Barrington, Ill. – A champion has been named at the Illinois Junior Golf Assocation’s 51st Illinois State Junior Amateur. Benjamin Sluzas (2021) of Lockport, Ill., earned champion honors after carding a 1-under-par 70 during the final round.
The Illinois State Junior Amateur (ISJA), also known as the Slovitt Cup, is a 54 hole, Stroke Play event, with a cut after 36 holes to the low 50 and ties. The field, made up of male junior golfers from Illinois ages 12-18, played the second round on the par 71 course from 6900 yards.
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.
Sluzas carded an eagle on the final hole to secure his victory. His final round also included three birdies. Sluzas finished the tournament with an even-par 213 total, carding rounds of 1-over-par 72, even-par 71 and a final round of 1-under-par 70. This was Sluzas’ fourth appearance at the ISJA tournament, his prior best finish came in 2019 when he finished T7.
Coming in runner-up was Dominic Scaletta (2021) of Inverness, Ill., with a tournament total of 2-over-par 215. In third was Tyler Greenspahn (2023) of Winnetka, Ill., who carded a 3-over-par 216 total. Finishing in fourth place was John Wild (2022) of Glen Ellyn, Ill., with a 4-over-par 217 total. Rounding out the top five were Marcus Smith (2020) of Rockford, Ill., and Thomas Baker (2020) of Rockford, Ill., who each finished the tournament with a 5-over-par total.
