lenz – Len Ziehm On Golf

Holtz, Tour Edge join Donald as golf big newsmakers

The Ryder Cup, which ended so dramatically in New York on Sunday, ended as a great day for Northwestern alum Luke Donald. He became the first European captain to lead back-to-back victories since Tony Jacklin in 1985 and 1987.

Donald’s immediate response was that he won’t be attempting a three-peat in 2027, but time will tell.

Meanwhile, there were some other noteworthy fall developments from an Illinois perspective.

Brandon Holtz, a reinstated amateur from Bloomington, won the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship. The 38-year old former basketball player at Illinois State, playing in his first U.S. Golf Association national championship, defeated Jeg Coughlin, of Dublin, Ohio, 3 and 2 in the title match at Arizona’s Troon Country Club.

Tour Edge, the Batavia-based equipment manufacturer known for its contingent of star players on the PGA Tour Champions circuit, launched the first-ever golf ball in its 40-year history. The Exotics ball will be available at retailers nationwide beginning on Oct. 28.

Mike Troy captured the Illinois PGA Senior Players Championship with a four-stroke win at Flossmoor. It was his second senior IPGA major win, the first coming in the 2020 Senior Match Play Championship.

Taylorville’s Dave Ryan added to his dominance within the senior ranks with his fourth win in the Illinois State Senior Amateur at Bloomington Country Club. Since his first victory in that event when he was 55 years old Ryan – now 71 — added wins in the U.S. Senior Amateur and three in the Chicago District Senior Amateur.

HOLTZ, was a mini-tour player after his four years as a collegiate basketball player for the Redbirds. He got his amateur status back in 2024 and now works as a realtor. He’s the second ISU athlete to win a USGA title, the first being Todd Mitchell in the 2019 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball. Mitchell was also the U.S. Mid-Amateur runner-up 17 years ago.

After focusing on golf Holtz contended in several Illinois Opens. With his win in Arizona he now has exemptions to the 2026 and 2027 U.S. Mid Amateurs at famous courses — Merion, in Pennsylvania, and Oak Hilll, in New York. He also can play in next year’s U.S. Open at Shinneock Hils, also in New York, and will likely get an invitation into next year’s Masters at Augusta National.

TOUR EDGE founder and chief executive officer David Glod called his company’s entrance into the ball market “a monumental step.’’

“After four decades of relentless innovation in golf clubs and bags we’re applying the same commitment to golf balls,’’ said Glod.

“People are going to ask, ‘Why Tour Edge, and why now?’’ said Tour Edge president Tim Clarke, who long headed the golf division at Wilson. “This creates an exciting first touchpoint for other golfers to experience our performance.’’

HERE AND THERE: Biggest event remaining on the Chicago calender is the Illinois Golf Hall of Fame induction ceremony at The Glen Club in Glenview on Oct. 17. The 21^st induction class inductees are KemperSports chief executive officer Steve Skinner; Dan Dinelli, course superintendent at North Shore Country Club for 36 years; former PGA Tour players Bob Zender and David Ogrin; Joe Roseman, who designed and constructed courses throughout the Chicago area in the 1930s; and Horace Mc Dougal, a former Northwestern golfer in 1923 who pioneered racial integration in the sport.

Medinah prepares for Presidents Cup as Ryder Cup closes in

This week it’s Bethpage Black’s turn to host the Ryder Cup. The New York public course will join Chicago’s Medinah and five other U.S. course that have been sites for the Ryder Cup as well as the U.S. Open and PGA Championship.

Medinah had its turn to host the Ryder Cup in 2012, and it was a debacle for the home team. The American squad collapsed in the singles matches on the final day and was a 14 ½-13 1/2 loser to the Europeans. One of Europe’s playing stalwarts that year was Northwestern alum Luke Donald, who will captain the Euros for the second straight time at Bethpage.

While the sides do battle this week staffers will be preparing Medinah for next year’s President’s Cup there. The President’s Cup is a biennial event with a similar team format as the Ryder, but not the prestige. Instead of the Europeans, an International team will battle the American stars in the Presidents Cup and that series has been onesided. The U.S. has won the last 10 meetings and holds a 13-1-1 edge in the series.

Still, Joie Chitwood, executive director of Medinah’s Presidents Cup, is predicting “the biggest event in our 30-year history. We’ve already sold 80 of our 122 suites.’’

