CHICAGO DISTRICT GOLF ASSOCIATION

QUOTES OF NOTE:

Josh Kirkham (Naperville) on his caddie situation…”I also have an LPGA Tour caddie coming in to caddie for me the rest of the week. My girlfriend was nice enough to carry the bag today, but this puts us in a good spot.”

Ryan Andrews (Libertyville) on how much confidence his medalist performance in last month’s CDGA Amateur provided…”A ton. It showed me that I’m here to compete, and I can. I’m here to win this week, so I’m ready to keep taking it deep.”

Andrews on his hair cut between the recent CDGA Amateur and this event…”It got hot. That’s pretty much all it was. I needed a change and cut it down. Hopefully it works out this week for me.”

TJ Barger (Bloomington) on the significance a State Am win in his hometown would carry…“It’d mean a lot, especially being a local here. Another reason is I’m trying to get back to the U.S. Amateur again. Doing it in front of a hometown crowd would mean a lot.”

Barger on the course conditions and high temperatures…”The ball was definitely traveling a lot more than it usually does. The greens were fairly receptive, more than I thought they would be. As the day went on, they kind of firmed up a little bit. Tomorrow, with an afternoon tee time, it’s about playing smart. Birdies will come. Obviously, it’s about staying hydrated in the heat.”

Dominic Lucchesi (Grayslake) on rebounding from his bogey-bogey start…”You know, 10, 11 and 12 were kind of a tough stretch. On 10, there’s a big tree that overhangs the left side, and I tugged my tee shot a little left. I hit that tree on the punch out, and I had a good look at par, but unfortunately started with a bogey. Then another one on 11, so a bogey-bogey start wasn’t ideal. But I knew there were 34 more holes to play, including tomorrow, to get into contention and make the cut. I knew there were a ton of birdie opportunities out there, so I kind of took advantage of those.”

Lucchesi on his mindset heading into Wednesday’s second round…”I need to straighten out the driver, for sure. I struggled off the tee a little bit today, but I hit some great recovery shots, and my short game did it all around today. The putting was phenomenal, and I’m really confident with that. I just need to get some lunch, hit some balls, and hit a couple of drivers to get that right for tomorrow.”

Patrick Raupp (Arlington Heights) on his eagle on the par-5 sixth, one of only two on that hole…”I hit driver off the tee and ended up kind of in a divot in the fairway. I had 253 to the hole, hit a 2-iron into the front-left bunker and made it.”

Raupp on the state of his game following Round 1…”I think I’m in a really good spot. I’m driving it really well, and I always feel good about that. The putter is starting to make some putts, and I’m hitting it really well with my irons and wedges.”

Logan Stauffer (Bloomington) on a member’s perspective regarding what players have to do to be successful at Crestwicke…“You’ve got to keep the ball below the hole. Give yourself uphill putts, don’t get above it, and don’t short-side yourself. That’s the biggest thing. Then, if they fall in, they fall in. If not, don’t get too hot and move on.”

Stauffer on how the course played in comparison to its regular conditioning…”I thought it was definitely firm enough. It’s drying out out there. The greens are getting hard, and they’re getting faster. I would say when the golf course is good, it’s pretty similar on a day-to-day basis, but with the heat and the rain that we’ve had, it’s kind of slowed some down. It’s a test out there, and tomorrow it’s going to get harder and faster.”

NOTABLES:

• The scoring average for the first round Tuesday at Crestwicke was 76.54. By comparison, the first-round scoring average in 2025 at Stonebridge Country Club was 76.14.
• The field carded just 13 rounds of even-par or better. Last year’s opener at Stonebridge featured 27 such scores.
• Of the eight under-par rounds carded by the field, seven came from the morning wave. Patrick Raupp (Libertyville) was the only competitor who teed off in the afternoon to card a red number.
• The field carded four eagles on the day, including one on the par-4 16th. None came on the 570-yard par-5 14th, which played as the easiest hole on the day with a scoring average of 5.07.
• The most difficult hole of the day was the 419-yard par-4 12th, on which the field averaged 4.70 strokes. Only six birdies were tallied there on the day. It also featured the most scores of triple bogey or worse, with seven.
• TJ Barger (Bloomington), in his fourth State Amateur appearance, carded his best opening-round score with a 3-under 68.
• Three Crestwicke Country Club members are in the field this week - Mike Henry (Bloomington), Logan Stauffer (Bloomington) and Tyler Weaver (Normal). Stauffer’s even-par 71 paced the home-club hopefuls.
• Mike Henry (Bloomington), 58, competed in the last Illinois State Amateur Championship to be held at Crestwicke in 2005, when he finished tied for third. He shot a 3-over 74 in Tuesday’s opening round.
• Robert Dofflemyer (Loves Park) and Logan Stauffer (Bloomington) each notched even-par 71s to sit as the best-performing mid-amateurs (age 25 and up) at T9. Jordan Less’ victory as a mid-amateur in 2025 marked the first of its kind since 2003.
• Brothers Alexander and John Creamean (Winnetka) shot matching 1-over 71s.