The U.S. Golf Assn. has finally committed to holding a national championship for senior women players. Though long overdue, that’s good news. French Lick’s Pete Dye Course hosts the only major championship for senior women now, but that will change in 2018.
On the other hand, the first such tournament won’t be held until 2018 and there will be differences between the first U.S. Senior Women’s Open and the only other major event for senior women, which is put on by the LPGA Legends Tour.
The Legends Championship has been played the last two years at the Pete Dye Course in French Lick, Ind., which is also the site of the Legends Hall of Fame. The Legends event is over 54 holes; the first U.S. Senior Women’s Open will be over 72 holes.
Players can ride in the Legends event, won the first two years by Lorie Kane and Laurie Rinker. As per USGA tradition in open championships, the Senior Women’s Open will be walking-only. And, of course, the Legends is for former LPGA players while both amateurs and professionals can compete in the Senior Women’s Open.
Age requirements could be the most significant difference, however. The Legends Tour is for players 45 and over. The Women’s Senior Open is for players 50 and over.
Those differences will be the subject of discussion leading into the first Senior Women’s Open but, in the end, they may not matter all that much. The big thing is, senior women finally have their own open championship and another designated “major.’’ That figures to be a big boost for the serious players in that segment of golfers.
USGA president Tom O’Toole made the long-awaited announcement at the USGA’s annual meeting in New York.
“We have studied and discussed the need for this championship for many years, and now we can celebrate its introduction,’’ said O’Toole.
The field size and prize breakdown for the first Senior Women’s Open haven’t been set. No dates or sites have been determined, either.
For comparison purposes, the LPGA Legends Tour will start its 15th season in March. It’ll have nine tournaments, but only the LPGA Legends Championship will be as long as 54 holes. It offered $500,000 in prize money the last two years and its third staging will be Aug. 28-30, also at French Lick.
The Senior Women’s Open will become the 14th national championship conducted by the USGA.
“We feel strongly that factors such as the international strength of the LPGA and the increasing number of age eligible quality competitors from around the world, as well as the growth of women’s golf, are key to reaching this historical announcement,’’ said Mike Davis, the USGA executive director. “We hope this new championship will inspire both amateurs and professionals.’’
OCALA, FL. – The first event of the LPGA’s 66th season wasn’t held very far from the site of the circuit’s very first tournament, in 1950. That one was at Palma Cella Country Club in Tampa.
The 2015 debut also wasn’t far from the organization’s headquarters. It was played at Golden Ocala Golf & Equestrian Club, a beautiful facility nestled in the horse country of northwestern Florida. It’s about 100 miles from Palma Cella and it’s not much further to LPGA headquarters in Daytona Beach. Golden Ocala offered everything the LPGA needed for its season opener.
This season opener, though, was an indication of how far the LPGA has come, and the inaugural Coates Championship could trigger the biggest year yet for the premier women’s circuit.
The event drew great crowds, and organizers had no problem recruiting over 850 volunteers to help in putting the tournament on. The competition was excellent, as well. South Korea’s Na Yeon Choi captured her eighth win on the LPGA Tour, shooting a final round 68 to finish at 16 under par 272 and one better than 17-year old sensation Lydia Ko, Jessica Korda and Ha Na Jang.
That gave Choi the $225,000 top prize. Ko, though, gave the tournament a place in history. Her second-place finish in the Coates Championship boosted her to No. 1 in the Rolex World Rankings. That made Ko the youngest golfer — male or female — to reach No. 1.
LPGA commissioner Mike Whan called the whole Golden Ocala experience “impressive.”
“We could not be happier with the response we received,” said Whan. “The spectator support has been among the best on the LPGA Tour.”
This LPGA opener represented a departure from recent years, when the circuit usually played its first tournament outside of the U.S. (Four of this year’s first five events, though, will still be beyond U.S. borders – in the Bahamas, Australia, Thailand and Singapore).