The event is Sept. 22-27, 2026, but preparation work has long been underway. General admission tickets went on sale Sept. 9 and a check presentation of $250,000 was made to the newly-opened DuPage County Crisis Recovery Center on behalf of the 2026 Presidents Cup on Sept. 16.

Next in the pre-event promotion will be Oct. 6-9 when captains Geoff Ogilvy if the International side and Brandt Snedeker of the American side gather at Medinah and downtown locations. The biggest event will be Oct. 8 at Soldier Field when the captains compete in a 100-yard shot contest with the actual Presidents Cup the target.

Though he’s the visiting team captain, the Australian Ogilvy is more familiar with Medinah’s recently renovated course than most anyone else. A former U.S. Open champion, Ogilvy resides near Scottsdale, Arizona and supervised the year-long renovation that was completed a year ago.

“Geoff doing the renovation gives us a fantastic story line,’’ said Chitwood. “Whether it’ll be an advantage for his team I don’t know, but he did a fantastic job. It’ll be a great match play event. For something like this it takes the right market – and Chicago has a phenomenal market – and a fantastic course. The renovation was fantastic. I’ve never seen such energy. The recipe for success is there.’’

Just how big attendance might be is still in doubt but Chitwood said the number will be announced soon.

“We’re very close on determining our capacity,’’ he said. “We’ve securited a ton of parking lots.’’

Medinah, which opened in 1924, is no stranger to big tournament competition. In addition to the Ryder Cup it has hosted three Western Opens, three U.S. Opens, two PGA Championships and – most recently – the 2019 BMW Championship, a FedEx Cup Playoff event on the PGA Tour. For details on the Presidents Cup visit PresidentsCup.com.

Our inside look at the Horse Capital of the World

Living in Ocala has introduced Joy and me to the equestrian world.

OCALA, FL. — It was no secret that we were in horse country once we moved to Ocala nearly two years ago. We were quick to find the magnificent World Equestrian Center, a 15-minute drive from our place, and have been frequent visitors for shows, dining, shopping and just prowling the premise.

In the horse world, though. the Ocala/Marion County area is much more than the WEC. Joy and I had long intended to go on one of the horse farm tours in the area. We recently did it and – in a seven-hour guided tour – we learned how aptly the area has been labelled the Horse Capital of the World.

A big reason is apparently the unique soil composite. It is rich in limestone, which boosts the calcium that helps horses develop strong bones and healthy muscles.

Taking care of her horses has become a life-long passion for Lori Conway. (Joy Sarver Photos)

The WEC, created by the late Ohio trucking magnate Larry Roberts, is a family-owned center of activity that opened in 2021. It has two luxury hotels a Grand Arena, 25 barns with 3,000 stalls, six climate-controlled arenas, seven restaurants and lots of shopping options and more is being added to its sprawling 378 acres. A Sports Complex and huge Event Center figure to be the next big thing.

There’s a regular schedule of horse and dog shows, many with free admission, and its Winter Spectacular is not to be missed. Tour guide Karen Grimes, though, showed us that we have by no means seen all that the area has to offer horse-wise.

This horse was happy to show off his cosmetic bans, used to keep his neck from sagging.

There are over 1,200 horse farms, and we got an up close and personal look at Conway Arabians from Lori Conway who, with her husband Peter, moved from Minnesota to Micanopy – near Ocala – in 2022. They’re involved in all phases of horse life from breeding, to training to competitions, and Conway Arabians will also host the Black Stallion reading project — an annual fund-raiser that benefits fourth-graders in Marion County on Nov. 6. Lori’s presentation for us was enlightening, to put it mildly.

Other sections of the area include the Florida Horse Park, where polo matches are held; an art gallery and museum; and the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders & Owners Association headquarters, where auctions bring in buyers from around the world several times a year and generate $180 million in sales. Next auction is for yearlings on Oct. 7-8.

An estimated 75,000 horses reside in Marion County and about half are thoroughbreds.

Lori Conway deals with more than horses at Conway Arabians. She also breeds Golden Retrievers.

Florida’s golf trail comes with an historical perspective

Stunning Southern live oak trees have long been a big part of Ocala Golf Club. (Joy Sarver Photos)

OCALA, FLORIDA – Lots of states have golf trails. Some spotlight regions, some types of layouts, some architects. All are good ideas, but Florida’s is different than all the others. It puts a premium on history.

