As a 13-year-old participating in his first 
, Pasha Zabadneh vividly remembered being wildly impressed by the quality of play that he witnessed from his older playing partners that day.
“It was a really big deal for me,” Zabadneh said. “I was mesmerized, because they were just hitting the ball so consistently, so accurately. It was really cool to see that. I thought it worked hard enough I can get to that level.”
Flash forward three years later and Zabadneh was one of several high school players who were teamed with younger players during the 2025 Donahue Cup on Oct. 18.
“Now that I’m kind of older and I’m playing with younger kids, I’ve come full circle which is cool to see,” the 16-year-old Loyola Academy junior said.
The annual event was held at Winnetka Golf Club in October. Some 48 junior golfers of all ages formed four-player teams, battling it out in a scramble format on the club’s Par 3 course.
The winning team scored 6-under and beat out two other teams at 6-under in a tie breaker. The event is named after Peter Donahue, who founded The Golf Practice with Chris Oehlerking in 2011.
“Today was a treat,” said Jantzen Miserak, TPG’s Director of Instruction, during remarks after the round. “This is an event for our older students to get paired with some of our younger students to show them a path forward of what golf can be. Today was a perfect example of that.”
Dozens of parents and TGP staff members came out to watch the inspired golf under sunny skies.
“We get a chance as coaches to share our love and passion for the game and we understand and experience what the benefits of the game are and so this day is a benefit of golf,” Oehlerking said, speaking for the staff. “We feel really privileged for the opportunity to be able to provide this.”
