Bloomington's Brandon Holtz won the 34th Illinois State Mid-Amateur Championship at Edgewood Valley Country Club by a record six shots.
34th Illinois State Mid-Amateur Championship August 17-18 • Edgewood Valley Country Club (Burr Ridge)
Day Two: Tuesday, August 18
HEADLINE-GRABBING HOLTZ CLAIMS 34TH ILLINOIS STATE MID-AM TITLE AT EDGEWOOD VALLEY
BURR RIDGE, Ill. – The story in recent weeks across the Chicago District has been the rain. Golf courses have taken the brunt of these stressful times, with maintenance crews working overtime to clean up downed trees and limbs in order to restore playability. While Edgewood Valley Country Club, host of the 34th Illinois State Mid-Amateur Championship, was in great condition for the state’s top golfers age 25 and older, down south, Brandon Holtz (Bloomington) has been dealing with a flooded basement.
The stress at home would certainly be enough to make a phone call and withdraw from the event. And after an eventful summer schedule of travel and golf, who could blame him? But that’s not Holtz, who left Central Illinois at 4 a.m. on Monday to compete this week.
“And actually, after having 20 inches of water in my basement, this is a tournament that I was like, ‘Well, maybe I better not show up to this’,” admitted the 39-year-old. “But you just gotta keep going. You can’t give up - keep playing and keep riding.”
Holtz’s ‘can-do’ mentality proved fruitful on Tuesday afternoon, as he hoisted the Illinois State Mid-Amateur Championship Trophy following a third-round even-par 72. He finished an eye-popping six shots clear of Chadd Slutzky (Deer Park) and Daniel Stringfellow (Chicago). The margin of victory breaks the former record of four strokes (Todd Mitchell (Bloomington) in 2013, Greg Bauman (Village of Lakewood) in 2017) and Holtz’s 10-under-par finish is believed to be the lowest 54-hole score to par in Illinois State Mid-Am history.
For the reigning U.S. Mid-Amateur Champion, who has competed across the country in a multitude of elite amateur and professional events over the last 12 months, including the U.S. Amateur last week in Pennsylvania, Holtz proved he has finally hit his stride.
“It was good; I played solid pretty much all day today,” said Holtz after the win. “I had a couple of really bad mental mistakes, and compounded them with a bad shot on top of it. I just had to battle through that for a few holes. I had a couple of good shots coming in and found something.”
Holtz started the final 18-hole day with a four-stroke advantage over Stringfellow and Scott Ten Broeck (Yorkville). On the outward nine, he practiced “patience and just taking it one shot at a time,” as he notched birdies on Nos. 2 and 8. Gusty conditions caused problems elsewhere, as Holtz’s chasers failed to keep pace. By the halfway point, he had built a six-shot lead, and it looked as if that might even grow larger. Despite the separation, Holtz kept a keen eye on the leaderboard.
“I’m always looking, just to stay in it,” said Holtz of checking scores at the turn. “I’m sure I’m always going to look, competition-wise, just to see how aggressive or not aggressive we need to be.”
The aggression quickly evoked trouble, as Holtz’s “pin-hunting” approach on No. 11 sailed over the green, leaving a difficult and unsuccessful up-and-down that ultimately ended in a double bogey. He then amplified his problems when a powerful putt left a testy four-foot par save on No. 12. He would walk away with a bogey, as well as some self-talk.
“I really wanted to make that [putt],” said Holtz. “And after that, I just had that little talk with myself, like, ‘What are we doing? Just calm down. Hit a good shot.’”
Despite his slip, nobody seized the opportunity to take a run at the leader. After a birdie on the par-5 14th to steady the ship, Holtz would ride pars on the final four holes to an even-par 72 and a state championship title.
Much has been written and said about Holtz’s schedule since his U.S. Mid-Amateur victory last September in Arizona. Invitations have come from all over. Planning travel has become a common routine. And for the former Illinois State basketball walk-on, while bearing the fruits of his victory has been a fun ride, it hasn’t come without its difficulties. Ones you don’t see on social media - such as a flooded
“I guess I’m still learning a little bit,” said Holtz of the last year. “The logistics and the travel is nuts. And I think it’s just that grit, that determination to keep on, not to give up.”
While he’s performed well in these new competitions, Holtz claims he has been searching for his game all year. He hasn’t won since he emerged victorious at Troon Country Club almost a year ago. And so Tuesday’s victory, in his home state, may very well prove to be the confidence needed to kick his amateur career into high gear.
“It’s kind of like the start to the new, I guess, golf career in Illinois,” said Holtz. “I was always a basketball player. Didn’t really play in any events. I mean, the Mid-Am was my first USGA event last year. So now, getting to play in these, it’s just fun.”
The CDGA Championship calendar rolls on with another Illinois State championship next up on the docket - the 40th Illinois State Senior Amateur Championship. The Maun-Nah-Tee-See Club in Rockford will welcome the state’s top players age 55 and older, Sept. 14-16.
BY THE NUMBERS
Tuesday’s 18-hole final round featured a scoring average of 74.81, compared to Monday’s 36-hole overall average of 75.78.
Despite four eagles in the first round and two in the second, the field notched just one in the final round as Joseph Cermak (Mount Prospect) carded a 2 on the par-4 third hole.
The field combined to post 96 birdies throughout the day Tuesday with the par-5 first and par-5 16th each yielding nine.
The par-3 13th (188 yards) proved the most challenging for the field on Tuesday, playing to an average of 3.62. Conversely, the par-5 16th played the easiest at 4.84.
