Sunday’s conclusion to the John Deere Classic triggered the end of the PGA Tour’s season in Illinois.  The JDC is the circuit’s only annual stop in the state, and recently-crowned champion Brian Campbell headed a group of this year’s leading competitors on to a charter flight to Ireland a few hours after the last putt dropped at TPC Deere Run. They’ll play in  this week’s Irish Open.

So, what’s next?

The PGA will be back in Illinois twice in 2026, for the 55^th playing of the JDC and the late-in-the-year Presidents Cup team event at Medinah.  There are still two national professional  tours staging events in the Chicago area this year, though.

A Western Golf Association event, the NV5 Invitational, is July 24-27 at The Glen Club in Glenview. It’s part of the Korn Ferry Tour  which provides its players with a path to the PGA Tour. Scottie Scheffler, now world No. 1, was the first winner of its Chicago area stop and four past champions including  last year’s winner, Thomas Rosenmueller, are playing on the PGA Tour now.

An interesting sidelight to this event is the free daily grounds admission provided by Big Ten Network. You have to register to get your tickets.  Check the WGA website (www.wgaesf.org) for details.

Bigger name players will be coming to the fourth playing of LIV/Chicago Aug. 8-10 at Bolingbrook Golf Club. The Saudi-backed circuit features such stars as Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau.

LIV is playing at Valderrama, in Spain, this week and in the United Kingdom July 25-27 before coming to Chicago.  The Bolingbrook event will be the first of three back-to-back tournaments to climax the LIV season.

Bolingbook hosted for the first time last year in the LIV Individual Championship.  Rahm edged Chile’s Joaquin Niemann for the title.

CHARITABLE SIDE:  One of Chicago’s longest standing golf fundraisers, the Chicago Baseball Children’s Charities outing, returns to Twin Orchard, in Long Grove, on July 17. First held in 1970, the event has raised over $18 million for cancer patient care at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, the Ann & Robert Lurie Children’s Hospital and Camp One Step – a program that provides educational, social and physical developmental services to children with cancer.

The CBCC was founded by Marv Samuel and former White Sox pitcher Billy Pierce was one of the first celebrity participants.  After Pierce’s roommate of 11 seasons with the Sox, Nelly Fox, died of cancer Pierce joined the organization’s board. Other retired baseball players and Chicago sports and media members have joined in over the years.

HERE AND THERE: Brian Campbell’s winning score of 218 at the John Deere Classic was the highest winning number since Bryson DeChambeau won with the same number in 2018.

Brandon Wessel, of Sunset Ridge in Northfield, won last week’s Illinois PGA Senior Championship at The Grove, in Long Grove. He posted a 7-under-par 137 for 36 holes.

Next week’s schedule has the 94^th Illinois State Amateur beginning its three-day run at Stonebridge, in Aurora, on Tuesday  and the WGA’s Women’s Western Amateur tees off on Monday at Red Run, in Michigan.

The fourth event of the Illinois PGA’s new Open Series is Monday at Elgin Country Club.

 

 

SILVIS, IL. – Brian Campbell was just finishing up at the University of Illinois when he saw TPC Deere Run for the first time.  That was in 2015 when he got in the John Deere Classic  field as a sponsor’s exemption and missd the cut.  He’s come a long way since then.

Campbell returned as a pro two years later and tied for 12^th, then didn’t return again until this week when he won the 54^th John Deere Classic in a one-hole playoff.

“Yes, it all started here as an amateur, my  first invite, ’’ said Campbell. “I’ve loved it ever since. I have no words.  To be let alone in a playoff and to finish it off, it’s just amazing.’’

Campbell and Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo were both 18-under-par in the regulation 72 holes.  Campbell put his drive in the playoff in the center of the fairway, his second 16 feet from the cup and – after Grillo sent his drive in the right rough,  his second over the green and hit a weak chip – Campbell two-putted for par and his second victory of the season.

“I expected a little bit of a fight, not that much,’’ said Grillo. “I got myself there.  I gave myself a chance. That’s all I can do.’’

