Ehrgott also won the inaugural CDGA Mid-Am in 2015 and is a two-time Illinois State Mid-Amateur victor, with those triumphs coming in 2007 and 2009. His four overall titles in the state’s two most prominent individual mid-amateur events is second only to Bloomington’s Todd Mitchell, who has five Illinois State Mid-Amateur victories, but has never won the CDGA Mid-Am.
“It’s validation,” Ehrgott said after hoisting another trophy. “You get older, I’m 43 now, and you see the young kids coming up that are hitting it 300, 310 yards, and us old guys don’t do that. It’s nice to still be able to be competitive and win an event occasionally.”
Ehrgott never trailed in Thursday’s championship match, claiming the lead on the first hole with a par. Johnson quickly evened the title tilt by rolling in a birdie on No. 2, but Ehrgott responded with a birdie of his own at the par-4 third to regain a lead he wouldn’t relinquish. Ehrgott matched birdies from Johnson on No. 4 and No. 7 to keep his opponent at bay and was 1 up at the turn.
Ehrgott birdied the par-5 11th to go 2 up before dropping No. 12 when his short par putt lipped out. The duo both tallied pars on No. 13 and No. 14 before back-to-back bogeys by Johnson on No. 15 and No. 16 clinched the championship for Ehrgott.
“On the back nine, par was winning holes and we got a little sloppy out there,” Ehrgott admitted. “Blake played well, he just made a couple of mistakes coming in that ended up costing him. It was a really nip-and-tuck match all the way through.”
The victory carried added significance for Ehrgott considering the championship’s host, Hinsdale Golf Club. In existence since 1898, Hinsdale was the site of the founding of the CDGA in 1914 and is one of the oldest clubs in the Chicago District.
“It’s so cool,” Ehrgott said of Hinsdale. “You look around and this course just oozes tradition. It’s great.”