ITASCA, Ill. – The 38th Chick Evans Junior Amateur Boys Match Play rounds concluded Friday. In the Boys Division, Max Golding (2019) of Highland Park, Ill., defeated Jack Vercautren (2018) of Naperville, Ill., to be named the champion.

This is the 38th Annual Chick Evans Jr Am Championship features 187 junior golfers from throughout the state of Illinois ages 12 to 18. This event is a 36-hole, Stroke Play event where players are attempting to qualify for the Match Play rounds. The Boys Division will be cut to the low 32 boys for up to five rounds of match play, while the Girls Division will be cut to the low 16 for up to four rounds of match play. The Boys Division is playing the par 72 Itasca CC from 6,814 yards, while the Girls Division played the course from 5,791.

The Illinois Junior Golf Association is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to providing playing opportunities for its members ages 8-18, conducting educational clinics and events, and serving as a junior golf informational clearinghouse.

ROUND OF 32 HIGHLIGHTS

  • Match 1 – Max Golding (2019) of Highland Park, Ill., and Luke Tedford (2021) of Lake Forest, Ill. – Golding ended the match on No. 13, when he eagled the par 5. Golding defeated Tedford 6 and 5.
  • Match 2 – John Bowen (2018) of Hobe Sound, Fla., and Nicholas Nguyen (2018) of Matton, Ill. – Bowen took the lead on No. 7 and ended the match on No. 16, when he defeated Nguyen 3 and 2.
  • Match 3 – Will Troy (2020) of Naperville, Ill., and Joseph Harrigan (2018) of Highland Park, Ill. – Troy, who held the lead for most of the match, fell to Harrigan on No. 17. Harrigan defeated Troy 3 and 1.
  • Match 4 – Bradley Goldstein (2019) of Highland Park, Ill., and Adian Lafferty (2019) of Downers Grove, Ill. – The match was all-square through No. 4. Goldstein took the lead from there, defeating Lafferty 4 and 3.
  • Match 5 – Jack Paeglow (2020) of Dekalb, Ill., and Michael Seaman (2018) of Lake Forest, Ill. – The lead in this match was held by Paeglow, who defeated Seaman 5 and 4.
  • Match 6 – Henry Horne (2020) of Winnetka, Ill., and Sam Davis (2019) of Lake Forest, Ill. – Davis held the lead throughout the match, defeating Horne 4 and 2.
  • Match 7 – Alex Kim (2019) of Lincolnshire, Ill., and Alex Green (2018) of Itasca, Ill. – The match victory, which was all-square at No. 5, went to Green when he defeated Kim 4 and 2.
  • Match 8 – Kevin Andjulis (2018) of Elk Grove Village, Ill., and Cody Surma (2019) of Lexington, Ill. – Surma was 1-up at the turn before he ultimately defeated Andjulis 3 and 1.
  • Match 9 – Kevin O’Regan (2021) of Northbrook, Ill., and John Lishchynsky (2020) of Crystal Lake, Ill. – O’Regan defeated Lishchynsky 8 and 7.
  • Match 10 – Jake Pluth (2018) of Shorewood, Ill., and Robert Cox (2020) of Oak Brook, Ill. – The match returned to all-square on No. 15, Pluth then took the lead for the second time in the match, ultimately defeating Cox 2 and 1.
  • Match 11 – Dominic Leli (2019) of Crystal Lake, Ill., and Michael Kozub (2019) of Countryside, Ill. – The match remained all-square thru No. 4, Leli then took the lead defeating Kozub 6 and 4.
  • Match 12 – Jack Vercautren (2018) of Naperville, Ill., and Nicholas Longo (2020) of Orland Park, Ill. – Vercautren, who was 5-up at the turn, ended the match on No. 14, when he defeated Longo 5 and 4.
  • Match 13 – Danny Fisher (2019) of Lake Forest, Ill., and Clint Bailes (2021) of Lake Forest, Ill. – This match remained all-square through No. 5. Fisher took the lead from there defeating Bailes 5 and 4.
  • Match 14 – Joshua Kirkham (2019) of Burr Ridge, Ill., and Matthew Schawel (2018) of Vernon Hills, Ill.— Kirkham took the lead on No. 3 and held onto it defeating Schawel 2 and 1.
  • Match 15 – Jimmy Morton (2018) of Sugar Grove, Ill., and Aaron Chong (2020) of Glenview, Ill. – Morton took an early lead in the match, ultimately defeating Chong 4 and 3.
  • Match 16 – Griffin Roscich (2020) of Glen Ellyn, Ill., and Trevor Brandon (2019) of Fox River Grove, Ill. – This match remained at all-square for the majority of the round, forcing extra holes. Roscich defeated Brandon on the 19th

ROUND OF 16 HIGHLIGHTS

  • Match 1 – Golding and Bowen – Golding took an early lead in the match which ended on No. 14, where Golding defeated Bowen 5 and 4.
  • Match 2 – Harrigan and Goldstein – The match remained all-square through No. 3, which is when Goldstein took the lead moving the match to 4-up through No.15. Goldstein defeated Harrigan 4 and 3.
  • Match 3 – Paeglow and Davis – Paeglow took the lead on No. 3 and held on to the lead in this match until he defeated Davis 2 and 1.
  • Match 4 – Green and Surma – This match was held by Surma until he ultimately defeated Green on No. 16, 3 and 2.
  • Match 5 – O’Regan and Pluth – Pluth took the lead on the first hold but the match returned to all-square on No. 3. O’Regan took the lead on No. 4 and ended the match 2-up on No. 17.
  • Match 6 – Leli and Vercautren – Vercautren, who was 2-up at the turn, defeated Leli 5 and 3.
  • Match 7 – Fisher and Kirkham – Fisher took the lead on No. 5, ultimately defeating Kirkham 5 and 3.
  • Match 8 – Morton and Roscich – Each player had the lead at some point in this match; however, Morton took the lead on No. 12 and defeated Roscich 3 and 2.


QUARTER-FINALS HIGHLIGHTS

  • Match 1 – Golding and Goldstein – This match ended on No. 19 with Golding going 1-up.
  • Match 2 – Paeglow and Surma – Paeglow took an early lead in the match, going 5-up on No. 11 and holding the match there until No. 14, where he defeated Surma 5 and 4.
  • Match 3 – O’Regan and Vercautren – Vercautren took an early lead, at one point going 6-up, before finishing the match on No. 15, defeating O’Regan 4 and 3.
  • Match 4 – Fisher and Morton – The match remained all-square thru No. 3. Fisher took the lead after that, finishing the match on No. 14, ultimately defeating Morton 4 and 3.

SEMI-FINALS HIGHLIGHTS

  • Match 1 – Golding and Paeglow – Golding held a 2-up lead at the turn before a birdie streak on No. 13, 14 and 15 gave him a 3-up lead over Paeglow. The match ended on No. 17 when Golding went 3-up.
  • Match 2 – Vercautren and Fisher – Vercautren went to 2-up after carding an eagle on the par 4, No. 12. Fisher answered that eagle with an eagle of his own on No. 13. The match ended on No. 17 when Vercautren went.

 

CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH RECAP

Golding and Vercautren went head-to-head in the Boys Championship Match. The two remained all-square thru No. 3 before Golding took a 1-up lead. The match returned to all-square on No. 7 and remained that way through No. 17. Golding defeated Vercautren with a par on No. 18, allowing him to go 1-up on the last hole.