pga tour golfers from illinois

Best Golfers from Each State: Illinois Golf and Bill Mehlhorn

By christopher o'day | may 29, 2020.

13th July 1927: American golfer Bill Mehlhorn follows through on a drive at the fourth tee, during the Open Golf Championship at St Andrews, Fife. The Royal and Ancient golf club at St Andrews was founded in 1754 and recognised as the Governing Authority on the rules of the game in 1897. There are now more than 100 countries and associations affiliated to the famous club. (Photo by Kirby/Topical Press Agency/Getty Images)

We move to the “Prairie State”, to see the best Illinois Golf Product. We head back in time to the 19th Century and Bill Mehlhorn.

In one of the furthest back entrants to our series, Bill Mehlhorn takes the honors as the top Illinois Golf Product. If the article was about the top athlete who has played professional golf from Illinois, then it would likely go to someone else.

That honor would do to Joanne Winter . She was an original member of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Over 100 wins, 2.06 ERA, and an incredible amount of other records. After she retired, she became a golf teacher for 30 years.

This is an article on the top player to come from Illinois Golf, and that honor goes to Bill Mehlhorn.

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Boonchant wins Illinois Women's Open

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Jerravivitaporn rallies for Women's Western title

Tagalo Jerravivitaporn of Thailand was 3 down after six holes on Saturday, and rallied to win the 122nd Women's Western Amateur championship, beating Annabelle Pancake of Zionsville, Ind., 2 and 1 in the championship match at Sunset Ridge Country Club in Northfield. The report on the exciting title match is here .

Poston wins Deere wire-to-wire

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Deere races into last 36 holes

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Hardy at 71, Flavin a stroke better in Deere

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Colorado's Mason wins Women's Western Junior

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Opening 9: Nick Hardy's excellent adventure

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The Grill Room: LIV and let live?

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Newcomer Chris Nieto wins Illinois PGA match play

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Copeland stylish fourth in U.S. Women's Open qualifying

Lisa Copeland, the 13-year-old from Naperville who finished third in her bracket at the Drive, Chip and Putt Championship, outdid that result on Monday at Stonebridge Country Club. The early leader, she took fourth overall and low amateur honors in the 36-hole test. The winner and sole advancer to the Women's Open at Pine Needles is Ingrid Guiterrez Nunez of Cuautla, Mexico, who scored 2-under 142 on a windblown day at Stonebridge. The full story is here.

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And there's more: A report on 12-year-old Michael Jorski's win in the Drive Chip and Putt Championship, coverage of the lackluster PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, an update on the First Tee's project at Waveland, and thoughts on why Jerry Rich is all in on the Saudi-backed LIV golf tour, which will visit his Rich Harvest Farms enclave in September. Plus the 2022 tournament schedule and our 10-page directory to Illinois and nearby public golf. Click here for the free 25-page issue!

Wise beyond their years

We present a special issue profiling the five Chicago-area players who will tee it up Sunday in the Drive Chip & Putt competition at Augusta National. Plus a look at how the Illinois PGA's Youth Skills Challenge evolved into the DCP. Click here or on the cover!

Looking back at 2021

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Saudi-backed LIV Tour lands at Rich Harvest – with a thud

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Special issue: The Medinah No. 3 renovation

The most extensive coverage of the approved renovation of Medinah No. 3, with the course master plan of OCM Golf, renderings by the firm, and our hole-by-hole report and analysis in a nine-page special edition. Find it here.

Medinah No. 3 renovation on tap

Medinah Country Club members approved a major renovation of its famed No. 3 course on Saturday, Dec. 17. The back nine will be radically transformed. The news is here.

BMW renewal shows future of PGA Tour

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Malm wins IPGA Players; Chaussard wins Player of Year

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Mickelson trumps 100th Illinois PGA field

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Chaussard takes lead in 100th Illinois PGA

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Hohenadel leads 100th Illinois PGA

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Kelly brings home Illinois Open title

Tim "Tee-K" Kelly of Wheaton was never headed on Wednesday, winning the 72nd Illinois Open by three strokes over Luke Gannon of downstate Mahomet. Kelly's total of 17-under 199 matched the under-par mark and nearly set an overall scoring record. Click here for the full story.

Tee-K Kelly jumps to Illinois Open lead

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Illinois Open this week at Stonebridge

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Thorbjornsen wins 119th Western Amateur

Michael Thorbjornsen of Wellesley, Mass., won the Western Amateur on Saturday at the Glen View Club, finishing his sweep of the week with a 4 and 3 victory over Gordon Sargent of Birmingham, Ala. Click here for the full story.

Defender Coody into Western Amateur semis

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It's Western Amateur week at Glen View Club

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Lucas Glover wins 50th John Deere Classic

Lucas Glover, a former U.S. Open champion, captured the Deere on Sunday, his first victory in just over 10 years. For the full report, click here or on the cover.

Munoz leads Deere, dozens chase

Sebastian Munoz leads the 50th John Deere Classic entering the final 18 holes, but he's got company. There are 14 players within four strokes of the leaders, which should make for a typically chaotic final day at TPC Deere Run. For the full report, click here.

List leads Deere entering weekend

Journeyman Luke List is the 36-hole leader in the 50th John Deere Classic, and in search of his first PGA Tour victory. There's a long way to go, but Saturday's edition of The Opening 9 details how he got to the front and who's chasing him. Click here for the complete report.

Ghim opens strong at Deere, stands 3 back

Des Plaines' Doug Ghim scored 5-under 66 on Thursday and is three strokes back of the co-leaders after one round of the 50th John Deere Classic at TPC Deere Run. For a complete report on the first round, click here.

Nowlin wins IWO; Deere on tap

Tomorrow's news today – if you're reading this late on Wednesday afternoon. It's the Thursday Opening 9, covering Tristyn Nowlin's victory in the Illinois Women's Open and more preview information for the 50th John Deere Classic, which commences Thursday at TPC Deere Run in Silvis. Click here for all the news!

Nowlin takes IWO lead into final round

Tristyn Nowlin, a recent Illinois grad, leads the Illinois Women's Open by a stroke going into Wednesday's final round. That and a preview of the John Deere Classic is in Wednesday's Opening 9. Click here!

Illinois Women's Open starts big week

Our Opening 9 format covers it all this week, beginning with a preview of the Illinois Women's Open, and more.

Click here!

Pros win Radix Cup at Oak Park

The repeat victory after a one-year delay because of the COVID-19 pandemic came by an 11-7 margin on Thursday at Oak Park Country Club in River Grove. The details are here.

Illini's NCAA chase headlines our May issue

Illinois has made the Elite Eight of the NCAA men's golf championship and will chase a championship dream beginning Tuesday, June 1. Read all about it, and more, in our 27-page May issue, out just in time!

Also in the issue:

• We remember Bill Abrams and Arthur Hills, eminent teacher and architect, respectively;

• A report on Jim Billiter winning another Illinois PGA Match Play championship;

• A look at the Evans Scholars Invitational, where Nick Hardy contended;

• Details on the six new members of the Illinois Golf Hall of Fame;

• Thoughts on Phil Mickelson winning the PGA Championship;

and more! Click here or on the cover to read it!

No surprise here – Illini on the march

Illinois' capturing the men's Big Ten title for the sixth straight year and 11th time in the last 12 championships leads The Opening 9 this Monday. Click on the logo or here for the inside scoop on the Illini's quest for an NCAA title and more!

There's a place to play for everyone

Our April issue is here! From the new Chicago Golf Tour to the 62-year-old NIMAGA circuit, golfers great and not so great have a place to tee it up competitively. We detail the differences between three major series in Chicagoland and note a pair of others run by longstanding golf organizations as well.

Also in April:

• Thoughts on what Hideki Matsuyama's Masters victory means;

• A look ahead to golf in 2021;

• A look back at the distinctive year that was 2020;

• Details on the sale of Pontiac Elks, and more!

Click here or on the cover to read our 25-page April issue!

Masters week! Our preview takes you behind the curtain

It's Masters week for the 85th time, and for the second time in five months. There will be a limited gallery and there is the potential for unlimited thrills. Watch ESPN and CBS or online, but read our special preview for the 50 things you don't know about Augusta National Golf Club, and more. Click here or on the cover link.

Reprieve for Calumet leads The Opening 9

Calumet Country Club will remain open for this season, even though the bulldozers will eventually take over the course to prepare the property for conversion to industry. That news and eight more items in the March 1 edition of The Opening 9 from Illinois Golfer. Click here for the news!

Nick Hardy leads the Opening 9

An old feature returns in the form of the Opening 9, which will become a regular Monday feature in-season. Nick Hardy's excellent week in Scottsdale starts it off, and there's much more. Click here for the Opening 9.

Hardy becoming the Monday qualifying king

Northbrook native Nick Hardy did it again – on Tuesday morning – qualifying for this week's Phoenix Open on the second hole of sudden-death for the final spot in the weekend extravaganza. Details on the News Page.

It's back to (new) normal for the Illinois PGA

The 2021 schedule of the area's PGA of America group offers traditional championships and surprises. Read about the old, the new, how the group survived 2020 and plans for more in 2021, including a new junior golf series, on the News Page .

Merry Christmas! Our gift to you is our December issue!

It's a review of the last few months, plus a report on the sale of Calumet Country Club and auction of clubhouse items, and a surprise as well. Tournament coverage includes:

• How Bryce Emory kept steady down the stretch in the Illinois Open;

• Mike Small's 13th Illinois PGA victory, this one at Medinah;

• Ben Sluza's eagle vaults him to victory in the Illinois Junior;

• Pierceson Coody's capturing the Western Amateur;

• Last but not least, Jon Rahm's playoff victory over Dustin Johnson in the showdown of the world's top two players in the Western Open / BMW Championship at Olympia Fields.

Look for it now by clicking here.

Rahm captures BMW in thriller over Johnson

A 66-foot birdie putt in sudden-death brought world No. 2 Jon Rahm an amazing BMW Championship victory over world No. 1 Dustin Johnson on Sunday at Olympia Fields. Rahm shot 6-under 64, the best round of the week, to take the lead, only to have Johnson made a 43-footer to force the playoff. The full report is here.

Olympia Fields is the real winner

No matter who captures the BMW Championship title on Sunday, it's clear through three rounds at Olympia Fields' North Course is the real winner. Only two players were under par entering the final round, and they're players of pedigree: two-time winner Dustin Johnson and Hideki Matsuyama. The third round report is here.

McIlroy, Cantlay only players under par at Olympia

The most difficult conditions for a Western Open / BMW Championship since the Butler National days find Rory McIlroy and Patrick Cantlay leading at Olympia Fields at 1-under-par 139 after 36 holes. And the players to a man find the North Course a fair test. The second round report is here.

Matsuyama's 67 leads the way at Olympia

Hideki Matsuyama, playing in the penultimate group of the day, withstood the wind and the high rough to score 3-under-par 67 to take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the BMW Championship at Olympia Fields Country Club. The full story is here.

PGA Tour welcomes golfers, not fans, to Olympia

Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, this week's BMW Championship is being played at Olympia Fields Country Club without spectators. The preview is here.

Small wins Illinois PGA for 13th time

Mike Small's 3-under-par 68 earned him a four-stroke victory and record-extending 13th Illinois PGA Championship on Wednesday on Medinah Country Club's No. 1 course. Mistwood's Frank Hohenadel and Andy Mickelson were second. The full story is here.

Small hounded by Mickelson, Hohenadel entering final round of Illinois PGA

Mike Small's course-record 8-under 63 was good enough for only a one-stroke lead over Andy Mickelson and Frank Hohenadel of Mistwood after Tuesday's second round of the Illinois PGA Championship on Medinah's No. 1 Course. The full story is here.

Medinah, Mistwood pros dominate Illinois PGA first round

Pre-tournament favorite Travis Johns, fellow Medinah pro Brandon Moore and Mistwood's Andy Mickelson share the lead at 5-under-par 66 after the first round of the 99th Illinois PGA Championship on Medinah's No. 1 Course. The full story is here.

Johns readies for defense of Illinois PGA

Travis Johns of Medinah gets to defend his Illinois PGA title on Medinah's No. 1 layout this week. We chatted with him in advance of Monday's first round; click here for the preview.

Emory captures Illinois Open in romp

A four-stroke lead went down to nothing and then back to four in short order Wednesday for Bryce Emory of Aurora, earning him the title in the 71st Illinois Open. The full story is here.

Emory takes charge in Illinois Open

Aurora's Bryce Emory, a mini-tour veteran, tied the White Eagle Golf Club course record with a 6-under 66 on Tuesday to take a four-stroke lead going into the final round of the 71st Illinois Open. See the News Page for the full story.

Holtz takes Illinois Open lead

Brandon Holtz, a threat in recent years, is threatening again. His course-record 6-under-par 66 earned him a three-stroke lead in the 71st Illinois Open at White Eagle Golf Club. The full report is on the News Page.

Illinois Open starts Monday at White Eagle

The 71st Illinois Open, having been remodeled to fit into a pandemic-infested world, starts Monday at White Eagle Golf Club in Naperville/Aurora. A field of 156 will be on hand, one of whom will not be 2019 champion David Cooke, a late withdrawal. The full story is on the News Page.

Women's Western Am headlines July issue of Illinois Golfer

The 24-page July issue of Illinois Golfer – click here – features expanded coverage of the 120th Women's Western Amateur and more, including:

• The story of the University of Illinois' acquisition of Stone Creek Golf Club in Urbana;

• A preview of the 118th Western Amateur;

• A report on pro Mike Krizic's purchase of Fyre Lake Golf Club in western Illinois;

• Publisher Tim Cronin's thoughts on the PGA of America's takedown of Horton Smith;

and more, including the biggest public course guide in any Illinois golf publication. Enjoy!

Canada's Thibault wins Women's Western Amateur

Brigitte Thibault of Canada beat Jackie Lucena of California on Saturday morning for the 120th Women's Western Amateur title. Her 4 and 3 victory at Prestwick Country Clin in Frankfort, Ill., was the second WWGA Am crown for a Canadian in four years. Details on her triumph are here.

It's Thibault and Lucena for the Women's Western Am title

Brigitte Thibault and Jackie Lucena battle on Saturday morning for the championship of the 120th Women's Western Amateur at Prestwick Country Club in Frankfort, Ill. They advanced to the title match in markedly different ways. Click here to find out how.

They come to America – for the Women's Western Am

The 120th Women's Western Amateur – played every year, through two wars and two pandemics – is next week at Prestwick Country Club in Frankfort. Our preview, noting the notables in the field and a notable course, is on our News Page. Click here for the story.

Why PGA's renaming of the Horton Smith Award is a mistake

The PGA of America announced today it was renaming the Horton Smith Award, named after the former Oak Park Country Club professional, citing "racial ties." Illinois Golfer publisher Tim Cronin believes they picked on the wrong guy for the wrong reason. Click here to read the Grill Room commentary on our News Page.

Illinois Golfer's June issue runs the gamut

The 24-page June issue of Illinois Golfer, a click away, has something for everyone who loves golf:

• Our memories of Jim McWethy, the owner of Mistwood who we lost on Monday.

• The rundown on rules for Illinois golf in Phase 4, which began today.

• A report on why the John Deere Classic couldn't be played in the pandemic era.

• A rundown of tournaments lost to the pandemic, including the WGA and WWGA Juniors.

• The Illinois PGA's successful effort to schedule all four of its state majors in 2020.

• The Illinois Junior Golf Association's end run to Wisconsin and Indiana to keep a tournament schedule alive.

• A roundup of statewide news, including the cancellation of the Little People's junior in Quincy, and much more, including a look back at the career of the late Peter Longo (see page 14).

• An up-to-the-minute tourament schedule, plus the biggest course facility listing in the state.

Enjoy ... and wear a mask when you're near somebody!

Jim McWethy cast a long shadow

Mistwood Golf Club owner Jim McWethy died on Monday after an illness. He was 76. Both respected and liked, McWethy took Mistwood from average to superb as a course, a teaching center, and a dining destination. He was be greatly missed. Click here for a report on his accomplishments on the News page.

Deere canceled for 2020; returns in 2021

The John Deere Classic was canceled on Thursday. Officials cited the regulations limiting gatherings from spectators to groups – which would include volunteers and even players – in dropping off the schedule for a year. That means the 50th anniversary tournament will be held 50 years after the 1971 inaugural. The full story is on our News page.

Here comes (re-)Opening Day

Illinois Golfer's digital issue for April is here! Click on the cover or the previous sentence and you can read online or download our abbreviated – thanks to technical gremlins – preview of the return of golf to Illinois.

Private course owners chafe at restrictions

As do private clubs. Illinois Golfer caught up with a pair of outspoken course owners on Monday, each of whom is opening their course on Friday, with a belief that the reopening restrictions are too confining. The story is on our News Page.

Let there be barebones golf – next Friday

Finally, good news in this Year of the Pandemic – Illinois golf courses will be allowed to resume on-course operations beginning Friday, May 1, thanks to a provision in the new stay-at-home order from Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Thursday. Play will be walking and twosomes only, but there will be golf. The final version of today's report is on the News Page. It includes updates with comments from Illinois PGA executive director Carrie Williams. This afternoon's original update, complete with highlights of the restrictions, is on our News Page. Here's this morning's story.

Illinois' golf season begins today in Tinley Park

Writing from Chicago

Friday, February 7, 2020

It might not be golf weather, but it's golf show season, and to those who haven't been to a dome, that's the next best thing. The season begins with the Tinley Park Golf Show, back after a year's absence caused when the original partners of the Tinley Park Golf Expo feuded and forgot they had a good thing going. A smaller show at Ravisloe Golf Club picked up the south suburban slack last year, for those who knew about it.

This year's show is a three-day affair at the Tinley Park Convention Center at Harlem Ave., just off the Interstate 80 exit. It opens today at noon and runs to 8 p.m., with $5 admission. Saturday and Sunday are $10 each, with doors open from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday. Parking is free.

There are about 50 exhibitors, with over a dozen courses and a half-dozen or so manufacturers with clubs you can hit at an expanded hitting bay. Be there!

– Tim Cronin

Answer to a special Christmas inquiry from New York

With which we offer you greetings for a joyous Christmas, a happy Hannakuh, and a peaceful and prosperous 2020!

Tim Cronin, Publisher • Editor

The New York Sun received an urgent plea in a letter from young Virginia O'Hanlon in mid-September of 1897. On September 21, 1897, reporter Francis Pharcellus Church penned an answer to her in an editorial. It is worth reading even today:

We take pleasure in answering at once and thus prominently the communication below, expressing at the same time our great gratification that its faithful author is numbered among the friends of The Sun :

Dear Editor: I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, ‘If you see it in The Sun it’s so.’ Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus?

VIRGINIA O’HANLON. 115 West Ninety-Fifth Street.

VIRGINIA, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men’s or children’s, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIAS. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that’s no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You may tear apart the baby’s rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.

No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

Vance Redfern, former Illinois PGA boss, dies at 78

The third Illinois PGA executive director had retired from a post running his alma mater's foundation a few years ago. Details on the News page.

Travis Johns wins Illinois PGA

Round 2: travis johns' 3-under 68, which matched the best round of the day, carried the day in the 98th illinois pga championship when mike small blew up to a 7-over 78 on wednesday. it's johns' third state major and first section title. details on the news page..

Round 1: Mike Small's course-record 8-under 63 gave him a five-stroke lead in the rain-shortened 98th Illinois PGA Championship. Mistwood's Andy Mickelson scored 68 and is in second in chase of the Illinois men's coach with a round to play. Details on the News page.

Three rain delays, the last prompting flooding on the course at Ruth Lake Country Club, cancelled Monday's first round of the 98th Illinois PGA Championship. It will be replayed from the start on Tuesday. That means Brian Carroll's fine 5-under-par 66 didn't happen, and the same goes for Jim Billiter's 68 and the scores of those who finished. Some 59 players didn't get to tee off, so everyone starts fresh Tuesday morning, weather permitting. The full story on our News page.

Thomas races away with BMW title

Round 4: Justin Thomas' total of 25-under 263 earned him the BMW Championship at Medinah No. 3 on Sunday, three strokes ahead of Patrick Cantlay and five ahead of Hideki Matsuyama. Full report on our News page.

Round 3: Justin Thomas' course-record 61 knocked Hideki Matsuyama's record to second place on Saturday and earned him a six-stroke lead with a round to go at the BMW Championship on Medinah No. 3.

Round 2: Hideki Matsuyama obliterated the Medinah No. 3's course record on Friday, scoring 9-under 63 fot a 36-hole total of 12-under 132 and the lead halfway through the BMW Championship. Details on our News page.

Round 1: Jim Furyk, 49, ignored age and Medinah No. 3's yardage Thursday to score 6-under 66 and is a stroke off the lead after a round of the BMW Championship at Medinah. Full report on our News page.

BMW Preview, more in August's Illinois Golfer

We're back from a computer meltdown with a 36-page August digital issue of Illinois Golfer, including:

• A preview of the BMW Championship, beginning Thursday at Medinah;

• How Garrett Rank, a 31-year-old NHL referee, won the Western Amateur;

• Coverage of the Women's Western Amateur, Illinois Open, Illinois Women's Open, Illinois Amateur and Radix Cup;

• Thoughts on BMW's run as the title sponsor of the Western Open – to recall a grand old name – even as the automaker may renew;

• and the best public golf directory in the state! Enjoy!

Cooke collects second Illinois Open title

David Cooke won the 70th Illinois Open going away on Wednesday, scoring 5-under 67 to beat runner-up Nick Hardy by four strokes at The Glen Club. Details on our News page.

Round 2: David Cooke is bidding for his second Illinois Open title in four years after a second-round 65 at The Glen Club earned him a three-stroke lead going into Wednesday's final round. Details on our News page.

Round 1: Chris Boyle, a 23-year-old assistant at Balmoral Woods, grabbed the Illinois Open lead Monday afternoon eith a 7-under-par 65 at The Glen Club. He's two strokes up on 2015 winner David Cooke. Details on our News page.

Preview: The Glen Club and Ridgemoor opened their doors to the state's best players this week for the 70th Illinois Open. Our preview highlights the contrasts in the courses and who might have the edge in the 54-hole test for state glory. Details on our News page.

NHL referee Rank, 31, wins Western Amateur

A storybook tale came to life at Point O'Woods as Garrett Rank, an NHL referee, mid-amateur and cancer survivor, became the first mid-amateur to win the Western Amateur in 22 years with a 3 and 2 victory over Ohio Srate graduate Daniel Wetterich. Details on the News page.

