RIVER GROVE, Ill. – The historic Radix Cup marked its 63rd playing today at the storied Oak Park Country Club, bringing together the top talent from the Illinois PGA Section (IPGA) and the best amateur players representing the Chicago District Golf Association (CDGA). This annual tradition, deeply rooted in camaraderie and competition, once again showcased the strength and spirit of golf in the Chicagoland area.
Against the lush backdrop of Oak Park’s classic Donald Ross design, players competed in a series of spirited Nassau matches that upheld the prestige and competitive excellence the Radix Cup has come to represent since its inception in 1962. As the event continues to honor the legacy of Harry Radix—longtime supporter of golf in the region—it remains one of the most anticipated fixtures on the local golf calendar.
The Illinois PGA Professionals secured a 10.5–7.5 victory over the CDGA Amateurs, successfully defending their title in dramatic fashion. With the win, the Illinois PGA team captures its second consecutive Radix Cup title, marking the first time since 2019 and 2021 that the Professionals have earned back-to-back victories in the historic event. (The Radix Cup was not contested in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.)
The day featured standout performances by the Illinois PGA’s Travis Johns (Medinah Country Club) and Jeff Kellen (North Shore Country Club), as well as Andy Svoboda (Butler National Golf Club) and Chris Green (Glen View Club), with both duos securing all three available points in their matches, and grabbing the first points for the Professionals. Their efforts helped set a strong tone for the Professionals early in the day’s competition.
“I was fortunate to have Travis (Johns) as a partner today,” said Kellen. “Travis is a legend in our Section for a reason. I struggled a little bit on the front nine, but he was there to carry us along. Then on the back nine, we both started pouring in some birdies, and we were able to come away with all three points, which is always a great feeling.
Svoboda and Green’s sweep of three points marks the second consecutive year Green has been a part of a duo to claim all three points, and also marks Svoboda’s first career Radix Cup appearance.
“It was an honor to be out here and play in this incredible event,” said Svoboda. “There is so much history, and both teams have such great players. Chris (Green) and I had an incredible match. I think we shot a best ball of 61 and barely won. It was a great day. The course is incredible. It was cool to see the Donald Ross greens, and I just enjoyed everything about today.”
The CDGA Amateurs responded with exceptional play of their own. The pairing of Justin Smith (Oak Park Country Club) and Brien Davis (WeaverRidge Golf Club) tallied 2.5 points against Illinois PGA’s Andy Mickelson (Mistwood Golf Club) and Carson Solien (Oak Park Country Club), highlighted by a dominant 5&4 win in the 18-hole match and a 4&2 victory on the front nine.
“We just got on top of them early and stayed on top of them,” said Davis. “We played pretty solid. It means a lot to be able to get every little point. It’s an awesome event. It means a lot to the guys and brings out some good camaraderie. I got to meet some good players who I wouldn’t normally get to play with, and play a great course.”
Teammates Lyle Burns (Lincolnshire Fields Country Club) and Brian Hickey (Edgewood Valley Country Club) added a full sweep of three points in their match against Kevin Flack (Mauh-Nah-Tee-See Country Club) and Kyle Donovan (Oak Park Country Club), helping to keep the Amateur side firmly in the mix.
Hickey, who was a part of the only three-point sweep for the Amateurs, was added to the team last night as a replacement for the CDGA.
“I was on a plane back from D.C. yesterday for a work trip,” said Hickey. “I got the invite and was like, ‘Yes, this event is awesome.’ I’ve played in it two other times. On the back nine, we made so many putts. It was ridiculous. We probably made a couple hundred feet worth of putts today. I got it going a little bit.”
As a duo, Hickey and Burns were 7-under-par on the back nine – five birdies from Hickey and two from Burns.
With the competition tightly contested throughout the day, the 63rd Radix Cup fittingly came down to the final two matches. In a critical pairing, Matthew Rion (Briarwood Country Club) and Frank Hohenadel (Mistwood Golf Club) battled Alex Creamean (Skokie Country Club) and Pierce Grieve (Knollwood Club) to a hard-fought split of the three available points, prolonging the suspense and setting the stage for a decisive final match.
The final group, featuring Brian Carroll (The Hawk Country Club) and Chris French (Aldeen Golf Club) against Graham O’Connor-Brooks (Glen Flora Country Club) and Chadd Slutzky (The Grove Country Club), would ultimately determine the outcome of this thrilling edition of the Radix Cup, with the duos tying the front nine match, earning a half point for each of their respective teams. Carroll and French came through in the clutch, winning two of the final four holes to capture both the back-nine point and the overall 18-hole match point, clinching the Radix Cup for the Illinois PGA Professionals.
“It was a slow start for us,” said Carroll. “We just made a bunch of pars early in the round, and then started to get it going on the back nine. We made some key putts to keep momentum going throughout the match. It just felt like as soon as they took a lead on us, we were able to fight back and win the next hole. We were able to go birdie, birdie on the back-to-back par-5s on the back to take the lead. I saved par on 17 and found out after that was enough to clinch the match for us. It was awesome to get another victory for the IPGA.”
The victory improves the Illinois PGA’s all-time record in the Radix Cup to 39-22-2 and underscores the balanced competitiveness of the past decade, where the two sides have split the last ten events evenly, with five wins apiece.