The Coates Championship at Golden Ocala didn’t have the traditional Thursday-Sunday run. This one started on Wednesday and concluded on Saturday to avoid a conflict with the Super Bowl. Coates Golf’s sleek, black clubs are an intriguing new addition to the golf marketplace.
Coates also wasn’t your usual golf tournament sponsor. It’s a golf equipment manufacturer that is new to the market. Mollie and Randall Coates are Golden Ocala members who entered the golf business only recently. After several years of planning the Coates introduced their products at the 62nd PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando a week before hosting their tournament.
The big launching came at the LPGA season opener – and that was most appropriate. Coates Golf is producing clubs made strictly for women. Other companies have offered “women’s clubs’’ over the years but not like the slick black ones that Coates put on the market. Theirs aren’t men’s clubs with adjustments made for women. This club-maker is all about producing equipment strictly for women.
Coates clubs, understandably, haven’t caught on with the top players yet. Only Alexandria Jacobsen, who lives in Palm City, FL., and got into the tournament on a sponsor’s exemption, played their clubs in the LPGA opener. But women golfers will learn about Coates clubs quickly, now. The company isn’t just sponsoring this one tournament. Coates has signed on to sponsor LPGA events for two more years.
The company has a full line of its sleek black and golf-colored clubs available along with bags, towels, gloves and hats. A full apparel line is expected to be offered in the fall.
For its first tournament Coates chose an interesting place that has more advantages than just being close to home. Golden Ocala’s 6,541-yard par-72 course was designed by well-regarded Florida architect Ron Garl. His creation includes eight tribute holes, three of which are patterned after holes at Augusta National – the Georgia site of the Masters every April. Golden Ocala has its own Road Hole, which is much like the famous one at St. Andrews in Scotland.
Garl’s other tribute holes were patterned after holes at St. Andrews, Royal Troon, Muirfield and Baltusrol. Golden Ocala also has a 10-acre short game area and two practice holes in addition to its spacious driving range. It wasn’t exactly a mystery to the 120 LPGA players who showed up. Golden Ocala was the site of the Golden Flake Classic, a stop on the LPGA’s Futures Tour 20 years ago. Australian Karrie Webb made that event her first professional victory, and she was also in the field for the Coates Championship.
The field had other noteworthy players in the $1.5 million tournament, since 19 of the top 20 in the Rolex Rankings, nine of the top 10 on the 2014 money list and 28 of last year’s tournament champions competed in the Coates Championship.
Of more historical note, the LPGA had two African American players in one tournament for the first time since 1971 when Cheyenne Woods and Sadena Parks earned places on the tee sheet. Woods, nephew of Tiger Woods, made her debut as an LPGA member. She earned playing privileges at last fall’s Qualifying School. Park earned her privileges off her play on the Symetra Tour in 2014.
Though several others have played in tournaments on sponsor exemptions over the years, Woods and Parks are only the fifth and sixth African American players in the history of the LPGA. The first was the great tennis player, Althea Gibson, who competed on the golf circuit from 1964-71. Renee Powell had the longest such run, from 1967-80 and LaRee Sugg was on the circuit for two stints, from 1995-97 and 2000-01. Prior to Woods and Parks and last African American woman to play as an LPGA qualifier was Shasta Averyhardt in 2011.
The Coates Championship was the first of 34 tournaments on the LPGA schedule. The circuit will have a record 390 hours of television coverage on NBC and The Golf Channel.
The recently-concluded PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, FL., (SHOW WAS JAN. 20-23) with Chicago’s two major club manufacturers playing lead roles.
Batavia-based Tour Edge got its usual jump on the competition by formally introducing its line of new irons and putters a day ahead of the 62-year old main event, which drew 40,000 attendees and had over 1,000 exhibitors at its four-day run at the Orange County Convention Center.