The Florida Historic Golf Trail was created by the Florida Department of State in 1991 to enhance public awareness of the state’s public, semi-private, military and resort courses. A booklet on the Trail was created by the Florida Association of Museums.

A most worthwhile project, the Trail underscores the proud history of what is arguably this country’s most golf-minded state. Florida has over 1,100 courses and over 500 golf communities. To make it onto this Trail a course must be open to the public continuously for 50 years. In short, these courses’ longevity and preservation are things to be celebrated.

Many Florida golf historians believe the first golf ball put in play in the U.S. was on a small practice course in Sarasota in 1886. Colonel John Hamilton Gillespie, who grew up in Scotland, designed and built a two-hole course there. Gillespie and a friend, Leonard Reid, eventually built one of the state’s first nine-hole courses. It opened, with a clubhouse, in 1905 and Gillespie sold it five years later.

Ocala Golf Club has an insignia that continues to reflect its history.

The Trail lists 53 courses, most built between 1897 and 1949, and identifies a few others that include private venues. We became interested in the Trail in 2011 when we started yearly winter visits to the Sunshine State before establishing residency in 2016.

We’ve played 15 courses on the Trail over the years, the most recent being to the Ocala Golf Club – one of the oldest courses on the circuit – this year. Some of the Trail courses have maintained their historic characteristics while others have undergone various degrees of modification through the years. Most all reasonably priced and offer a glimpse into what their communities were like in their early days.

In the case of Ocala, we found an 18-hole course that was one of 13 courses listed in a Florida golf directory in 1901. It was a nine-holer known as the Ocala Heights Golf Club then, and its arrival triggered golf popularity in the area. A second course was built on the other side of town and the Ocala Highlands Golf Course and Hotel opened in 1931. Pittsburgh-based architect Ellsworth Giles designed that course, and the city purchased it in the mid-1940s.

The Ocala Golf Club course may be old, but it’s still fun to play.

The course has long been known as “the muni’’ but its insignia for many years were the huge Southern live oak trees spread around the property. With a life expectancy of 150 years, those trees – native to the Southeastern coast and known for their impressive size and broad branches — were popular with the golfers.

That changed in 2008 after a giant branch fell off a tree behind the 17^th green. That tree was believed to be at least 200 years old at that time and tree-trimming experts then declared it a danger. It took four days for the tree to be removed, and some still miss it. The logo insignia was changed, too, but several somewhat smaller versions of that eye-catching tree remain.

Ocala Golf Club underwent an extensive renovation in 2009 with architect Michael Beebe declaring “our goal was to recapture the classical look and strategic principles that had been lost over the years.’’

An expansive clubhouse makes Ocala Golf Club a good spot for a variety of events.

The club now has five sets of tees and can play from 4,200 to 6,500 yards. In the renovation it received new greens, tees, bunkers, irrigation, cart paths and selective tree removal. It’s a fun course to play and has an expansive clubhouse, making it a good setting for outings, meetings and other social events.

Our favorite course on the Trail, though, remains the Ft. Myers Country Club, an 18-holer designed by legendary architect Donald Ross and built in 1916.

This place abounds in history, as the former winter homes of American icons Thomas Edison, Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone just a mile away. The facility was called the Ft. Myers Golf & Yacht Club then and Edison had a hand in the course’s creation. Clubhouse photos and a museum rekindle memories of the good old days, but the facility has changed a lot, most notably after a $5.2 million facelift in 2014.

This Ocala tree stands out from the others on the course because it’s inundated with Spanish moss.

#OcalaGolfClub #FloridaHistoricGolfTrail #OcalaGolf

Haven’t heard of Curly Lambeau? Maybe you should

I’m an avid reader, and always have a book going on some topic or another. That got me to writing book reviews on some of them, and my last three reads have taken me in new directions.

The first two led to my taking on books that went well over 1,000 pages for the first time – one being a look back at Frank Delano Roosevelt’s life and times during World War II and the other a biographical look at Samuel Clements, an author better known as Mark Twain.

I couldn’t put the first one down – it was that historically captivating — and the second took me into previously uncharted territory. I had no inkling about the life of this famous author. While those books were most worthwhile reading I – for some reason – didn’t write my own reviews on either one.