Hammer misses Western Am cut

Defending champion Cole Hammer is no longer defending in the Western Amateur. He missed the 36-hole cut by a stroke on Wedneday when his 35-foot birdie putt at his last hole slid by the cup by an inch. Details, and a look at the return to Point O'Woods Golf and Country Club, on our News page.

Shipley wins Women's Western Am

Sarah Shipley, a senior at Kentucky , beat Chilean high-schooler Antonio Matte 5 and 3 to win the 119th Women's Western Amateur on Saturday at Royal Melbourne Country Club in Long Grove. Details on the News page.

Tyree leads four into Women's Western Am semifinals

Brooke Tyree of Louisiana withstood a heat index of 105 to win two matches and move into the semifinals of the 119th Women's Western Amateur at Royal Melbourne Country Club on Friday. Others advancing are from Michigan, Chile and Colombia. Details on the News page.

Farnam comeback culminates in Illinois Amateur title

Ethan Farnam of Crystal Lake won the Illinois Amateur on Thursdat at Cantigny Golf, coming from six strokes behind to beat 36-hole leader David Perkins and fast-closing Jordan Less by two strokes. Details on the News page.

Porvasnik wins Illinois Women's Open

Jessica Porvasnik of Ohio won the Illinois Women's Open on Wednesday by a stroke over three players, including Mistwood teaching pro Nicole Jeray. Details on the News page.

There was a three-way tie for the lead after 36 holes at the Illinois Women's Open, with Nicole Jeray of Berwyn – and a teaching pro at Mistwood – one of two two strokes back with a round to play. Details on the News page.

It's a big week!

There are three titles – one national and two state-oriented – up for grabs this week, and we have the details on the Women's Western Amateur, the Illinois Women's Open and the Illinois Amateur on our News page.

Dylan Frittelli wins John Deere Classic

How Dylan Frittelli won on Sunday, outdistancing Russell Henley despite a 61 and Andrew Landry, on our News page.

Cameron Tringale and Andrew Landry are the co-leaders with a round to play in the 49th John Deere Classic, but Bill Haas and Adam Schenk are a stroke back and there are 20 players within five strokes. Details on our News page.

Jhonattan Vegas took the lead at the halfway point of the 49th John Deere Classic with a 9-under 62 for 13-under 129. Details on our News page.

Roberto Diaz led the opening round of the John Deere Classic thanks to a 9-under 62. Details on our News page.

Illinois Golfer is on the scene with a special preview edition; we'll also have updates daily on our News page each day, plus update with flashes on Twitter.

Todd Mitchell teams to win the U.S. Men's Four-Ball and more in our June issue

It's June 30 as this is typed, but our June issue is here, better late than bever. Inside, you'll find the story of how Todd Mitchell finally captured a USGA Championship, the scoop on the wins of Wilson-connected Gary Woodland and Illinois alum Steve Stricker in the U.S. Open and U.S. Senior Open, respectively, plus the story on this year's six Illinois Golf Hall of Fame inductees. And more! Enjoy!

How Furtney, Shepherd won the U.S. Women's Four-Ball and more in our May issue

With coverage of South Elgin teen Megan Furtney's win in a USGA championship, May's Illinois Golfer is packed with news and more, including:

• How Garrett Chaussard went back-to-back in the Illinois PGA Match Play;

• Who the 12 finalists for this year's class of the Illinois Golf Hall of Fame are;

• How Illinois' men's team collected another Big Ten title;

• News that Calumet and Signal Point can now be played by the public golfer;

and, whatever happened to the PGA Championship? Plus the calendar and the most complete directory of golf facilities in any Illinois golf publication. Enjoy!

Celebrate Masters week with our April issue – and Masters preview!

The most anticipated tournament of any year is the Masters. It always is, especially to us northerners trying to break the cold. So it is this year, and Illinois Golfer's 25-page Masters preview, taking up most of our April issue, is ready for you. Click here or on the cover image for it. It includes:

• Len Ziehm's report on how Illinois-connected players fared in the inaugural Augusta National Women's Amateur;

• How Jennifer Kupcho rallied to beat Maria Fassi for the ANWA title;

• Our Masters preview, focusing on changes to the oft-overlooked fifth hole;

• Tee times (Eastern time) for the first two rounds;

• News on Olympia Fields' switch of architects for an anticipated renovation of its two courses;

• Information on the WGA's new headquarters;

plus the most complete public golf course guide in any Illinois publication, the 2019 schedule, and more!

Welcome to golf season – and our February issue!

Just in time for the Chicago Golf Show's weekend days, here's the 34-page February issue of Illinois Golfer , complete with reports from the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, including:

• The cover story on Mistwood Golf Dome's revolutionary Toptracer Range system;

• An on-the-scene report on the PGA Merchandise Show;

• A report from Orlando on Wilson Golf's resurgence;

• The floor plan and list of golf merchandisers at the Chicago Golf Show in Rosemont;

• Feature reports on two dazzling nearby resorts: Eagle Ridge and Sand Valley;

• The lowdown on who scored Illinois PGA awards for 2018;

• And news on the sale of Minne Monesse Golf Club in downstate Grant Park.

Plus a 2019 season schedule, the biggest course guide in Illinois, and more!

Dear Editor: I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, ‘If you see it in The Sun it’s so.’ Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus?

Olympia Fields fires Keith Foster

The 60-year-old renovation architect is booted after pleading guilty to sluggling endangered species. He's been overseeing a master plan for renovation of both courses. Details on our News page.

Olympia Fields to host 2020 WGA Playoff tournament – BMW or not

Olympia Fields Country Club announced Saturday it will host the 2020 BMW Championship – or whatever it is called if the Western Golf Association and PGA Tour need to find a new title sponsor. The 2020 playoff semifinal will be played on Olympia's North Course in August of 2020. Details on our News page.

WGA starts construction on new office building

The new building in Glenview, to either replace or supplant the headquarters in nearby Golf, is on Patriot Drive near The Glen Club. Details on our News page.

Happy Halloween – our treat is the October issue!

Happy Halloween from Illinois Golfer! No trick here, but the treat – we hope – of our October issue, presented end-of-month to get you all the latest news, including:

• Our cover story, a full report on the IHSA’s high school championships, beset by bad weather and using a controversial new cut system for the first time;

• An on-the-scene report from the BMW Championship at Aronimink near Philadelphia, where Keegan Bradley came back to the forefront;

• Len Ziehm’s coverage of Laura Davies’ sweep of the senior women’s professional majors this season by winning the Senior LPGA Championship at French Lick Resort;

• How the John Deere Classic was the catalyst for another record-breaking Birdies for Charity fund-raising year;

and more, including how Jeff Kellen of Rockford won the Illinois PGA Players, and thoughts on the Woods-Mickelson pay-per-view match.

Thanks for reading! (Now go back to the candy corn.)

Publisher • Editor

Keegan Bradley captures BMW in playoff

The erstwhile PGA champion fired a final-round 64 for 20-under 260, then beat new world No. 1 Justin Rose with a par on the first hole of sudden-death to take the BMW Championship on Monday at soggy Aronomink Golf Club near Philadelphia. The Monday final round story is here. The Sunday delay story is here. The third round story is here. The second round story is here. The first round story is here.

Sunset Valley reborn in September's Illinois Golfer

The reimagination of Sunset Valley Golf Club is the cover story in the September issue of Illinois Golfer , which also includes:

• A preview of the BMW Championship, reported from Aronimink Golf Club near Philadelphia;

• A report on how Dakun Chang needed 57 holes to capture the Illinois PGA Championship;

• News on what Kevin Streelman's up to;

and, as always, more! Click here to go to the 30-page September issue! Thanks!

Chang beats Carroll in Illinois PGA Championship playoff

After surrendering a two-stroke lead in the morning's first two holes, Dakun Chang tied Brian Carroll with a birdie on the 14th hole and then beat him in a three-hole playoff Thursday morning in the 97th Illinois PGA Championship at Stonewall Orchard Golf Club in Grayslake. The final game story is here. The game story of the partial third round is here. The second round game story is here. The first round game story is here.

Cole Hammer cops Western Am, cover of August Illinois Golfer

It’s the dog days of August, but we’re not dogging it at Illinois Golfer! Our big 44-page August issue is out, and features plenty of tournament reports, plus another edition of Len Ziehm’s popular Road Warrior column. Click here or on the cover image to call up the PDF and dig in.

Len, America’s most active golf writer – and among the most-traveled – takes us on a trip along Louisiana’s Audubon Trail this time, a 15-course feast that’s nearly as tasty as the cuisine in the state. Len covers that as well.

Plus, learn how:

• Cover subject Cole Hammer dominated the field and Sunset Ridge Country Club on his way to the Western Amateur title;

• Michael Kim ran away with the John Deere Classic, a rare rout in the Quad Cities, where a kid caddie stole the show;

• Laura Davies made a tremendous impression in the Inaugural U.S. Senior Women’s Open at iconic Chicago Golf Club;

• Vijay Singh outlasted Jeff Maggert to collect the Senior Players Championship title at Exmoor Country Club;

• Recent Northwestern graduate Hannah Kim scored her first pro victory in the Phil Kosin Illinois Women’s Open at Mistwood Golf Club;

• Jordan Hahn got the finish right this year and won the Illinois Amateur in Bloomington;

• Vince India won the Illinois Open at the Glen Club, then caught the red-eye to San Francisco for a Web.com tournament.

All that and more is in the August issue! Enjoy!

Koepka holds off Woods, Scott for PGA title

Brooks Koepka's 4-under 66 for 16-under 264 brought him a two-stroke victory over surging Tiger Woods and by three over Adam Scott at Bellerive Country Club. The final-round report is here.

The two-time U.S. Open champion would win his third major in the last seven if he captures the 100th PGA Championship on Sunday, and set himself up to do so with a third-round 4-under 66 for a two-stroke lead on Australian Adam Scott. The full third-round report is here.

The Saturday morning story on the completion of the second round is here.

The second-round game story is here.

Read here about Jordan Spieth's unhappiness about the soft conditions at Bellerive Country Club.

The first-round game story is here.

Vince India captures 69th Illinois Open

Vince India's 6-under-par 66 for 14-under 202 was good for a one-stroke victory over Brandon Holtz at The Glen Club early Wednesday evening. The game story is here.

The rain-soaked Illinois Open features a four-way tie at the top at nightfall Tuesday. Pros Andy Mickelson, Brian Bullington and Daniel Hudson, all in at 8-under 136, plus amateur Brendan O'Reilly, an Illinois sophomore, through 10 holes at 8 under, are the leaders, with four players at 7-under and many more right behind. The second round is slated to finish Wednesday morning, followed by the final round. The second round story is here.

While Doug Bauman came within seven strokes of shooting his age, Andy Mickelson and Dakun Chang fired 6-under-par 66s on Monday at Ravinia Green for the first-round lead by a stroke in the 69th Illinois Open. The first round story is here.

Cole Hammer wins 116th Western Amateur

Grinding away, 18-year-old Cole Hammer of Houston won the 116th Western Amateur on Saturday afternoon, scoring a 1-up victory over Davis Riley of Hattisburg, Miss. The game story on the championship match is here.

It's co-medalist Cole Hammer and Davis Riley in Saturday's championship match of the 116th Western Amateur at Sunset Ridge. See how they advanced in the semifinals here.

Cole Hammer scored a 1-up victory over Spencer Ralston in the feature match of the quarterfinals to advance to the semifinals of the 116th Western Amateur on Friday at Sunset Ridge Country Club. The quarterfinals game story is here.

Cole Hammer needed 20 holes to dispose of Davis Shore in Friday morning's Round of 16 match at the Western Amateur. Hammer plays Spencer Ralston, who knocked off local favorite Patrick Flavin, in the just-underway afternoon quarterfinals. The morning game story is here.

Records fell like celebratory confetti Thursday at Sunset Ridge Country Club, with Cole Hammer – bolstered by a Western Amateur and course record 61 in the morning – and Sam Stevens sharing the medal for stroke play at 23-under-par 261. Match play begins at 8 a.m. Friday. The game story for the third and fourth rounds is here.

Spencer Ralston, a Georgia Bulldog with a hot putter, added a 5-under-par 66 to his opening 63 to take the 36-hole lead in the 116th Western Amateur at Sunset Ridge Country Club in Northfield. The second-round game story is here.

Lloyd Jefferson Go, Ralston and Matthew Walker each scored 8-under-par 63 on Tuesday to share the first round lead in the 116th Western Amateur, with a quartet right behind at 7-under and a slew of elite players under par. The first-round game story is here.

The Western is at Sunset Ridge Country Club in Northfield. Live streaming TV coverage of the match-play rounds is an addition to this year's festivities. The preview, and details of the streaming coverage, is here.

Hannah Kim routs field in Illinois Women's Open

Recent Northwestern graduate Hannah Kim completed her domination of the Illinois Women's Open on Wednesday with a closing 5-under-par 67 for a record total of 16-under 200, beating amateur Tristyn Nowlin by six strokes. Here's the final-round story.

Read the second-round-story here.

The first-round story is on our News page.

Michael Kim runs to record victory in John Deere Classic

Michael Kim romped to a nine-stroke victory Sunday in the 48th John Deere Classic, setting a scoring record – 257 strokes – and getting surprised by his parents at the 18th green in the process. The final-round story is on our News page.

Kim led by five entering the final round. The story on Round 3 is on our News page.

Kim led by four at the conclusion of Friday's play. The story on Round 2 is on our News Page.

The tournament started with Steve Wheatcroft's 62 and defender Bryson DeChambeau's injury-related withdrawal. The full story on Round 1 and more on our News page.

U.S. Senior Women's Open, Senior Players, John Deere previewed in special edition of Illinois Golfer

The biggest week in Illinois golf in memory is here , and so is our 30-page special edition previewing it. Inside you'll find a comprehensive preview of the inaugural U.S. Senior Women's Open, plus previews of the Senior Players Championship and our perennial, the John Deere Classic. Enjoy!

Publisher • Editor

Park's WPGA victory spotlighted in July's Illinois Golfer

July’s Illinois Golfer is a firecracker – click here or on the cover to download – featuring on-the-scene tournament reports on:

• Sung Hyun Park’s playoff victory in the Women’s PGA Championship at Kemper Lakes;

• Emilee Hoffman’s charge to the title in the Women’s Western Amateur at Mistwood;

• The amateur squad’s comeback victory in the Radix Cup at Oak Park;

• and David Perkins’ sudden-death triumph over Illinois State teammate Trent Wallace in the CDGA Amateur at Briarwood;

• plus wrapups on the Illinois Junior and Lincoln Land Championship, notes from here and there, and commentary on the pace of play in the LPGA, along with the schedule, stats and the most complete course guide in Illinois!

And we’re happy to announce a mid-July issue, featuring previews of the maddest week in golf: the John Deere Classic, Senior Players Championship and the inaugural U.S. Senior Women’s Open!

WPGA to Sung Hyun Park in sudden-death

Writing from Kildeer, Illinois

Sunday, July 1, 2018

Happy Canada Day!

Sung Hyun Park isn’t flashy, but she gets the job done.

Making birdies on both holes of a sudden-death playoff, for instance.

That gets the job done.

Park did that on Sunday afternoon to win the 64th Women’s PGA Championship at Kemper Lakes Golf Club.

In a three-way playoff with fellow South Korean So Yeon Ryu and Japan teen sensation Nasa Hataoka, she birdied the 18th to match Ryu, then ran in a seven-footer for birdie on the 16th after a brief thunderstorm delay to win her second major championship in as many years.

Maybe it could have been seen coming. Park played her last 30 holes without a bogey, and had only three bogeys all week. She scored 3-under-par 69 on Sunday to finish at 10-under 278. She had opened with a bogey-free 66.

Now she’s a double major winner, the Women’s PGA on her resume to go with last year’s U.S. Women’s Open title.

“This is one step forward,” Park, 24, said through an interpreter. “I still can’t believe what I’ve done, but I’m really happy.”

Park started the day four strokes behind Ryu, but her 69 combined with Ryu’s 1-over 73 was almost overlooked considering Hataoka’s course record of 8-under 64. She can be overlooked no longer. With her Korean nickname, “Dan Gong,” which translates to “Shut up and attack,” she never should have been.

Park’s 1-under 35 on the inward nine featured a 14-foot birdie putt on the par-4 14th and a brilliant par save from the edge of the water hazard on the 16th. She could have made anything with a bad shot, but her perfect chopped-out wedge stopped 2 1/2 feet from the cup for a kick-in par save. It was the shot of the championship.

“It was my first time hitting from that kind of spot,” Park said. “I did what I do with a bunker shot. I felt, ‘I got this!’ when I hit it.”

Thus, the fist pump, a rare display of emotion for her. And finally, a tear or three when she was awarded the trophy.

“I do my fist ceremony when I’m really focused in the game,” Park said. “If I play better in the future, you’ll see a lot of fist ceremonies. It’s my first time feeling this kind of emotion.”

Park had to match Ryu’s birdie putt on the first playoff hole, Kemper’s 18th, and did so, making a 10-footer to send the playoff to the second extra hole after Ryu dropped an 18-footer from the fringe.

“I think I was in my zone,” Ryu said. “I knew where the line was. That was a really great putt. I thought that would be it.”

It elicited the biggest cheer of the day from the biggest gallery of the week, forced Park to match.

Ryu got to the playoff in madcap fashion, with two lipouts on the second hole leading to a double-bogey, rolling in a 30-foot birdie putt on the 16th, dunking her tee shot on the par-3 17th to set up another double bogey, and two-putting for par at the last to finish off her 73.

“Maybe the biggest regret is 17,” Ryu said. “I don’t think it was a really bad shot. I just drew it more than I expected, and the wind just took it really hard to the left.”

Hataoka, at 2-under starting the final round, roared into contention with two birdies and an eagle on the par-5 seventh to go out in 4-under 32. A bogey on the 10th was followed by a second eagle on the par-5 11th, and birdies on Nos. 12, 15 and 16 got her to 10-under, where she finished after par saves from a bunker and the back collar on the last two holes. The 8-under 64 set a women’s course record at Kemper Lakes and is the lowest final round in LPGA / Women’s PGA Championship history.

“Finally, I was able to play my game today,” Hataoka said through an interpreter.

Hataoka, the 19-year-old winner in Arkansas last week, finished at 1:09 p.m., when Ryu was 12-under through 12 holes. She had a two-hour wait, the last 30-odd minutes was spent practicing, before commencing the playoff. She hit the fairway with her tee shot on the 18th but hammered her 7-iron approach to the back collar, from which she wasn’t able to convert for birdie after Ryu rolled hers in from the collar.

“I did feel nervous going in, but haven’t won a major so I had nothing to lose,” Hataoka said. “When I finished, I didn’t think I’d be in a playoff. Before the tournament started, I thought double-digits under par would be a good score, so I’m pleased with that.”

Jessica Korda (closing 68) and Angel Yin tied for fourth at 7-under 281, and ended up the low Americans. Defending champion Danielle Kang finished tied for 33rd at 2-over 290 with a closing 73.

Around Kemper Lakes

Brooke Henderson’s temper got the better of her on the 11th hole. After hitting a poor chip from behind the green that got nowhere near the putting surface, she slammed her wedge against the bag, snapping the shaft in two. That left her a club short the rest of the way. She escaped with a par and a red face after the Canadian’s fireworks display on Canada Day, and finished tied for sixth at 6-under 282. ... Sung Hyun Park’s 286-yard driving average was best of the leaders on Sunday and second-best overall, behind only Maude-Aimee LeBlanc (293 yards). ... Ryu was going for her third career major to go with titles in the ANA Inspiration and the U.S. Women’s Open. ...

Sunday’s scoring average was 73.32, with 21-under par rounds. The 16th hole played the toughest (4.370) and the 18th third-toughest (4.288), but the par-3 17th was a relative pushover at 3.096, 11th most difficult. Jeong Eun Lee’s quintuple-bogey 9 at the 16th skewed that hole’s average. ... The course averaged 73.89 strokes for the week, with a ringer score of 49. The eighth hole proved toughest, at 4.254 strokes, but the par-3 13th yielded the fewest birdies (27). ...

The size of the gallery was much larger on Sunday, with hundreds of cars parked in the public lot at the Lake County Fairgrounds, a 20-minute ride away. The crowd, perhaps 10,000 including guests of title sponsor KPMG, gave the final round the feel of something important. That atmosphere had been lacking the first two days, and wasn’t much better on Saturday, though in that case the heat index of 108 surely kept some people away. It was only 100 on Sunday. ... A 15-minute lightning delay at 3:45 p.m. stopped the playoff with Park and Ryu waiting to putt on the 16th green. ... How not to finish: four-putt the last green, as Mel Reid did for a double-bogey on No. 9 to follow bogeys on the previous two holes (including a three-putt on the eighth hole) for a closing 6-over 78. ...

Next on the horizon: In less than two weeks, the triple-header of the inaugural U.S. Senior Women’s Open at Chicago Golf Club in Wheaton, the Senior Players Championship at Exmoor Country Club in Highland Park, and the John Deere Classic at TPC Deere Run in Silvis.

Hoffman 8 and 7 winner over Nowlin in Women’s Western Am Final

Writing from Romeoville, Illinois

Saturday, June 30, 2018

Emilee Hoffman opened the 118th championship match of the Women’s Western Amateur with an unusual eagle 2. The California-based Texas Longhorn ended it with a 35-foot birdie putt that never wavered from its target.

That putt, her ninth birdie of the day, brought her an 8 and 7 victory over Tristyn Nowlin of Richmond, Ky., and the Illinois golf team, in the double-round final.

She didn’t know it. So focused was Hoffman, she began to walk off the green to Mistwood Golf Club’s 12th tee until referee CeCe Durbin announced the outcome.

“I thought we had one more hole,” Hoffman said. “I had no idea.”

That’s focus. Hoffman all but had blinders on in the course of her dissection of Nowlin, a friend from junior golf and even now an occasional foe on the college scene. She hit fairway after fairway, green after green, and made putts from near and far in the course of not only Saturday’s final, but the entire week. She started with a 7-under-par 65 in the first round of stroke-play qualifying to match the course and Women’s Western Am 18-hole records, and then had seven birdies in Saturday morning’s 18.