David Glod, who founded Tour Edge out of his own garage in 1986, has held his season preview a day ahead of the show the last 10 years. This time he admitted “there’s so many new products it’s almost daunting.’’
The key to Tour Edge’s new club offerings is “robotic laser beam bonding.’’ You’ll be hearing more about that as the season progresses.
Wilson celebrated its centennial in 2014 but Tim Clarke, head of the company’s golf division, thought the milestone year would be just a springboard for things to come.
“Our first century had an exciting finish with (Kevin) Streelman getting a birdie win (a record seven straight birds to finish off a victory at Hartford), Marcel Siem won in Europe and Padraig Harrington won in Asia,’’ said Clarke. “But 2015 will be our best yet. Our product line is as good as we’ve ever had.’’
In addition to unveiling its new clubs and golf balls, Wilson announced the additions of Troy Merritt and Brendan Steele to its staff of touring pros and introduced the latest in its popular four-year TV ad campaign, “Seriously!’’ that features Guy Johnson.
According to PGA of America estimates, if you walked through every mile of the Orlando show to check out all the offerings relative to instruction, fashion, equipment, accessories and technology you would have covered about 10 miles. The two Chicago shows coming up in February won’t be nearly that big, of course.
The Tinley Park Golf Expo runs Feb. 6-8 and the Chicago Golf Show, bolstered by new presenting sponsor Encompass Insurance, will be staged Feb. 27-March 1. By the time they’re over there might well be enough snow off the ground to allow for play on at least some of the Chicago courses. At least one can only hope.
At any rate, this is my opportunity to reveal the products I found the most interesting in Orlando. They underscore how inventive and innovative the people in the golf industry really are.
My favorite was GolfBoard, which brings the concept of surfing to golf. You ride an electric board and it feels similar to snowboarding, surfing or skateboarding. The GolfBoard carries one golfer, who is standing, and his bag. This device speeds up play and makes the player more active than he would be sitting in the traditional cart. Dave Weretka, long-time publisher of GolfChicago magazine is GolfBoard’s representative in the Chicago area.
Swing trainers are frequently innovative, and DST Golf introduced one that is literally and figuratively “Ahead of the Curve.’’ PGA Master Professional Nigel Blenkarne demonstrated how to use what looks like a pitching wedge with a bent shaft. The bent shaft would make the club illegal, according to the Rules of Golf. For practice and warmup, though, it’s fine and Blenkarne said “some PGA guys are practicing with it.’’
In addition to the bent shaft, the club has a white line on the clubhead and a wide, flat sole angle that encourages the proper swing for chip shots. It forces you to be in the optimal impact position.
Ray Rapcavage, a New Jersey resident who considers himself “a good amateur player,’’ brought along the Golf Swing Shirt – a striking orange pullover endorsed by Harrington, a three-time major champion, and teaching guru Jimmy Ballard. You put the Swing Shirt on over your own shirt, insert one arm at a time into the center sleeve and then head for the range.
You may look and feel funny, but those who tried Swing Shirt felt they were striking the ball with body turn rather than the flipping of the hands, and the hands were always slightly ahead of the ball at impact. That resulted in a more reliable motion through the ball.
Putting also traditionally inspires new products. Ed Klein, of Aberdeen, Wash., didn’t come with a new putter. He came with a new grip that could catch on as the USGA’s ban on anchored putting closes in for 2016. Klein’s Arm-Lock Converter Putter Grip. You simply have a new (bigger) grip installed on your present putter. It comes in two models – round and flat – and fits any putter. Klein says either model will make you an arm-lock putter and eliminate the issues presented by anchored putting.
Ball technology may be more ongoing than any area in golf, and OnCore Golf has come out with “the world’s only hollow metal core golf ball.’’ It just gained USGA approval last May.
ORLANDO, FL. – The PGA of America has been holding its Merchandise Show for 62 years. In recent years it’s been generally overwhelming, frequently chaotic and always informative. It’s also, for many, a hint that spring – and the heart of the golf season –isn’t all that far away.