It wasn’t so easy for Campbell in the 72 holes before the playoff. Lots of players wanted to climb the leaderboard.  Northwestern alum David Lipsky, playing in the last group, matched Campbell’s eagle at No. 17 and could have won with a birdie at 18.  Instead he hit a weak drive into the left rough, chipped back to the fairway and had a putt to get into the playoff.

“I’m disappointed the putt didn’t drop on the last, and the tee shot on the last, but I’m pretty happy with the week,’’ said Lipsky.  “In my situation, I’m gaining FedEx Cup points, money, all that stuff.’’

Lipsky was in position to extend a JDC tradition for having the most first-time winners (24) of any PGA Tour event.  Arlington Heights’ Doug Ghim hoped to be the 25^th after leading the first two rounds.  He wound up tied for 31^st. Lipsky remained winless on the circuit.

“With all the pressure everyone is aware of what can and can’t happen,’’ said Lipsky.  “I’m just happy how I had a really good mindset, kept plugging away and grinded it out.’’

Campbell is the second Illini golfer to win the JDC.  Steve Stricker won three times, from 2009 to 2011. Illini supporters were vocal on Campbell’s behalf all week.

“I’m so proud to be in the same conversation with  Steve Stricker,’’ he said. “I never had his much support in a golf tournament.’’

Campbell came from California to play for coach Mike Small at Illinois.  He earned his PGA Tour card shortly after his college days were over, then lost it and needed seven years to get it back.

His first win on the PGA Tour came earlier this year in Mexico, in a playoff with South African Aldrich Potgieter.  In that one Campbell benefitted greatly from one of his errant shots bouncing off a tree and into a position where he could win.

“Mexico was definitely a shock,’’ said Campbell, “and reliving it this week is something special.’’

BITS AND PIECES: Ed Fiori, winner of one of the JDC’s most notable stagings, passed away on Sunday.  He was 72, and the biggest of his four PGA Tour wins came when he beat Tiger Woods. Woods was a 20-year old phenom trying to earn his PGA Tour card when he made his only appearance in the tourney, then called the Quad Cities Classic and played at Oakwood Country Club in nearby Coal Valley in 1996.  Fiori topped the field with Woods finishing in a tie for fifth.

Jackson Koivun, a 20-year amateur in his freshman year at Auburn, was in the field as a sponsor’s exemption and tied for 11^th.  His father George attended nearby Moline High School, and Jackson is the world’s No. 1-ranked amateur golfer.

Rickie Fowler, who had only played in the JDC in 2010 when he was still an amateur, tied for 18^th after shooting 67-66 in the weekend rounds. He finished four strokes behind the leaders and tied with Davis Thompson, who set the tournament scoring record in his victory last year.

Potgieter, who won last week’s PGA Tour stop in Detroit, bypassed the final round – and a paycheck in the process.  He withdrew after the third round, no reason given.

Three former JDC champions – Michael Kim, Dylan Frittelli and J.T Poston didn’t survive the cut but 49-year old Zach Johnson, the winner in 2012, did – and for 17^th straight year.  He has played all 72 holes 20 times in his 23 starts. This time he tied for 44^th.

 

 

 

 

 

SILVIS, IL. – Doug Ghim’s chances of becoming the 25^th first-time PGA Tour winner at the John Deere Classic looked good after he held the solo lead after the first and second rounds.

“Any win on the PGA Tour is amazing,’’ said Ghim, a long-time resident of Arlington Heights.  “To do it here would be awesome.’’

Well, it would have been.  The John Deere Classic, which has more first-time winners since 1970 than any tournament on the circuit, could well have another in today’s final round at TPC Deere Run — but it most likely won’t be Ghim.  The rest of the field came at him in droves in Saturday’s third round and Ghim couldn’t keep up.

He was even par after playing four holes and had fallen into a tie for fourth. Then the  challengers kept coming in droves. That was the most amazing part of Saturday’s round.

Twelve players were co-leaders during the round and nine were tied for the lead midway through the back side.  When play was over defending champion Davis Thompson held a one-stroke lead on University of Illinois alum Brian Campbell, Northwestern alum David Lipsky, Max Homa and Emilio Grillo.

Thompson shot a 67 to hit the 54-hole stop at 15-under-par 198 and the four immediately trailing him had 68s on Saturday. Ghim shot 74 and tumbled into a tie for 21^st, six shots behind leader Thompson.