Add in the opening deuce and Hoffman posted the match play equivalent of a 64 en route to her 7-up advantage at lunchtime. In other words, Hoffman was the windshield and Nowlin was the bug.

The Women’s Western is second in American amateur golf only to the U.S. Women’s Amateur, with a glittering list of champions. The last three to pull off the medalist-champion double before Hoffman are Stacy Lewis (2006), Ariya Jutanugarn (2012) and Mika Liu (2014). The first two of those three have gone on to capture major championships.

“I don’t even know how to describe it,” Hoffman said after posing for photos with the W.A. Alexander Cup. “I was talking early in the week about how prestigious this event is. It’s just truly an honor. I’m still in shock.”

Her future is bright, especially when her putting is on. She said her game is from tee to green – and that, like her efficiently simple swing, was tremendous – but nine birdies in 29 holes always works. Among the highlights was a stretch of three straight birdies in the morning – a 20-footer on the 11th, a three-footer on the 12th and a 15-footer on the 13th – and a 20-footer for a three on the par-4 10th hole in the afternoon. That got her back to 7-up, and the downhill 35-footer on the next green finished off the match.

“I’ve struggled with my putting for the last year,” Hoffman said. “I’ve worked on it once I got back from college, and it feels so good to see some of the hard work starting to pay off.”

Nowlin was gracious, saying “If you had told me at the beginning of the week I’d make it to the final match, I’d be perfectly fine with that.”

Things went off the beam from the start. Her tee shot on the first hole went wild and she conceded the hole before Hoffman had to hit her second shot. That went down as a 2 on the card for the par-4. Nowlin won the second hole with a birdie – one of two for her in the match – but never really got untracked.

“Today, I really don’t know what it was,” Nowlin said. “I wasn’t really catching them solid. I’d hit a couple left, a couple right. And Emilee is such a great player, she never got herself out of position. Maybe she was out of position once. But that’s golf. That’s how it goes.

“The tough part was, when I’m not comfortable with my swing, I won’t hit aggressive shots. I’ll play the safe shot. But I got down so much, I was forced to hit aggressive shots. The execution just wasn’t there.”

Around Mistwood

Both players had their fathers as caddies. Phil Nowlin is a maintenance worker at a Toyota plant in Kentucky, while Jeff Hoffman has enough time off from his job to be a scratch golfer as well. He’s Emilee’s swing coach, and almost couldn’t caddie for her. Only losing in the sectional qualifying playoff for the U.S. Senior Open, being held this week in Colorado Springs, got him on the bag for his daughter. ... Both players will be juniors in college in the fall. Hoffman, from Folsom, Calif., vows to stay in college before giving the LPGA a shot, which bodes well for a defense of her title at a Chicago-area site yet to be determined in 2019.

Henderson shares lead at WPGA, Ko lurks

Friday, June 29, 2018

For several years, Lydia Ko was the name in women’s golf.

A bespectacled New Zealander, Ko beat pros as a teenage amateur, hitting fairways and greens with monotonous regularity, and sank putts from near and far routinely. Ko was a threat every time she teed it up, and the same was true after she turned pro.

She went to contact lenses and kept winning, including two major championships. Then Ko started using David Leadbetter as her teacher, and the winning all but stopped. Last year was her first winless season.

Ko, all of 21, no longer goes to Leadbetter for advice, and is winning again. A recent victory at Lake Merced Golf Club in San Francisco was her first since the 2016 Marathon Classic.

Friday’s 6-under-par 66 at Kemper Lakes Golf Club on Friday morning was a big step to her winning a third major championship. It moved her to 4-under 140 through 36 holes of the 67th Women’s PGA Championship, two strokes behind co-leaders Brooke Henderson, So Yeon Ryu and Sung Hyun Park, major champions all.

They’re at 6-under 138, with Spain’s Carlota Ciganda alone in fourth at 5-under 139. Ko, Moriya Jutanugarn and Annie Park – the only American among the leaders – are joint fifth at 140.

“I was able to hole some putts,” Ko said of her eight-birdie round, which included five straight at one juncture. “Did I change my setup? Not that I know of.”

Something changed, and it worked. Maybe it was the ethereal notion of mental attitude.

“My goal was just to make the cut,” Ko said, and understandably since she was 2-over at breakfast, dodgy territory for a player in quest of playing the weekend. “I had small goals, wanted to take small steps.”

Beginning with dropping a left-to-right 15-footer on the first hole, those steps added up. She also birdied the third hole, and then Nos. 8 through 13 to race to 7-under. Bogeys on the 14th and 16th set her back, but a birdie on the par-3 17th brought the smile back.

So did winning at Lake Merced to break the drought.

“It gave me a lot of confidence,” Ko admitted.

That characterization can also be applied to Henderson, who specializes in stalking the leader board of this tournament. The 20-year-old Canadian’s second round 1-under 71 might be a rather pedestrian score, but the combination of five birdies and four bogeys puts her at 6-under 138 entering the weekend. Given that she’s tied for fifth, won and taken solo second in her three WPGA starts, look out.

“Definitely the birdies are a good sign, the bogeys not so much,” Henderson said. “But it was tough early this morning, really windy, and it just took a couple holes to adjust to that.”

The last birdie was at the last, a 12-footer that, she said, “makes me feel a little bit better. I feel I can see the line really well on this course, and I’ve been hitting putts with solid speed.”

That duo, as well as Ryu and Park, played before the afternoon heat and humidity got ridiculous. At 4 p.m., it was 92.4 degrees with a heat index of 106, according to the club’s weather station. The only mitigating factor was a southwest wind of about 12 mph, if standing in front of a blast furnace with a fan can be considered a mitigating factor.

Two-time major winner Ryu, who played in Ko’s group, celebrated her 28th birthday with a second straight 69, and called it “one of the best birthday gifts I’ve ever got.”

Her five birdies – three in four holes – included a chip-in bird, but more than that, she only had 26 putts on Kemper Lakes’ slickening greens.

“Right now I feel really great on the putting green, so all I need to do is just keep confidence on the greens and on the golf course, Ryu said.

Park’s also won a major, last year’s U.S. Women’s Open, which proves that Kemper Lakes, as it did in the 1989 PGA Championship, when Arnold Palmer contended early and Payne Stewart succeeded late, brings the best in the field to the top of the scoreboard.

Defending champion Danielle Kang scored 3-under 69 and is at 2-under 142. But for bogeys on her 16th and 18th holes, she’d be two off the lead. Her birdie on the par-5 fourth, a dogleg guarded by water, was amazing, in that her tee shot splashed into the pond, but her fourth splashed into the cup from 112 yards. “I hit it pure into the water, so I wasn’t really upset,” Kang said. Her bogeys down the stretch – a missed three-foot putt on No. 7 and a missed two-footer on No. 9 – were because, she said, she “kind of hit a wall, to be honest. I’m an aggressive player, and I kept pushing, and my body started getting really tired.” ...

Lee-Anne Pace was off the pace in the second round, and a few holes after getting angry and hitting a stake with her sand wedge, was out of the tournament completely. The wedge had been damaged by the slash at the stake at the eighth hole, which she double-bogeyed, and she realized it when the ball came off the clubface strangely out of a greenside bunker on the 14th hole. Pace called an official over and realized she’d damaged the club outside the normal course of play. Since she’d used it again, she was disqualified. Pace was 6-over at the time. ... Angel Lin authored the shot of the day, a chip-in for an eagle 3, the highlight of her 3-under 69 for a 36-hole aggregate of 2-under 142. She finished her round 3-3-3-3. ...

The pace of play was abysmally slow again. When Golf Channel’s replay began at 7 p.m., Jaye Marie Green was one off the lead and had four holes to play. She birdied the par-5 15th to tie for the lead, but triple-bogeyed the watery par-3 17th to fall three off the pace and finished tied for eighth with a 2-over 74 for 3-under 141. Her round took 5 hours 45 minutes. ... Amelia Lewis fired a sextuple-bogey 11 on the par-5 seventh hole en route to an untidy 81. She totaled 14-over 158, but even an albatross on the hole would have placed her at 149, and missing the cut (3-over 147) anyway. ... There were only 18 rounds under par in the second round, compared to 50 in the first. ... Attendance was either affected by the heat or disinterest, or both, and seemed to be around 5,500.

It’s Hoffman and Nowlin in the Women’s Western Final

Medalist Emilee Hoffman did Friday what the medalist in most match play competitions does not. She advanced to the championship match – in this case of the 118th Women’s Western Amateur. Hoffman will meet Illinois junior Tristyn Nowlin in Saturday’s 36-hole final at Mistwood Golf Club in Romeoville. It's a 7:30 a.m. start.

Hoffman, from Folsom, Calif., scored a 6 and 5 victory over Brigitte Thibault, Quebec City, in the morning quarterfinal, then beat Katharine Patrick of West University Place, Tex., 1 up in the semifinal, surviving the steambath that Mistwood is on a hot afternoon.

Nowlin, the pride of Richmond, Ky., scored a 3 and 2 quarterfinal victory over Mokena’s Brianne Bolden, the last Illinois player in the field, and beat Ellie Szeryk of Allen, Tex., and Uxbridge, Ont., 2 and 1 in her semifinal.

Hoffman will be a junior at Texas in the fall, and already has an all-Big 12 team honor to her credit. She was also part of the winning team in the 2017 World University Games.

Nowlin was an all-Big Ten second team selection as a sophomore this season, and scored the second-best season average (72.59) in Fighting Illini women’s golf history. Her best finish was a tie for second in the MountainView Collegiate in March. She’s already no worse than solo second in the Women’s Western.

Whoever wins will join a list of champions that includes Ariya Jutanugarn and Stacy Lewis, both of whom are competing in this week’s Women’s PGA Championship at Kemper Lakes Golf Club.

Women’s Western medalist Hoffman, Mokena's Bolden through to quarterfinals

Emilee Hoffman, the medalist in the 118th Western Amateur Championship, scored victories in two matches on Thursday at Mistwood Golf Club in Romeoville, to advance to Friday morning’s quarterfinal round.

Hoffman, from Folsom, Calif., meets Brigitte Thibault of Quebec City at 7:30 a.m.

Friday morning’s other matches pit Magdalene Simmermacher of Buenos Aries, Argentina, against Katharine Patrick of West University Place, Tex., Brianne Bolden of Mokena, the last Illinois participant, against Tristyn Nowlin of Richmond, Ky., and Ellie Szeryk, who lives in Allen, Tex. and registers out of Uxbridge, Ont., against Allisen Corpuz of Waipahu, Hawaii.

Corpuz was the medalist in the 2016 Women’s Western Amateur, while Szeryk, who holds dual U.S and Canadian citizenship and is the younger sister of 2017 winner Maddie Szeryk. She’s already committed to follow her sister to Texas A&M.

Bolden, second in last year’s IHSA Class 2A championship, turned back Madeline Sager of Charleston, S.C., 6 and 5 in her Round of 32 match, and then beat Emilia Miglaccio of Cary, N.C., 3 and 2.

Patrick had the toughest time in the Sweet Sixteen round, needing 22 holes to subdue Northwestern graduate Janet Mao of Johns Creek, Ga.

The semifinals are set for Friday afternoon, with the 36-hole final starting Saturday morning.

Kang fights through pain; Sung Hyun Park leads WPGA

Thursday, June 28, 2018

Danielle Kang had a day like many of the countless thousands who have played Kemper Lakes Golf Club over the years.

She played nine holes, then threw up.

Blame it not on the golf course, or how she was playing, but what she had for breakfast.

“The chocolate chip waffles,” Kang said after opening her defense of the Women’s PGA Championship with a 1-over-par 73. “I think it was the waffles.”

The whole waffle, she explained. Having eaten half of one, she couldn’t push away from the table and gobbled up the other half, never mind her sensitive stomach.

It came back to bite her.

“I watch what I eat really well; but this morning I ate (the waffle),” Kang said. “I was hesitant about it and then I still went for it. It was good when I ate it.”

Few knew anything was amiss until she doubled over in pain before hitting her second shot on the 18th hole. She also felt it on the 16th, where a bad third shot cascaded into a double-bogey 6.

“I tried just to hit through (the pain) and I hit it way too hard,” Kang said. “It was a good double, I guess.”

Kang sits seven painful strokes behind leader Sung Hyun Park entering Friday’s second round. Park scorched Kemper Lakes for a women’s course record bogey-free 6-under-par 66, birdieing four of her first seven holes and then comparatively coasting home. The 24-year-old South Korean won last year’s U.S. Women’s Open and tied for 14th in last year’s Women’s PGA at Olympia Fields.

“I really liked how it felt,” Park said. “I changed my putter and some change in my putting routine.”

Park needed only 27 putts to get around the Ken Killian-Dick Nugent layout with her TaylorMade Black blade.

Behind her is a logjam, starting with Jessica Korda, Jaye Marie Green, Brooke Henderson and Brittany Altomore, who scored 5-under 67 and are tied for second. Korda was in first, establishing a women’s course record, and she and Green held a share of the lead until Park finished at 6:40 p.m. to grab the lead and the course record as well. Henderson and Altomore finished shortly thereafter.

Korda, the older of the two sisters on the LPGA Tour, scattered six birdies across her scorecard on a virtually windless day, against only a bogey on the par-4 10th, in stitching together a 5-under-par round.

“Finally, a golf course that benefits the long hitters,” Korda said of Kemper Lakes, which played to 6,635 yards on Thursday, and featured six par 4s of 390 yards or longer.

She hit only 11 fairways and 11 greens, but scrambled well. Only on the 10th, a normally benign start to the back nine, did missing the fairway cost her. For instance, she missed the fairway on the par-4 fifth but made birdie.

“I could finally hit drivers and had kind of mid-irons to shorter irons in,” Korda said. “It wasn’t a wedge on every hole and an iron or 3-wood off every tee. I had a good time.

“This is a major, and it played like a major golf course.”

It was also a golf course with a reasonably easy set-up. Holes were often set in the corners of greens, but not the corners hidden by bunkers or water. Expect more pernicious pin placements as the week goes on.

Green, with brother Matt on her bag as usual, birdied four of her last 10 holes, including the par-4 ninth to finish off her 67.

Henderson, the winner in 2016 and runner-up to Kang last year, outdid Green, making birdies on seven of her last 10, with a front-nine 6-under 30, after bogeying her first two holes and parring the next six. Her final birdie putt, on the ninth hole, was a 40-footer.

“I felt like I was hitting the ball great and making a lot of putts,” Henderson said. “There’s some long par-4s out here, and having a few shorter clubs than my competitors is a big advantage. I can take some bunkers out of play, which makes the fairway a lot wider.”

Altomore played the front nine in 4-under to finish the day.

There were 50 rounds under par and another 20 at par, which makes the likely cut to the low 70 players Friday at 1-under or less. Unless the wind blows, that is, and the expected heat takes its toll.

The fabled final three holes took their measure of some players, but not Lauren Kim. She parred 16 and birdied 17 and 18 to finish her first nine, en route to an opening 71. Hyo Joo Kim matched that, while Alena Sharp birdied 15-16-17 before parring 18 to go out in 2-under 34. Stacy Lewis matched Sharp’s exploit by saving par at the last after her trio of birds. The holes played fourth, ninth and 13th hardest, with 18 yielding more birdies (30) than any par-4 except the first hole. ... The scoring average was 73.31. ... There were two aces: Lexi Thompson with an 8-iron on the 166-yard fifth hole, and Brittany Marchand with a 5-iron on the 175-yard 17th. Marchand won a car with her 1. ...

Galleries in the middle of Lake County didn’t look any larger than those at Olympia Fields at the south end of Cook County last year. There were 80 people watching the Kang-Aryia Jutanagarn (even par 72)-Inbee Park (1-over 73) marquee group when they made the turn, albeit at about 10:30 a.m., and some 30 followed Michelle Wie and her group to the first tee after they played the 18th. No attendance was announced, but it’s unlikely more than 5,000 people were on the grounds through the day. It was steamy – 88 degrees with 98 percent humidity at one point – and is forecast to be oppressive on Friday and Saturday. ...

The pace of play was slow, with morning rounds averaging about five hours. ... Before Thursday, the women’s course record was the 4-under 68 posted by Tracy Hanson in the second round of stroke-play qualifying for the 1992 U.S. Women’s Amateur. ... Golf Channel’s coverage includes a pre-game show at 9:30 a.m., followed by four hours of live coverage before the PGA Tour barges in at 2 p.m.

Hoffman scores medalist honor at Women’s Western

Emilee Hoffman added a 2-under-par 70 to Tuesday’s record-tying 65 to win the qualifying medal for the 118th Women’s Western Amateur with a total of 9-under 135 at Mistwood Golf Club in Romeoville.

Hoffman, from Folsom, Calif., was never singing the blues about her round. She played Mistwood’s testing back nine in 3-under 33 and earned a five-stroke margin over runners-up Brianne Bolden of Mokena and Julie Houston of Allen, Tex.

Bolden carded her second 70 in succession to finish at 4-under 70, while Houston’s 4-under 68 shared honors as best round of the second qualifying session. Elle Nachmann of Boca Raton, Fla., also scored 68, making the 32-player match play field with a total of 1-over 145.

Lauren Chappell of downstate Charleston joined Bolden in the match play field after finishing at 2-over 146 thanks to a second-round 1-under 71. That duo will represent Illinois.

Eight players, including Jessica Yuen of Bolingbrook, whose closing 3-under 69 brought her to the good side of the cut line, went into sudden-death for the final four match-play spots. Yuen didn’t make it, but Alexis Miesotwski (Schererville, Ind.), Pinya Pipatjarasgit (Sylvania, Ohio), Kenzie Wright (McKinney, Tex.), and Madeline Sager (Charleston, S.C.) did.

Those at 4-over 148 or higher were eliminated.

Match-play starts Thursday with the Round of 32 in the morning and the Round of 16 in the afternoon. Friday features the quarterfinals in the morning and semifinals in the afternoon, while Saturday is reserved for the 36-hole final.

Final holes key to success at Kemper Lakes

Wednesday, June 27, 2018

This 64th Women’s PGA Championship holds much in common with the first 63, aside from the name change – it was the LPGA Championship through 2014.

It offers a major championship title to the winner, plus a good deal of money – $547,500 from the purse of $3.65 million – and the best field of the season, with the top 100 players on the LPGA’s money list teeing it up at Kemper Lakes Golf Club beginning Thursday at 7:30 a.m.

It’s the first professional major at Kemper Lakes since the only other one, the 1989 PGA Championship, which was won by Payne Stewart and lost by Mike Reid.

Stewart birdied four of the last five holes to pass Reid, but only because Reid finished the final three holes 3-over.

They call it getting Kemperized, a term dating to the first Illinois PGA Championship held on the course, in 1979. Mike Harrigan was cruising along with four holes to play, but bogeyed the par-5 15th, the par-4 16th and the par-3 17th, then made a nine on the par-4 18th to hand the title to Emil Esposito, whose final round of 3-over 75 made him a three-stroke winner over Jim Urban. Harrigan landed in a tie for third, four strokes back.

Harrigan was the first to be Kemperized. Many have followed since, including Annika Sorenstam, who had a shot at the 1992 U.S. Women’s Amateur title until she drowned her approach on Kemper’s 18th hole. Vicki Goetze (now Goetze-Ackerman, and an LPGA executive) collected the trophy.

“It’s going to be a really great finish because of 16-17-18,” U.S. Women’s Open champion Ariya Jutanugarn said.

“The finishing holes are amazing,” said Michelle Wie, who remembered nothing of Kemper Lakes from her appearance in the 2001 U.S. Women’s Public Links. “The greens are definitely tough.”

Jutanugarn said after her practice round that she would leave her driver in her bag – not an unusual strategy for her – and subsist on a diet of 3-woods and 2-irons off the tee this week. Kemper Lakes will max out at 6,741 yards, so she may be hitting her approaches first on almost every hole, even if her playing partners aren’t in the fairway.

However, after nearly four inches of rain in the last week, including exactly two inches in a pair of deluges on Tuesday, the fairway will be the place to be. The rough is up, and lush.

“It’s interesting and I like it,” defending champion Danielle Kang said. “It’s a very challenging golf course. It reminds me a lot of Olympia Fields, and there’s a lot of different type of shots you have to hit.”

Like the others, the final three holes, nicknamed the Gauntlet by the members a few years ago, got her attention.

“Sixteen is a long hole, a 5-iron (approach) over the water and the width is very narrow; not a lot of landing spots,” Kang said. “Then 17, that par-3 with the wind blowing into it, if they every tuck (the pin) in the back, sometimes bogey might be a good score.

“I played nine holes and I stood there and go, ‘I don’t know what to do.’ ”

She figured it out last year on Olympia Fields’ North Course, capturing her first victory as a professional, and should be able to figure it out again. She’s also a different player this year.

“I hope I didn’t change as a person,” Kang said. “I always say (winning) gave me more freedom. Before I was very frustrated and driven by frustration just to get it out of the way, but now I’m just driven just to be in contention and kind of enjoying the game again. And I like being the center of attention.”

That she is at Kemper Lakes. Like Brooke Henderson the year before, you can’t turn around at Kemper without seeing her face on something.

“I don’t know about the word surreal, but I love it,” Kang said. “I’m everywhere, on the tickets. I’m on the pamphlets. I’m on the board as you drive in. My name is there. Pictures are everywhere. My favorite color is blue; it’s everywhere. One of the players came up and goes, the vibe is really scary and I realize that you’re the defending champion.”

She’s in one of Thursday’s marquee groups, of course, along with Jutanugarn and world No. 1 Inbee Park. Of the laid-back Park, Kang said, “She’s so chill,” and Thursday, she seemed just exactly that.

“Well, I really treat golf as a job,” Park said. “Not too much emotions involved, because it is your job. You have to just get things done. That is kind of the mindset that I have been going to. There is days where things are not working out as much as you want, and there are days some things are working out as good as you want. But if the emotions are involved in golf, it just gets really complicated. Like every bad shot you play, you just feel so bad.”

For a complete preview of the Women's PGA, click here to see the June issue of Illinois Golfer.

