Chicago North Retains Title

Chicago North Retains the Team Trophy

The Chicago Team Championship took place at Bowes Creek CC in Elgin IL and unlike the first year of the event in 2010, the weather was excellent.  The Chicago North Tour was in defense of their win of the inaugural 2010 event.   Forty eight members of the Golf Channel Amateur Tour (24 from the North and 24 from the South Tour) assembled to play 36 holes in 4 different 9 hole formats.  The event was funded from moneys collected throughout the year and raffle drawings during each local tournament.  Player’s received a shirt, lunch after the first round and 36 holes of golf.

The formats played were 9 hole Best Ball, ( hole Match, 9 Hole Modified Alternate and closing with 9 hole two man scramble.  The event got underway with Chicago North having honors on the first tee, as the groups made the turn from their front nine Best Ball format; Chicago North had taken the lead.  When all the groups made the turn to play the Individual Match Play format for the back nine, Chicago had closed the Best Ball Format 120 pts. to 96; 24 point lead going into the individual matches.

Don Fiets Chicago South Tour Director and John Downey Chicago North Tour Director got periodic updates and it appeared Chicago North was well underway of taking charge of the Team Championship.  As the groups completed the first two nine hole formats, they took time to have a lunch and head back on the course to begin the second round.  The individual matches were critical because they produced the greatest number of points.  When the final numbers were posted for the 9 hole Match Play portion, Chicago North took a commanding lead scoring 240 pts to Chicago South’s 192 (48 pts.).  The combined total put Chicago North 70 points ahead and a huge uphill battle for the Chicago South Tour to overcome.

The challenge for the final 9 hole 2 Man Scramble portion was darkness and how many groups would be able to complete the final nine holes.  The last group completed their 35 hole and halved the 18^th due to darkness.  The Individual matches did prove to be the deciding factor and the Chicago South Tour only cut into the 70 point lead and at the close of the 36 hole Team Championship it was Chicago North retaining the Title winning 574 to 506. 

Chicago South did have one small victory during the Team Championship; their members won all four Closest to the Pin Contests in Round one ($320 Purse).  The winner’s were Pat Polzin, John Gerba, Mike Dyer and Rob Merritt all winning $80 each.  More important than the outcome was the camaraderie among all the participants and the friendships made.  Several are headed to the National or Sr. National Championship with a goal of bringing home the trophy within their respective flight.

Chicago South Tour Player’s:



John Mudrock & Tom Jankowski



Rob Merritt/Pat Polzin

Don O’Neil/Eric Stewart

Jim Cannon/DeRell Durr

Rich Ross/Terry Quakenbush

Mike Dyer/Fabio Teso

Brian Booker/Mike Kelly

Pete Kaufman/Jim Polubinski

Dan Steinman/Jacob Honath

John Mudrock/Tom Jankowski    
                                                 Rick Wilson/Tom Ward

                                                 John Gerba/Dick Wright

                                                 Steve Michaels/Bryce Hanson

2011 Chicago Team Champions – Chicago North



Dane Yarnell & Mark Palmer

 Mark Palmer/Dane Yarnell

Chick Malik/Steve Dlugosinski

John Flowers/Tom Hester

Frank Kaldis/Tim Schabb

James Francey/Charlie Dunkel

John Pacheco/Jason Kolakowski

Mark Titone/chuck Gleason

Raj Jayaraman/Tom Joy

John Antoni/John Williams

Randy Simonson/Steve Downey
Eddie Stephens/John Carrato

Mike Teegen/John Kosnik 


John Pacheco picking up to play from his partners position