When it comes to “Lambeau,’’ however, I couldn’t resist. Herb Gould, my long time sports-writing colleague at the Chicago Sun-Times, wrote this one. Kudos to Herb. While Herb didn’t hit the 1,000-page mark, he created a book that provided captivating reading from the first page to the last and his extensive research uncovered the complex life of a most worthy sports figure of the past.

BOOK REVIEW TIME: Check out this one on a key sports figure from the past.

Lambeau was “The Man Who Created the Green Bay Packers.’’ That team plays its home games in Lambeau Field, one of the most popular stadiums in the National Football League. The book might seem like a biography of Lambeau, and he was certainly a most interesting topic for that kind of writing. Herb has gone far beyond that, however.

He has given us a candid glimpse into what life was like in the early days of professional football – and those were interesting times, to be sure. Names like Vince Lombardi, George Halas, Johnny Blood and Don Hudson are prominent.

Their particulars are thoroughly covered in “Lambeau.’’ He was a successful player and coach before being forced out of his job leading the Packers. Then, though a series of lifestyle changes, he found Green Bay a happy place again.

Most interesting was the politics involved in getting Lambeau’s name on the city’s football stadium. Seems like his name should have been an obvious choice – but it wasn’t. You’ll have to read “Lambeau’’ to the end to find out how it happened.

Ryder Cup countdown is on; Carroll wins another IPGA title

Both the PGA Tour and LIV Golf League climaxed their seasons last weekend, but –at least arguably – the biggest event of the year is coming up next month. The Ryder Cup matches are Sept. 26-28 at Bethpage Black, in New York, and that puts Northwestern alum Luke Donald in the spotlight again.

Donald captained the European team to victory in Italy in 2023 and he’ll announce his six captain’s picks for this staging on Sept. 2, well after U.S. captain Keegan Bradley fills out his team. Roster choices traditionally trigger an intense buildup of interest before each Ryder Cup.

Bradley’s automatically qualified selections were Scottie Scheffler, J.C. Spaun, Xander Schauffele, Russell Henley, Harris English and Bryson DeChambeau. Bradley announces his six captain’s choices today (WEDNESDAY), and the suspense is building. It’s even possible that Bradley could pick himself, which would make him the first playing captain since Arnold Palmer in 1963.

“I wish he was alive and I could call him,’’ Bradley said after Sunday’s Tour Championship concluded at Atlanta’s East Lake – the Ryder Cup site in 1963. “I think he’d have some great advice for me.’’

Well, golf was different when Palmer was a playing captain. The Ryder Cup wasn’t as popular then, and there were no captain’s picks. The entire teams were chosen on a point system.

Donald learned his automatically qualified six players after last weekend’s British Masters. They were Rory McIlroy, Robert MacIntyre, Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose, Tyrrell Hatton, and Rasmus Hojgaard. Hojgaard’s twin brother, Nicolai, helped the Euros win two years ago but is a longshot to be among Donald’s picks.

HAIL THE CHAMPS: Just as the pro tours were wrapping up their seasons, so were local tournament organizers.

Brian Carroll, the head professional at The Hawk in St. Charles, became a three-time winner of the Illinois PGA Championship on Tuesday at Chicago’s Beverly Country Club.

Carroll, who won titles in 2022 and 2024, fired a final round 66 to earn a one-stroke victory over first-round leader Jeff Kellen, of North Shore in Glenview. Carroll was at 4-under-par 138 in the event that was shifted from 54 to 36 holes this year.

Kellen, who shot 71 on Tuesday, finished one stroke back in second place and Mike Troy, of Troy’s par-3 Course, was at 2-under 140 to finish solo third.

Earlier Roy Biancalana won the IPGA’s Super Senior Open at Pine Meadow, in Mundelein, and Lake Forest’s Max Scodro captured the Illinois State Mid-Amateur at Inverness.

Biancalana, who teaches at The Hawk in St. Charles, opened with a 64, then went on to a four-stroke win over Lakewood’s Doug Bauman. It was Biancalana’s fourth victory in the Super Senior event, which was first held in 2011. Biancalana’s other titles came in 2020, 2021 and 2023. St. Charles’ Dave Esler, the defending champion, tied for third and shared low amateur honors with Crystal Lake’s Mike Karney.