Rust-Oleum wrapup, U.S. Open and Women's PGA previews in the new Illinois Golfer

June is here and so is the June issue of Illinois Golfer, 31 pages strong and featuring the cover story on Chase Wright's playoff victory in the Rust-Oleum Championship last weekend, and more:

• Rememberances of Carol Mann and Red Carparelli;

• How Garrett Chaussard won the Illinois PGA Match Play title;

• A preview of the KMPG Women's PGA at Kemper Lakes, where Danielle Kang will defend;

• A preview of this week's 118th U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club;

• Previews of this week's Radix Cup and the Women's Western Amateur;

• Thoughts on the grind the Tour pro who isn't yet elite goes through;

• Reports on the NCAA men's and women's championships;

• and more, including the biggest course guide in Illinois.

Everything you ever wanted to know about the Radix Cup

Whether or not you were afraid to ask! It's all right here in the Radix Cup Guide & Register , a service of Illinois Golfer. Don't forget, this year's Radix Cup is tomorrow afternoon at Oak Park Country Club in River Grove. Admission is free!

Hardy opens pro career at even par

Writing from Ivanhoe, Illinois

Thursday, June 7, 2018

Nick Hardy has played in two U.S. Opens and a John Deere Classic as an amateur, and a handful of other tournaments, the NCAA Championship included, that has featured either inherent pressure or the kind that is self-inflicted.

Thursday’s first round of the Rust-Oleum Championship was the latter type of pressure for Hardy, as he was playing for money for the first time.

“I’m just glad I got the first round out of the way,” Hardy said. “I want to say it felt no different but it felt different. I was at home. I wasn’t with my team. It was definitely a different schedule, but I got to go on my own time.”

He survived, and nearly thrived. Sitting 1-under for most of the day, Hardy bogeyed the 15th and 17th holes but birdied the 18th to finish at even-par 72. He was tied for 67th when he completed his round, part of the last threesome in the morning wave, but took solace in the 5-footer he sank after a solid approach from the middle of the fairway.

“It’s definitely big for momentum tomorrow,” Hardy said. “Any time you finish with a birdie and know you’ve got a long layoff (until the last tee time), I’m really happy I finished with two good swings. I can go to bed thinking of those two swings.”

Better that than the first hole. The first swing of his professional career saw him sailing the tee shot into the Ivanhoe Club’s ever-present trees. He then hit a tree trying to escape the forest, but knocked his third on the green from 88 yards and made the par-saving putt. Then he could breathe again.

“That was a big way to start my day,” Hardy admitted. “I was pretty nervous on that hole. That kind of freed me up. You can’t deny it was a different feeling, but I’ve been preparing for it my whole life, to have this opportunity.”

As has everyone else in the field, which is largely comprised of PGA Tour hopefuls but also has a smattering of veterans, including 2003 PGA Championship winner Shaun Micheel and 1993 Masters champion Mike Weir both T57, 1-under 71).

The top 70 and ties advance to the weekend, where the $600,000, including $108,000 to the winner, will be awarded. Thus, Northbrook native Hardy has his work cut out, but having played in majors and PGA Tour tournaments at least brings a sense of familiarity to the scene.

“That stuff definitely helps an amateur,” Hardy said. “I’ve had some good experiences. I’ve learned a lot. I’ve definitely had my hard times, but that makes me able to handle these situations.”

Hardy’s stellar college career, including a pair of Big Ten titles at Illinois, gets him no status in the PGA Tour universe. That will have to be earned, but through sponsor exemptions, beginning with the Rust-Oleum on the web.com Tour and shortly in the Travelers’ Championship and John Deere Classic on the PGA Tour, good performances will pay off in good money.

“I could go 36 more right now,” Hardy said.

First he has to take care of Friday’s 18. After the afternoon wave played through, Hardy's 72 was good for a tie for 79th, seven strokes behind leader Andrew Novak's 65. Other local players included Elgin's Carlos Sainz Jr. (T17, 3-under 69), Chicago's Brad Hopfinger and Vince India (T39, 2-under 70), and Wheaton's Tim "Tee-K" Kelly (T144, 5-over 77).

FYI – Pardon the "1-under" headline earlier; it was based on incorrect live scoring but is still our fault.

Chaussard wins IPGA match play

Garrett Chaussard has finally scored a state major. Thursday he won the Illinois PGA Match play with a 3 and 2 victory over Chris Green at Kemper Lakes. Details on our News page.

Greg Martin to renovate Sportsman's

Martin won a six-way competition with his design for a renewed Sportsman's Country Club in Northbrook. Early details on our News page, a story that will be updated.

Northwestern women advance; Illinois men gird for NCAAs in our May issue

Northwestern’s women’s team advancing from the NCAA regional at Wisconsin to the NCAA Championship is the reason our May issue is out Wednesday rather than Monday. Read all about how the Wildcats escaped Madison, while Illinois did not, in our 27-page digital issue, available here!

Also in this issue:

• Illinois’ men’s team captures its fourth straight Big Ten championship;

• Nick Hardy has the look of a winner on the verge of turning pro;

• Elizabeth Szokol gets her first pro win on the Symetra Tour;

• Road Warrior Len Ziehm finds his way to Key West;

• Tony Albano wins the Will County Amateur;

• and a report on who’s bidding to redo Sportsman’s Golf Course in Northbrook;

plus our comprehensive calendar and course guide, all in May’s Illinois Golfer!

Masters week means our April issue is here for you!

Welcome to the 2018 golf season!

The cool morning aside, it must be golf season. It’s Masters week!

To commemorate it, our 31-page April issue, available by clicking here, includes a preview of the 82nd Masters Tournament, where the cast is not only star-studded but all the stars are playing well, making this year’s garden party at Augusta National among the most anticipated in years.

Also in this month’s issue:

• Our cover story on the slow-moving Jackson Park reconstruction project;

• A review of 2017;

• A preview of the 2018 tournament season;

• A report on the changes and possible further changes in public golf on the north shore;

• News from around Illinois, including a report on Dylan Meyer’s making the cut at the Valspar Championship on the PGA Tour;

plus a complete schedule of key tournaments for the 2018 season, both local and national, and the most complete course directory to be found in any Illinois-based golf publication.

Naperville's Andrew Lim in Sunday's Drive, Chip and Putt finals

Andrew Lim is 13 and about to experience the great fun of competing at Augusta National. The Naperville lad is in the finals of the Drive, Chip and Putt competition, thanks to surviving the three stages of knockout competition last year. See how he did in our April issue. Our preview is on the News page.

New Jackson Park price tag: $60 million

Chicago Park District superintendent Mike Kelly said Wednesday the rebuilt Jackson Park-South Shore layout, including infrastructure such as underpasses, would cost about $60 million. A look at the revised project, shown to the public for the first time at the South Shore Cultural Center, is on our News page.

Happy New Year from Illinois Golfer!

Our version of a noisemaker is the final issue of Illinois Golfer for 2017, which you can read by clicking here. December’s offering includes coverage of the Illinois Golf Hall of Fame induction ceremony, plus:

• Obituaries for Carol McCue and Roger Packard, whose passings are mourned in the golf community;

• An assessment of the impact Carol had and continues to have on the golf scene;

• A report on how Cog Hill’s team fared in the PGA Junior League national final;

• The news of the John Deere Classic’s record-breaking charity contributions;

• and more, including Mike Small’s winning the PGA of America’s senior player of the year award.

Thanks for reading Illinois Golfer this year, and we can’t wait to serve you again in 2018!

Publisher / Editor

Golf world loses Carol McCue

The First Lady of Chicago Golf died over the weekend. Carol McCue, who led the CDGA for 40 years and then helmed Jemsek Golf's public relations operation for two more decades, was 94. Our obituary for a great friend is here.

The Preserve at Oak Meadows featured in October's Illinois Golfer!

Our Halloween treat for you is Illinois Golfer’s October issue – click for it here – featuring:

• A report on the reborn Preserve at Oak Meadows, a prototype for how to go about combining storm water retention around a remodeled golf course;

• The details on how Tommy Kuhl dominated this year’s ISHA championships;

• How Adam Schumacher doubled his pleasure at the Illinois PGA Players Championship;

• and news that the USGA is looking for more than 700 volunteers for next year’s inaugural U.S. Senior Women’s Open at Chicago Golf Club.

September's issue includes BMW, US Am, Western Am, Illinois Open and PGA, travel and the eclipse!

That's everything under the sun, and the moon crossing in front of the sun. No other golf publication in Illinois offers more this month! Click here for the special expanded issue of Illinois Golfer including:

• An in-depth report on the BMW Championship victory by Marc Leishman;

• A review of how close Doug Ghim of Arlington Heights came to winning the U.S. Amateur, including an exclusive interview with Ghim;

• On-scene coverage of Norman Ziong’s victory in the Western Amateur;

• The story of Patrick Flavin’s rare double, finished off at the Illinois Open;

• How Adam Schumacher won the Illinois PGA;

plus the return of travel reports, including:

• Len Ziehm on The Cradle, Pinehurst’s new par-3 course, which opens Saturday;

• Neal Kotlarek on Stoatin Brae, a links-on-a-bluff course in central Michigan;

• plus an off-the-course look at August’s total eclipse of the sun as it crossed southern Illinois, recaps of other tournaments, including Jim Sobb’s Illinois Senior Open title, the Illinois Golfer Calendar and Scoreboard and our Directory, the biggest of any golf publication in Illinois.

Enjoy!

Publisher • Editor

Marc Leishman wins the BMW Championship

Australian Marc Leishman went wire-to-wire to win the BMW Championship at Conway Farms Golf Club, duplicating the achievement of countryman Jason Day two years ago. Leishman actually did him one better, scoring 23-under-par 261 for an aggregate record. He beat Justin Rose and Rickie Fowler by five strokes and is among the five players who can win the PGA Tour's playoff prize outright by winning the Tour Championship. The final round story is here. The third round story is here. The second round story is here. The first round story is here.

Preview the BMW Championship here!

The Illinois Golfer preview issue of the BMW Championship is here ; inside there's a preview of this year's BMW, a look back at the Western Open days at Cog Hill, a form chart, records, a map of Conway Farms and the groupings for Thursday and Friday. Don't miss it!

Adam Schumacher wins Illinois PGA title

Adam Schumacher, a 26-year-old assistant pro at Indian Hill Club, came from behind to win the 96th Illinois PGA Championship on Wednesday on Medinah Country Club's No. 1 Course. Schumacher shot 2-under 69 and raced past three players, including 36-hole leader Jim Billiter, to win the title. The full story is here.

Doug Ghim falls to Doc Redman in U.S. Amateur final

The Arlington Heights star lost a 2-up lead to Doc Redman's eagle-birdie barrage on the final two holes of regulation and lost the first extra hole to finish runner-up. The instant story is here. Illinois Golfer will have a full report in the September issue.

Flavin wins Illinois Open, completes the double

Patrick Flavin won the 68th Illinois Open at The Glen Club on Wednesday, adding that crown to his Illinois Amateur title from last month. Brandon Holtz, Nick Hardy and Matt Murlick finished a stroke behind. The third round story is here. The second round story is here. The first round story is here.

Norman Xiong wins Western Amateur in 22-hole thriller

Norman Xiong of Canyon Lake, Calif., a sophomore at Oregon, needed 22 holes to beat Doc Redman of Raleigh, N.C., a Clemson sophomore, to win the championship match of the 115th Western Amateur at Skokie Country Club in Glencoe on Saturday. The final match story, with semifinal information, is here. The quarterfinals story is here. The Round of 16 story, including Nick Hardy's loss, is here. The qualifying story is here.

Western Am, Illinois Open, eclipse golf previews in August's digital issue

It’s August, but Illinois Golfer isn’t dogging it with this month’s 32-page digital issue!

Inside, you’ll find complete reports on Bryson DeChambeau’s victory in the John Deere Classic;

• A look at how amateur Alexandra Farnsworth won the Illinois Women’s Open;

• The story of Patrick Flavin’s triumph in the Illinois Amateur;

• A preview of the star-studded Western Amateur at Skokie Country Club;

• The story of how Emil Esposito won the 1966 Illinois Open at Briarwood, and a look toward this year’s renewal there and at The Glen Club;

• Thoughts on the gimme fiasco in the U.S. Girls Junior;

• and a look – so to speak – at the best location to view this month’s total eclipse of the sun. Hint: it’s just south of Carbondale, and it’s on a golf course.

Farnsworth captures Illinois Women's Open

Alexandra Farnsworth of Nashville scored 5-under-par 67 on Thursday to win the 23rd Phil Kosin Illinois Women's Open by two strokes over fellow amateur Hannah Kim of Northwestern and Chula Vista, Calif., at Mistwood Golf Club in Romeoville. Here's the Round 3 story. The Round 2 story is here. The Round 1 story is here.

DeChambeau wins wild Deere with birdie barrage

Bryson DeChambeau, famous for his same-length irons, overhauled Patrick Rodgers at the finish to win the John Deere Classic on Sunday, scoring 6-under 65 for 18-under 266 to win by a stroke. The Final Round story is here. The Round 3 story is here. The Round 2 story is here. The game story and notes for Round 1 is here.

Deere preview; WPGA, U.S. Open reviews in July’s digital issue

There could hardly be more golf going on in Illinois and nearby, and July’s digital issue of Illinois Golfer – finally escaped from a technological technicality – brings you the following:

• A preview of the John Deere Classic, ongoing at TPC Deere Run in Silvis;

• A digest preview of the upcoming summer fixtures, beginning with next week’s Illinois Women’s Open and Illinois Amateur;

• How Danielle Kang won the 63rd Women’s PGA Championship at Olympia Fields:

• How Brooks Koepka trampled Erin Hills en route to victory in the 117th U.S. Open;

• How Maddie Szeryk scored her victory in the 117th Women’s Western Amateur;

• A look at the plan for the Jackson Park-South Shore rebuild and objections to it;

• Our stance on the rebuild, which might cost $50 million when everything is taken into account;

• Plus the summer schedule, scores, and the most complete golf directory in Illinois!

Find it all here!

Kang wins Women's PGA, edging Henderson

Danielle Kang is the champion of the 63rd KMPG Women's PGA Championship. She shot 3-under-par 68 on Sunday to total 13-under 271 and edge fast-closing defender Brooke Henderson by a stroke on Olympia Fields Country Club's North Course. The game story for Sunday is here.

Saturday: Danielle Kang of the U.S. and Chella Choi of South Korea are co-leaders entering the final round of the 63rd KPMG Women's PGA Championship on Olympia Fields Country Club's North Course. Choi shot 4-under 67, Kang 68 to stand at 10-under 203 entering the final round. The game story for Saturday is here.

Friday: Kelly Shon brushed off an opening 77 with a 14-stroke improvement in the second round of the 63rd KPMG Women's PGA Championship. Her 8-under-par 63 set a women's course record and matched the scores of Vijay Singh and Rickie Fowler in men's competition. She was five strokes behind co-leaders Danielle Kang and Sei Young Kim at the halfway point. Each scored 69-66 for 7-under 135 through 36 holes. World No. 2 Ariya Jutanugarn missed the cut. The game story for Friday's play is here.

Thursday: Chella Choi played in the morning and fired a women's course record 5-under 66, while Amy Yang was 6-under through 17 holes when play was suspended. There are 30 players left on the course who will finish Friday morning. The game story for Thursday's play is here.

The preview: Olympia Fields' North Course faced off with a field of 156 professionals beginning Thursday morning in the 63rd Women's PGA Championship. A dart board might be the best way to pick a favorite, as detailed here on the News page.

Tuesday, the PGA of America, LPGA and KMPG extended their deal for the Women's PGA Championship through 2023. Details on that and an on-course surprise are on the News page . The final preview for the WPGA will run on Wednesday.

On Monday, guest Phil Mickelson joined defending champion Brooke Henderson, Lydia Ko and Stacy Lewis in a shotmaking and trick shot clinic to kick off the week. The story is on the News page.

Bonus issue: Women's PGA preview!

It’s KPMG Women’s PGA Championship week, and Illinois Golfer presents a special bonus issue to preview it. Click here to find it:

• A preview of the 63rd Women’s PGA, which started as the LPGA Championship in 1955;

• A look at the Chicago roots of women’s professional golf;

• A column on the youth movement on the LPGA Tour, exemplified by defending champion Brooke Henderson;

• A sequence photo analysis of Brooke Henderson’s swing;

• A map of Olympia Fields’ North Course;

• Tee times for the first two rounds;

• and Women’s PGA Championship records.

The only other thing you need to enjoy the Women’s PGA is a ticket!

First look at Jackson Park redesign

The renovation of Jackson Park and South Shore golf courses will get its first public hearing Wednesday night at South Shore Cultural Center, in the middle of five of the 18 holes proposed to replace the current Jackson Park and South Shore courses. The full story is here. And the design is below.

Brooks Koepka wins U.S. Open with 67

A 27-year-old native of Florida found himself at home on the Wisconsin prairie on Sunday. Brooks Koepka outplayed the field and outscored all but one competitor on the day in winning the 117th United States Open at Erin Hills. Brian Harman and Hideki Matsuyama tied for second, four strokes back. The full story on Koepka's triumph is here.

Harman leads the U.S. Wide Open

Brian Harman holds a one-stroke lead in the U.S. Open going into the final round. A dozen players are within five strokes of him as the climax looms at Erin Hills. The full report is here.

Szeryk wins Women's Western Am

Maddie Szeryk, a dual-citizen from London, Ont. and Allen, Tex., beat Dylan Kim of Sachse, Tex., 3 and 1 on Saturday at River Forest Country Club to capture the Women's Western Amateur. The story is here.

Quartet leads Open as favorites fall

Brian Harman, Brooks Koepka, Tommy Fleetwood and Paul Casey, the new Fab Four, are co-leaders of the 117th U.S. Open after 36 holes. The world's top three players: Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy and Jason Day, missed the cut. The full story of Round 2 at Erin Hills is here.

It's U.S. vs. Canada in Women's Western Am Final

Dylan Kim of Sachse, Tex., meets Maddie Szeryk of London, Ont., in Saturday's 36-hole championship match of the 117th Women's Western Amateur at River Forest Country Club. Kim beat Sarah White of Caladonia, Mich., 5 and 4 in her semifinal, while Szeryk needed 20 holes to vanquish Sophia Schubert of Oak Ridge, Tenn. The final match begins at 8 a.m. Admission is free.

Fowler leads U.S. Open on bogey-free 65

Rickie Fowler raced to the lead in the 117th U.S. Open on Thursday morning at Erin Hills, his 7-under 65 staking him a stroke ahead of afternoon finishers Paul Casey and Xander Schauffele. The scoreboard bled red with a record 60 players at par or better, including 44 players under the par of 72. The full story is here .

U.S. Open preview in June's Illinois Golfer

It’s U.S. Open week, and Illinois Golfer is on the scene at Erin Hills with a preview of the 117th Open in the June digital issue of Illinois Golfer, available here!

There’s more than the U.S. Open preview in the 43-page issue. There’s also a preview of the 117th Women’s Western Amateur, being played this week at River Forest Country Club, and more:

• a look at the agreement between the WGA and WWGA for administration of the women’s championships in a changing golf world;

• thoughts on the lack of a U.S. Open in the Chicago area since 2003;

• an 11-page report on the NCAA Championships at Rich Harvest Farms;

• how Jim Billiter came back to win the Illinois PGA Match Play title at his new home course;

• the news of the amateurs’ triumph in the Radix Cup match at Oak Park;

• a look at Stephan Jaeger’s big victory in the Rust-Oleum Championship at Ivanhoe;

• and the most complete public golf directory in any Illinois-centric golf publication.

All free, and readable online and downloadable at www.illinoisgolfer.net – don’t miss it!

Oklahoma beats Oregon for NCAA men's title

Led by sophomore Brad Dalke, Oklahoma scored a 3.5-1.5 victory over Oregon at Rich Harvest Farms on Wednesday for the NCAA Men's Championship. Dalke beat Sulman Raza, the hero for the Ducks last year, for the clinching point. Full report on the News page.

Illinois falls to Oklahoma in NCAA semifinal

Illinois couldn't achieve the impossible on Tuesday and rally from big deficits in back-to-back matches. After coming from behind to beat Southern California 3.5-1.5 in a morning quarterfinal, the Fighting Illini fell by a similar margin to Oklahoma. The Sooners will face Oregon, which beat Vanderbilt in the semis, in Wednesday's NCAA Men's Championship match at Rich Harvest Farms. The full story is on the News page.

Illinois meets USC in NCAA quarterfinal

Illinois rallied on the final two holes to lock in third place in the NCAA stroke play competition to set up a Tuesday morning quarterfinal matchup with Southern California. A full report is on the News page.

Northwestern second in NCAA Women's

Arizona State beat Northwestern 3.5-1.5 in Wednesday afternoon's NCAA Women's Championship Final. The Wildcats had come from behind to score a 3-2 victory over Southern California in the held-over conclusion of their semifinal. Arizona State similarly came from behind to post a 3-2 victory over Stanford. Details on the News page.

Northwestern in NCAA semifinal vs. USC

The Wildcats beat Kent State in Tuesday morning's quarterfinal, and the 3-2 victory propelled them to the afternoon semifinal against Southern California. Details on the News page.

Northwestern top seed in NCAA Women's

Northwestern captured the top seed in the NCAA Women's Championship, beating Stanford by eight strokes in the three-round stroke play competition. Arizona State's Monica Vaughn won the individual title when Wake Forest's Jennifer Kupcho blew up down the stretch. Details on the News page.

Billiter bests Mulhearn for Illinois PGA Match Play title

Jim Billiter of Kemper Lakes Golf Club beat Danny Mulhearn of Glen Oak, 1 up, on Thursday to capture his second Illinois PGA Match Play crown in three years. Details on the News page.

NCAA Championship preview headlines Illinois Golfer's May issue

The biggest tournament in college golf is coming to Sugar Grove for the last two weeks of May, and the new issue of Illinois Golfer has a complete preview of the NCAA Championships. Click here or on the cover image to read online or download the PDF!

Also in the May issue:

• News about the Women's Western Golf Association and Western Golf Association combining management of the WWGA tournament schedule beginning in 2018;

• A Grill Room column by Tim Cronin on the Lexi Thompson marking fiasco and what the new Decision on video evidence and "reasonable judgment" could mean for the USGA;

• Musings on The Masters, and a peek inside the new press center;

• A look at the finalists for this year's Illinois Golf Hall of Fame class;

• How John Wright won the Will County Amateur;

• Booster Mark Rolfing's thoughts on why the Jackson Park-South Shore reconstruction is needed;

• The good news that Cardinal Creek in Beecher is back in operation;

plus the most complete tournament calendar, and the Illinois Golfer Directory, featuring every public course in Illinois and over 600 facilities in all.

