| 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 14, 2026 |
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| THOMAS GOES WIRE-TO-WIRE TO CLAIM 3RD CHICAGO ADAPTIVE OPEN CROWN | |
| Sunday, June 14, 2026 - OSWEGO, Ill - Moments after Jordan Thomas (Nashville, Tenn. / Impairment in Both Legs) sank his final putt on the 18th green at Fox Bend Golf Course in Oswego on Sunday, he shook hands with his playing partners and volunteers, acknowledged the nearby crowd of spectators and players and answered a few questions for the YouTube live stream. He had just captured the Men’s Overall title in the 3rd Chicago Adaptive Open presented by Illinois Bone & Joint Institute, capping off the wire-to-wire victory with a 3-under 69, finishing three shots ahead of Josh Williams (Canada / Leg Impairment Below the Knee) amidst blustery conditions. But amongst the numerous people he approached after his win, one in particular stood out. Lukas Woolley, 7, a leg amputee from La Grange Park, Ill. and his mother, Karolina, were also waiting nearby, and when they met with Thomas, he proceeded to hand young Lukas the winning golf ball. An elated Lukas accepted the gift, and Jordan was left with a moment he may remember even more than the win itself. “It was such an awesome surprise,” said the 37-year-old Thomas. “That’s what it’s all about. It’s not about winning or losing, it’s about having an impact on this earth. I’m blessed to be able to do what I do. To see him and have him here is just the cherry on top.” Like the victor, Lukas has a prosthetic leg. That leg was provided by the Jordan Thomas Foundation, which Thomas started at the age of 16 after a boating accident left him without both of his legs below the knees. While in the hospital, he saw the need for accessible prostheses for children and began his life’s mission. Karolina put that mission’s impact into perspective. “He means the world to us,” she said. “He changed his life.” In addition to his off-course impact, Thomas made a splash in his debut over the 36-hole event. He carried a two-shot lead heading into the final round and kept his foot on the gas pedal after a 2-under 70 on Saturday. Turning at even par, he picked up momentum with a birdie on the par-5 10th. Aided by consistent tee shots and controlled wedges, he added more red figures on Nos. 13 and 16. Williams, playing in the final grouping alongside Thomas, attempted to keep pace with birdies of his own on Nos. 11 and 14. But Thomas would never falter, even with Williams birdieing his final two holes. The leader remained steady in his strategy, regardless of where he was on the leaderboard and his self-proclaimed “B game.” “17 green is where I asked [where I stood] because it wasn’t ultimately going to change my strategy at all, but it was nice to know where we were. “I think the big one, for me, is that I can play good golf with my B game,” he added. “I don’t have to play perfectly. If you can just hang around and make a bunch of pars, and just hang in there, I think you can compete. So it’s a lot of good momentum.” His fourth-straight competitive victory came in an event that many in the adaptive golf community had pushed for him to play in. After the round, he turned the spotlight back on those same individuals and praised their efforts. “It is unanimously the best adaptive golf tournament, aside from the U.S. Adaptive Open, that we have on the calendar,” said Thomas. “[They are] some of the best humans I’ve ever had the privilege of being around. Their stories are unbelievable, they have incredible game, and it is a family. A lot of the most important people in my life are people on this circuit.” With a victory under his belt, Thomas promises to return to the Chicago District for the 2027 iteration of the event. In the more immediate future, though, he has bigger things going on. Woolley will be among a slew of youngsters who will make their way to Nashville for a Foundation-related gathering. Another community, but with the same impact for Thomas. “We have kids in 35 different states,” said Thomas. “So we’ll have kids from all over the U.S. come down and get