GRUBNICH EKES OUT A 1-STROKE VICTORY IN THE 2025 CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS INVITATIONAL
PARK RIDGE, Illinois On a picture-perfect fall day with temperatures in the mid-70s, Nick Grubnich (Innsbrook Country Club) crafted a four-under par 66 on the challenging Park Ridge Country Club setup to emerge victorious in the 2025 Richard E. Peterson Champion of Champions Golf Tournament.
Grubnich shot an almost flawless round of 66 with 5 birdies, no 3-putts, and only 1 bogey to finish one stroke ahead of Grant Goltz (Black Sheep Golf Club).
Grubnich’s consistency of hitting 15 greens in regulation, plus carding birdies on the difficult 15th and 18th holes to finish at 4 under par, put extra pressure on Goltz.
With Grubnich in the clubhouse, Goltz was standing on the 15th tee, two strokes behind. He birdied the 15th hole to move 1 stroke back, but an unfortunate bogey on the 17th put him in an almost impossible position of needing an eagle 2 on the difficult, par 4, 18th hole. He made a birdie, but it left him 1 stroke shy of a tie.
Nick Grubnich grew up in Northwest Indiana and played on the Crown Point High School golf team. He was a 4-time Indiana high school All-State player. Nick played on the Indiana University golf team for 4 years and is also a past Indiana State Amateur champion. He qualified to play in the Champion of Champions by winning the Innsbrook Country Club’s men’s club championship.
In his comments following the round, the winner was very complimentary of his experience, saying, “Park Ridge Country Club members should be very proud of their staff and member volunteers for hosting this first-class event – 5 stars! The course is in great shape, it was set up fairly, and the greens were scarily fast.”
The Champion of Champions is a one-day, eighteen-hole, stroke play invitational tournament held annually in the early fall. The tournament was first played in 1933 under the auspices of the Chicago District Golf Association (CDGA) and was held annually at various area clubs until 1984. Park Ridge Country Club reinstituted the tournament in 1998 and has been its annual host for the 27 years since.
Invitations are extended to private and public golf and country club champions in the Chicago District, winners of various CDGA competitions, and the 10 past winners of the Champion of Champions tournament.
In 2017, the tournament was officially renamed as the Richard E. Peterson Champion of Champions, honoring Park Ridge Country Club member Rich Peterson, who was one of the driving forces in reviving the event and bringing it to its now permanent Park Ridge Country Club home. The CDGA has remained a key supporter and so, too, has the Western Golf Association, who donated the traveling trophy for display at the winner’s home club.
For additional information:
Please visit the links above for various tournament information resources; Or do not hesitate to contact CofC Info [ChampionofChampionsInfo@gmail.com].