Illinois Golfer's opening issue of the season is here!

Welcome to spring, and the 2017 golf season!

Illinois Golfer is back for another year with a 38-page season opening April issue , packed with news and features. The lineup includes:

• A report on the future of Jackson Park Golf Course, where a controversial $30 million rebuild that would include adjacent South Shore is contemplated;

• A preview of the 2017 tournament season, highlighted by the U.S. Open at Erin Hills in Wisconsin.

• A review of 2016’s champions, top moments, and those who we lost;

• A preview of this week’s Masters Tournament in photos highlighting Augusta National from different angles;

• Remembrances of John Barney and James Ashenden, two key men behind the scenes in Chicago golf;

• A look at the nominees for the 2017 class of the Illinois Golf Hall of Fame;

• A detailed report on the shrinking inventory of public golf courses in the state;

• Plus, reports on the slow death of Green Acres Country Club, Wilson Golf’s mulligan, Northwestern’s surge in college golf, how local juniors fared in the Drive, Chip & Putt finals at Augusta National, and ...

• A greatly expanded public course guide, now featuring every facility in Illinois where you can tee it up, along with the 2017 tournament calendar.

Jackson Park: Rebirth or boondoggle?

We ask that question in a special Grill Room column; find it here. It appears that Mark Rolfing, named as the head of the Chicago Parks Golf Alliance, will be the one who has to find the private money needed to renovate the Jackson Park and South Shore golf courses into a tournament-tough layout. We ask, is this really necessary to further the cause of the game in Chicago?

Balmoral Woods sold

The company that bought Balmoral Park Race Track earlier this year has bought Balmoral Woods, the golf course in Crete owned by the Mortell family for 41 years. Full story on our news page.

Special issue celebrates Illinois PGA Centennial

Click here for the special December issue of Illinois Golfer, which celebrates the local association of professionals turning 100, coincident with the PGA of America itself. There’s a story in that, and it’s contained, along with a feast of other features, in an anecdote-filled 29-page section.

The section covers everything from the formation of the section, which once covered a wide area of North America, to a remembrance of Joe Jemsek, whose influence was felt far beyond the current boundaries of the section.

Also on the menu of this pro-focused issue:

• A profile of national PGA award winner Dennis Johnsen, the impresario at Pine Meadow;

• A capsule look at this year’s Illinois PGA award winners;

• and a note on four pros whose retirements will leave a void on the local scene.

FYI, we've corrected the profile of Lou Strong to include the last few lines, which somehow were cut off originally.

Autumn issue features Taylorville's Dave Ryan, U.S. Senior Amateur champ

Click here for the Autumn issue of Illinois Golfer, with Dave Ryan of Taylorville on the cover and a report on his exciting victory in the U.S. Senior Amateur inside.

Also in the Autumn issue:

• A final salute to Arnold Palmer;

• A report on the IHSA's state championships, where Hinsdale Central's boys won Class 3A and the girls took third in Class AA;

• A look back on Dustin Johnson's victory in the BMW Championship;

• A directory of Chicago-area golf domes;

• The John Deere Classic's record $10.5 million charity effort;

• and more, including Illinois' repeat in the East Lake Cup, the Cog Hill team's coming appearance in the PGA Junior League final, a look at more golf courses on sale, Oak Meadows' search for a new name, and all the usual features.

Farewell to the King – A special issue remembering Arnold Palmer

The King died on Sunday, Sept. 25. Arnold Palmer, 87, died of heart complications in a Pittsburgh hospital the day before he was to undergo surgery. Word of his death swept through golf minutes after the Tour Championship ended, and will reverberate all this week, especially in Latrobe, Pa., Orlando, Fla., his main bases of operation, and Chaska, Minn., where the Ryder Cup will be played at Hazeltine National Golf Club.

Click here for the digital special issue of Illinois Golfer with remembrances of Arnie by publisher Tim Cronin and new contributor and old friend Len Ziehm. Or click on the cover:

If it's momentarily inconvenient to download or read the pages online:

Click here for publisher Tim Cronin's special Grill Room column on Arnie.

Click here for new contributor and old friend Len Ziehm's memories of the King.

Johnson wins BMW by 3 over Casey

Dustin Johnson won the BMW Championship at Crooked Stick Golf Club on Sunday, beating Paul Casey by three strokes after both scored 5-under-par 67. Johnson's total of 23-under 265 set a Western Open / BMW record for under-par, though the aggregate is three off that record. Roberto Castro finished third.

How Johnson did it, plus all the playoff shakeout, is here .

The Saturday game story is here.

The game story on Friday's play is here.

BMW coverage, Small's success highlight September digital edition of Illinois Golfer

The September digital issue of Illinois Golfer is packed with news, including:

• An on-the-scene preview of the ongoing BMW Championship just in time for the excitement of the weekend at Crooked Stick;

• A look at Mike Small's triumph in the Illinois PGA Championship, and a separate Grill Room column on the success that led to this week's six-year contract extension at Illinois;

• Coverage of Ryan Moore's victory in the John Deere Classic;

Click here or on the cover for the September issue!

Castro takes BMW lead

Roberto Castro's 7-under-par 65 earned him a one-stroke lead midway through the storm-delayed first round of the BMW Championship at Crooked Stick Golf Club in Carmel, Ind. Brian Harman is a stroke behind, withseven more players within three strokes. Read the game story here.

Six-year extension for Small at Illinois

Men's coach Mike Small scored a six-year contract extension, effective immediately, from the University of Illinois on Thursday, the day before the Fighting Illini start their 2016-17 season. The report is on our News page.

Crooked Stick's 2nd BMW opens Thursday

Jason Day and Rory McIlroy are two of the many favorites in the BMW Championship that begins a four-day run at Crooked Stick Golf Club in Carmel, Ind., on Thursday. They also had a few thoughts on Tiger Woods' return to competition next month in interviews on Wednesday. All the details are here.

Small wins Illinois PGA for 12th time

Mike Small came from two strokes behind with five holes to play to score his record-extending 12th victory in the Illinois PGA Championship. He beat Curtis Malm, the leader for the better part of three days, Travis Johns and Brian Brodell by two strokes on Olympia Fields Country Club's South Course.

Here's the game story on Malm's dramatic stumble and Small's comeback finish.

For the report on Tuesday's play in the second round (which finished Wednesday morning), click here.

The report on Monday's first round is here.

Ryan Moore wins John Deere Classic

Leading all the way and winning by two-strokes, Ryan Moore captured the John Deere Classic on Sunday, beating Ben Martin with a total of 22-under-par 262. He made only two bogeys in four rounds, and none in the last 46 holes. Illinois Golfer's story for The Associated Press (which incorrectly insists it was one bogey) is here.

Moore finishes in gloming, leads Deere by 1 after 54

Ryan Moore, winless since 2014, leads the John Deere Classic by a stroke after his third straight 65 for 180under 195. Morgan Hoffman and Ben Martin are right behind after matching 62s. Illinois Golfer's story, filed for The Associated Press, is here.

Bryan, Marino lead soggy Deere

Recent Web.com graduate Wesley Bryan and veteran Steve Marino are 1-2 midway through the storm-delayed second round of the John Deere Classic. Thirty-nine players had yet to tee off and about 110 had yet to finish when play was called with rain falling Friday night at TPC Deere Run. The full story is here.

Deere, Olympic previews; Western Am and Illinois Open reports in August's Illinois Golfer digital issue

Just in time for the weekend, here’s the August edition of Illinois Golfer!

Click here for direct access!

Inside the 28-page issue, you’ll find:

• A story on the John Deere Classic brings in the best young talent in an effort to cultivate loyalty among the new pros;

• A report on how both the Olympics and Deere fields have been hit by pros taking the week off from any golf;

• A look back at the American victory in the International Crown at Merit Club;

• How Carlos Sainz Jr. won the Illinois Open at Royal Fox and Royal Hawk;

• A look at Nick Hardy’s runaway title in the Illinois Amateur at St. Charles Country Club;

• And the cover story on Illinois junior Dylan Meyer’s victory over world No. 2 amateur Sam Horsfield in the Western Amateur.

• Plus “The Buzz,” focusing on the impending closure of Indian Lakes Resort, our schedule and scoreboard, and the most complete golf directory in Illinois.

Thanks for reading!

Tim Cronin, Publisher • Editor

Loupe leads Deere; 1st round incomplete

Andrew Loupe is 8-under after 14 holes at TPC Deere Run with first round play in the John Deere Classic stopped because of darkness. Already finished at 6-under-par 66 are Zach Johnson, Ryan Moore and Patrick Rodgers. Details on the storm-delayed first round are here.

Meyer beats Horsfield, wins Western Amateur

Illinois junior Dylan Meyer beat medalist Sam Horsfield 3 and 1 Saturday to claim the 114th Western Amateur. Each won their semifinal matches in the morning, Horsfield in dramatic fashion. The story of the championship match is here. Friday's action is covered here.

Horsfield medalist in Western Am qualifying; now the fun begins

World amateur No. 2 Sam Horsfield won the qualifying portion of the 114th Western Amateur at Knollwood Club in Lake Forest by nine strokes on Thursday, finishing at 15-under-par 269. The game story is here. The Round 2 details are here. Thursday is the 36-hole battle for the 16 match play berths. The Round 1 story is here.

Carlos Sainz Jr. wins Illinois Open in record fashion

Scoring 17-under-par 197, Elgin's Carlos Sainz Jr. won the Illinois Open by five strokes on Wednesday. He collected $17,500 and an unmeasurable amount of confidence for renewing his PGA Tour quest. Read the full story here. For earlier action, here's the Round 2 story , and Round 1.

U.S. wins International Crown

The U.S. team that struggled on Thursday and rallied on Friday won the 2nd UL International Crown on Sunday. We'll have a complete report in our August issue. The second round coverage of the comeback is here.

The Day 1 story is here.

Miller's Illinois Women's Open win, Crown preview in July's digital issue.

The July issue of Illinois Golfer is here , with a feast of previews and reports:

• A preview of the 2nd International Crown, which starts Thursday at Merit Club in Libertyville;

• A preview of next week's Illinois Open at Royal Fox and Royal Hawk in St. Charles;

• The story of Stephanie Miller's remarkably steady play en route to the title in the 22nd Phil Kosin Illinois Women's Open at Mistwood Golf Club in Romeoville;

• A report on how Andrew Price outlasted Todd Mitchell to win the 97th CDGA Amateur at Calumet;

• A look at Connor Prassas' victory in the 47th Illinois Junior at Makray Memorial;

• The details on Jillian Hollis' victory in the 116th Women's Western Amateur in Dayton, Ohio;

• a look back at the remarkably full lives of Leon McNair and Hubby Habjan, who died earlier this month;

• and more, including thoughts on the USGA's back-to-back fiascos in their biggest championships.

All in the July issue of Illinois Golfer, just a click away!

How the pros won the Radix Cup, and more in June's digital issue

The June issue of Illinois Golfer is here, featuring a wealth of stories, including:

• A report on the pros' 11-7 victory over the amateurs in the Radix Cup;

• How Max Homa came from behind to capture the Rust-Oleum Championship;

• The story of Illinois falling short in the NCAA Men's Championship;

• A report on Northwestern's women's team just missing match play in its NCAA go;

• Coverage of Zach Burry winning the 51st Joliet Amateur;

• The final part of our three-part series on Chick Evans' 1916 Double Crown, focusing on what he did in the afterglow of the acclaim;

• and more, including a few thoughts from PGA Tour players on the USGA's delay on ruling on Dustin Johnson, a column on having to cancel the Illinois Golfer Challenge Junior for this year, our Tour Guide, and an updated schedule and scoreboard.

Challenge at Glenwoodie canceled for 2016

Due to a lack of entries, we've made the decision to cancel the Illinois Golfer Challenge Junior Golf Championship for 2016. There simply weren't enough entries to run a competitive tournament worth the time and money of those few who did enter on a par with those conducted since 1989.

Plans for the future will be forthcoming as soon as we can figure them out!

Those whose entries have been received have had their checks returned; we'll keep checking the PO Box for late entries.

Many thanks to those who did enter and who has expressed dismay that there will be no Challenge in 2016. We feel bad about it as well.

Illinois' quest for the NCAA title featured in our May issue

Just in time for the first really good golf-weather weekend of the year, it’s the May digital issue of Illinois Golfer, available by clicking here.

Inside you’ll find:

• A report on Illinois’ men’s team capturing – again – both the Big Ten championship and their NCAA regional;

• A look back at Chick Evans’ victory in the U.S. Amateur to claim the Double Crown a century ago;

• How the Chicago area’s latest Drive, Chip & Putt winner captured the title at Augusta National;

• A report on Kyle Bauer’s win in the Illinois PGA Match Play;

• An entry form for the June 22 Illinois Golfer Challenge Junior at Glenwoodie Golf Course;

• Plus news on the AJGA’s visit to The Glen Club, the opening of Pelican Golf’s club-fotting center at Arrowhead, the grand re-opening of Mistwood, Tim Cronin’s Grill Room, and more, including the most complete course guide in Illinois.

The bold plan for Canal Shores highlights Illinois Golfer's April digital issue

Click here for the first issue of 2016, our April digital edition. It includes a cover story on the proposed revitalization of Canal Shores – you might remember it as Peter Jans – plus an essay on The Masters, a preview of 2016, a review of 2015, a look back of Chick Evans' U.S. Open title a century ago, and much more, including the most complete course directory around.

Facebook is now in our bag

Since 1.59 billion users can't be wrong, we've joined the party by adding a Facebook page. Look for it as an adjunct to everything else we're up to. Feel free to like or friend and all that Facebookers do!

Memorial service set for Gary Planos on April 19

A memorial service for Gary Planos, long-time tournament director of the Tournament of Champions at Kapalua Resort in Hawaii, will be held at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, April 19, at Westmoreland Country Club in Wilmette. One of the all-time greats, Planos, an Evans Scholar alum and WGS director, died on March 26 at his home in Kapalua, Hawaii, at 62. The shocking news of the loss of the Chicago native roiled the golf world. An obituary can be found here.

Chicago Golf Club to host inaugural U.S. Senior Women's Open in 2018

Chicago Golf Club, which rarely opens its doors, will host the inaugural United States Senior Women's Open in 2018, the USGA announced Saturday. One of the five founding clubs of the USGA, Chicago Golf, located in Wheaton, most recently hosted the 2005 Walker Cup.

"As a founding member of the USGA, Chicago Golf Club is honored to support the USGA's newsest championship by hosting the inaugural U.S. Senior Women's Open," club president Brad Kinsey said. "We look forward to making this, our 12th USGA championship, an exceptional event for players and spectators alike."

Save the date: July 12-15, 2018.

The long-speculated start of a U.S. Senior Women's Open thus not only comes to pass, it comes to the Chicago area, and the classic Charles Blair Macdonald-Seth Raynor layout. The second U.S. Senior Women's Open will be played at Peggy Kirk Bell's Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club in Southern Pines, N.C., in 2019.

The Autumn Issue of Illinois Golfer

Our gift to you is the Autumn issue – it must still be fall, given the warm weather, no? – right here!

Inside is a look at where to find the golf domes when the weather really does get cold, plus the following features:

• A review of the Illinois Golf Hall of Fame induction;

• A look back at Jason Day’s dominating victory in the BMW Championship;

• A report on the IHSA’s state championships, and Illinois Women’s Open winner Madasyn Petterson’s title in the girls AA bracket;

• A sneak peek at Mistwood’s new clubhouse;

When news breaks over the winter, we’ll have it, and put it in context.

Thanks for reading in 2015!

Illinois Golfer

LPGA International Crown to Merit Club

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

It didn’t take long for the LPGA, stunningly shunned by Jerry Rich and his Rich Harvest Farms a fortnight ago, to find a replacement course for the second International Crown.

The eight-country team championship conceived by Rich will be played next summer at the Merit Club in north suburban Libertyville, according to the Golfers on Golf website.

Merit Club hosted the 2000 U.S. Women’s Open, as well as a small-field ladies tournament the year before, but those were accomplished with years of planning. The International Crown will take place next July 21-24, just eight months from now.

Golfers on Golf editor Rory Spears received confirmations of the move to Merit on Monday. The LPGA, which issued its 2016 schedule last week with the Crown on it but with no site beyond “Chicago,” had not confirmed the switch of venues as of Monday night.

Karrie Webb will like the change. A likely member of the Australian team next year, Webb won the U.S. Women’s Open played at Merit. She was on the Australian squad at the inaugural Crown at Caves Valley Country Club, near Baltimore, last year.

Rich abruptly pulled his course out of hosting duties when he and LPGA officials couldn’t agree on aspects of the tournament as yet unrevealed. It’s believed the marketing of the Crown, or the lack thereof in comparison to the 2009 Solheim Cup at Rich Harvest, was one of the motivating factors.

The Crown will start a string of three significant women’s golf showcases in the Chicago area in as many years. In 2017, the Women’s PGA Championship – the LPGA Championship until this year – will visit Olympia Fields Country Club, and in 2018, the Women’s PGA will go to Kemper Lakes Golf Club.

That private club, along with Medinah and pubic Cog Hill, were rumored to be in the running for the Crown. Cog Hill had conflicting dates with four-course outings that could not be changed even if the LPGA was begging, and Medinah is looking ahead to the 2019 BMW Championship. That left Kemper Lakes and Merit, and Merit, with nothing else on its calemdar, appeared to have the inside track.

LPGA International Crown leaves Rich Harvest

Wednesday, November 11, 2016

The LPGA’s International Crown, a country vs. country team tournament dreamed up by Rich Harvest Farms owner Jerry Rich, won’t be played at his backyard course next year.

The LPGA announced on Wednesday afternoon that it will be played elsewhere in the Chicago area. The reason for the move was not announced.

Rich had created the Crown, sponsored by UL, as a complementary international championship to the Solheim Cup, which his course hosted in 2009.

The release said, “Despite this decision, both parties remain open to future LPGA opportunities at Rich Harvest Farms based on the successful partnership in staging the 2009 Solheim Cup.”

Next year’s Crown is slated for July 21-24, less than a month before golf returns to the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

No. 1 Day romps to BMW crown

Jason Day is the BMW Championship winner and No. 1 in the world. He achieved the latter by winning the former on Sunday at Conway Farms Golf Club. A final round 2-under-par 69 for a Western Open record-tying 22-under 262 brought him a six-stroke victory over rookie Daniel Berger. Rory McIlroy, from whom he snagged the world No. 1 ranking, tied for fourth. Tim Cronin's report is on our News Page.

Ready, set, birdie

Conway Farms yielded a 59, 61 and 63 when the pros visited two years ago. What's in store for this year's BMW Championship. Tim Cronin's preview is on our News page.

Jordan Spieth, an honest man

Tuesday, Jordan Spieth dropped by the interview room at Conway Farms in advance of the BMW Championship to wax eloquently about anything and everything regarding the state of his game, the playoffs and life in general. It was Spieth unfiltered and compelling. Tim Cronin's report on Spieth is on our News page.

September's digital edition of Illinois Golfer!

Click here for the 30-page September digital edition of Illinois Golfer, featuring an in-depth interview with USGA president Tom O'Toole, complete wrapups of the U.S. Amateur at Olympia Fields, the Western Amateur at Rich Harvest Farms, and the Illinois PGA Championship at Medinah. Plus, a preview of the BMW Championship at Conway Farms, thoughts on next year's International Crown, and why Dawson Alexander should have teed it up in the U.S. Am. All that plus exclusive photography in the September edition of Illinois Golfer, just a click away with the first link, and easily downloadable! (To view via Issuu, click here.)

Billiter wins Illinois PGA by 2

Jim Billiter of Merit Club won the 93rd Illinois PGA Championship on Wednesday on Medinah Country Club's Course One. His 1-under-par 70 held off runner-up Matt Slowinski by two strokes and beat Medinah teaching pro Travis Johns by three. That gave Billiter his second state major of the season to go with the Illinois PGA Match Play title. The full report on the News page.

DeChambeau salts away U.S. Amateur

NCAA Champion Bryson DeChambeau finiched off the double on Sunday, winning the 115th U.S. Amateur championship with a 7 and 6 victory over Derek Bard at Olympia Fields Country Club. The full report on the News page.

August's digital issue of Illinois Golfer!

The August issue of Illinois Golfer features reports on the Illinois Open and Illinois Women's Open, previews of the Western Amateur and U.S. Amateur, and a feature report on the redesigned Mount Prospect Golf Club municipal layout. Enjoy! The link is here. (You have to be a subscriber to Issuu – it's free – to download.)

Olympia Fields, Kemper Lakes score WPGA in 2017, 2018

The WPGA Championship is coming to the Chicago area twice beginning in 2017, when it will be held at Olympia Fields Country Club. In 2018, Kemper Lakes Golf Club will step back into the major spotlight for the first time since the 1989 PGA. The full report on the News page.

Dawson Armstrong wins Western Amateur

Nineteen-year-old Dawson Armstrong's holed bunker shot on the 20th hole won him the 113th Western Amateur on Saturday at Rich Harvest Farms. He beat Aaron Wise, who had a chance to close Armstrong out on the 18th hole and couldn't do so. The full report on the News page.

Final Four set in Western Amateur

Robby Shelton will meet Dawson Armstrong and Jake Knapp will play Aaron Wise in Saturday morning's semifinals in the 113th Western Amateur at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove. The full report on the first day of match play on the News page.

Records smashed at Rich Harvest

The course record at Rich Harvest dropped faster than the price of oil on Wednesday at Rich Harvest Farms, going from 67 to 66 to 64 in a matter of minutes during the second round of Western Amateur stroke play qualifying. And leader Dawson Armstrong has a two-stroke lead at 11-under-par 133 entering the 36-hole grind that will determine the Sweet Sixteen advancing to match play. The full report on the News page.

Pettersen, 15, wins Illinois Women's Open

Rockford amateur Madasyn Pettersen scored a career-best 6-under-par 66 to win the 21st Illinois Women's Open at Mistwood Golf Club with a total of 8-under-par 208, good for a five-stroke margin over. amateur Brooke Ferrell and pro Chelsea Harris. The full report on the News page.

