, Fastert and Grubnich notched birdies on four of five holes from Nos. 3-7. The pair notched more birdies around the turn, with red figures on Nos. 9 and 10, before three-straight birdies on Nos. 13-15. A tenth birdie was negated by a bogey on Skokie’s finisher.
Elsewhere, the brotherly combo of Brian Hickey (Burr Ridge / Edgewood Valley CC) and Will Hickey (Burr Ridge / Edgewood Valley CC) earned the No. 2 seed following a 5-under 66. Following closely behind was the 2024 event champions in Brien Davis (Peoria / WeaverRidge GC) and John Ehrgott (Edwards / Arrowhead CC), who notched three birdies and an eagle, to just one bogey. Speaking of former champions, also advancing to match play were the 2016 & 2018 victors in Michael Natale (Burr Ridge / Edgewood Valley CC) and Steve Sawtell (Northfield / Merit Club), who carded a 2-under 69.
Tuesday will feature the Round of 16 matches in the morning, followed by the Quarterfinal matches in the afternoon. The Semifinal and Championship matches are slated for Wednesday.
Preview
The 2026 slate of CDGA-administered championships continues with the 11th CDGA Amateur Four-Ball Championship, October 5-7, at Skokie Country Club in Glencoe. The event returns after being postponed in late July due to severe storms in the Chicago District. Now, 18 holes of stroke-play qualifying and a 16-team match-play bracket await a field featuring nearly 40 of the Chicago District's top tandems.
Schedule
Monday, October 5 The entire field will play 18 holes of stroke play to determine the low 16 who will advance to match play.
Tuesday, October 6 The Round of 16 and Quarterfinal matches will take place.
Wednesday, October 7 The Semifinal and Championship matches will be contested on Wednesday.
CLICK HERE or the image for a full preview and notes package.
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. Cousins Jackson Hulsey and Joseph Luchtenburg hoisted the hardware for the first time in 2025, defeating Dustin Sloat and Tyler Comerford in the Final match.
Players will need to complete the registration process to be placed on the waitlist. The credit card used during registration will NOT be charged until you are confirmed into the event.
Players will need to complete the registration process to be placed on the waitlist. The credit card used during registration will NOT be charged until you are confirmed into the event.
Players will need to complete the registration process to be placed on the waitlist. The credit card used during registration will NOT be charged until you are confirmed into the event.
Players will need to complete the registration process to be placed on the waitlist. The credit card used during registration will NOT be charged until you are confirmed into the event.
Nicholas Grubnich (left) and Michael Fastert punctuated their triumph with a 5-and-3 Championship Match victory over Brien Davis and John Ehrgott at Skokie Country Club.
Preview