That shifted the best possibility for a 25^th first-time champion at the JDC to Lipsky, an All-American in his days at NU.  Lipsky, 36, won three professional events on foreign sale but has just one runner-up finish since joining the PGA Tour in 2022.

Thompson, meanwhile, set the JDC scoring record last year at 28-under 256.  He could become the tourney’s first repeat champion since Steve Stricker won three in a row from 2009-2011.

The defender wasn’t at his best starting out on Saturday, a round pushed up to an 8 a.m. start with play in threesomes due to weather concerns that never materialized.

“I was hitting it solid, just didn’t really score great on the front,’’ he said. “My caddie gave me a pep talk on 10 tee and I was able to finish strong.  It’s nice to have some momentum going into tomorrow.’’

Last year he won by four strokes after playing the weekend rounds in 62-64.

“Last year gave me confidence,’’ Thompson said, “but I can’t really focus on last year. That’s in the past.  I’ve got to focus on the present. I’m really excited to go and compete.’’

Campbell, who got his first win in Mexico this year, had the most spectacular finish on Saturday, sinking a 36-foot putt to climb into a share of the lead.  He birdied the first two holes, but gained more momentum when the long putt dropped at the finish.

“You love to see a putt go in on 18,’’ he said. “My caddie said I’m due for a long one, and sure enough, it went in. That was awesome. Hopefully I’m going to have one of those tomorrow for something bigger.’’

The main contenders were in the last two groups Saturday, and that created some fireworks on the 18^th green.  Grillo got to 14-under par first, then Lipsky, then Homa and then Campbell.  That set the stage for Thompson to get sole possession of the top spot for Sunday, when play will be in twosomes.

Homa has played in the JDC only twice – in 2015 and 2017 – but he did win an important tournament in Illinois. In 2016 he came from seven shots back in the final round to win the Rust-Oleum Championship, a Web.com Tour event at Ivanhoe. That helped him regain his PGA Tour card for the 2016-17 season and he went on to win six times on the PGA circuit.

 

 

 

 

SILVIS, IL. – Could this be the week that Arlington Heights’ Doug Ghim notches his first victory on the PGA Tour? It’s certainly possible.

Ghim’s 62 gave him the first round lead in the 54^th John Deere Classic on Thursday and he maintained a one-stroke lead after adding a 68 on Friday. Both rounds featured hole-outs from the fairway, Friday’s coming at the par-4 15^th.

“That’s not the easiest hole out there, so it was unexpected, and it was huge!’’ said Ghim. “It’s been a couple years since I holed out from the fairway.  To get two in back-to-back days is great.’’

Ghim,  at 12-under-par 130, is in a dogfight, though. Just one stroke back are defending champion Davis Thompson,  veteran Max Homa, Illinois alum Michael Campbell, Northwestern alum David Lipsky and Emilio Grillo.

“It’s just the halfway point  — so early in the tournament,’’ said Ghim.  “The leaderboard is so bunched.  I’m still chasing because 20-something under par is probably going to win.’’

Thompson was a record 28-under in his victory last year.

The JDC is known for its abundance of first-time winners on the PGA Tour.  There’s been 24 of them in 53 years and Ghim could certainly become the 25^th after Sunday’s final round at TPC Deere Run.

In his eighth professional season the 28-year old Ghim has been in position to win before.  He played in the last group on Sunday in the 2021 Players Championship but eventual champion Justin Thomas took charge then.  Ghim notched his only runner-up finish on the circuit in Las Vegas last year, losing by one stroke to J.T. Poston – the JDC champion in 2022.

“I played well there and was patient all week,’’ said Ghim. “I didn’t try to knock all the grass off the course the entire week and almost won.’’

“Almost’’ is good if you’re playing horseshoes, but not in golf.

“Sometimes you see guys shooting 8 or 9 under (par) every day and you try to keep up,’’ said Ghim. “You should just try to stay in your own bubble.  Every year I’ve gotten a little better at that.’’

This would be a great time and place for Ghim to crack the winner’s circle.  He’s one of only two Chicago area regulars on the PGA Tour and the JDC is the only annual PGA Tour stop in Illinois.