Cooke wins 66th Illinois Open

Amateur David Cooke's 9-under-par 63 and total of 16-under 199 won the 66th Illinois Open on Wednesday. He scored a five-stroke victory over Vince India, doing so while remembering his younger brother Chad, who died playing him in a pick-up basketball game last December. The full report on the News page.

Spieth does it again at the Deere

Jordan Spieth won his second John Deere Classic in three years, and once again in a sudden-death playoff. His par on the second hole of sudden death ended a dramatic day which saw him come back from a four-stroke deficit against journeyman Tom Gillis. The full report on the News page.

Spieth has the look of eagles about him

With a pair of eagles, the second a dramatic hole-out from 105 yards, Jordan Spieth roared into the lead in the 45th John Deere Classic at TPC Deere Run in Silvis. Spieth, at 17-under 196, has a two-stroke lead on Danny Lee, last week's winner, entering the final round. The full report on the News page.

Spieth makes his presence known at Deere Run

Jordan Spieth scored 7-under-par 64 to climb into contention, and Justin Thomas grabbed sole possession of the lead halfway through the 45th John Deere Classic at TPC Deere Run in Silvis. The full report on the News page.

Thomas, Thompson lead 100 par-breakers at Deere Run

While world No. 2 Jordan Spieth scored even par 71, 100 players in the John Deere Classic finished the first round ahead of him at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, led by Justin Thomas and Nicholas Thompson at 8-under-par 63. The full report on the News page.

Bill Murray turns back the clock at Deere Run

D.A. Points didn't mind playing second-fiddle to his pro-am partner on Wednesday at TPC Deere Run. When Bill Murray's on the course, things have a way of happening. The on-the-scene report is on the News page.

Illinois Golfer's July digital edition: A John Deere Classic preview, the IG Challenge, and more!

July's digital edition of Illinois Golfer, available here, features a preview (and history) of the John Deere Classic, five pages of coverage of the 27th Illinois Golfer Challenge Junior Golf Championship, reports on the 46th Illinois Junior, the 96th CDGA Championship, the 19th Palmer Cup, and much more. There's even a look back at the real origin of the modern Grand Slam, and Luke Cella's column about bees. This issue is buzzing!

IG Challenge Junior: Barker repeats, Mikula, Snyder, Hollatz capture titles

Click here for a report on Gehrig Hollatz's victory over Michael Barber in the Boys 16-to-18 Division.

Click here to read about Christian Snyder's success in the Boys 13-to-15 Division.

Click here for the amazing story of the playoff that saw Kelly Barker repeat in the Girls 16-to-18 Division.

Click here for the report on Jane Mikula's victory in the Girls 13-to-15 Division.

Click here for all the scoring from all four divisions.

Illinois Golfer's June digital edition features Jerry Rich and Rich Harvest Farms

Click here to view and download the PDF of the June digital issue of Illinois Golfer , full of features and news: There's nowhere else like it in golf. Now Rich Harvest Farms takes center stage again with this month's Palmer Cup and August's Western Amateur, the latest in a long line of big tournaments in Jerry Rich's backyard.

Also in June: Reports on who's gotten the call to the Illinois Golf Hall of Fame, Illinois' failed bid for the NCAA Championship, the amateur team's comeback in the Radix Cup, the Illinois PGA Match Play, the Joliet Amateur, and more!

IG Challenge Junior at Glenwoodie is July 1

Entries are now closed for the 27th Illinois Golfer Challenge Junior Golf Championship on Wednesday, July 1 at Glenwoodie Golf Course. Pairings will be released on Monday or Tuesday, available here and e-mailed to all competitors. It'll be a great day!

Illinois Golfer's Digital Edition for May features top-ranked Illini men's team

Click here to view and download the PDF of our May digital edition, featuring a cover story on the No. 1 Illinois men's team and the amazing practice facility that Mike Small brought to life. It also includes a Radix Cup preview, reports on the Kevin Streelman's win in the Masters' Par-3 Contest and that of a 9-year-old from Glenview in the Drive, Chip and Putt Championship, coverage of the Will County Amateur, news of changes to Harbor Shores, a preview of the Radix Cup, and more, including the most complete public course directory in the state.

Click here for April's issue , featuring a season preview, review of 2014, reports on the Illinois Open's move to two sites, the BMW Championship's 2018 plan for Philadelphia, a look at Illinois' connections to Augusta National, and more.

Please note you have to be an Issuu member – there's free registration – to download at the moment.

Billiter wins IPGA match play crown

It took 21 holes, and it ended with a bogey, but Jim Billiter, assistant pro at Merit Club, beat Mistwood's Brian Brodell for the Illinois PGA's match play title on Thursday at Kemper Lakes Golf Club. The full story is here.

Egan, McNair, Sobb elected to Illinois Golf Hall of Fame

An eminent amateur from the turn of the last century and two longtime professionals with disparate but sterling resumes form the 16th class of the Illinois Golf Hall of Fame, elected Wednesday night at The Glen Club. Click here for the news of the election of H. Chandler Egan, Leon McNair and Jim Sobb.

Golf at the movies: Review of "The Squeeze"

We don't hand out stars or point thumbs, but we do review movies and books. The latest of the former is "The Squeeze," in wide VOD release on Friday. Our review is on the News page.

Radix Cup Guide:

The all-time roster is downloadable HERE.

Welcome to our new look

It's been three years since the Illinois Golfer website was launched, and it was time to sweep out the dust bunnies. Expect more in the coming weeks, but for now, check out the new April digital edition of Illinois Golfer, just a download away!

Miller leaving Illinois PGA for SW PGA

Michael Miller is on the move. The 20-year executive director of the Illinois PGA Section has accepted the same position for the Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Southwest PGA, it was announced today. The move is effective on May 1. The search for a successor will be "a fairly long process," section president Jim Opp said. Details on our News page.

Aronimink approves 2018 BMW to Philadelphia

As expected, Aronimink Golf Club near Philadelphia accepted on Wed., March 4 the WGA's offer to play the 2018 BMW Championship, numerous news organizations in the Philadelphia area report. The shift would take the tournament to the eastern seaboard for the first time. More on our News page.

Illinois Open sees double: two courses in 2015

The Illinois Open moves to Royal Melbourne and Hawthorn Woods country clubs this July, in a bid to increase the purse by increasing the field. The field will be 258 rather than 156, which is expected to encourage more players to try to qualify. More on our News page.

Illinois Golfer's 2015 Western Amateur digital edition

Click here to download the August electronic ediiton of Illinois Golfer, a 15-page PDF with complete coverage of the Western Amateur, a look back at the life of WGA educational guru Jim Moore, a report on Emily Collins' big win in the Illinois Women's Open, and advice for the PGA of America on how to keep the U.S. Public Links Championships going.

Special Illinois Open e-magazine available

Click here for a special 6-page PDF e-edition of Illinois Golfer, focusing on this week's Illinois Open and including photos and final scoring and statistics. It's the most complete coverage of the victory by Brad Hopfinger you'll find!

Below, here are a few golden oldies for the history buffs among our readership.

LPGA returning to Rich Harvest in 2016 with the eight-team International Crown

Writing from Chicago

Thursday, January 24, 2013

The 2009 Solheim Cup drew 35,000 people a day for three days to Rich Harvest Farms, the secluded course on the Sugar Grove estate of tycoon and golf nut Jerry Rich. Thrilled with the response even before the first ball was struck in anger, Rich proposed a team tournament with international flavor to be held at his course on a regular basis.

A sponsor was sought. A sponsor was thought to be found in Navistar.

Then the deal dried up, victim of the Great Recession, and Rich shelved the idea.

Today, it came off the shelf. The LPGA announced a team tournament, the International Crown, with the second edition to be played at Rich Harvest in 2016. The field will include 32 players from the top eight golf nations, as ranked by the Rolex World Rankings. It will be played every other year, in the year that Solheim was not played. The first will be played at Caves Valley Golf Club, near Baltimore, in 2014. The full story is on the News page.

– Tim Cronin

Orrick captures IPGA Players, Malm nets 2012 Player of Year

Steve Orrick, head pro at the Country Club of Decatur, won the Illinois PGA Players Championship on Tuesday on Eagle Ridge Resort's North Course. Curtis Malm, an assistant at St. Charles Country Club, tied for sixth, but clinched the Player of the Year award. Details on the News page.

Lake Bluff's Skinner edged in 2012 U.S. Senior Am final

Curtis Skinner made it all the way to the final of this week's U.S. Senior Amateur, but was beaten, 4 and 3, by Paul Simson of Raleigh, N.C., in the championship match.

Skinner, 55, ran into a hot golfer in the 61-year-old Simson. He was 10-under-par across Wednesday's quarterfinal and semifinal matches, then took a 3-up lead in the championship match at Mountain Ridge Golf Club in West Caldwell, N.J. after 12 holes, and cruised from there. On the 13th, Skinner, from Lake Bluff, failed to make an 18-foot birdie putt, while Simson saved par out of a bunker.

"He hit a phenomenal sort of flop shot," Skinner told USGA.org. "I hit a putt that I thought I had made, but that was a little too hard, so that was probably the turning point."

Simson is an old hand at senior golf. A three-time British Senior Amateur champion, the insurance agent was playing in his 55th USGA championship. Skinner knocked off a pair of former U.S. Senior Am winners on the way to the final. As balm for losing, he receives exemptions into next year's U.S. Senior Open and U.S Amateur, and a spot in sectional qualifying for next year's U.S. Open.

For more details, see USGA.org.

Troyanovich’s playoff birdie takes IWO title

Friday, July 27, 2012

The putt was no more than four feet, set up by a big drive, big hybrid second shot and delicate chip on Mistwood Golf Club’s 506-yard par 5 third hole.

Also known as the first playoff hole Friday in the 18th Illinois Women’s Open.

Also known, after amateur Samantha Troyanovich drained the birdie putt, as the only playoff hole.

Troyanovich, from Grosse Pointe Shores, Mich., won the three-way playoff over Brittany Mielbrecht of Gulf Stream, Fla., and amateur Samantha Postillion, who grew up in Burr Ridge. The runners-up each parred the redesigned hole, neither matching the sterling approach Troyanovich authored.

“I’ve never won a tournament before,” the recent graduate of Tulane exclaimed.

She has now, and while she’s remaining an amateur for the moment – and returning to Tulane to work on a masters degree – she may turn pro down the line. This time, she missed out on the $5,000 first prize a pro would have collected. That went to low pro Mielbrecht, who missed a five-footer on the 18th hole to win outright.

It was Postillion who was playing for history of a sort. Her mother Kerry won three IWOs.

“That’s always been in the back of my mind when I’ve played here,” Postillion said. “I’ve always wanted a chance to win.”

Scoring three-under-par 69 in the final round on the recently remodeled Romeoville course gave her the chance. Troyanovich also scored 69 to total 1-under 215, while first round co-leader Mielbrecht scored 70 to make the playoff.

Flossmoor’s Ashley Armstrong, the low Illinoisan, tied for fourth with Brittany Johnston of Akron, Ohio, a stroke out of the playoff at 2-over 216.

The purse was jumped to a record $25,000 on Friday, which should auger well for another jump in the size and quality of the field next year. That’s a large purse for one of the few state opens in the country. The IWO had 93 entries, compared to around 500, including those failing to qualify, for the Illinois Open, a field populated exclusively by men. Last week’s tournament at The Glen Club had a purse of $85,000.

Lucas, Miller tied entering IWO final round

Thursday, july 26, 2012.

It is one of the more crowded leader boards entering the final round in Illinois Women’s Open history.

A tie for the lead between a young pro and an even younger amateur. Nine players within three strokes with 18 holes to play.

And one more round at Mistwood Golf Club in Romeoville awaiting them.

The leaders going into the final round of the IWO’s 18th edition are amateurs Nora Lucas of Chicago and Stephanie Miller of Wauconda, Lucas recently graduated from Illinois, while Miller will be entering Illinois in the fall of 2013.

Miller’s host on her recruiting trip in Champaign? Lucas. Golf is a small world.

They finished Thursday’s second round at 1-under-par 143, Lucas by shooting an even par 72, Miller a stroke higher.

They’re a stroke ahead of Colleen Cashman-McSween of Ann Arbor, Mich., whose 1-under 71 could have been much better, and Brittany Johnston of Akron, Ohio. They’re at even par 144 and set to play in Friday’s penultimate twosome. Right behind them a 1-over 145 are amateur Liz Nagel of DeWitt, Mich., and Lauren Mielbrecht of Gulf Stream, Fla. Mielbrecht added a 75 to her opening 70.

Cashman-McSween made the best move of the leaders, but ...

“I hit it inside 10 feet seven times today, and only made two of them,” Cashman-McSween said. “All of the putts would have been for birdies.”

Among those at 2-over 146 is Flossmoor’s Ashley Armstrong. The amateur who will enter her sophomore year at Notre Dame next month knocked off Lucas in the first round of the recent North and South Women’s Amateur in Pinehurst, N.C., and knows something about comebacks. She rallied at this time last year to win the Women’s Western Junior at Flossmoor Country Club.

The comeback of the day was authored by Kathy Sterling of Mokena. The sophomore at Louisiana-Monroe opened with an 85, but scored 1-under 71 on Thursday to secure a spot in the final round. The cut fell at 15-over 159 and encompassed 41 players. The winner, if a professional, will collect at least $5,000 from the purse of approximately $18,000.

Trio tied at 71 in Illinois Women's Open

Writing from Romeoville, Illinois

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Rare has been the golf tournament where the shrill sound of the power saw has lived in harmony with play on the course.

This year's Illinois Women's Open is that tournament. Construction on the learning center at Mistwood Golf Club is continuing even as the IWO, with founder Phil Kosin's name attached to it for the third year, is conducted.

So far, the two opposites are in concert. The racket caused by the second phase of owner Jim McWethy's revitalization of the course hardly bothered those who were concentrating, including first round tri-leaders Stephanie Miller, Brittany Johnston and Lauren Mielbrecht.

They scored 2-under-par 70 on the 6,249-yard layout, and are a stroke clear of amateurs Liz Nagel and Nora Lucas entering Thursday's second round.

Miller, a Wauconda resident who enters her senior year at Stevenson High School next month, is the only amateur among the three leaders. She authored the shot of the day by slamming a 60-yard wedge into the cup for eagle on the par-4 10th hole, then birdied the 11th to move to 3-under before slipping back to 2-under for the day.

She would be the solo leader but for the recent change in the IWO eligibility rules that opened the tournament players like Johnston and Mielbrecht, from Ohio and Florida respectively. The two fledgling professionals saw an opportunity to chase the $5,000 first prize from a purse that could reach $18,000, and so far are doing so with alacrity.

But each, as well as Miller and Nagel, reproved the point that Mistwood always makes: Get your birdies early, for the home stretch is a beast.

"From the 12th to the 18th, I couldn't get any putts to go in," Mielbrecht said. "At the end it got hot, and it was windy in parts."

Mielbrecht's last birdie came at the 11th hole. Johnston made for birdies and said she missed another six birdie putts under 10 feet. Nagel bogeyed four straight holes beginning at the 13th after sinking birdie putts of 6, 25 and 2 feet on the previous three holes. She was 5-under at the time and three clear of the others, then came back to earth.

A quartet of four players is at 1-over 73, and includes amateur Ashley Armstrong, the only player in the field who played in this year's U.S. Women's Open. Armstrong is coming off a semifinal appearance in the North and South Women Amateur.

Defending champion Jenna Pearson scored 3-over 75. The most notable of a handful of withdrawals was that of Winnetka's Elizabeth Szokol, who had been expected to contend.

Thursday's second round, which determines the cut to the low 40 percent of the field, will used both tees in the morning in an attempt to dodge expected foul weather in the afternoon.

The heat’s on at Illinois Women’s Open

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

More often than not, the Illinois Women’s Open is beset by ridiculous weather conditions. There have been thunderstorms, tornado warnings, floods, high winds, and heat.

Everything has hit the IWO but the 17-year locust.

Heat is on the menu for Wednesday’s first day of the 18th IWO, the third to be played with the name of founder Phil Kosin attached. The late proprietor of Chicagoland Golf sank real money into the tournament over the years, and the payoff has come in the high regard those who have succeeded him in running the tournament care for his baby.

Mistwood Golf Club owner Jim McWethy is foremost in that regard. He loved the idea of it, kept it at Mistwood after Kosin’s untimely death, and put his staff to work building it.

The result is a $15,000 purse, sponsorship for the second year by BMO Harris Bank, and a 93-person field. The mercury is expected to pass that number by midday and hit 100 – which at Mistwood means even hotter, for certain areas of the course retain heat as efficiently as a blast furnace – but with the first threesomes beginning at 7 a.m., perhaps the majority of the field will miss the worst of it.

Defending champion Jenna Pearson of Wheaton tees off at 8 a.m., with Carbondale’s Diane Daugherty, the champion of the inaugural playing at Odyssey Country Club in 1995, in the group immediately following.

The field is studded with a large number of current collegians and recent graduates. Among the former in the field are Ashley Armstrong of Flossmoor, who won this year’s Big East Conference title as a freshman and topped that by playing in the U.S. Women’s Open, former Homewood-Flossmoor teammates Michelle Mayer (Illinois), Ryann Gilley (Southern Illinois), and Marian Catholic’s Bree Veazey. Recent Illinois graduate Samantha Sloan of Lansing, like Veazey from Marian, also figures to make an impact.

There are 23 professionals in the field. They and the 70 amateurs in the field will, if they discount the temperature, think they’re at last week’s British Open if they hit into one of the revetted – or side-stacked – bunkers that now dot the Mistwood course. While architect Ray Hearn was generous with allowing a way out, that way out isn’t always forward. The smart player who finds herself in one of the new bunkers will be wise to find the safest way out.

Admission to the IWO is free. Unlike past years, a new parking lot, part of McWethy’s $6 million improvement program, will have ample room for both competitors and spectators.

Scodro outlasts Meierdierks for Illinois Open title

Writing from Glenview, Illinois

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

There are 17 holes at The Glen Club, but for Max Scodro and Eric Meierdierks, everything came down to the par-5 18th hole in the final round of the 63rd Illinois Open – four times. The first time, Scodro, trailing Meierdierks by a stroke, dropped an uphill 12-footer for birdie to match his opponent and force a playoff. The second time, Scodro flirted with disaster on his third shot, but it stayed on the fringe, and he escaped with a par, matching Meierdierks. The duo matched pars again the next time, and they again trudged back to the tee. The fourth time, Meierdierks’ occasional penchant for hooking a tee shot to the right came back to haunt him. He had done so the first time they played 18 in the playoff, but escaped from the high rough and and tree blockage to make par and play on. Not this time. His tee shot found the high gunch, his hacked second nearly ended up under a tree, and it took two more shots to reach the green. Scodro two-putted for an easy par, the title, and the $17,000 first prize. “I’d had my fair share of trouble on 18,” Scodro said. “The second day, I hit my 3-iron in the water.” Not this time. Playing safe and staying out of big trouble brought him the championship, which stunned him. “If you’d have told me I’d have a shot coming down the last hole, and then win in a playoff ... I’m in a little bit of shock now,” Scodro said. Scodro’s birdie of the 18th in regulation was the spark for all the drama. “I willed that one in,” Scodro said, grinning. It was as good a putt as the one Meierdierks had on the 18th the second time they played in the playoff. His 15-footer dropped in the right side of the hole, and spun out, a cruel twist for him. “I was about to fist pump, and it didn’t go in,” said Meierdierks, who settled for $12,000 as balm from the prize fund of $85,500. The winner in 2010, Meierdierks flirted with going for the 18th green in two in regulation, when he knew Scodro, who had laid up, was the only player with a shot at him. He decided to lay up as well, taking the pond that fronts the green out of play. “I don’t second-guess that,” Meierdierks said. “I feel I can putt the shot off, and I’d try in different circumstances, but in this case, he has to take it from me.” Meierdierks settled for a two-putt par compared to Scodro’s dramatic birdie, and it was off to the playoff. Both birdied the first hole, a downwind par-5, parred the par-3 17th, and then went to the 18th to settle the matter. Scodro, a recent graduate of Notre Dame who prepped for the Illinois Open by winning the Arizona Open, scored 3-under-par 69 to make the playoff, Meierdierks scoring 70 to also finish at 10-under-par 206. At one point, he led Scodro by three strokes, with others between them, but three straight bogeys turned the tide, and they jockeyed for position the remainder of regulation. They were three strokes ahead of Carlos Sainz, Travis Johns and amateur Brett Tomfohrde, who was 1-under for the Open on the 12th tee, then played the final seven holes in 6-under for a 69 and total of 7-under 209. Tomfohrde’s last eight holes: 3-3-4-3-3-3-3-4. Defending champion Philip Arouca tied for sixth at 6-under 210. – Tim Cronin

Welcome to Illinois Golfer!

Monday, January 30, 2012

A hearty welcome to Illinois Golfer, dedicated to coverage of the game in Illinois and beyond. While our name has the state in it, we're interested in all things golf, inside and outside the borders of the Land of Lincoln, and especially so when Illinoisans, either native or adopted, are involved.

This website will incorporate all the previous posts from our GolfInChicago.wordpress.com website. Click on Golf In Chicago for those. For the latest news, click on News.

Watch this website for much more in the days to come! And thanks for stopping by.

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Schools with the most golfers on the PGA Tour

It's likely the casual fan of professional golf doesn't follow the collegiate version of the sport. But like the Dukes and North Carolinas of the college basketball world, there are plenty of college golf powerhouses that continue to produce, though not necessarily graduate, some of the game's best.

Here's a look at the most prominent colleges and universities currently producing those on the PGA Tour (a minimum of three golfers, based on 2018-19 full-time membership, excluding medical exemptions and also determined on overall success). They are listed from least to most.

Coached by former PGA Tour member Mike Small , the Illini are a perennial contender in the Big Ten. The school currently boasts three golfers on Tour, with veteran and 2020 Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker still the biggest name. He's splitting his time between the PGA and Champions, the latter where he's won two majors this season, including the U.S. Senior Open. Sticker also finished tied for 22nd at the Memorial. Fellow Illini Scott Langley, meanwhile, was sixth at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am this year.

San Diego State

Xander Schauffele actually began his collegiate golf career at Long Beach State before transferring to SDSU after his freshman season. A standout as an Aztec, Schauffele has won twice on tour this season and placed within the top five at both the Masters and U.S. Open. Fellow Aztecs Scott Piercy is a four-time career Tour winner and J.J. Spaun had two top 10s and has made over $1.1 million this season through June.

