Brad Kay and Brien Gerber were presented the CDGA Senior Amateur Four-Ball Championship trophy by CDGA Ex-Officio Michael Grandinetti following their 3-and-2 victory in the final matchDay Four: Thursday, Sept. 26
“We know each other, we know when we need to get picked up and when we can let the person just stew,” said Gerber. “So, it’s a good relationship for sure.”
That insider knowledge helped spur the duo to a Championship trophy Thursday, as the pair defeated Vance Antoniou (North Barrington / Butler National GC) and Mark Esposito (Schaumburg / Blackberry Oaks GC), 3 and 2, in the 4th CDGA Senior Amateur Four-Ball Championship at Calumet Country Club.
Related Links: (Match Play Tree) / (Photo Gallery)In their first appearance in the event, following a withdrawal prior to last year’s edition at Indian Hill Club, Gerber and Kay had maintained a strategy of uplifting each other all week. In the Championship match, versus an Antoniou-Esposito team who had reached the Quarterfinals in two of their three CDGA Senior Amateur Four-Ball appearances, the mindset was to continue to
“We talked about how, all week, we’ve just ‘ham-and-egged’ and today was just another one of those events where, if I was struggling on a hole, Brien carried it, and vice versa,” said Kay. “We just continued to do that all through today.”
Following an uneventful first four holes to the final match, Antoniou and Esposito seized a 1-up lead following a Gerber and Kay bogey on the par-3 5th. Three holes later, Kay stuck his tee shot on the par-3 8th to 15 feet and buried the putt to tie the match. On the ensuing 9th hole, it was Gerber’s turn to impact the title tilt, as he flighted his approach from an uneven lie on the 488-yard par 5 to 3 feet and knocked in the eagle putt to grab the momentum back.
“2 - 3 is a great way to finish a nine,” said Kay. “I’ve watched Brien make three eagles in the last week, so it’s been nice being a spectator, watching that. You win two holes in a row at the turn, that’s a big, huge deal.”
“Great putt he made on 8 and got a good bounce on 9 to get it close there, so it was good to take advantage of that,” added Gerber.
A par on the par-3 11th hole upped the advantage to two, and another on the par-3 14th pushed it to three. Esposito, however, got one back with a 12-foot birdie on the par-5 15th to provide a glimmer of hope to his side. The comeback fell short on the 16th, though, after Antoniou and Esposito found the green in four and three, respectively. Antoniou was unable to get up and down from a greenside bunker, and an Esposito three-putt meant bogey for the side and a victory for Gerber and Kay.
Asked following their victory about the keys to their success, Kay stated that the pair were able to “hit a lot of good putts,” something they had done in previous rounds, but hadn’t seen positive results from. He also praised Gerber’s length off the tee, as it provided an advantage against other senior amateurs.
As evidence of their years of solid rapport, Gerber was not to be outdone by his partner’s compliments and revisited the foundation of their golfing chemistry and how it translated to the pair taking home the championship hardware.
“I wouldn’t pick another partner for any other event,” said Gerber. “My partner is a grinder. Every time I was down and out, he was able to keep plugging away and keep us in a lot of holes where I was not feeling 100%. Just never giving up really, and having the confidence that we could win the match was key.”
The event marks the conclusion of the 2019 championship season. In all, the CDGA administered 10 championships, including three Illinois State events.
Day Three: Wednesday, Sept. 25
In the morning, Antoniou and Esposito, who have progressed to at least the Quarterfinals in two of their three appearances in this event, advanced to the afternoon matches following a 19-hole victory over David Feder (Lincolnshire / Conway Farms GC) and Guy Lay (Northbrook / Bob O’Link GC). Pitted against John Cullen (Northbrook / Sportsman’s CC) and Dennis Newman (Algonquin / Kemper Lakes GC) in the Semifinals, Antoniou and Esposito grabbed a 3-up lead with wins on No. 9-11, including birdies on the 9th and 11th. Although Cullen and Newman fought back with birdies on Nos. 14 and 15 to go 1 down, Antoniou and Esposito won No. 16 with a par. A halve with birdies on No. 17 sealed the 2-and-1 victory.
Related Links: (Match Play Tree) / (Photo Gallery)Gerber and Kay faced Brad Barker (Elmhurst / Bloomington CC) and Dan Roan (Elmhurst / CDGA Affiliates) in the Quarterfinals, and sat 1 down on the 17th tee. Kay drained a birdie putt on No. 17 to tie the match, and then stuck his approach close on No. 18. A two-putt par was enough to advance, 1 up. Awaiting the pair in the Semifinals was the team of defending champs and two-time winners Tim Sheppard (East Peoria / Pekin Park District) and Tom Kearfott (El Paso / El Paso GC). Gerber and Kay built a comfortable 3-up lead by the 7th, but Sheppard and Kearfott slowly fought back and took a 1-up advantage with a birdie on No. 14. An eagle on the par-5 16th and a birdie on No. 17 gave Kay and Gerber the lead back, and with a halve on the 18th, saw them through to the Championship match with a 1-up win in their first appearance in the event.
