CHICAGO DISTRICT GOLF ASSOCIATION

Dofflemyer will also receive the inaugural Joel Hirsch Award. In contrast to the Eckstein Trophy, a perpetual award housed in Midwest Golf House, the Joel Hirsch Award is a plaque given to each recipient of the CDGA Player of the Year award. The honor is named after the legendary amateur golfer and Illinois Golf Hall of Famer who won the CDGA Player of the Year twice and CDGA Senior Player of the Year three times.

Dofflemyer claimed the Player of the Year honor for the maiden time after a season that saw him win his first CDGA-administered event - the CDGA Mid-Amateur Championship. Held in May at Glen Flora Country Club, Dofflemyer topped a field of the Association’s top golfers age 25 and up, ultimately emerging victorious in the Championship match against Dustin Sloat (Charleson / CDGA Member’s Club), 1 up. The title yielded 250 points and kick-started the 32-year-old’s calendar. Elsewhere locally, Dofflemyer secured points via a T12 finish in the Illinois State Amateur Championship at Crestwicke Country Club in July (170 points), as well as a T4 finish in the Illinois State Mid-Amateur Championship at Edgewood Valley Country Club in August (175 points).

In addition to his success across the Chicago District, Dofflemyer excelled in national events. He carded a 5-under 67 at Aurora Country Club in July to earn a spot in the U.S. Amateur Championship, contested at famed Merion Golf Club outside Philadelphia in August. In late September, Dofflemyer made the journey north to Sand Valley Resort in Wisconsin, advancing to the Round of 32 in the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship. The appearances in USGA-administered events netted him 125 and 225 points, respectively. Ahead of the 2027 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship, slated for Erin Hills next May, Dofflemyer advanced alongside Danny Gorman (Rockford / Aldeen GC) via qualifying in August.

At season’s end, Dofflemyer earned a total of 945 Player of the Year points, the highest total since 2016. Illinois State Mid-Amateur champion Brandon Holtz (Bloomington / Crestwicke CC) finished in second at 850 points. The rest of the top five included 2024 Player of the Year Daniel Stringfellow (Chicago / Medinah CC), Justin Schwab (Beach Park / CDGA Member’s Club) and two-time Player of the Year honoree Chadd Slutzky (Deer Park / The Grove CC).

For Small, the 2026 CDGA Senior Player of the Year is his second, following his 2021 honor. The 62-year-old began his season with a Round of 16 appearance in the CDGA Senior Amateur Championship at Hawthorn Woods Country Club in May, netting him 100 points. Then, in September at the Illinois State Senior Championship at The Mauh-Nah-Tee-See Club in Rockford, Small earned 225 points via his second-place finish. Small held the 36-hole lead before ultimately falling to three-time CDGA Senior Player of the Year Tim Sheppard (East Peoria / Pekin CC) in the final round.

Like Dofflemyer, Small made headway in national events as well. He competed in Final Qualifying of the U.S. Senior Open in June, earning 50 points for his appearance. Then, in late August, Small made a charge to the Quarterfinals of the U.S. Senior Amateur Championship at Baltimore Country Club in Lutherville, Maryland. A frequent competitor in the event, he was ultimately upended in a match that stretched to 20 holes. Small’s journey would yield 400 points towards his CDGA Senior Player of the Year award.

Small’s closest competitor in the season-long race was Mike Henry (Bloomington / Crestwicke CC), who finished 75 points behind at 700. The aforementioned Sheppard, David Feder (Chicago / Conway Farms GC) and Scot Frankenreider (Peoria / Arrowhead CC) rounded out the remainder of the top five. Small becomes the seventh multi-time award winner since its inception in 1993.

The 2026 CDGA Championship calendar featured more than 50 event days, including eight multi-day Illinois State or CDGA Championships, 28 Illinois State or CDGA qualifiers, 13 USGA qualifiers and the annual Radix Cup Matches. The 2027 schedule will be released on Wednesday, Dec. 9.

CDGA Player of the Year – Recent Winners
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