CHICAGO DISTRICT GOLF ASSOCIATION

After getting over the initial sting that the runner-up finish carried, Stringfellow would turn it into a learning opportunity. Now, the former Auburn Tiger is calling himself a CDGA Amateur champion after winning the event’s 106th iteration on Thursday, 5 and 4, over Brody McCarthy (Homer Glen / Mistwood GC) at North Shore Country Club.

“I was 2-up with two to go at Beverly, so that one stung,” Stringfellow said after his win. “Losing sucks, but sometimes finishing second sucks more. It just freed me up a little bit. If you’re winning, it doesn’t mean you are going to win. I think I got a little comfortable at Beverly, so I tried to never get comfortable out here, especially down the stretch. It just helped me focus a little bit.”

The day certainly began uncomfortably for the eventual champion, as he found himself 2-down through the opening four holes of the 36-hole finale, a deficit that would stand through the opening nine. Back-to-back birdies for McCarthy at Nos. 10 and 11 extended his lead to 4-up.

“Brody was a machine early on, he didn’t miss any putts,” Stringfellow said. “It’s easy to get down on yourself when your opponent is just striping it and making putts, but with it being 36 holes, I felt like I just needed to cut it to one or two before lunch to reset.”

Mission accomplished. Stringfellow found his groove, capturing Nos. 12, 13 and 15, with a near-birdie win at the par-4 14th, to cut it to one. A trade of wins at Nos. 17 and 18 sent the match to a proverbial halftime in a 1-up lead for McCarthy.

While Stringfellow was still chasing, momentum in the match seemed to be shifting for the first time and his mindset remained the same: “Just be aggressive.”

Bogeys quickly became a score of the past on the closing 18 holes, with Stringfellow carding a par win at the first to tie the match for the first time all day. Three pars and two birdies on the ensuing five holes included a trio of wins to not only claim his first lead of the day, but push it to a 3-up advantage in the blink of an eye.

Another par on the lengthy par-3 eighth pushed Stringfellow’s lead to 4-up before McCarthy birdied the ninth to send the match to the final nine holes with a three-hole difference.

“He made a couple of mistakes, so that opened the door for me,” said Stringfellow. “That’s when I started to think, ‘Okay, I think I can win now.’ The first 18, I was a little down on myself, but I just hung in there. The par I made on No. 7 when I was behind the tree - that was a big par that helped propel me to the (final) nine.”

Stringfellow poured in birdie putts on the par-5 12th and par-4 15th to close out his win, 5 and 4. With the triumph, he joined Charlie Waddell as just the second mid-amateur to win the CDGA Amateur Championship in the last decade.

For Stringfellow, life as a mid-am doesn’t hold him back after a run on the professional circuit. In fact, it’s even more enjoyable at times.

“Honestly, I’m just excited,” he said. “I’m 34 (years old), but I don’t feel like I’m 34. I feel like I’m still pretty young, and I hit it just as far as these guys. I probably don’t practice as much now, but I think that freed me up a bit. I just care less and I think I tend to play a little better the less I’m thinking and not always being obsessed with golf. It’s helped me out a little bit - the mid-am life.

“Relieved. Tired. Excited. It’s a long day, but I’m happy I came away with the W.”

If this win was what the 2024 CDGA Player of the Year needed to “free up,” watch out Chicago District.

With the CDGA Amateur Championship in the books, the CDGA Championship slate now sets its sights on the second of two marquee events of the year in the 95th Illinois State Amateur Championship. The test between the top amateurs in the state will head to Bloomington’s Crestwicke Country Club, July 14-16.