This year’s PGA Merchandise Show at the Orange County Convention Center drew the usual 40,000 attendees and had over 1,000 exhibitors. According to PGA estimates, if you walked through every mile of the show and checked out all the offerings relative to instruction, fashion, equipment and technology you would have covered about 10 miles.
All the major manufacturers, of course, were on hand to introduce their new product lines. So were plenty of others who hoped that their products would captivate the golf industry in the months ahead. Some will, some won’t. Dave Weretka, GolfChicago publisher, is a big believer in the GolfBoard.
This is my opportunity to reveal the products I found the most interesting – not necessarily the best. The bottom line is, these products underscore once again how inventive and innovative the people in the golf industry really are.
My favorite from this 2015 show was also among the best. GolfBoard was selected Best New Product of the 2014 PGA Merchandise Show, but it’s still fairly new as far as even hard-core golfers are concerned.
GolfBoard brings the concept of surfing to golf. You ride an electric board and it feels similar to snowboarding, surfing or skateboarding. The company calls it GolfBoarding and insists it isn’t difficult to learn. The GolfBoard carries one golfer, who is standing, and his bag. In short, you “surf the earth’’ when you take it on the course.
The device speeds up play and makes the player more active than he would be sitting in the traditional cart. Dave Weretka, long-time publisher of GolfChicago magazine is GolfBoard’s representative in the Chicago area.
Damaged club? Nope, it’s DST’s Ahead of the Curve pitching wedge. SWING TRAINERS always underscore the creativity involved in golf. DST Golf introduced a warmup tool and practice club that is literally and figuratively “ahead of the curve.’’
PGA Master Professional Nigel Blenkarne demonstrated how to use what looks like a pitching wedge with a bent shaft. The bent shaft would make the club illegal, according to the Rules of Golf. For practice and warmup, though, it’s fine and Blenkarne said “some PGA guys are practicing with it.’’
In addition to the bent shaft, the club has a white line on the clubhead and a wide, flat sole angle that encourages the proper swing for chip shots. It forces you to be in the optimal impact position. DST also offers an 8-iron that is legal for competitive play.
Ray Rapcavage, a New Jersey resident who considers himself “a good amateur player,’’ brought along the Golf Swing Shirt – a striking orange pullover endorsed by three-time major champion Padraig Harrington and teaching guru Jimmy Ballard.
You put the Swing Shirt on over your own shirt, insert one arm at a time into the center sleeve and then head for the range. You may look and feel funny, but those who used the Swing Shirt on the huge circular practice range at Orange County National Golf Center felt they were striking the ball with body turn rather than the flipping of the hands, and the hands were always slightly ahead of the ball at impact. That resulted in a more reliable motion through the ball. At least one LPGA Tour player was intrigued enough by the product to take one home. The Swing Shirt keeps you from making a bad swing.
PUTTING also traditionally inspires new products. Ed Klein, of Aberdeen, Wash., didn’t come with a new putter. He came with a new grip that could catch on as the USGA’s ban on anchored putting closes in for 2016.
Klein’s product is the Arm-Lock Converter Putter Grip. You simply have a new (bigger) grip installed on your present putter. It comes in two models – round and flat – and fits any putter. Klein says either model will make you an arm-lock putter and eliminate the issues presented by anchored putting. The grip doesn’t require modifications to the loft of the putter but must be fitted properly.
Of course there are plenty of new putters on the market as well, the most unusual looking being produced by Cure – a company formed in 2013 by retired architect Steve Davis and Florida teaching pro Jeff Ryan.
Here’s what the OnCore ball looks like from the inside.Cure putters, which come in five models, feature a larger lightweight head with extreme heel/toe weighting. The creators claim that provides “unmatched stability, forgiveness and distance control.’’
BALL TECHNOLOGY may be more ongoing than any area in golf, and OnCore Golf has come out with “the world’s only hollow metal core golf ball.’’