Preferring to focus on national junior tournaments, Ghim played only one year of high school golf at Buffalo Grove. He was a college star at Texas and now lives in Las Vegas. Still, he’s found a comfort level playing in the Midwest.

“In general it’s the style I’m used to,’’ he said.  “I grew up playing tree-lined courses with bentgrass rough and greens. I always look forward to coming back to the Midwest.’’

He tied for 19^th last week in Detroit, and that was his third top-25 finish in 17 starts in what has been a mediocre season so far.  He started the year by revamping his support team and changed caddies at the Canadian Open last month.

His best finish this year was a tie for 11^th in Florida in March.   Along the way he missed six cuts. This is a new week, though, and his play at TPC Deere Run has been steady in three of the last four years – a tie for 18^th in 2021, then a tie for 26^th in 2023 and a tie for 34^th last year.

The challenge will be a little different in Saturday’s third round. Potential thunderstorms resulted in starting times being moved up to 7:45 a.m. off both the Nos. 1 and 10 tees.  Play will again be in threesomes and the Dierks Bentley concert, planned for the conclusion of play,  is scheduled to begin at 3:45 p.m., weather permitting.

 

 

The John Deere Classic, Illinois’ only annual PGA Tour event, will be held for the 54^th time starting on Thursday at TPC Deere Run in downstate Silvis. and this staging will be a big different than those of the past.

Golf’s top stars had tended to take the week off, rather than play in one of the smallest markets on the PGA Tour.  That’s changing, thanks to format changes in the big-money FedEx Cup Playoffs.  Now in their 19^th year, the playoffs are only five weeks away and getting into the field is harder.

In the past the top 100 on the circuit’s FedEx standings got into the first playoff event.  This year only 70 get in. So, some big-name stars are in the JDC field in search of elevating their positions in the standings.

Most notable if Rickie Fowler.  One of the circuit’s most popular players accepted a sponsor’s exemption into the JDC in 2010 but hasn’t been back since.  He’s in this year’s field as is Wyndham Clark, who won the U.S. Open in 2023, and Max Homa who had multiple wins in two of the last three seasons.  Like Fowler, Clark and Homa have rarely played at TPC Deere Run.

Davis Thompson, who set the JDC scoring record in winning last year, will defend his title while sitting precariously on the FedEx bubble at No. 70.

Thompson was dazzling at last year’s JDC, winning by four strokes after shooting 62-64 in the weekend rounds. His 28 under par performance was one better than Michael Kim’s then-record 72-hole 257 in his eight-stroke victory in 2018.

Last year’s win made Thompson the 24^th player to win his first PGA Tour event at the JDC. Thompson has had only one top-10 finish this year – a tie for 10^th at The Players Championship — in 19 starts.

Thompson was the third straight JDC champion who resided during tournament week with several other players at a house near the course.  J.T. Poston was a “Champions House’’ resident when he won in 2022 and Sepp Straka stayed there in 2023.  If one of the group wins the tournament, he pays the lodging cost.

“It was something I was happy to do,’’ said Thompson.  “I was happy to write the check.’’

Poston, Straka and Thompson will stay in the same house this week. Greyson Sigg, Patton Kizzire and perhaps one other player will join them.

“It’s definitely strange that it’s been three in a row,’’ said Thompson.  Hopefully we can make it four.’’

In addition to those roommates, the field includes past champions Lucas Glover (2021), Michael Kim, Dylan Frittelli (2019) and Zach Johnson (2012).  Johnson will be competing for the 23^rd consecutive year.

The tournament field also includes Ben Griffin, Jason Day, Sungae Im, Si Woo Kim, Tom Kim, Jake Knapp, Adam Hadwin and Brandt Snedeker—captain of the U.S. team in the 2026 Presidents Cup matches at Medinah.

Luke Clanton, who tied for second as an amateur last year, is now playing as a professional.  Michael Thornbjornsen, a co-runner-up last year, is also back and the sponsor exemptions include NCAA champion Michael LaSasso, Jackson Koivun, Ben James, Brendan Valdes, Preston Summerhays and Gordon Sargeant.