Texas A&M

Many consider young Cameron Champ to be the next big thing on the PGA Tour after winning the Sanderson Farms in October. Champ highlights a trio of quality former Aggies currently on Tour. Ryan Palmer , who transferred to Texas A&M following a freshman season at North Texas, earned his fourth career Tour victory while teaming with Jon Rahm to win the Zurich Classic in 2019.

We saw former Tiger Lucas Glover make a nice run at the 3M Open over the weekend. The 2009 U.S. Open winner has overcome some personal issues and is still making a living on the Tour. Kyle Stanley. meanwhile, has a top 10-finish this season. And don't forget Sam Saunders, grandson of legend Arnold Palmer .

Adam Scott, Ryan Moore and Charley Hoffman make up a relatively small but certainly strong contingent of PGA Tour members from UNLV at the moment. The trio has combined to win more than 20 PGA Tour events over the years, and each is still able to contend during any given tournament. Of course Scott is the premier member of that group and the only one to win a major championship.

C.T. Pan's victory at the Heritage provided some major exposure for the Washington program, which began the season boasting four former golfers on Tour. Pan also finished in the top five at the Charles Schwab, while fellow Huskie Joel Dahman finished second at the Wells Fargo and has made nearly $2 million this season on Tour.

Things seem to be going well for the guys from Berkeley. Max Homa's victory at the Wells Fargo in May helped lead a group of four Golden Bear golfers on Tour, and Byeong-Hun An has won more $1.4 million this year. Michael Kim is also the reigning John Deere Classic champ. Then there is Collin Morikawa, who just turned pro and nearly won the 3M Open.

Adam Long and Kevin Streelman are half of the Blue Devil contingent on Tour — and the two most prominent. Streelman has a pair of Tour wins during his career and two top 10s this season. Long, meanwhile, won the Desert Classic back in January for his first PGA Tour victory. Fellow Dukies Wes Roach and Ryan Blaum have also had their moments.

The Crimson Tide are not only about football. Just ask Justin Thomas, one of four full-time Alabama golfers on Tour. Thomas is the biggest name of the group, but Bud Cauley is considered one of the greatest ever to come out of the school and has two two top 10s this season. Trey Mullinax, who helped the Tide to the national title in 2013 and '14, had three top-10 finishes in 2018.

Florida State

The current Seminole charge is led by Brooks Koepka . The former All-American is the No. 1 golfer in the world and a threat to win every time he tees off in a tournament. Three other Florida State products are on Tour, including Daniel Berger , who tied for second in Puerto Rico in February. Fellow Seminole Jonas Blixt was fifth at the Charles Schwab.

Of the six golfers on full-time, non-medical status from the Longhorns, Jordan Spieth is the flag bearer for the program at the moment. He's still aching to get back to his winning form but remains the class of Texas golfers on Tour, Jhonattan Vegas is a three-time winner on Tour and has three top-20 finishes this season. There is also plenty of potential surrounding Beau Hossler.

Arizona State

It's been a stellar season for those golfers from Arizona State, seven of whom are active in 2018-19. Former Sun Devils have four wins on Tour this season. It began with Phil Mickelson's triumph at Pebble Beach in February. Wins followed from Paul Casey at the Valspar and Jon Rahm as a duo at the Zurich Classic event. At the Travelers, Chez Reavie took home the title in June.

Georgia Tech

There are eight current, full-time Ramblin' Wreck golfers on Tour who fit our criteria for this list, and Matt Kuchar is top gun at the moment. The PGA Tour leader has won twice this season and ranks among the top five on the money list. Fellow Yellow Jacket Cameron Tringale has two top 10s in 2019, and 2009 Open Championship winner Stewart Cink is still making money on Tour at age 46.

Oklahoma State

The Cowboys' 11 national team titles rank second only to Houston (16), so it's no wonder eight former golfers from that program are currently making full-time money on the Tour. Rickie Fowler , Charles Howell III and Kevin Tway are the three most notable Cowboys at the moment, and each has won an event during the 2018-19 season. Golf fans also saw a glimpse of the potential of another Oklahoma State, with Matthew Wolff, the 2019 NCAA individual champ, winning the 3M Open weeks after turning pro.

Georgia won its last NCAA national championship in 2005, but that has not kept the Bulldogs program from producing quality PGA Tour members at a consistent rate. More than 10 former Georgia standouts are considered full-time Tour players with Keith Mitchell and Kevin Kisner posting victories this season. Former Masters champ Patrick Reed began his tumultuous collegiate career at Georgia before leaving for Augusta State, and Bubba Watson, two-time winner of the Green Jacket, has also called the Athens' school home.

A Chicago native, Jeff Mezydlo has professionally written about sports, entertainment and pop culture for nearly 30 years. If he could do it again, he'd attend Degrassi Junior High, Ampipe High and Grand Lakes University.

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PGA Tour back to Chicago suburbs for second round of FedEx Cup playoffs

BMW CHAMPIONSHIP

Site: Olympia Fields, Illinois.

Course: Olympia Fields CC (North). Yardage: 7,366. Par: 70.

Prize money: $20 million. Winner's share: $3.6 million.

Television: Thursday-Friday, 2-6 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday, 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-6 p.m. (CBS); Sunday, noon to 2 p.m. (Golf Channel), 2-6 p.m. (CBS).

Defending champion: Patrick Cantlay at Wilmington Country Club.

FedEx Cup leader: Jon Rahm.

Last week: Lucas Glover won the FedEx St. Jude Championship.

Notes: The top 50 from the FedEx Cup have qualified for the BMW Championship, down from 70 a year ago. ... This is the final week for Americans to try to earn one of six automatic spots for the Ryder Cup. Only 10 players outside the top six have a mathematical chance of earning them. That includes Lucas Glover (No. 16), who would have to win. ... The top 30 advance to the Tour Championship next week in Atlanta. ... Players who made it to the BMW Championship are assured of getting in the $20 million signature events next year. ... Olympia Fields last hosted the BMW Championship in 2020, when Dustin Johnson made a 45-foot putt to force a playoff and Jon Rahm made a 65-foot putt to beat him in the playoff. ... Hideki Matsuyama is the No. 47 seed. He has never missed the Tour Championship in his nine years on tour. ... Jordan Spieth is at No. 27 and needs to stay in the 30 to get to East Lake. ... Patrick Cantlay has won the last two years at Wilmington Country Club (2022) and Caves Valley (2021).

Next week: Tour Championship.

Online: https://www.pgatour.com/

UNITED STATES GOLF ASSOCIATION

U.S. AMATEUR

Site: Cherry Hills Village, Colorado.

Course: Cherry Hills CC. Yardage: 7,394. Par: 71.

Field size: 312 players for 36 holes. The top 64 advance to match play.

Television: Wednesday, 5-6 p.m. (Peacock), 6-8 p.m. (Golf Channel); Thursday, 6-7 p.m. (Peacock), 7-9 p.m. (Golf Channel); Friday, 5-6 p.m. (Peacock), 6-8 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 3-4 p.m. (Golf Channel), 4-6 p.m. (NBC).

Previous winner: Sam Bennett.

Notes: Cherry Hills is best known for the site of Arnold Palmer storming back from seven shots behind to win the 1960 U.S. Open. Phil Mickelson won the U.S. Amateur there in 1990. ... The winner gets exemptions into the Masters, U.S. Open and British Open next year. The runner-up earns a spot in the Masters. ... The field features eight of the top 10 in the world amateur ranking, led by Gordon Sargent at No. 1. Michael Thorbjornsen has a back injury that caused him to withdraw from the U.S. Amateur and the Walker Cup. ... The 36 holes of qualifying are held at Colorado Golf Club and Cherry Hills. ... A record 8,253 players entered the U.S. Amateur. The previous mark was 7,920 entries in 1999. ... The winner earns a spot on the Walker Cup team if not already exempt. ... Stewart Hagestad is playing in his 15th U.S. Amateur, the most of anyone in the 312-player field. That includes an appearance in 2012 at Cherry Hills.

Next year: Hazeltine National GC.

Online: https://www.usga.org/

EUROPEAN TOUR, LPGA TOUR AND LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR

ISPS HANDA WORLD INVITATIONAL

Site: Antrim, Northern Ireland.

Courses: Galgorm Castle GC (Yardage: 7,151; Par: 70) and Castle Rock GC (Yardage: 7,200; Par: 72.)

Prize money: $1.5 million. Winner's share: $225,000 (men and women).

Television: Thursday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (Golf Channel); Sunday, 6-11:30 a.m. (Golf Channel).

Defending champion: Ewen Ferguson and Maja Stark.

Race to Dubai leader: Rory McIlroy.

Race to CME Globe leader: Celine Boutier.

Race to Costa del Sol leader: Celine Boutier.

Last week: Lilia Vu won the AIG Women's British Open.

Notes: This is two tournaments in one, with the European tour and players from the LPGA Tour and Ladies European Tour competing at the same times on the same course (separate tees) for equal prize money. ... Players have one round at each course until a 36-hole cut, and everyone plays Galgorm for the final two rounds. ... The tournament also features an event for the best players from the World Ranking for Golfers with Disabilities. ... Lilia Vu is the first American to win two majors in the same year since Juli Inkster in 1999. ... Robert MacIntyre and Victor Perez are in the field from the European tour as they try to bolster their Ryder Cup chances. ... Celine Boutier leads the points list on the LPGA Tour and the Ladies European Tour as she tries to win them both. ... Lexi Thompson has played only eight times on the LPGA Tour this year and is No. 157 in the Race to CME Globe.

Next week on European tour: D+D Real Czech Masters.

Next week on LPGA Tour: CPKC Women's Canadian Open.

Next tournament on the Ladies European Tour: KPMG Women's Irish Open.

Online: https://www.europeantour.com/dpworld-tour/ and https://www.lpga.com/ and https://ladieseuropeantour.com/

PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS

SHAW CHARITY CLASSIC

Site: Calgary, Alberta.

Course: Canyon Meadows Golf & CC. Yardage: 7,061. Par: 70.

Prize money: $2.4 million. Winner's share: $360,000.

Television: Friday, 4-6 p.m. (Peacock), 9-11 p.m. (Golf Channel-TD); Saturday-Sunday, 4-7 p.m. (Golf Channel).

Defending champion: Jerry Kelly.

Charles Schwab Cup leader: Steve Stricker.

Last week: Stephen Ames won the Boeing Classic.

Notes: Stephen Ames is in the field as the leading Canadian citizen. He won for the fourth time this season outside Seattle. ... Steve Stricker leads the PGA Tour Champions with five victories this year. He is not playing. ... Bernhard Langer is among those not playing in Canada again this year. ... The tournament has been on the schedule since 2013. Rocco Mediate won the inaugural edition by seven shots. ... Scott McCarron is in the field. He is the only two-time winner of the tournament, having won in consecutive years (2017-18). ... David Morland IV of Canada received one of the two sponsor exemptions. ... Seven tournaments remain before the start of the three-tournament Charles Schwab Cup playoffs. ... Stricker still has a lead of nearly $2 million over Langer in the Charles Schwab Cup, with Ames in third place. ... Ten players on the PGA Tour Champions have gone over $1 million for the season.

Next week: The Ally Challenge.

Online: https://www.pgatour.com/pgatour-champions

KORN FERRY TOUR

MAGNIT CHAMPIONSHIP

Site: Jackson Township, New Jersey.

Course: Metedeconk National GC. Yardage: 7,402. Par: 72.

Prize money: $1 million. Winner's share: $180,000.

Television: None.

Previous winner: New tournament.

Points leader: Ben Silverman.

Last week: Alejandro Tosti won the Pinnacle Bank Championship.

Next week: Albertsons Boise Open.

Online: https://www.pgatour.com/korn-ferry-tour

Last week: Cameron Smith won LIV Golf-Bedminster.

Next tournament: LIV Golf-Chicago on Sept. 22-24.

Points leader: Cameron Smith.

Online: https://www.livgolf.com/

OTHER TOURS

Asian Tour: International Series-England, Close House (Colt), Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Defending champion: Scott Vincent. Online: https://asiantour.com/

Epson Tour: Wildhorse Ladies Golf Classic, Wildhorse Resort & Casino, Pendleton, Oregon. Defending champion: Daniela Iacobelli. Online: https://www.epsontour.com/

Challenge Tour: Vierumäki Finnish Challenge, Vierumäki Resort, Vierumäki, Finland. Defending champion: Velten Meyer. Online: https://www.europeantour.com/challenge-tour/

Sunshine Tour: SunBet Challenge-Time Square, Wingate Park CC, Pretoria, South Africa. Defending champion: Albert Venter. Online: https://sunshinetour.com/

PGA Tour of Australasia: NT PGA Championship, Palmerston Golf & CC, Palmerston City, Australia. Defending champion: Austin Bautista. Online: https://pga.org.au/

Japan LPGA: CAT Ladies, Daihakone CC, Kanagawa, Japan. Defending champion: Chisato Iwai. Online: https://www.lpga.or.jp/en/

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Zurich Classic of New Orleans

Tpc louisiana.

Places to Play

PGA Tour stops in each state you can play

Unlike other professional sports where the fields of play are reserved for competitors only, many of professional golf’s annual stops are open to the public. There is a certain intrigue to playing the same courses that the best players in the world tackle—trying to replicate the shots that produced dramatic triumphs on the biggest stage.

During its 2021-22 season, the PGA Tour will travel to private and public tracks across 22 different states. This collection includes the 21 courses across nine states that will host a PGA Tour event this season and are open for public play.

TPC Scottsdale (Stadium)

Even after the WMPO is complete, the facility leaves up the giant grandstands surrounding the par-3 16th, so public golfers can get a taste of the experience—minus the 20,000 rowdy fans. The Stadium course features challenging greens and culminates with a memorable finishing stretch.

>> READ OUR FULL COURSE REVIEW

California:

Silverado resort and spa (north).

Situated in the heart of the Wine Country, the North course at Silverado Resort and Spa annually hosts the PGA Tour’s Fortinet Championship, which kicked off the tour’s 2021-22 schedule. Stay at the resort for the opportunity to play this Johnny Miller-redesigned track that features narrow, oak-lined fairways.

PGA West (Stadium)

John Henebry

Annually hosting a PGA Tour event in January, the Stadium course is known for its risk-reward challenges, plus the massive 18-foot high bunker on the par-5 16th hole as well as the island-green par-3 17th hole.

PGA West (Nicklaus Tournament)

The Nicklaus Tournament course at PGA West is part of the annual rotation of courses for the PGA Tour event. The Nicklaus-designed layout is forgiving off the tee, demands precise approach shots and features two island greens.

Torrey Pines (South)

Ranked No. 42 on Golf Digest’s America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses, the South course is home to eight of Tiger Woods’ career wins on the PGA Tour, including the 2008 U.S. Open, his 14th major victory. Perhaps best known for the dramatic finishes in its two U.S. Opens (2008 and 2021), the South course annually hosts the PGA Tour’s Farmers Insurance Open.

Torrey Pines (North)

Mark Degnan

The North course at Torrey Pines is used (along with the South) during the first two rounds of the PGA Tour’s Farmers Insurance Open. Renovated in 2016 by Tom Weiskopf, the North is more playable than the South but offers equally (if not superior) scenic ocean views.

Pebble Beach Golf Links

Photo by Joann Dost

Perhaps the greatest meeting of land and sea, Pebble Beach has been No. 1 on Golf Digest’s ranking of America’s best public courses since the inception of our public list in 2000. In addition to the annual PGA Tour stop, Pebble Beach is slated to host numerous USGA championships in the coming decades, including the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open and 2027 U.S. Open.

Spyglass Hill

Evan Schiller

Inside the top 10 of our public ranking, Spyglass Hill is one of three courses in the rotation for the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Weaving through the majestic Monterey pines through the middle of the round, and the giant sand dunes on the first five holes, Spyglass Hill—ranked No. 51 on our latest ranking of America’s 100 Greatest—might be Robert Trent Jones Jr.’s best work.

Tahoe Mountain Club (Old Greenwood)

Since 2020, the Old Greenwood course at Tahoe Mountain Club has hosted the Barracuda Championship on the PGA Tour. This Jack Nicklaus design plays among 600 acres of towering pines in the High Sierras.

PGA National (Champion)

PGA National Resort

Routinely one of the toughest courses on tour, The Champion course at PGA National is home to The Bear Trap—the demanding three-hole stretch (Nos. 15-17) that requires precise iron play. With wind often playing a factor and water lurking on many holes, The Champion is a true ball-striking test.

Bay Hill Club and Lodge

There’s no shortage of history at Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club and Lodge—with its ties to Mr. Palmer and Woods’ eight wins at the annual PGA Tour stop. Stay at the Bay Hill Club and Lodge and you can play the Champion and Challenger nines, where the Arnold Palmer Invitational is played. It offers a stern test with deep rough and imposing lakes lurking.

TPC Sawgrass (Stadium)

Home to The Players, one of professional golf’s premier events, the Stadium course at TPC Sawgrass boasts one of the most recognizable par 3s in the world at the island-green 17th.

Innisbrook Resort (Copperhead)

Courtesy of Innisbrook Resort

Innisbrook’s Copperhead course, the host of the Valspar Championship, offers a unique taste of Florida golf with its tight, tree-lined fairways and rolling terrain. The course is a tough ball-striking challenge with a demanding three-hole finish—known as the Snake Pit—that often makes for dramatic finishes to the annual PGA Tour stop.

Sea Island Resort (Seaside)

Stephen Szurlej

Ranked No. 36 on Golf Digest’s America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses, the Seaside course at Sea Island Resort hosts a PGA Tour event in the fall. The layout plays along the Atlantic Ocean and features large clamshell bunkers and exposed sand dunes off many fairways.

Sea Island Resort (Plantation)

/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/Sea Island Plantation12_DJI_0135_.jpg

The Plantation course was recently redesigned by Sea Island resident Davis Love III and his brother, Mark, recapturing the traditional profile of Walter Travis’ 1928 original nine-hole course. The drivable par-4 10th features a green guarded by water and a landing area protected by a principal-nose bunker.

Kapalua (Plantation)

Courtesy of Dave Sansom

Each year, Kapalua’s Plantation course kicks off the PGA Tour’s calendar-year schedule with its wide, dramatic fairways and stunning views. The Plantation course is ranked No. 23 on Golf Digest’s America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses and closes with a 663-yard par 5 that is the longest finishing hole on any Golf Digest nationally ranked course.

TPC Deere Run

The site of Jordan Spieth’s first PGA Tour win, TPC Deere Run annually hosts the John Deere Classic. Located in the Quad Cities just over two hours from Chicago, the course was built on the site of a former Arabian horse farm and plays along a rolling landscape.

Photo by Dick Durrance II/PGA

As home of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans since 2007, this championship golf course has been described as “Sawgrass on steroids.” Designed by Pete Dye and influenced by PGA Tour professionals Steve Elkington and Kelly Gibson, this 7,400 yard par-72 offers a challenging mix of fast greens, hidden bunkers, large cypress trees and water.

South Carolina:

Harbour town golf links.

The Sea Pines Resort/Rob Tipton

Known for the red-and-white-striped lighthouse behind the 18th green and for hosting the RBC Heritage the week after the Masters, Harbour Town demands accuracy with narrow, tree-lined fairways and small greens. Ranked No. 25 on Golf Digest’s America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses, this Pete Dye design plays mostly inland before 17 and 18 emerge with views of Calibogue Sound.

Memorial Park Golf Course

Keyur Khamar

A significant renovation was completed by Tom Doak (in collaboration with Brooks Koepka) to transform the old municipal course at Memorial Park into a layout worthy of being a PGA Tour venue. The revitalized course, now armed with Doak signature green complexes, has hosted the Houston Open since 2020.

TPC San Antonio (Oaks)

Host of the Valero Texas Open, the Oaks course at TPC San Antonio is Golf Digest’s top-ranked public course in the Lone Star State. The Greg Norman design (with an assist from Sergio Garcia) tips out at 7,435 yards and incorporates some rocky terrain and native grasses nicely in the routing.

University of Illinois Athletics

Nick Hardy and Davis Riley - 2023 Zurich Classic of New Orleans Champions

Men's Golf April 22, 2024

Illini Men’s Golf in the Pros | April 22, 2024

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Nick Hardy, back to defend his title with teammate Davis Riley, headlines a group of four former Illini in action this week at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, along with several other former Illini returning to action this week across the Korn Ferry Tour, LIV Golf League PGA TOUR Americas.

The Hardy-Riley duo carded a tournament record score of 30-under last year at TPC Louisiana to secure the first PGA Tour victory for each, and they will team up again to defend their title starting Thursday.

Thanks for having us @Saints ! What a cool day! https://t.co/d1JIXQLy6J — Nick Hardy (@NickHardy8) April 24, 2024

Hardy will be joined in New Orleans by Thomas Detry, Adrien Dumont de Chassart , and Steve Stricker.

Detry, ranked 35 th in the FedEx Cup standings and No. 67 in the Official World Golf Rankings, will team up with Robert MacIntyre.

Dumont de Chassart will play in the event for the first time and will pair up with fellow PGA TOUR rookie Jimmy Stanger. Meanwhile Stricker will play in the event for the 19 th time since 1999 and will team up with veteran Matt Kuchar in his eight start in the event.

KORN FERRY TOUR

Brian Campbell, currently ranked No. 8 on the Korn Ferry Tour points list, looks for another strong finish this week at the Veritex Bank Championship at Texas Rangers Golf Club in Arlington, Texas, where he will be joined by former teammate Dylan Meyer.

Campbell enters the week having made seven of eight cuts on the year, including a pair of top-five showings.

Meyer Monday Qualified for the event and will play in his second Korn Ferry Tour tournament of the season after also teeing it up at the Astara Chile Classic in March.

Let's have a week folks ?? https://t.co/Z1cWnyAcSp — Dylan Meyer (@DylanMeyerGolf) April 23, 2024

LIV GOLF LEAGUE

Thomas Pieters tees off this week at The Grange Golf Club for the LIV Golf League's stop in Adelaide, Australia. Pieters finished tied for ninth and helped the RangeGoats GC to a third-place finish in LIV's last event at Miami.

