GREENWICH, CONN. (September 21, 2025) – Champions were crowned Sunday at The Stanwich Club as Johnny Spellerberg of Omaha Country Club, Lauren Greenlief of International Country Club (Fairfiax, Va.), and Kevin VandenBerg of Beaver Meadow Golf Club added their names to the Farrell trophy.
VandenBerg, the senior champion, is the first two-time Farrell winner after successfully defending his 2024 title. VandenBerg had dominating performances on Sunday, first defeating Robert Funk of Bear Creek Golf Club (Murrieta, Calif.) in the morning semifinal match, 6 and 5 before facing off against Jim Strickland of Whisper Rock Golf Club in the 18-hole final match for the second straight year. Strickland defeated Ronan Culligan of Saucon Valley Country Club in the semifinals, 2 and 1.
While Strickland had the advantage early in the match, VandenBerg took the lead on the fourth hole with a birdie on the par-3 fourth. He won No. 7 to get to 2-up, and a par save on the par-3 eighth helped him pick up momentum to extend his lead.
“Number eight was huge,” VandenBerg said. “I missed it a little right and came out of a 6-iron, I was over just in the rough and didn’t have an accessible pin. I just had to get it on the green and hit it to 14 feet. But it was a little outside left, I made par and he ended up missing his birdie putt. That was pivotal.”
VandenBerg went on to win No. 9, and picked up another win on 11 to extend his lead to 4-up. He closed out the match on the par-5 14th to win with a final score of 5 and 4.
“I found a bit of something with my putting and I putted extremely well in match play,” VandenBerg said. “I didn’t hit it that great off the tee, but my short game is a big strength and putting was really good this week.”
The men’s championship match ended on the 15th hole with Spellerberg defeating Matt Lowe of MGA eClub – Long Island, 4 and 3. Spellerberg, playing in his third Farrell, led early on the front and ran with it, thanks to wins on Nos. 2, 4, 5, and 7. Lowe fired back with a win on the par-3 eighth hole, but Spellerberg answered that with another win of his own on the par-5 ninth.
“The moment that the match turned was on 13,” Spellerberg said. “Sam (his caddie) told me the last three days that 13 is where matches swing. I know we had a lead but I couldn’t wait to get to 13. We hit a great 5-iron to 15 feet. It’s a difficult putt, difficult to read. It went in. We drained the 15 footer.”
That win took Spellerberg to 5-up, but Lowe fought back with a birdie on 14. After they shared pars on 15, Spellerberg closed out the match on 15 to earn his 4-and-3 victory.
En route to the final, Spellerberg defeated William Davenport of Whitemarsh Country Club, 5 and 3, in a match that, after the second hole, he never trailed. Lowe won his semifinal match against Christian Cavaliere of Hudson National on the 18th hole, after a back-and-forth match in which neither competitor never held more than a 1-up lead.
Greenlief captured the women’s title, defeating Perrine Gouin-Petit of Ligue de Paris, 3 and 1. Greenlief, the 2015 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur champion, had a back-and-forth match with Gouin-Petit, but managed to hold on to the lead for most of the round.
In the morning semifinals, Greenlief defeated Courtney Dow-Rowles of Field Ranch, 1 up, while Gouin-Petit defeated 2019 U.S. Women’s Mid-Am champion Ina Kim-Schaad of Deepdale, 3 and 2.
In the final match, Greenlief made the turn 1-up after early wins on Nos. 3, 4, and 8. The match was tied on 12 after Gouin-Petit won No. 12, but after Greenlief won 13, she gained the momentum needed to build her lead.
“(Hole) 13 was a turning point hole,” Greenlief said. “Par 3, playing 166, pin was back left. She hit a good shot to 25-30 feet right of the pin.”
Although Greenlief hit her tee shot into a bunker, she blasted out to about four feet. “She ran her putt by a little bit,” said Greenlief. “She lipped out and I drilled a four-footer to win the hole from the bunker. That was a big turning point.”
Next up on the par-5 14th with a 1-up lead, Greenlief’s drive left her with about 200 yards to the green. “Jack (her caddie) and I were looking at the numbers and I thought, ‘I can’t not go for it.’ So I hit it just over the green and set myself up for an easy win on the hole.”
That extended Greenlief’s lead to 2-up, and after matching pars on Nos. 15 and 16, on the par-5 17th, Greenlief’s drive was right down the middle while Gouin-Petit was in a difficult spot off the tee directly behind a tree and had to punch out to the fairway. Greenlief found the green in three when Gouin-Petit conceded the hole, earning Greenlief the victory.
After the trophy presentation, Greenlief and Spellerberg quickly departed for the airport to ensure they make their morning tee times in their next events back home in Virginia and Nebraska, respectively.
“It’s a really strong field, it’s a testament to the tournament and the quality of the golf course that people want to come play here.” Greenlief said. “So, to make it through the match play bracket and all of the golf is something I’m really proud of.”
The Farrell family has long been synonymous with golf in the Met Area. Billy was one of five children and grew up in in New Jersey; his father Johnny, the 1928 U.S. Open champion, was the Head Professional at Baltusrol Golf Club. While competing on tour, where he played in eight U.S. Opens and seven PGA Championships, Billy also worked as an assistant at Baltusrol. Billy and his wife Alvera had seven children; for 20 years, his son Bobby served as the Director of Golf at Tamarack Country Club in Greenwich, Conn. The Farrells were named Golf Family of the Year in 1966 by the Metropolitan Golf Writers Association.
