Jordan Less bested David Perkins in 37 holes to claim the 100th CDGA Amateur Championship

100th CDGA Amateur Championship
June 24-27 • Glen View Club (Golf)

Day Four: Thursday, June 27

LESS OUTLASTS PERKINS IN CLASSIC CDGA AMATEUR TITLE TILT
GOLF, Ill. – In a championship match befitting of the venerable CDGA Amateur Championship’s 100th iteration, Jordan Less (Elmhurst / Oak Brook GC) outlasted defending champion David Perkins (East Peoria / Quail Meadows GC) in 37 holes to hoist the Joseph G. Davis Trophy Thursday at Glen View Club.

Less and Perkins matched each other shot-for-shot throughout the majority of the afternoon, both rising to the occasion by playing some of their best golf. The duo combined to notch 23 birdies over the course of the match, which never featured a competitor leading by more than two holes. The entirety of the second 18 was played within a one-hole margin, with the deciding moment coming on the first playoff hole when a Less par secured the title.

“This is probably my first win since junior golf,” Less, a rising senior at Northern Illinois University, said. “Especially against David, the defending champion, it feels really good. We both played great. It was a great match and I’m thankful to be the champion.”

Related Links: (Match Play Tree) / (Photo Gallery) / (Video Recap)

Despite admitting after his win that the circumstances were “the most pressure I’ve ever felt in a golf tournament,” Less excelled down the stretch. With the match even on the par-4 15th, the match’s 33rd hole, Perkins looked primed to go ahead when his wedge approach was good for a tap-in birdie and Less’ third from the greenside bunker left him with a 20-foot uphill bender. However, Less rolled in the putt to keep the match tied, before later staying even with a nervy 12-foot comebacker for par on 17.

“It’s just staying neutral with your golf swing and knowing your tendencies,” Less said of his approach to handing high-pressure situations.

Two pars on 18 set the stage for the decisive first playoff hole. After Less found the fairway with his drive, Perkins’ tee shot leaked right, with his view into the green slightly obstructed by trees. Perkins’ punch shot landed on the green but rolled off the back, while Less’ wedge approach left him just 12 feet for birdie and the championship. Perkins could not get up and down, making Less’ two-putt par enough to finish the match.

“He had a wedge in his hand, so I expected him to hit a good shot, and again he executed well,” Perkins said of the match’s 37th hole. “Once I missed the putt, I knew it was over. It was a tough way to lose.”

Perkins made a valiant effort to become the event’s first back-to-back winner since Joe Affrunti in 2000 and 2001. The senior-to-be at Illinois State University notched 10 birdies over the course of the match’s final 22 holes, including a stretch of four-straight from hole Nos. 20-23, but it wasn’t enough to repeat.

“It was a pretty exciting match,” Perkins said. “Jordan played great, he’s a good player. It was a fun day.

“In the last few days, it’s been a lot of golf and I’ve played plenty of good golf,” Perkins added. “I think I did a pretty good job of defending and I’m proud of how I played this week. Hats off to Jordan.”

Less earned the No. 4 seed for match play with stroke-play rounds of 73 and 69 on Monday. His route to the championship match consisted of topping Nick Tenuta, 4 and 3, Charlie Nikitas in 19 holes and Bennett Cotton, 4 and 3. Perkins’ 6-under total of 138 was good enough for the No. 2 seed in match play, before he bested Drew Shepherd, 4 and 3, 2016 CDGA Am winner Andrew Price in 24 holes and Eric Wessel, 7 and 5.

Up next for Less, Perkins and the CDGA championship schedule is the 89th Illinois State Amateur Championship, slated for July 16-18 at Cantigny Golf.

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Day Three: Wednesday, June 26

DEFENDING CHAMP PERKINS, LESS SET TO SQUARE OFF IN 100th CDGA AM FINALE
GOLF, Ill. – A familiar face and a fresh foe highlight the upcoming 100th CDGA Amateur Championship match, following the Quarterfinal and Semifinal bouts on Wednesday at Glen View Club. David Perkins (East Peoria / Quail Meadows GC) returns to the Championship to defend his title and is set to face off with Jordan Less (Elmhurst / Oak Brook GC) in Thursday’s 36-hole tilt.