A first look at this year's Watering Hole for @Thomas_Pieters ?????? #LIVAdelaide pic.twitter.com/GqCkdCbRMw — rangegoatsgc (@RangeGoatsGC) April 23, 2024

PGA TOUR AMERICAS

Tommy Kuhl is slated to tee off in his fourth event of the PGA TOUR Americas season at the Diners Club Peru Open at Los Inkas Golf Club in Lima, Peru. Kuhl is coming off of a top-25 finish (T24) in his most recent outing last week at the ECP Brazil Open.

Players Mentioned

Adrien Dumont de Chassart

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Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy learn how much loyalty is worth in new PGA Tour equity program

Players are receiving a portion of a nearly $1 billion equity share for staying loyal to the pga tour amid lucrative recruitment by liv golf., by doug ferguson | associated press • published april 24, 2024.

Players who stayed loyal to the PGA Tour amid lucrative recruitment by Saudi-funded LIV Golf are starting to find out how much that loyalty could be worth.

The PGA Tour on Wednesday began contacting the 193 players eligible for the $930 million from a “Player Equity Program” under the new PGA Tour Enterprises .

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The bulk of that money — $750 million — went to 36 players based on their career performance, the last five years and how they fared in a recent program that measured their star power.

How much they received was not immediately known. Emails were going out Wednesday afternoon and Thursday informing players of what they would get. One person who saw a list of how the equity shares were doled out said the names had been redacted. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because many details of the program were not made public.

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The Telegraph reported Tiger Woods was to receive $100 million in equity and Rory McIlroy could get $50 million , without saying how it came up with those numbers.

Commissioner Jay Monahan outlined the first-of-its-kind equity ownership program in a Feb. 7 memo to players, a week after Strategic Sports Group became a minority investor in the new commercial PGA Tour Enterprises.

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Scottie Scheffler extends dominant run with RBC Heritage win

The private equity group, a consortium of professional sports owners led by the Fenway Sports Group, made an initial investment of $1.5 billion that could be worth $3 billion. The tour is still negotiating with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia — the financial muscle behind the rival LIV Golf league — as an investor.

Any deal with PIF would most certainly increase the value of the equity shares.

Another person with knowledge of the Player Equity Program, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the private nature of the dealings, said the equity money is not part of the SSG investment. That money was geared toward growth capital.

Golf.com received a series of informational videos on the Player Equity Program that was sent to players and reported only 50% of the equity would vest after four years, 25% more after six years and the rest of it after eight years.

It also reported how the 36 players from the top tier were judged on “career points,” such as how long they were full members, victories, how often they reached the Tour Championship and extra points for significant victories.

Jason Gore, the tour's chief player officer, said in one of the videos, “It's really about making sure that our players know the PGA Tour is the best place to compete and showing them how much the Tour appreciates them being loyal.”

Emails also were sent to 64 players who would share $75 million in aggregate equity based on the past three years, and $30 million to 57 players who are PGA Tour members. Also, $75 million in equity shares was set aside for 36 past players instrumental in building the tour.

The program has an additional $600 million in equity grants that are recurring for future PGA Tour players. Those would be awarded in amounts of $100 million annually started in 2025.

Players only get equity shares from one of the four tiers now, although everyone would be eligible for the recurring grants.

Even with equity ownership geared toward making the PGA Tour better, the concern was players questioning who got how much and whether they received their fair share.

LIV Golf lured away seven major champions dating to 2018 since it launched in 2022, all with guaranteed contracts and most of them believed to have topped $100 million.

McIlroy, playing this week in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, was asked how much would make players feel validated for their decision to stay with the PGA Tour.

“I think the one thing we’ve learned in golf over the last two years is there’s never enough,” McIlroy replied.

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2024 ncaa division i women's golf regionals full fields, seeds announced, share this article.

The 2024 NCAA Division I women’s golf regional fields were announced Wednesday.

At the six regional sites, a dozen teams will be featured along with six individuals not on those teams.

Regionals will be played May 6-8 at the following sites:]

Cle Elum Regional: Tumble Creek Club, Cle Elum, Washington (Host: Washington); Auburn Regional: Auburn Golf Club, Auburn Alabama (Host: Auburn); Bermuda Run Regional: Bermuda Run Country Club (East), Bermuda Run, North Carolina (Host: Wake Forest); Las Vegas Regional: Spanish Trail Country Club, Las Vegas, Nevada; Bryan Regional: Traditions Club, Bryan, Texas (Host: Texas A&M); East Lansing Regional: Forest Akers Golf Course, East Lansing, Michigan (Host: Michigan State).

The top five teams and top individual not on an advancing team will advance from each regional to the national championship at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, California, May 17-22. This is the first of three years the men’s and women’s championships will be at Omni La Costa.

Wake Forest is the defending national champion. Rose Zhang, the two-time defending medalist, won back-to-back individual NCAA titles, the first female golfer to accomplish the feat.

Here are the regional fields:

More: NCAA women’s conference championship results

Auburn Regional

Course : Auburn University Club Host : Auburn

South Carolina
North Carolina
Kennesaw State
East Tennessee State

Individuals

Anna Morgan, Furman
Isabella McCauley, Minnesota
Gabi Nicastro, Samford
Audrey Ryu, Furman
Lauren Thompson, Lipscomb
Viktoria Hund, Charleston

Bermuda Run Regional

Course : Bermuda Run Country Club (East Course) Host : Wake Forest

Wake Forest
Mississippi State
South Florida
Oregon State
North Texas
Charleston Southern
Lauren Olivares Leon, N.C. State
Louise Reau, Georgia Southern
Christin Eisenbeiss, North Florida
Kendall Turner, James Madison
Isabel Amezcua, N.C. State
Maria Beltran, Fairfield

Bryan Regional

Course : Traditions Club Host : Texas A&M

Texas A&M
Texas State
Sam Houston
Sacred Heart
Little Rock
Carla Bernat, Kansas State
Camryn Carreon, UTSA
Louis Lau, TCU
Sofia Barroso Sa, TCU
Daniela Abonce, UTSA
Ryann Honea, Abilene Christian

Cle Elum Regional

Course : Tumblecreek Club Host : Washington

Arizona State
San Jose State
Virginia Tech
Long Beach State
Sacramento State
Emma Bunch, New Mexico State
Riana Mission, San Francisco
Kelli Ann Strand, Nebraska
Morgan Miller, Colorado
Sabrina Iqbal, Colorado
Madelyn Gamble, Washington State

East Lansing Regional

Course : Forest Akers Golf Club Host : Michigan State

Northwestern
Michigan State
Oklahoma State
Illinois State
Isabel Sy, Illinois
Catie Craig, Western Kentucky
Lauren Beaudreau, Notre Dame
Carmen Griffiths, Louisville
Hana Ryskova, Louisville
Kate Petrova, Evansville

Las Vegas Regional

Course : Spanish Trail Country Club Host : UNLV

Florida State
Colorado State
Toa Yokoyama, UNLV
Lauren Lehigh, New Mexico
Lauren Zaretsky, Texas Tech
Myah McDonald, New Mexico
Victoria Liu, Princeton
Lizzie Neal, Northern Arizona

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2024 NFL Draft winners and losers: Nick Saban puts every position in the pros, Colorado shut out again

Texas also had a breakthrough moment with 11 players selected over three days.

With the 2024 NFL Draft wrapped, there's no time wasted looking ahead to 2025, but the process of picking up the pieces from the seven-round extravaganza includes some highlights and lowlights for the biggest programs in college football .

It was a banner weekend for the reigning champion Michigan Wolverines , who had seven players selected in the first three rounds and led all schools with 13 selections. It makes sense that the culmination of a three-year run that included three Big Ten titles, three College Football Playoff appearances and a national championship included some star power at the top of the depth chart. And that CFP success tracks with 2023 playoff participants Texas (11), Washington (10) and Alabama (10), all finishing with double-digit selections in the draft.

The SEC once again led all conferences with 59 picks in the 257-player draft, but the Pac-12 had the second-most at 43. That headline is met with some melancholy, however, with the historic West Coast league losing 10 schools this summer to the Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC.

If you want a further breakdown of the 2024 NFL Draft by conference and school, we've got you covered . But to dive a little bit deeper than the player is to reveal some interesting storylines and developments coming out of the weekend. And while most of our takeaways are more directly tied to the current state of these programs, we begin with an incredible note on one of the game's greatest coaches who just recently announced his retirement.

Winner: Nick Saban

The NFL Draft production from Tuscaloosa under Saban set a new standard in college football. Alabama has produced 133 draft picks since 2009, the most of any program in that span, and the Tide have had at least seven draft picks for 13 straight years (2012-present). Having 10 or more players drafted has become a notable water mark in recent years; the Crimson Tide have hit it in five of the last eight drafts (2017, 2019, 2021, 2023 and 2024).

But if we're going to accept Nick Saban's Alabama as the most prolific producer of pros, how about also celebrating Saban as a coach who sent every position on the depth chart to the next level.

With the selection of kicker Will Reichard in the sixth round, Saban's time at Alabama has now produced an NFL Draft pick at every single position -- all three levels of the defense, the offensive lines, certainly running backs and wide receivers have all been steady spots to find future pros. In the last six years, though, he's rounded out the punch card with punter JK Scott (fifth round, 2018), long snapper Thomas Fletcher (sixth round, 2021), and now Reichard as the first kicker drafted from a Saban-led Alabama team. Reichard's steady leg proved to be a key piece of Alabama's success in recent years, and that must have had an impact on the current coaching staff as Kalen DeBoer worked quickly to replace him with Lou Groza Award winner Graham Nicholson from the transfer portal via Miami (Ohio).

Winner: Texas

Steve Sarkisian has orchestrated what seems to be the proper blend of elite high school recruiting with instant-impact transfer portal additions to produce one of the most talented rosters in the country. Texas finally had its breakthrough moment — dare I say "back?" — in 2023 with its first Big 12 Championship since 2009 and an opportunity to compete for the national title in its first-ever College Football Playoff appearance.

The success on the field was validated yet again this weekend with the Longhorns setting a new program record with 11 NFL Draft picks. Five came in the first two rounds, tied with Alabama, Georgia and Washington for the most, and having five in the first 52 picks was the best of any program. Seven of the 11 picks were on offense, including the running back duo of Jonathon Brooks (first round) and Keilan Robinson (fifth round). That's back-to-back years now in which Texas has produced two running backs in the draft, following Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson in 2023.

But it's with an eye to 2024 that we both celebrate Texas' success in the draft and yet acknowledge the work that's been done year-over-year by Sarkisian's staff to help the Longhorns prepare for life in the SEC. As we know, there are future NFL Draft picks on almost every team you're going to play. While Texas has lost four NFL Draft-bound running backs over the last two years, it has an extremely capable replacement ready with former five-star prospect CJ Baxter ready for a breakout sophomore season.

The pass-catching exodus to the draft was also notable, but that's where Texas used the portal to bring in players like Isaiah Bond , Amari Niblack and Matthew Golden to make sure there's no drop off in production. Sustained success at the highest levels of college football means not only collecting future pro talent by the bushel, but replenishing and developing every single offseason. So while Texas has set a new record in 2024, the outlook says the Longhorns will be near the top of these lists frequently moving forward.

Loser: Power Four schools shut out

Not every school is going to be Alabama with handfuls of draft picks every single year, but it does end up drawing attention when a power-conference school is shut out from the NFL Draft. Context is important in each of these cases, and there are plenty of situations in which players would rather be undrafted free agents (with the ability to pick their destination) than a late-round pick. But after adding up all the draft picks from power conferences, the schools left without a 2024 NFL Draft include:

Arizona State
Georgia Tech
Northwestern
Vanderbilt
Virginia Tech

How this NFL Draft absence impacts each program differs wildly. Indiana, Northwestern and Syracuse are all in the midst of coaching transitions, while Arizona State, Colorado, Georgia Tech and Nebraska are still on Year 2 of a new tenure. Some programs like Arizona State, which signed Jayden Daniels out of high school, do have some claim to helping guide the first-rounder to his ultimate destination, but that's not the way we count NFL Draft picks by school. And speaking of the transfer portal, Colorado getting shut out is notable, not for Deion Sanders-related reasons, but as a reflection of that program's roster health. This now marks three years in a row the Buffs have not produced an NFL Draft pick. We do expect that to change in 2025 with Shedeur Sanders among the top quarterbacks that will be draft eligible next season.

Winner and Loser: Ohio State

The Buckeyes only had four players picked in the 2024 NFL Draft, which was a notable step down; every draft since 2016 included at least six selections from Ohio State. You could read that as a knock on coach Ryan Day and the state of the program, falling in line with the same number of picks as Big Ten foes Iowa and Illinois , but the buried storyline in Ohio State's lack of picks is the same reason why many are picking the Buckeyes to win the Big Ten in 2024.

Running back TreVeyon Henderson , wide receiver Emeka Egbuka , cornerback Denzel Burke , the pass rush combo of Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau , and defensive lineman Tyleik Williams were all eligible to enter the 2024 NFL Draft. If they had, it would have given the Buckeyes a pick count much closer to the Alabama or Washington than Iowa or Illinois. So while Ohio State doesn't get to roll out a long draft roster to compete with the top programs in the sport on the draft pick scoreboard, Day instead returns a team with a half-dozen players that absolutely could be playing on Sundays but instead have chosen the pursuit of title contention in Columbus. The way NIL and eligibility rules have extended careers create all kinds of examples where schools aren't racking draft picks but keeping future pros longer, but nowhere else in the country was there as much high-end talent choosing to return than at Ohio State.

Loser: Conference balance in the draft

We mentioned earlier the cruel irony of the Pac-12 backing up one of its best on-field seasons in 2023 with a 2024 NFL Draft showing for the ages, finishing second only to the SEC, with conference members about to splinter. But if we were to rearrange the conference count, the consolidation of pro-producing programs into the Big Ten and SEC becomes even more apparent.

If you arrange the schools into their conferences for 2024, then 140 of the 257 picks in the 2024 NFL Draft came from either the Big Ten or the SEC. Programs like Washington, Oregon and USC don't always line up with the Alabama's and Georgia's of the world, but they are among the top NFL-producing schools in the country in the modern era and now bring that talent to the Big Ten. The SEC is also getting a boost from Texas and Oklahoma , which combined accounted for 14 of the 31 picks from the Big 12, which finished fifth among the power conferences in draft picks this year.

In fact, of schools that had six or more players selected, only Florida State (10), Notre Dame (7) and Clemson (6) will not be a Big Ten or SEC program in the 2024 season. The two super conferences have long enjoyed an edge when it comes to the NFL Draft, but after this summer's realignment, the gap is only going to widen.

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Category:Golfers from Illinois
Category:Golfers from Illinois. Category. : Golfers from Illinois. This is a non-diffusing subcategory of Category:American golfers. It includes golfers that can also be found in the parent category, or in diffusing subcategories such as American male golfers or American female golfers. This is a diffusing subcategory of Category:Sportspeople ...
Illini Men's Golf in the Pros
Another proud member of Illinois golf's Belgium-to-Champaign tradition, Matthis Besard. , tees off this week in the United Arab Emirates for the DP World Tour's Ras Al Khaimah Championship at Al Hamra Golf Course. Besard, who advanced through DP World Tour Qualifying School in November, will make his fourth start and his first since mid-December.
Men's Golf
Ended his career as Illinois' 36- (134) and 54-hole (205) scoring record-holder. Still holds Illinois' record for lowest 72-hole score (273) Fighting Illini On Tour Joe Affrunti PGA Bio | @JoeAffruntiPGA Turned Pro: 2004 OWGR: Profile PGA Tour - Top-25 finishes:
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HIs closest came in 1925 at the PGA Championship. He finishing in second place, losing 6&5 to Walter Hagan. Even though his last win was in 1930, he was still competitive, playing in the first ...
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The 12-time PGA Tour winner has recorded eight top-25s in the event, and his best finish came in 1999 when he finished T6. Stricker earned his spot in this week's field by virtue of his win last season at the Kaulig Companies Championship, one of six PGA Tour Champions wins during his 2023 campaign.
Kevin Streelman
Kevin Garret Streelman (born November 4, 1978) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. Early years and amateur career [ edit ] Born in Winfield, Illinois , Streelman, who caddied at famed three-time U.S. Open venue Chicago Golf Club while growing up, graduated from Wheaton Warrenville South High School in 1997 and Duke ...
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Atkins Golf Club. The Fighting Illini men's golf team host its home matches at the Atkins Golf Club, located in Urbana, Illinois 5 miles (8.0 km) southeast of the university's campus. The university course was originally designed by noted golf course architect Dick Nugent and his son Tim in 1999. The course is a 7,118-yard par 72, and the ...
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Jan 19, 2024. GOLF, Ill. - January 19, 2024 - The Illinois PGA Section has announced its slate of Special Award winners for 2023. Hans Larson (Westmoreland Country Club) has been selected as the 2023 Illinois PGA Professional of the Year and headlines the 14 Illinois PGA Members who won awards in this cycle. With the exception of […]
illinoisgolfer
Andy Mickelson of Mistwood Golf Club won the 100th Illinois PGA Championship on Wednesday, scoring a four-stroke victory at the Ivanhoe Club for his first Illinois major. ... PGA Tour welcomes golfers, not fans, to Olympia. Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, this week's BMW Championship is being played at Olympia Fields Country Club without ...
John Deere Classic 2021 Golf Leaderboard
PGA TOUR Live Leaderboard 2021 John Deere Classic, Silvis - Golf Scores and Results. ... Silvis, Illinois • USA. Jul 8 - 11, 2021. 34°F.
Schools with the most golfers on the PGA Tour
Coached by former PGA Tour member Mike Small, the Illini are a perennial contender in the Big Ten.The school currently boasts three golfers on Tour, with veteran and 2020 Ryder Cup captain Steve ...
PGA Tour back to Chicago suburbs for second round of FedEx Cup playoffs
PGA TOUR. BMW CHAMPIONSHIP. Site: Olympia Fields, Illinois. Course: Olympia Fields CC (North). Yardage: 7,366. Par: 70. Prize money: $20 million. Winner's share: $3.6 ...
Tournaments
Central Illinois Chapter. CIPGA Tournament Schedule. CIPGA Past Results. Illinois Open Championship. Event Information. 2023 Results. 2024 Exempt Players. Illinois Open Championship. Qualifying Sites.
Illini Men's Golf In the Pros
Following Hardy's first PGA Tour win, four former Fighting Illini are back in action this week. ... — Illinois Men's Golf (@IlliniMGolf) April 23, 2023. ... LIV GOLF LEAGUE. Thomas Pieters and his RangeGoats teammates make the fifth stop of the 2023 LIV Golf League schedule this week at Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore. Pieters placed 33rd as ...
Illinois PGA Announces 2024 Tournament Schedule
GOLF, Ill. - January 22, 2024 - The Illinois PGA has announced its tournament schedule for the 2024 season. This season will feature over 50 Illinois PGA Section events. The types of events will vary each week. The 2024 schedule will showcase the Illinois PGA Major Championships, the Illinois Open Series, Illinois Open Qualifiers, single ...
Nick Hardy
Nick Hardy (born January 26, 1996) is an American professional golfer from Northbrook, Illinois.Hardy played college golf for the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign men's golf team He has also played at the professional level in the U.S. Open and in the John Deere Classic.In addition, Hardy has won a number of junior championship events both in the state of Illinois and nationally.
PGA Tour stops in each state you can play
Torrey Pines (South) J.D. Cuban. Ranked No. 42 on Golf Digest's America's 100 Greatest Public Courses, the South course is home to eight of Tiger Woods' career wins on the PGA Tour ...
Rory McIlroy Hits PGA Tour Milestone With Zurich Classic Victory
Coming into his first-ever appearance in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, Rory McIlroy had recorded just one top-10 finish in eight starts on the PGA Tour in 2024, that being a solo third at the ...
Zurich Classic of New Orleans 2024 Golf Leaderboard
PGA TOUR Live Leaderboard 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans, Avondale - Golf Scores and Results. ... PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions, and the Swinging Golfer design are registered trademarks. The ...
Illini Men's Golf in the Pros
PGA TOUR AMERICAS. Tommy Kuhl is slated to tee off in his fourth event of the PGA TOUR Americas season at the Diners Club Peru Open at Los Inkas Golf Club in Lima, Peru. Kuhl is coming off of a top-25 finish (T24) in his most recent outing last week at the ECP Brazil Open.
Junior Tour
The Illinois PGA Junior Tour offers an exceptional tournament experience for junior golfers ages 14-18. The Tour provides competitive opportunities at premier facilities while fostering sportsmanship and integrity among its members. This season, the Illinois PGA Junior Tour will host 10 events at some of the most prestigious clubs in the ...
Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy learn how much PGA Tour loyalty is worth
The PGA Tour on Wednesday began contacting the 193 players eligible for the $930 million from a "Player Equity Program" under the new PGA Tour Enterprises. Watch NBC Chicago local news and ...
CJ Cup Byron Nelson Odds: PGA TOUR Golf Predictions, DFS Picks
Another week of PGA TOUR action brings us to TPC Craig Ranch, with the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson next on tap. Compare CJ Cup Byron Nelson odds at the best sports betting sites to increase your potential PGA TOUR golf betting payouts. Jordan Spieth, Will Zalatoris, and Tom Kim project as the top favorites for this upcoming tournament.
PGA TOUR
The Dunes Golf and Beach Club. Tickets. Myrtle Beach, SC • USA. MAY 16 - 19. PGA Championship ... PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions, and the Swinging Golfer design are registered trademarks. The Korn ...
Sun Belt Men's Golf Championship (Round 4) (4/25/24)
Watch the Sun Belt Men's Golf Championship (Round 4) live from ESPN+ on Watch ESPN. Live stream on Thursday, April 25, 2024.
NCAA: 2024 women's college golf regional fields, seeds announced
The 2024 NCAA Division I women's golf regional fields were announced Wednesday. At the six regional sites, a dozen teams will be featured along with six individuals not on those teams. Regionals will be played May 6-8 at the following sites:] Cle Elum Regional: Tumble Creek Club, Cle Elum ...
PGATOUR.COM
Q and A with Tirico: NBC host talks Olympic golf, prepping for Paris and more. The official web site of the PGA TOUR. Providing the only Real-Time Live Scoring for the PGA TOUR, Champions Tour and ...
2024 NFL Draft winners and losers: Nick Saban puts every position in
Winner: Nick Saban The NFL Draft production from Tuscaloosa under Saban set a new standard in college football. Alabama has produced 133 draft picks since 2009, the most of any program in that ...