“I’m getting older, so how much longer can I keep on winning this thing?’’ wondered Biancalana, who was at 9-under-par 135 for the 36-holes. “I put a lot of pressure on myself with my 64 – my lowest competitive round in recent years. It was hard to battle the thought of ‘If you lose this tournament after a 64 you’re a choker.’ You have to win after shooting a score like that, but it’s not easy.’’

Scodro, who won the Illinois Open in 2012, bounced back from a one-shot loss to Will Hickey, of Burr Ridge, in the Mid-Am two years ago. This time Scodro carded a 3-under-par 69 in the final round to win by one over Jack Watson, of Lincolnshire , and Dan Stringfellow, of Roselle. Scodro was at 5-under-par 211 for his 54 holes.

COMING UP NEXT: The Chicago tournament calendar focuses on the collegiate and high school seasons now with three big events on tap on the collegiate side in September. Northwestern will have both its men’s and women’s teams in the Jackson T. Stephens Cup Sept. 15-17 at Shoreacres, in Lake Bluff. The Illinois men will host the Fighting Illini Invitational Sept. 19-21 at Olympia Fields and Northwestern’s men will stage the Windon Memorial at Knollwood, in Lake Forest, Sept. 29-30.

CHARITABLE SIDE: The Illinois PGA will hold its annual Birdies for Charity event Sept. 2 at River Forest Country Club. The 90-hole event put on by the area’s club professionals has raised over $4.3 million for various charities in the past.

SENIOR WOMEN: Three Chicago area players were in last week’s U.S. Senior Women’s Open in California. Lake Forest’s Jamie Fischer did the best, tying for 41^st. Becky Morgan, of Wales, was the champion with a 7-under-par 285 score for 72 holes. Juli Inkster was six strokes back in second place and Annika Sorenstam tied for eighth.

Illinois PGA shortens its most historic championship

The Illinois PGA hasn’t been afraid to make changes to its tournaments – especially the biggest ones.

First the section opened its Illinois Women’s Open to out-of-state players because, said IPGA executive director Carrie Williams, “We wanted the strongest field it could be.’’ So did the staff at long-time tourney site Mistwood Golf Club, in Romeoville.

Not only did the field get stronger, it also got bigger. This year’s IWO had over 100 entries for its 30^th anniversary staging.

The men’s version of the Illinois Open took a recent change, too. Long limited to Illinois residents, the field now permits players who grew up in the state or attended college here. That led to University of Illinois alum Michael Feagles winning this year and long-time PGA Tour and Champions Tour member Gary Hallberg competing again after he moved back to Barrington after residing for years in Colorado.

Hallberg was an Illinois Open winner twice. Another past champion, Carlos Sainz Jr., was also back in the field. He now lives and works in Texas.

Again, the field got stronger and the policy change allowed for the participation of players now living in other states and competing on the PGA’s Latin American and Canadian tours.

“Making that change wasn’t easy, but its is the best thing for the event,’’ said Williams.

And to think that years ago just the participation of PGA Tour players and long-time Chicago area residents Bob Zender and Rick Dalpos created controversy — especially after both won IPGA Section Championships.

Well, that event – first played in 1923 — will undergo an even more radical change next week when Chicago’s Beverly Country Club is the host site. The IPGA Championship had long been contested at 54 holes. This year’s it’ll be over only 36 holes with 18 on Monday and 18 more on Tuesday (AUGUST 25-26).

“A little more than half of the PGA sections are doing that,’’ said Williams. “It helps us getting the field and the sites. More pros can play and we don’t have to ask a club to give up its course for three days, just two. We think that will open us up to go to more high-profile facilities.’’

Beverly is certainly one of those. Heading the field there will be defending champion Brian Carroll and 14-time winner Mike Small, head coach of the University of Illinois men’s team. Carroll, head professional at The Hawk in St. Charles, won titles in 2022 and 2024 and the last of Small’s victories were in 2020 and 2023. Butler National’s Andy Svoboda, the low pro at the last two Illinois Opens and leader in the IPGA’s Sam Bernardi Player of the Year standings, also looms a strong contender.

FROM THE TOURS: Both the PGA Tour and LIV Golf League conclude their seasons this weekend. The PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Playoffs end with The Tour Championship on Sunday in Atlanta.

