Aregular on the CDGA championship docket, Bloomington Country Club returns to the forefront of amateur golf this September with the playing of the 39th Illinois State Senior Amateur Championship. This year’s rendition is the second time the top seniors in the state will compete on the historic track, nearly a decade since its last stop in 2016.
With the Illinois State Women’s, Illinois State and Illinois State Mid-Amateur Championships in the rearview mirror, the Illinois State Senior will again serve as the finale amongst the four State Championships in 2025. Registration for the event was open to any Illinois resident age 55 and older with a Handicap Index® of 10.4 or lower. This year’s field includes 21 players who earned an exemption into the event from past performances, with the remaining spots claimed from those advancing from one of three qualifiers held at The Oaks at River’s Edge, Arrowhead Golf Club and Blackberry Oaks Golf Course in late August. At the Championship, players will compete over 18 holes of stroke play each of the first two days before a cut to the low 35 and ties. Those who advance to Wednesday’s 18-hole finale will then vie for the Earl R. Liff Trophy. Low Super Senior honors will also be awarded following the second round.
In 2024, 55-year-old Rick Stewart (Park Ridge) hoisted the hardware following rounds of 71, 72 and 69 to best the field by two strokes. The win came in Stewart’s first competition as a senior competitor, as his birthday was just two days prior to the start of the event. Also finishing in red figures at Itasca Country Club were John Wright (Oswego) at 2 under and two-time event victor Tim Sheppard (East Peoria) at -1.
Founded in 1896, Bloomington has a rich history that began with golfers using tomato cans in Lillard’s meadow, which is now the site of Bloomington High School. A series of moves, as well as a fire, throughout the early 1900s eventually led to what is one of the oldest chartered country clubs in the state relocating to its current location as an 18-hole golf course in 1941. Since then, Bloomington has hosted more Illinois State Amateur Championships than any other club in the Chicago District with nine, most recently in 2023. It has also served as the host site for five Illinois State Women’s Amateur Championships, the 2016 Illinois State Senior Amateur Championship and the 2021 Illinois State Mid-Amateur Championship. Aside from CDGA-administered championships, the club also welcomed the 1980 Illinois Open, won by former PGA Tour player and 2025 Illinois Golf Hall of Fame inductee David Ogrin.
Founded: 1896Architect: Bloomington CC MembersHead Golf Professional: Steve OrrickPrevious CDGA Championships: 16
Illinois State Amateur Championship - 9 timesIllinois State Women’s Amateur Championship - 5 timesIllinois State Senior Amateur Championship - 2016Illinois State Mid-Amateur Championship - 2021