Thursday’s 18-hole Championship match is slated tee get under way at 8 a.m.
Day Two: Tuesday, Sept. 24
For just the second time in the event’s four-year history, the top-seeded duo advanced to the Quarterfinals, as Tom Fox (Palos Heights / Beverly CC) and Craig McDonnell (Evergreen Park / CDGA Member’s Club) bested Bob Buthod (Crystal Lake / Crystal Lake CC) and Mike Karney (Crystal Lake / Crystal Lake CC) 3 and 2. The match was tied through 12 holes before Fox/McDonnell won three-consecutive holes to gain control of the tilt.
Related Links: (Match Play Tree) / (Photo Gallery)Seeking their second-straight and third overall win in this event, the pairing of Tom Kearfott (El Paso / El Paso GC) and Tim Sheppard (East Peoria / Pekin Park District) were 1 down to Larry Ahearn (Gardner / Pontiac Elks CC) and Joel Patten (Dwight / Pontiac Elks CC) through five holes before winning holes No. 6-10, four of which with birdies, en route to a 4-and-3 triumph.
The other teams moving on to the Quarterfinals are John Cullen (Northbrook / Sportsman’s CC) and Dennis Newman (Algonquin / Kemper Lakes GC), David Feder (Lincolnshire / Conway Farms GC) and Guy Lay (Northbrook / Bob O’Link GC), Vance Antoniou (North Barrington / Butler National GC) and Mark Esposito (Schaumburg / Blackberry Oaks GC), Brad Barker (Elmhurst / Bloomington CC) and Dan Roan (Elmhurst / CDGA Affiliates), Brien Gerber (Naperville / Springbrook GC) and Brad Kay (Arlington Heights / Ivanhoe Club) and Rick LeHew (Brimfield / CDGA Staff) and Jeff White (Peoria / Mt. Hawley CC).
Quarterfinal matches are slated to tee off at 8 a.m. Wednesday, with the Semifinal matches following in the afternoon. The Championship match is scheduled for Thursday morning.
Day One: Monday, Sept. 23
The tandem of Tom Fox (Palos Heights / Beverly CC) and Craig McDonnell (Evergreen Park / CDGA Member’s Club) enter Tuesday’s Round of 16 as the top seed after earning medalist honors with a 4-under 67 on Monday. Starting on the back nine, the duo’s lone blemish came when they bogeyed the par-5 15th, notching five birdies otherwise. Their Round of 16 opponents will be Bob Buthod (Crystal Lake / Crystal Lake CC) and Mike Karney (Cyrstal Lake / Crystal Lake CC), who were one of seven pairs to shoot 1-over 72 before advancing from a 7-for-1 playoff with a birdie on the second hole.
Related Links: (Stroke Play Results) / (Match Play Tree)Defending champions and two-time winners Tom Kearfott (El Paso / El Paso GC) and Tim Sheppard (East Peoria / Pekin Park District) claimed the No. 3 seed by firing a 2-under 69. Other teams featuring past individual victors of CDGA-administered championships to advance include No. 4 seed Vance Antoniou (North Barrington / Butler National GC) and Mark Esposito (Schaumburg / Blackberry Oaks GC), No. 10 seed Brien Gerber (Naperville / Springbrook GC) and Brad Kay (Arlington Heights / Ivanhoe Club) and No. 11 seed Rick LeHew (Brimfield / CDGA Staff) and Jeff White (Peoria / Mt. Hawley CC).
Match play will begin at 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday. The Quarterfinals and Semifinals are slated for Wednesday before the event culminates with the Championship match on Thursday.
Preview
Play in the championship begins on Monday, Sept. 23 with an 18-hole stroke-play round to determine the low 16 teams that will advance to the match-play bracket. Match play begins Tuesday morning with the Round of 16, with Quarterfinal and Semifinal matches taking place on Wednesday. The stage will then be set for the Championship match on Thursday morning.
Designed to emulate the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship, each golfer plays their own ball. The low gross score on each hole counts as a team’s score.
ABOUT THE FIELDChampionship Information
New to the CDGA championship slate in 2016, the CDGA Senior Amateur Four-Ball Championship is a team match play event for those over the age of 55. 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. The duo of Tim Sheppard and Tom Kearfott won the Championship in 2018 at Indian Hill Club.
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