Chris DeJohn (Ridgewood, NJ) defeated John Hunter (Carlton Woods, TX) by a 4 & 3 margin to win the Walter Travis Invitational at New Jersey's Garden City Golf Club. DeJohn, a steady force through match play, has carried his form into the final, building a comfortable lead and carrying it through to the finish.
DeJohn, who also won the Travis in 2023, is a reinstated amateur who played collegiately at Skidmore College in Upstate New York. He played various tours like the Minor League Golf Tour before becoming reinstated as an amateur. Since then, he has teamed up with Trevor Randolph in 2023 to win the prestigious Anderson Memorial Four-Ball at Winged Foot. In 2024 DeJohn advanced to the quarterfinals of the prestigious Metropolitan Golf Association Amateur. Starting off 2025 with an early season win likely bodes well for the season ahead.
DeJohn plays out of New Jersey's Arcola Country Club.
Semifinals
>> John Hunter continued his run of tight victories, defeating Max Buckley 1 Up in a tense semifinal.
>> Chris DeJohn remained dominant, dispatching former Stanford University golfer Henry Shimp 4 & 3 to advance to the final.
Quarterfinals
>> Hunter held off Jonathan Jeter in another close match, again winning 1 Up.
>> Buckley posted the largest margin of the round with a 7 & 6 victory.
>> Shimp needed 19 holes to get past Kyle Downey in a thriller.
>> DeJohn advanced smoothly, winning 4 & 3 over Christian Cavaliere.
Round of 16 (First Round of Match Play)
>> John Hunter opened match play with a 3 & 1 win over his Carlton Woods clubmate. Chris DeJohn made a statement early, cruising to a 6 & 4 win.
>> Christian Cavaliere delivered the most decisive result of the round, winning 6 & 5. Other standout performances included Ryan Coughlin and Kyle Downey, both advancing 5 & 4.
Stroke-Play Qualifying – Medalist Honors
The 18-hole qualifier set up the match play brackets, with John Hunter firing a 67 to claim medalist honors. Top scorers in qualifying included:
69 ... Kyle Downey (Oak Hill CC)
70 ... Christian Cavaliere (Mahopac GC)
71 ... Ryan Coughlin (Westchester CC)
72 ... Chris DeJohn (Arcola CC)
72 ... Andrew Bailey (Canterbury GC)
These low rounds secured top seeds and helped shape the tournament’s competitive match-play bracket.