LOCAL FLAVOR: Northbrook’s Nick Hardy and Arlington Heights’ Doug Ghim – Chicago’s tour regulars – are in the field again and Hardy may be in the process of making a coaching change.

Recently Sean Foley, a Canadian now living in Florida, announced via Instagram that he and Hardy, who has been struggling with his game, have been working together for several months.

“We’ve devised a blueprint,’’ said Foley, who has previously worked with Tiger Woods and Lydia Ko among other touring pros.  “Nick has historically always been a strong ball striker but has struggled with wedges and taking distance off his irons when he is in between (yardage) numbers. This is a very necessary skill on the PGA Tour.  We have a long way to go on the blueprint but in the short term thus far we’ve improved play and scoring, and that’s the only goal.’’

HISTORICAL:  When Lake Forest’s Pierce Grieve won the Chicago District Amateur last week he became the 12^th player to win both the CDGA and Illinois State Amateur titles.  The last to do it before Grieve was Joel Hirsch in 1988.

Grieve, a 21-year old West Virginia graduate, won the State Amateur in 2024 but won’t defend his title this year when it comes to Stonebridge, in Aurora, in two weeks.

“To get both those trophies and put my name on them is super special, and to do it in 11 months is even cooler.  It speaks on just where my game is at,’’ said Grieve.  “Professional golf is on the horizon.  I’m not sure when that’ll be, but it’s definitely in the near future.’’

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Chicago District Golf Association staged two of its biggest tournaments last week, with Barrington’s Bridget Butler winning the 92^nd Illinois State Women’s Amateur at The Grove, in Long Grove, and Tennessee golfer Ford Martin capturing the Chicago Adaptive Open in a playoff with Winfield’s Victor Postillion at Fox Bend, in Oswego.

This week, though, is the CDGA’s biggest event of them all. The 105^th CDGA Amateur ends its four-day run with the 36-hole title match on Thursday (JUNE 26) at Briarwood, in Deerfield.

One of the most prestigious events in Chicago golf, the CDGA Amateur may have been the area’s most memorable tournament of 2024 when Winnetka’s Tyler Greenspahn outlasted Medinah’s Dan Stringfellow in a match that went 39 holes.

Greenspahn, who just completed his freshman year at Southern California, and Stringfellow were back in the field for Monday’s 36-hole stroke play qualifying round at Briarwood. The tourney drew 358 starters, and they were whittled to 75 in four state-wide qualifying sessions.

Sixteen got through the Monday stroke play session at Briarwood and two rounds of match play on Tuesday left four still alive for Wednesday’s (TODAY’S) 8 a.m. semifinals.

NO SMALL FEAT: Illinois men’s coach Mike Small won his third Illinois Senior Open title by beating a fellow member of the Illinois Golf Hall of Fame.  Gary Hallberg, who spends more time on PGA Tour Champions, and Small were the only players under par over 36 holes at Hawthorn Woods.  Small’s 8-under-par 136 gave him a five-shot cushion on Hallberg.

“That course gets in my head a little bit,’’ said Small.  “I was runner-up at two Illinois Opens back in the day when it was played there.  I couldn’t quite pull it off and get the win then, and I didn’t play well (at Hawthorn Woods) last year.’’

Small plans to play in the Illinois  Senior PGA, the Illinois Open and Illinois PGA Championship in an upcoming three-tournament stretch. He has won the IPGA Championship 14 times and the Illinois Open four times.

WOMEN’S WORK: The Illinois Women’s State Amateur brought Butler back to competitive golf.

“It was my first tournament in 11 months, since I redshirted at Nebraska,’’ the 19-year old  said after beating co-runner-ups Kayla Sayyalinh, a junior at Southern Illinois, and Alexis Meyers, an incoming freshman at Illinois, by three strokes with a 4-under-par performance for the 54 holes.

The win earned Butler a place in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Aug. 4-10 at Oregon’s Bandon Dunes. Then she’ll be going through another redshirt season in college, this time at Stetson.

GRIFFIN ENTERS JDC: The PGA Tour has the Rocket Classic in Detroit this week, then shifts to Illinois’ only annual PGA stop – the John Deere Classic July 3-6 at TPC Deere Run in Silvis.  The JDC has landed another top player in Ben Griffin, a two-time winner this season.