Perkins began his day with a marathon match against 2016 CDGA Am winner Andrew Price (Lake Bluff / Conway Farms GC) in which he forced extra holes on a chip-in for eagle on No. 18. He prevailed following his second birdie of the day at the par-5 sixth to move on after 24 holes. Awaiting the rising senior at Illinois State University in the Semifinals was Eric Wessel (DeKalb / Kishwaukee CC) following his 1-up defeat of Chadd Slutzky (Deer Park / The Grove CC).

Related Links: (Match Play Tree) / (Photo Gallery) / (Video Recap)

The extended competition with Price in the morning did not slow Perkins, as he was victorious on four of his first five holes to gain an early lead this afternoon. After Wessel’s lone win of the Semifinal on the sixth hole, Perkins shut the door on the match with wins on four of the final six holes, including a birdie on the last, to win 7 and 5.

“I got it done in the morning,” said Perkins following his day. “I wasn’t hitting it the best, but I grinded around, so I knew that I was still able to win without my best stuff. I used that as momentum and came out and started hitting it really well in the second match and rolled in some putts.”

Less, who also found himself playing extra holes in the morning, took advantage of a bogey on the 19th hole by Charlie Nikitas (Glenview / Glenview Park GC) to advance to the Semifinals. The incoming senior at Northern Illinois University matched up against Bennett Cotten (Winnetka / Shoreacres) who also prevailed in the Quarterfinals after extra holes with Chip Savarie (Winnetka / Glen View Club).

Cotten obtained an early lead in the afternoon by winning the first two holes. Less responded quickly with back-to-back birdies on the fifth and sixth holes to tie the tilt. He did not concede another hole the rest of the day and utilized two additional birdies to wrap-up the match at 4-and-3 and advance to face the defending champion.

“Off the tee I have a pretty solid game plan out here,” said Less of his matches, which included 10 birdies. “It’s a lot easier to hit greens when you have free swings.

“Perkins is a good buddy, and he’s a great player, so I’m really looking forward to tomorrow morning,” Less added when asked about tomorrow’s 36-hole title tilt. The pair will square off at 8:20 a.m. for an opportunity to hoist the Joseph G. Davis trophy.

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Day Two: Tuesday, June 25

PAST CHAMPIONS HIGHLIGHT EIGHT WHO ADVANCE TO CDGA AMATEUR QUARTERS
GOLF, Ill. – Following the Round of 16 matches in the 100th CDGA Amateur Championship at Glen View Club on Tuesday, eight players advanced to Wednesday morning’s quarterfinals, highlighted by a pair of past champions.

After rounds of 71 and 67 on Monday, defending champion David Perkins (East Peoria / Quail Meadows GC) kept his under-par play going in his defeat of Drew Shepherd (Hinsdale / Ruth Lake CC), 4 and 3. Perkins notched five birdies in the match, with red numbers on the first and second holes helping to jump start the rising senior at Illinois State University’s lead. He lost just one hole, No. 9, with a bogey, but regained his 4-up advantage with a birdie on No. 10 and never looked back.

Related Links: (Match Play Tree) / (Photo Gallery) / (Video Recap)

Awaiting Perkins in the quarterfinals is 2016 CDGA Amateur Champion Andrew Price (Lake Bluff / Conway Farms GC), who emerged victorious in his match against Josh Dupont (Winnetka / Glen View Club), 3 and 2. Price, a graduate of the University of Kansas and member of the Jayhawk golf team alongside newly-crowned U.S Open Champion Gary Woodland, withstood a back-and-forth front nine to turn with a 2-up lead. A birdie on the par-5 15th hole clinched the win and a quarterfinal pairing that will feature the only two previous champions to make match play.

Also advancing to Day Three was Bennett Cotten (Winnetka / Shoreacres), who emerged from a 4-for-3 playoff on Monday as the No. 16-seed and took down No. 1 seed and medalist Connor Polender (Lake Bluff / Pine Meadow GC). With the match tied on the 18th tee, Cotten was able to drop a birdie putt for the victory.

Charlie Nikitas (Glenview / Glenview Park GC), who notched a third-place finish in the Illinois State Amateur Championship at Bloomington Country Club last summer, also survived the Round of 16, defeating Dan Anfield (Channahon / Mistwood GC), 1 up. Chadd Slutzky (Deer Park / The Grove CC), a four-time champion in CDGA-administered events, overcame an ace by his opponent Tommy Dunsire (Naperville / Medinah CC), on the par-3, 175-yard seventh to also advance, 1-up.

