A lot has occurred since the year 2009. Many born that year are even securing their driver's licenses before the calendar turns to January in a few months.
For Dave Ryan (Taylorville), 2009 marked the start of his dominance within the senior amateur circuit around the Chicago District and beyond with his first Illinois State Senior Amateur victory at age 55. Since then, Ryan has captured a U.S. Senior Amateur title, three CDGA Senior Amateur crowns and now four additional State Senior Ams following his win in the 39th Illinois State Senior Amateur Championship at Bloomington Country Club Sept. 15-17.
Ryan’s longevity is one that is surely envied by most and, as he put it, must make him “sweet like wine.”
Even with a three-shot lead heading into the final round, Ryan’s eventual victory didn’t come without its challenges, as the 6,500-yard Bloomington Country Club again provided a stiff test for many of the state’s top amateurs. The 71-year-old carded rounds of 70, 75 and 76 to finish at 8-over par and two shots clear of second-place finisher Ted Pecora (Winnekta).
The victory was not only Ryan’s fifth in the event, but also his second at Bloomington. He won the last time the championship was contested along Route 9 in 2016, the same year he went on to capture the U.S. Senior Am.
“Winning breeds confidence,” Ryan said. “If you can win, it helps out once you get in a situation, it helps you get through it. These things are hard to win. I mean, they’re tough, you’ve got to play good and it’s just very difficult.”
Two weeks later, Hui Chong Dofflemyer (Belvidere) was firing on all cylinders at the 56th Illinois State Senior Women’s Amateur Championship after battling a knee injury for a majority of the golf season. The Belvidere native was not expecting great play in the championship at Champaign Country Club, but a resurgence in her driver helped paved the way for a stellar performance.
“I wasn’t expecting to play that well here with the injury I’ve been dealing with,” admitted Dofflemyer. “This was probably the first week in a while where I have been able to hit my driver at full force.”
Dofflemyer carded a round of 4-over 76 on day one, slotting her three shots behind the leader. The steady play continued Tuesday morning, as Dofflemyer carded three birdies en route to a 3-over 75, giving her a seven-stroke lead over three-time champion Mary Ellen Martin (Winfield) going into the final round. Dofflemyer’s strategy in the third round included a fairways-and-greens mentality, along with her exceptional putting, which guided her to a seven-shot victory over Martin and 2024 champion Deanne Stolarik (Zion).
“I was able to read greens really well all week - I didn’t have many three putts compared to the field and that helped me out quite a bit,” said Dofflemyer on her putting. “There are so many good players here so this feels great.” great.”
In all, prizes were awarded to the top three low gross and net finishers across four flights. The overall net trophy was claimed by Diane Bettenhausen (Saint Anne) with a net score of -2.