Griffin paired with Andrew Novak to win the Zurich Classic of New Orleans team event and took the Schwab Challenge on his own a week after finishing tied for eighth in the PGA Championship. Last year Griffin tied for fifth in his first appearance at the JDC.

“He had a great tournament, and we are extremely happy to welcome him back,’’ said JDC director Andrew Lehman.  “Ben has positioned himself well for the (FedEx) Playoffs and a chance to be on the U.S. Ryder Cup team.’’

A WGA WINNER:  Trevor Gutschewski, the U.S. Junior Amateur champion last year, captured the Western Golf Association’s 107^th Junior title last week at The Harvester Club in Iowa.

Gutschewski, from Nebraska, missed the cut at the U.S. Open before winning the WGA event.  He finished one stroke ahead of Cameron Kuchar, the son of PGA veteran Matt Kuchar. Gutschewski joined an elite list of past champions that includes Jim Furyk, Rickie Fowler and Collin Morikawa.

This latest win earned Gutschewski an exemption into the Western Amateur July 28-Aug. 2 at Skokie Country Club in Glencoe.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Masters, PGA Championship and U.S. Open – the three major golf tournaments held annually on American soil – are over.  Now comes even bigger news.  The PGA Tour has a new leader.

Brian Rolaff, a key member of the National Football League staff for 22 years, was named the first chief executive officer of the PGA Tour on Tuesday with commissioner Jay Monahan scheduled to remain on the organization’s executive board until his contract expires in 2026.

Rolaff’s views on the PGA Tour and its ongoing battle with the LIV Golf League will emerge in the next few weeks, during which time Chicago will host tournaments on both circuits.

The John Deere Classic, the only annual PGA Tour stop in Illinois, is coming up July 3-6 at TPC Deere Run in downstate Silvis with a most notable star, Rickie Fowler, joining the field, and the LIV Golf League will bring a tournament to Chicago for a fifth straight year from Aug. 8-10 at Bolingbrook Golf Club.

While only July’s British Open remains among golf’s majors, the heart of Chicago’s season tees off just as Rolapp’s leadership role begins. He was non-committal on the PGA-LIV issue, which rocked the sport in recent years.

“I’ll have a clean sheet on everything, including that,’’ said Rolapp, speaking from this week’s PGA Tour stop in Connecticut.

Meanwhile, the 54^th playing of the John Deere Classic will be notable for one big reason: Fowler will be there. Fowler, one of pro golf’s most popular players, hasn’t played in the JDC since 2010 when he accepted a sponsor’s exemption just as he was coming out of the college ranks at Oklahoma State.

TPC director Andrew Lehman couldn’t be more pleased.

“We’re thrilled to have Rickie,’’ said Lehman.  “He’s a fan favorite, particularly among younger fans who gravitate toward him.  He’s had an exceptional career and has been playing well this year.’’

Fowler hasn’t been the player he once was, when he made five U.S. Ryder Cup teams. His 2014 season was most impressive, when he finished in the top five at all four major championships. The last of his six PGA Tour  wins was in Detroit in 2023 but Fowler had top-20 finishes in three of his last four starts and his tie for seventh at the Memorial two weeks ago earned him a spot in the year’s last major, July’s British Open.

Early entries of Max Homa, Jason Day and Sungjae Im also give the JDC field a fresh look. Homa was ranked in the world’s top 10 last year.  He’s struggled this season but did finish 12^th in the Masters.  Day, bothered by back problems in recent years, was once No. 1 in the world rankings.  This year he has three top-10s.

Im, from South Korea, has become the PGA’s ironman.  He ‘s played between 26 and 35 events per season in the last few years. Davis Thompson, a four-shot winner in last year’s JDC, will defend his title.  He was the tourney’s 24^th first-time PGA Tour winner. The purse this year is $8.4 million.

As is a tournament tradition, sponsor exemptions have been awarded to three elite college stars – NCAA champion Michael LaSasso of Mississippi, No. 2-ranked amateur Jackson Koivun of Auburn and No.3-ranked Ben James of Virginia.