The top 30 on the point list after last week’s BMW Championship in Maryland will battle in the season-ender, and it’ll have a most appropriate change in format. Gone are the handicaps that were used in recent years. Now all 30 players start the 72-hole test at zero.

Jon Rahm retained his LIV Individual Championship on Sunday in Indiana, but it had a strange ending. Rahm, who won the title last year at Bolingbrook, didn’t win a tournament this season while his nearest rival, Joaquin Niemann, won five. That discrepancy would suggest a change in the season-long point structure is in order.

LIV now has committed sites and dates for eight of its 14 tournaments in 2026. The circuit announced the return to The Club at Chatham Hills in Westfield, Ind., even before last week’s event was over. Chicago hosted two LIV events at Rich Harvest Farms, in Sugar Grove, and the last two at Bolingbrook. No word yet on whether the Saudi-backed circuit will be back in 2026.

HERE AND THERE: Only one LIV golfer, Bryson DeChambeau, was among the six automatic selections to the U.S. Ryder Cup team. The others were PGA Tour members Scottie Scheffler, J.J. Spaun, Harris English, Russell Henley and Xander Schauffele. Keegan Bradley will announce his six captain’s pix after The Tour Championship.

The Illinois Super Senior Open concludes its two-day run on Wednesday at Pine Meadow, in Mundelein.

Rahm improves his chances for a LIV repeat

Spain’s Jon Rahm didn’t win the LIV Tour’s stop in Chicago but he improved his chances of repeating as the circuit’s Individual champion. (Joy Sarver Photo)

Last week’s LIV/Chicago tourney at Bolingbrook Golf Club set the stage for this week’s LIV Individual Championship at the Club of Chatham Hills in Indianapolis. Last year Bolingbrook hosted that tournament with Jon Rahm winning.

Rahm has a mathematical chance to win the top prize again after finishing tied for second at Bolingbrook. He gained ground on front-runner Joaquin Niemann, who tied for 17^th after piling up five early season wins.

Niemann takes a 12.27 point lead on Rahm into Indianapolis. He has 206.43 points to Rahm’s 196.16. No other player can break into the top two in the standings at Indianapolis. To win again Rahm would have to finish at least in a tie for seventh. Niemann needs a second-place finish even if Rahm wins.

LIV has confirmed a return to two of its U.S. markets in 2026, but Bolingbrook and Chicago weren’t among them. The circuit will play in Virginia and Washington D.C. and LIV also confirmed returns to Riyadh, Saudia Arabia for the season opener Feb. 5-7; Adelaide, Australia; Mexico City, the United Kingdom and Singapore. There will be some course changes at those sites, still to be announced, and a new tournament is scheduled in South Africa.

Those confirmations account for half of the 2026 season with two weeks left in this one.

Bolingbrook hosted LIV the last two years after Rich Harvest, in Sugar Grove, was the site the first two years of the circuit’s existence. The players liked Bolingbrook, especially the attendance there this year.

“Chicago has such great sports fans, with the way they responded to the tournament,’’ said Phil Mickelson.

ILLINOIS OPEN AFTERMATH: Last week’s Illinois Open presented by Troon was a big hit in its first staging at Kemper Lakes, in Kildeer. Troon manages Kemper Lakes now and also made a large contribution to the purse. No site is set for next year’s tourney, though.

Carrie Williams, the Illinois PGA executive director, said the first-round setup of 7,497 yards may have been the longest in the 76-year history of the tournament. In the final round the tee at No.18 was moved up to 287 yards, making it a rare drive-able par-4.

“We wanted to show off the full experience at Kemper Lakes,’’ she said. “Ideally we would like Kemper Lakes to be an anchor site. We’d come every two-three years, It wouldn’t be a representative state open if we didn’t travel a little.’’

FEDEX CUP UPDATE: The Western Golf Association conducts its BMW Championship, second event of the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Playoffs, beginning on Thursday at Caves Valley in Maryland.

The 50-man field includes Illinois alums Thomas Detry and Brian Campbell. Both need to climb into the top 30 on the FedEx point list to play in the season-ending Tour Championship in Atlanta next week. Detry stands 36^th and Campbell 39^th. Campbell won the John Deere Classic, Illinois’ only annual PGA Tour stop, in July.