Quarterfinal matches tee off on Wednesday morning at 8 a.m. at Glen View Club, with the semifinals slated to begin at 1 p.m. The 36-hole final match will take place Thursday.

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Day One: Monday, June 24

POLENDER EARNS MEDALIST HONORS IN DEBUT AS ROUND OF 16 IS SET
GOLF, Ill. – The opening day of the 100th CDGA Amateur Championship concluded Monday evening at Glen View Club following 36 stroke-play holes and a weather delay of one hour and 33 minutes. The 75-player field was trimmed to just 16 as Connor Polender (Lake Bluff / Pine Meadow GC) earned medalist honors following rounds of 67 and 70.

The rising sophomore from Liberty University carded a pair of bogey-free rounds en route to a 7-under par day. In the morning, Polender fired off four birdies on his opening nine to go out in 32. One last birdie on 17 capped off his 5-under 67. A pair of birdies in the afternoon completed his day. This is Polender’s first CDGA Amateur Championship, as he made his debut in CDGA-administered championships in last year’s Illinois State Amateur Championship at Bloomington Country Club.

His opponent in the first round of match play will be Bennett Cotton (Winnetka / Shoreacres) who, along with James Morton (Sugar Grove / Prairie Landing GC) and Drew Shepherd (Hinsdale / Ruth Lake CC), advanced in a 4-for-3 playoff that was contested at sunset.

Defending champion David Perkins (East Peoria / Quail Meadows GC) followed a 71 in the morning with a 67 in the afternoon to finish at 6-under. Eric Wessel (Dekalb / Kishwaukee CC) was close behind at 4-under par. Daniel Anfield (Channahon / Mistwood GC), Tommy Dunsire (Naperville / Medinah CC) and Jordan Less (Elmhurst / Oak Brook CC) each came in at 2-under, while 2016 CDGA Amateur champion Andrew Price (Lake Bluff / Conway Farms GC) and Chip Savarie (Winnetka / Glen View Club) rounded out those in red figures at 1-under.

The Round of 16 is scheduled to begin at 12 p.m. on Tuesday. The quarterfinal and semifinal matches will take place Wednesday before the 36-hole championship match on Thursday.

Related Links: (Stroke Play Results) / (Match Play Tree) / (Photo Gallery)

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Preview

CDGA AMATEUR TURNS 100 AT GLEN VIEW CLUB JUNE 24-27
LEMONT, Ill. -The oldest CDGA Championship celebrates its centennial edition when the 100th CDGA Amateur Championship visits Glen View Club June 24-27. The victor of this four-day championship will have their name engraved on the Joseph G. Davis Trophy, alongside amateur golf legends like Chick Evans, Robert A. Gardner, Frank Stranahan and Joel Hirsch. Glen View Club plays host for just the second time, as it was the site of the 2nd CDGA Amateur Championship in 1915, won by Donald Edwards.

FORMAT

The CDGA Am is a grueling test of golf, as the event’s last five champions have averaged to play 123 holes over the course of the event.

The entire field will play 36 holes of stroke play on Monday June 24, with tee times starting at 7:30 a.m. and the low 16 advancing to match play. The afternoon of Tuesday, June 25 will feature the first round of matches before the quarterfinals and semifinals take place on Wednesday, June 26. A 36-hole championship match on Thursday, June 27 will determine the winner.

FIELD

A total of 75 amateur golfers will be teeing it up at Glen View Club. Registration was open to any CDGA member with an official USGA Handicap Index ® of 7.4 or below. 285 golfers registered for the event, with 12 players exempt, and the remaining 63 gaining entry via qualifiers at Cress Creek Country Club, Innsbrook Country Club, Pontiac Elks Country Club and Glen Flora Country Club

Related Links: (Full Preview) / ("By the Numbers" Infographic) / (Stroke Play Tee Times) / (Field) / (Chicago District Golfer Feature) / (2018 Recap) / (Event History)

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Qualifying

Date	Site	Information
May 28	Cress Creek Country Club (Naperville)	RESULTS
June 3	Innsbrook Country Club (Merillville)	RESULTS
June 5	Pontiac Elks Country Club (Pontiac)	RESULTS
June 10	Glen Flora Country Club (Waukegan)	RESULTS

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Championship Information
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. David Perkins took home the hardware in 2018.