Of the five previous Illinois State Mid-Amateur winners who played on Tuesday, Chadd Slutzky (Deer Park) finished highest in a tie for second.
Holtz’s victory is the first by a Bloomington native since Todd Mitchell’s 2016 triumph at Flossmoor Country Club.
John Ramsey (Glenview), the 2020 Illinois State Mid-Amateur victor at Edgewood Valley, finished in a tie for 14th.
Edgewood Valley Country Club played host to the 2006 Illinois State Amateur Championship. While a 72-hole event, Rob Grube (Hinsdale), a standout at Stanford University, captured the title at -10 as well.
The top 20 and ties from Tuesday’s final round are exempt into next year’s Illinois State Mid-Amateur Championship.
Day One: Monday, August 17
HOLTZ RIDES BUSY SUMMER INTO STATE MID-AM LEAD FOLLOWING DAY ONE
BURR RIDGE, Ill. – A year ago, Brandon Holtz (Bloomington) was preparing for the first USGA championship of his career after regaining his amateur status. Little did he know, a return to amateur golf was about to change his life forever.
His triumph in the 44th U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship at Troon Country Club in Arizona earned the 39-year-old opportunities and exemptions many golfers can only dream of. Hoisting the Robert T. Jones Trophy meant trips to compete in the 2026 Masters Tournament, 2026 U.S. Open, as well as the two ensuing U.S. Amateurs and the next 10 U.S. Mid-Amateurs, among others.
While this season has included more travel than he’s used to, Holtz has made time to compete in his home state, including a trip to the Semifinals in the CDGA Mid-Amateur Championship at Glen Flora Country Club in May. This time vying for the Illinois State Mid-Amateur title in the event’s 34th iteration at Edgewood Valley Country Club, the man who has shown he can win on one of golf’s biggest stages is looking to do it again, even after an unexpected start to the week following his return from the U.S. Amateur at Merion Golf Club in Pennsylvania.
“Down in Bloomington, we had a couple of big storms come through over the last week,” Holtz said after the round. “My wife and I woke up Saturday morning and we had about 18-20 inches of water in our basement. We fought that all day Saturday and into Sunday. We finally got all of the water out and we are just trying to get everything dry and moved out of the basement, so the plans of coming up here Sunday to poke around a few holes and take a look at the golf course, fortunately and unfortunately, my basement takes priority to that, so I had to stay home. I woke up this morning at about 4 a.m. and got on the road and here we are.”
The father of two who continues to juggle a busy schedule has clearly learned how to thrive without proper sleep, as he showed up Monday morning and fired rounds of 65 and 69 to claim a four-shot lead over the robust mid-amateur field. His opening round featured nine birdies to just two bogeys while carrying his bag due to wet conditions not allowing for carts to be on the course throughout the morning.
“On the first 18, I got out to a hot start. I probably hit five wedges inside of three to five feet,” Holtz said. “I just kind of got it rolling early.”
Buggy secured for the afternoon 18, Holtz’s 69 included four more birdies, three of which came on his final nine of the day.
Long nights into early mornings ahead of 36 holes would wear many down. Not Holtz, who admitted the schedule has been a bit chaotic this season.
“I haven’t,” said a chuckling Holtz when asked how he’s managed his busy summer. “I’m doing a lot of traveling, which I’m not used to, so just trying to figure out the logistics of it all has been tough…It’s been a heck of a year though and I’d do it all over again, it would just look a little bit different.”
Closest behind the former Illinois State basketball player are reigning CDGA Amateur champion Daniel Stringfellow (Chicago) and Scott Ten Broeck (Yorkville). The duo posted two-round totals of 138 on Monday to close the day at 6-under par.
A number of past Illinois State Mid-Amateur winners also remain in contention, with 2024 champ Andrew Price (Lake Bluff) and 2020 victor John Ramsey (Northbrook) leading the group in a tie for fifth at -2. Three-time winner Chadd Slutzky (Deer Park) is T13 at even par and one shot ahead of defending titleholder Max Scodro (Lake Forest).
In total, 37 players made the cut, which came in at +5.
The final round is set to begin at 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday, with Holtz, Stringfellow and Ten Broeck rounding out the group at 9:30.BY THE NUMBERS
Monday’s 36-hole day featured an overall scoring average of 75.78. The two rounds played relatively similarly, with the morning playing to a 75.74 average and the afternoon to 75.81
The field combined to post 362 birdies throughout the day Monday, with the par-5 first yielding the most at 74
The par-4 11th played as the toughest hole on the day at nearly half-a-shot over par (4.49). There were just 11 birdies carded to 65 bogeys or worse
Holtz’s opening-round 65 was the lowest of the day and featured the most birdies in a single round with nine
Seven past Illinois State Mid-Amateurs teed it up Monday, five of which will return on Tuesday to battle for another title
Preview
Next up on the 2026 slate of CDGA-administered championships is the 34th Illinois State Mid-Amateur Championship, Aug. 17-18, at Edgewood Valley Country Club in Burr Ridge. Three rounds of stroke play await a field featuring the state's top amateurs age 25 and up.
Schedule
Monday, August 17 The entire field will play 36 holes of stroke play to determine the low 35 and ties who will advance to the 18-hole finale.
Tuesday, August 18 The low 35 and ties from Monday will compete across 18 holes to determine a champion.
CLICK HERE or the image for a full preview and notes package.
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. Lake Forest native Max Scodro won the Championship last summer.
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.
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.
Bloomington's Brandon Holtz won the 34th Illinois State Mid-Amateur Championship at Edgewood Valley Country Club by a record six shots.
Preview