HERE AND THERE: Marty Schiene, who won three Illinois Opens in his tournament-playing days in the 1990s, has retired as the men’s coach at DePaul. His replacement is Ryan Jamison, a DePaul alum who spent the last five years as a PGA Tour caddie for, among others, Akshay Bhatia and Brandon Wu.

Northern Illinois has named Ryan Stefko as the assistant to both men’s coach John Carlson and women’s coach Kim Keiser.

Jerry Rich has announced that Jasmine Ly, one of NIU’s top players, has become an ambassador for his Kids Golf Foundation. Ly played in 45 tournaments for the Huskies and was the first NIU golfer to win the Mid American Conference women’s title.

Next big event on the Chicago District Golf Association schedule in the 33^rd Illinois State Mid-Amateur Aug. 18-19 at Inverness. Qualifying for the Illinois State Senior Amateur begins the same day play concludes at Inverness. The Illinois PGA will conduct the Illinois Super Senior Open Aug.19-20 at Pine Meadow, in Mundelein.

The GolfPass Academy will bring its clinic program at Chicago’s Harborside International on Aug. 21. Lauren Thompsosn, former co-host of Golf Channel’s Morning Drive, will be the host.

Stinger sweep provides a climax to LIV/Chicago

Happy champs: (from left) Branden Grace, Louis Oosthuizen, Dean Burmester and Charl Schwartzel celebrate the Stinger GC sweep of both the individual and team titles at LIV/Chicago. (Photos by Joy Sarver)

It was a rare team sweep in the fourth version of the LIV/Chicago tourney Sunday at Bolingbrook Golf Club. Dean Burmester won the individual title and his Stinger unit won the team crown – and both came in one-hole sudden death playoffs.

Burmester, whose only previous LIV win was at Miami last year, watched two golfers from Spain – Chicago defending champion Jon Rahm and LIV rookie Josele Ballester — miss birdie putts from 15 and 12 feet in the playoff before he buried his from seven feet to be the winner.

The team playoff involved two-man teams from the Stinger and Torque units. Though Burmester was a member of the four-man Stingers, he didn’t participate in the team playoff. Charl Schwartzel and Branden Grace made birdies to eliminate the Torque unit of captain Joaquin Niemann and Carlos Ortiz.

Stinger is an all-South African team, and there were some sidelights to their big week. LIV recently announced that it will have its first tournament in South Africa next March, and the players can’t wait.

“We’re all very excited, knowing we’re going to play in front of our people,’’ said captain Louis Oosthuizen, who decided the team members and their families would stay together in one home this week. That hasn’t been the norm in past years, but it worked big-time.

Burmester picked up $4 million for his individual title while Rahm and Ballester earned $1,875,000. The Stinger unit picked up $3 million for the team win. Stinger GC had gone 31 tournaments without a team victory until Sunday.

Dean Burmester sinks the winning putt at LIV/Chicago, then celebrates with caddie, Jason Reynolds.

The Saudi-back LIV circuit introduced a fresh – and somewhat controversial — approach to professional golf after recruiting some stars off the PGA Tour four years ago. That new look – a 14-tournament season spread over five continents with big purses and team competition figuring in — seems to be working. The circuit – as well as LIV/Chicago – has been growing in popularity and Saturday’s crowd at Bolingbrook was easily the biggest in the four years the tourney was played here.

Burmester had a two-stroke lead entering the final round, but it didn’t last long. He made bogeys on the first three holes on Sunday. Ballester, at 21 one of LIV’s youngest players, and Rahm were always hovering around the lead and Harold Varner was among the others joining the battle while posting a 65 – the low round of the day.

“I was down on myself,’’ said Burmester. “After those three bogeys in a row I was like fudge. I don’t know where I’m going. My head says nowhere, but I kept at it.’’

The three in the playoff finished regulation play at 9-under-par 213. Rahm and Ballester shot 69 in the third round and Burmester had 71.

Jon Rahm shows how painful it was to miss a putt on the LIV/Chicago individual playoff.

“This has been emotional,’’ said Burmester. “I’ve been going through a rough time, some personal stuff, and I’ve been grinding. I think about my wife and kids back home, and I’m just trying to do the best I can for them. My wife finished an ultra marathon when we played in West Virginia and I was on my phone watching her. That gave me inspiration.’’

