| Midwest Golf House | Contact: Casey Richards |
| 11855 Archer Avenue | (630) 685-2324 |
| Lemont, IL 60439 | crichards@cdga.org |
| Contact: Tim Merrick | |
| (630) 685-2302 | |
| tmerrick@cdga.org | |
| Contact: Jacob Bomeli | |
| (630) 685-2345 | |
| jbomeli@cdga.org |
| For Immediate Release | June 29, 2023 |
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| BEAUBIEN, JR. BESTS FIELD, CAPTURES 103RD CDGA AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP | |
| Thursday, June 29, 2023 - GLENCOE, Ill. - It was no secret Thursday at Lake Shore Country Club that Robert Beaubien, Jr. (Barrington / Biltmore CC) has countless family members and friends wishing nothing but the best for the 22-year-old and his golf career. Many of those closest to him were on-hand cheering him on as Beaubien, Jr. joined the long, impressive list of amateur golfers to have hoisted the Joseph G. Davis Trophy. Beaubien, Jr. defeated Danny Fisher (Lake Forest / Lake Bluff GC), 6 and 5, in the 36-hole Final match of the 103rd CDGA Amateur Championship to do so. "It`s awesome," Beaubien, Jr. said after the win. "I really didn`t think I`d ever be in the position to say that I won this event, but it`s really cool to have won [it] and be able to add my name to the list of all of the people that have won the event. It`s pretty special, I`m pretty happy." The support may have been what the rising fifth-year senior at Illinois Wesleyan needed, as the grueling four-day test of golf at Lake Shore is more than some can handle. Following 36 holes of stroke-play qualifying on Monday, Beaubien, Jr. and Fisher played three 18-hole matches between Tuesday and Wednesday before the two-loop finale on Thursday. Through it all, Beaubien, Jr. was seen smiling and chatting with numerous teammates and family members serving as caddies and top supporters. "It`s awesome," Beaubien, Jr. said of having such a following. "We`ve got such a great program over there (at Illinois Wesleyan) and all of those guys are such great guys, they came from hours away just to come watch. It means a ton and feels great to have some of my good friends out here." His final day began the same way his Semifinal match did Wednesday afternoon, with a 1-up lead after the first hole. A lead Beaubien, Jr. tabbed as "helpful" to get momentum going through the long day. A pair of Fisher wins at Nos. 3 and 5 made it appear as if the tide may turn in the Miami University-Ohio golfer`s favor. Beaubien, Jr., however, righted the ship with a birdie at the par-5 seventh to tie the match ahead of the pair`s first trip of the day to the back nine. After the two tied the 10th and 11th holes with pars, a switch seemed to flip for the eventual victor, as he gained a 2-up lead with back-to-back wins at Nos. 12 and 13. With his lead briefly cut in half after one of just two bogeys of his day on the par-3 14th, Beaubien, Jr. captured four-consecutive holes to close out the opening 18. Two birdies and two pars sent the match to the clubhouse with Beaubien, Jr. maintaining a 5-up lead. "It obviously left me in a pretty comfortable position heading into the second round," Beaubien, Jr. said of his 18-hole lead. "But, once I got into the second round, I just reset and treated it as a new match; that way I could focus on the match as a whole. I didn`t really try to push anything or get too defensive." "It was super impressive," Fisher said of Beuabien, Jr.`s play. "I felt like every punch I threw, he threw two back at me. He really didn`t miss a fairway and he didn`t miss many greens." With his 5-up lead slimming to four just once after a Fisher birdie on the 22nd hole, Beaubien, Jr. bounced back with wins on both of Lake Shore`s front-nine par 5s. The victories pushed his lead to 6-up with nine holes remaining. The latter of the two victories came in the form of an eagle on the course`s ninth hole, one he played in six-under par throughout the week. He easily maneuvered around the creek that protects the front of the green, numerous green-side bunkers and the clubhouse which flanks the back. Trading birdie wins on the match`s 29th and 30th holes, the duel came to a close on the par-5 13th with a pair of pars. A 6-and-5 win for Beaubien, Jr., and another strong run at the title for Fisher. "Yeah, it was fun," said Fisher of the week. "My coach and I were talking earlier in the week and I was like, `Hey, you know what? I think I can win this thing.` That proved to be almost the case, but I ran into kind of a freight train in Bobby. The course was unbelievable. I appreciate the members and the CDGA for having us - I always enjoy Lake Shore." Standing up to the strong test that is the CDGA Amateur Championship, Beaubien, Jr.`s week featured 162 competitive holes in six days after also playing in an event in the Quad Cities over the weekend. The week was truly a mental and physical test, even for a man just barely into his twenties. With his coaches, teammates and family by his side, Beaubien, Jr. (somehow) left Lake Shore with a pep in his step, as a champion. Beaubien, Jr., Fisher and a plethora more of Illinois` top amateur golfers will now set their sights on the next event on the CDGA`s championship schedule; the 92nd Illinois State Amateur Championship at Bloomington Country Club July 18-20. | |
| Chicago District Golf Association The Chicago District Golf Association (CDGA) is authorized by the United States Golf Association (USGA) as the governing body for amateur golf in our region. The CDGA is a membership organization consisting of more than 106,000 individual golfers and 400 clubs in Illinois and parts of Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin. Golfers receive member offers, a Handicap Index® from the USGA® and competitive playing opportunities, while clubs receive Course Rating™ and Slope Rating™ measuring services, turfgrass diagnostics and educational seminars. The CDGA also creates opportunities for everyone to experience the benefits of the game through therapeutic and recreational Outreach Programs, with an emphasis on serving individuals with special needs, youth and veterans. | |
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