together. It’s a community that is awe-inspiring.” Moore Adds To Legacy With Women’s Title Kim Moore (Ft. Wayne, Ind. / Leg Impairment Below the Knee) entered her first Chicago Adaptive Open as one of the field’s most accomplished competitors, having won the Women’s Overall title in the 2022 and 2025 U.S. Adaptive Opens. Her play lived up to the billing, as she carded rounds of 78 and 75 to claim the Women’s Overall title by eight strokes. “I’m always looking for some prep going into a couple weeks at Woodmont [site of the U.S. Adaptive Open],” Moore, who was born without a right foot, said. “I knew this event would have a number of decent players that I could compete against. That was the biggest reason - coming out, having a good time, enjoying the camaraderie, but also some good prep for me.” Sissom Repeats Atop Senior Standings Mark Sissom (Scott City, Mo. / Leg Impairment Above Knee), who lost his left leg in a 2009 motorcycle accident, takes pride in the consistency of his game. “I don’t hit it real far, but I don’t hit it crooked,” the 59-year-old explained. “That’s my key - keep it in play.” A consistent game led to consistent results, as two rounds of 77 earned him a nine-shot victory in the Senior Overall title chase for the second consecutive year. “It means a lot,” Sissom said of the repeat triumph. “I don’t have the length to play with the young boys, so I play where I can.” Team Arizona 2-for-2 In Click-Pearl Cup Longtime Chicagoan Steve Pearl had a vision - a team competition for adaptive golf athletes. In 2025, he partnered with Arizonian Jim Click and the CDGA to create the Click-Pearl Cup, a team competition contested within the scope of existing adaptive golf events. The series debuted in December at the Arizona Adaptive Open, with just Arizona and Illinois competing, and expanded to include teams from Indiana and Michigan at Fox Bend. “We’re trying to develop team competition for these wonderful athletes,” Pearl said. The lowest three scores from each team’s competitors were tallied to comprise the team leaderboard. Team Arizona (+51) emerged victorious by a singular stroke over Team Michigan (+52), with Team Illinois (+56) and Team Indiana (+58) close behind. “They’re all wonderful, wonderful athletes,” Pearl said, noting that Georgia is expected to add a team moving forward. “We’re just proud to be part of it.” Overall and Sports Classification Winners Overall Men’s Jordan Thomas (Nashville, Tenn.) Overall Women’s Kim Moore (Fort Wayne, Ind.) Overall Senior Mark Sissom (Scott City, Mo.) G1: Leg Impairment Above the Knee Men’s: Victor Postillion (Winfield, Ill.) Women’s: Kelsey Koch (Grand Blanc, Mich.) G2: Leg Impairment Below the Knee Men’s: Josh Williams (Canada) Women’s: Kim Moore (Fort Wayne, Ind.) G3: Impairment in Both Legs Jordan Thomas (Nashville, Tenn.) G4: Arm Impairment - Unassisted Men’s: Vincent Biser (Baltimore, Md.) Women’s: Kellie Valentine (McKean, Pa.) G5: Arm Impairment - Assisted Men’s: Russell Aide (Tucson, Ariz.) Women’s: Sophia Howard (Hudsonville, Mich.) G6: Impairment in Both Arms Matt Parker (Wauconda, Ill.) G7: Arm & Leg Impairment Issa Nlareb (France) G8: Neurological & Coordination Impairment Men’s: Ford Martin (Nashville, Tenn.) Women’s: Cassie Sengul (Manassas, Va.) G9: Seated - Without Trunk Function Brock Leitner (Canada) G10: Seated - Near-to-Normal Trunk Function Max Togisala (Grand Junction, Colo.) G11: Visual IBGA Classification B1 Jake Olson (Jacksonville, Fla.) G12: Visual Impairment IBGA Classification B2 Men’s: Tyler Cashman (Gold Canyon, Ariz.) Women’s: Amanda Cunha (Kaneohe, Hawaii) G13: Visual IBHA Classification B3 Kenny Gentile (Angola, Ind.) G14: Short Stature Dawson Thompson (Pascagoula, Miss.) G15: Intellectual Disability Men’s: Matt Snowdon (Annapolis, Md.) Women’s: Daniella Belford (New Zealand) | |
| 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 119,000 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 Sunshine Programs, with an emphasis on serving individuals with disabilities, youth and veterans. For more information visit CDGA.org. | |
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