Rahm gained some inspiration for next week’s tournament, the LIV Individual Championship at the Club at Chatham Hills in Indianapolis. He won that honor last year but has no wins this season. Still, he is No. 2 behind Chile’s Niemann, a five-time winner, in the season-long point race.

His good showing at Bolingbrook, coupled with Niemann finishing tied for 17^th, enabled Rahm to gain ground on Niemann and keep his hopes of repeating as the season individual champion alive.

The galleries were the biggest around the 18th green every day at Bolingbrook.

LIV’s top stars are overshadowed by Burmester, Ballester

South African Dean Burmester, who posted a 65, was in charge in the second round of LIV/Chicago at Bolingbook. (Joy Sarver Photos)

Maybe it was the weather – 91 degrees with winds gusting to 22 miles per hour. Maybe it was the gallery. Though no attendance figures were given it was most certainly the largest of the 14 rounds played by the LIV Tour in Chicago over the past four years.

Whatever the reason, the leaderboard at LIV/Chicago changed quickly, and dramatically, in Round 2 on Saturday. Two long-time stars, Sergio Garcia and Dustin Johnson, held the first-round lead and Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka and Jon Rahm were right behind them.

Those five, all among the biggest names in golf, were barely evident on the leaderboard after nine holes in the second round. In that short time the hardly household names in the spotlight were Dean Burmester of South Africa, Josele Ballester of Spain and Richard Bland of England.

Burmester had a win on the LIV circuit last year. Ballester, at 21, is one of the circuit’s youngest player. He didn’t play in the first eight tournaments of the season and didn’t break par in the next three after that. Bland, 48, is one of LIV’s oldest players and has been hanging on for three years.

They were the stars of Round 2. Burmester shot 65 to claim the 36-hole lead at 9-under-par 133. Ballester carded a 66 and is at 7-under 135. Brand hung tough with them until a late double bogey dropped in him into a tie for seventh place.

Spain’s Josele Ballester is thrilled to be paired with Jon Rahm in the final round.

“Playing with Phil (Mickelson) for two days in a row was special,’’ said Burmester. “The crowds are so positive when Phil is around, and the Chicago crowd certainly turned out today. When you walk on the first tee you always get those butterflies, but it felt special today.’’

Burmester, eighth in the point standing to decide LIV’s season-long individual champion, hasn’t ruled himself out of that coveted prize, which will be determined after next week’s tournament at the Club at Chatham Hills in Indianapolis.

When Brand faltered Rahm, the defending champion of LIV/Chicago, climbed into a tie with Ballester and improved his chances to both win on Sunday and repeat as the LIV Individual season champion. He’s still winless for this season but remains in second place in the standings and closing the gap on five-time winner Joaquin Niemann of Chile.

Niemann is down in a tie for 35^th place and may have trouble hanging on to his season-long lead through Sunday’s final round at Bolingbrook Golf Club and next week’s wrapup to LIV’s Individual point race in Indianapolis.

Rahm got his game going with a 4-iron second shot at the 12^th hole that set up an eagle.

“That was about as good as I can hit a golf shot,’’ he said, “and making that eagle is what changed the momentum for the rest of the round. The goal is to win, and by winning I’ll get the most amount of points I can possibly get, and then I’ll need a little luck on my side that Joaquin doesn’t have a good week.’’

Ballester gets the honor of playing in the same threesome with Burmester and Rahm in Sunday’s final round. A “dumb’’ bogey detracted from Ballester’s round on Saturday. It came at the 18^th hole.

“I hit a 410-yard drive,’’ he said. “I was about 20 yards from the green, and hit four shots from there. I was honestly not expecting to leave that hole with a bogey after the drive that I hit.’’

Should Ballester win on Sunday he’ll be the youngest player to win a LIV tournament.

“I’d think of it like the accomplishment of starting my professional career in not the best way, and in two months turning it around and winning in fashion – especially with Jon in the final pairing and with many great players,’’ said Ballester.

Ballester, like Rahm, is from Spain. He turned pro after completing his college studies at Arizona State. Though that was Mickelson’s alma mater Garcia, as captain of the Fireballs, picked him to join his team. The Fireballs are in a three-way tie for the lead in the LIV/Chicago team competition with Bryson DeChambeau’s Crushers and Louis Oosthuizen’s Stinger.

Author: lenz