THIS WEEK the Illinois State Women’s Amateur concludes its three-day run at The Grove in Long Grove.  The 92^nd annual event  has a new format.  Formerly a match play event, the champion this year will be decided in 54 holes of stroke play with the final round on Wednesday.

Kyle Donovan, of Oak Park Country Club, was the run-away champion in last week’s big local event – the  36-hole Illinois PGA Assistants tourney. He posted a seven-stroke victory at Chicago’s Bryn Mawr Country Club.  The Illinois PGA also won the 63^rd Radix Cup battle with the Chicago District’s best amateurs at Oak Park Country Club.  The pros now lead that series 39-22-22.

 

 

Doug Ghim got some good news this week.  The U.S. Golf Association made the PGA Tour player from Arlington Heights one of the 156 official starters in the 125^th U.S. Open, which tees off on Thursday at Pennsylvania’s Oakmont course.

Rugged Oakmont is a frequent U.S. Open site, and that was undoubtedly a big factor in the USGA accepting a record 10,202 entries at the April 9 deadline.  Hopefuls were whittled to 156 after 110 local qualifiers and 13 final qualifiers. The latter included 36-hole competitions in Canada, England and Japan in addition to the 10 held across the U.S.

Ghim, as a PGA Tour member, didn’t have to play in a local elimination and chose to enter the final qualifier in Dallas.  He wound up in a seven-players-for-one-spot playoff for the final Oakmont berth available there.

This week, with players starting to arrive at Oakmont, the USGA announced the last seven who would be elevated to the field following late withdrawals and the completion of other qualification procedures. Ghim was one of the lucky ones.

Ghim, 29, attended Buffalo Grove High School but — preferring to focus on national amateur events — played only one season of high school golf. After starring at the University of Texas, where he won the Big Hogan Award as the best male college golfer in 2018, Ghim was runner-up in the 2017 U.S. Amateur, then turned pro and earned his PGA Tour card in 2020.

While he’s earned $7.6 million Ghim has yet to win on golf’s premier circuit. This year he’s made the cut in 10 of his 15 starts and finished in the top 25 in three events.

A long-time Las Vegas resident since turning pro Ghim will make his second appearance in the U.S. Open proper at Oakmont.  He missed the cut in his only other start in 2018.

A SMALL WORLD:  With Mike Small dominant for decades as both a player and coach Illinois golf has frequently seemed like a “Small world.’’ This time it’s a little different.

Mark Small, who plays out of Prestwick in Frankfort, won the 23^rd Illinois State Senior Amateur last week.  It was his first win in a Chicago District Golf Association-administered event in 29 years.  Small won the Illinois State Amateur in 1996 but he’s contended many times between his big wins.

Mark Small, now 61, was in the top 10 of the last four Illinois State Senior Amateurs.  He was runner-up last year and gave Mike Small a scare in the Illinois Senior Open two years ago.

“There is going to come a time where I can’t do this anymore,’’ said Mark Small.  “But while I can, it sure is fun.’’

Mike Small isn’t exactly out of this picture, though.  The University of Illinois men’s coach has two of his former players competing in this week’s U.S. Open.  Thomas Detry and Brian Campbell qualified by winning PGA Tour events this year and current Illini player Jackson Buchanan also got in by sharing top honors in the qualifying event in Atlanta.

Buchanan qualified for last year’s Open at Pinehurst, N.C., but missed the cut.  He’ll make his professional debut at Oakmont.

FAST STARTER:  Elizabeth Szokol, Chicago’s only player on the Ladies PGA Tour, shared the first round lead at last week’s ShopRite Classic after posting a 63. She tailed off with rounds of 69 and 74 and wound up in a tie for 20^th place.

Szokol grew up in Winnetka,  played on New Trier’s 2010 state championship team and was the Illinois Women’s State Amateur champion in 2012.  That tourney will start its three-day run on Monday at The Grove, in Long Grove and it’ll have a new  look since Szokol won it.

The CDGA is now conducting the tournament and has incorporated a Mid-Amateur component to the 54-hole event. Players who have reached their 25^th birthday can play for the title in the 36-hole Mid- Am division.  If any finish among the top 20 and ties after 36 holes they’ll also be eligible to play the third round with the chance to win the IWSA title.