The company, based in Buffalo, N.Y., claims it’s “the first major upgrade in golf ball design in decades.’’ The ball came out in 2009 but wasn’t approved by the U.S. Golf Assn. until last May.
“There was a little hesitation because of the technology involved,’’ said co-founder Curt Rogers. The creators claim it has perimeter weighting that leads to an increase in vertical spin and reduces a slice up to 30 percent.
ORLANDO, FL. — Chicago-based Wilson Sporting Good celebrated in 100th anniversary in 2014 and more good things could be coming down the road.
Guy Johnson spent a day signing autographs at Demo Day, the lead-in to the 62nd PGA Merchandise Show.Wilson certainly has had the most entertaining TV ad campaign in golf the last few years. The latest version of the “Seriously!’’ ads, featuring Guy Johnson, made its debut on Golf Channel during the 62nd PGA Merchandise Show at Orange County Convention Center.
“It was shot in Arizona about four months ago,’’ said Tim Clarke, president of Wilson’s golf division. “It’s funny, our best one yet. Guy does a wonderful job articulating our brand. These ads have taken a life of their own.’’
Johnson has been featured in the campaign for four years. Clarke gave a sneak preview of the latest creation.
“This commercial is about Guy Johnson imposters,’’ said Clarke. “The reality is, there’s only one Guy Johnson just like there’s only one Duo golf ball – the original low compression ball.’’
Johnson was the focal point of Wilson’s section at the Demo Day, posing for pictures and signing autographs for visitors. Clarke wasn’t surprised by Johnson’s popularity.
“We had an LPGA player with him at the first PGA Show that we brought him to,’’ said Clarke, “and Guy had a bigger line for autographs. That shows the power of TV.’’
The Demo Day had 100 participating companies, more than 300 hitting bays and four practice greens. An estimated 6,000 attendees made the trek to the 42-acre circular range at Orange County National Golf Center and Lodge and more than 150,000 shots were taken during the day designed for testing new equipment.
Masters champion Bubba Watson had a crowd five-deep watching his ball-striking demonstration that kicked off the Demo Day. Wilson doesn’t have a player of his caliber in its growing stable of touring pros, but the company has re-signed Kevin Streelman to a multi-year contract and has added up-and-coming PGA players Troy Merritt and Brendan Steele to its other stars – European-based Padraig Harrington and Marcel Siem, Illinois coach Mike Small and PGA journeyman Ricky Barnes.
“Our first century had an exciting finish, with Streelman setting a birdie win (seven straight to close out his victory at Hartford), Siem winning in Europe and Padraig in Asia,’’ said Clarke. “But 2015 will be our best yet. Our product line is as good as we’ve ever had.’’
Staying in one place for very long isn’t easy for a golf touring pro. Carlos Sainz Jr. was able to do it from Thanksgiving through New Year’s, when he spent most of the holiday season with family and friends in Elgin. Now, however, the PGA Tour rookie is on the road again and looking forward to the opportunities immediately ahead.
Though he’s calling Ponte Vedra, FL., his home base now – it’s where the PGA Tour headquarters are located – Sainz made a stopover to visit his brother Michael in Phoenix this week before heading to what he expects will be his first tournament of 2015, the Sony Open in Hawaii.
Michael, at 25 four years younger than Carlos, also has tour aspirations. He’s playing on the Arizona mini-tours now. Carlos knows all about that. The Larkin High School graduate succeeded in the small pro tournaments after finishing college at Mississippi State, then moved through the smaller tours to make it to golf’s big time. But he still isn’t able to play every week.
“For me it’s all about being ready to play whenever I get in a tournament so that I can establish a schedule for the rest of year,’’ said Sainz. “I’m trying to do my job, like everyone else. I’m young, working hard, looking forward to what I do and cherishing it.’’
Sainz has a history of playing good at the right times. He finished out 2013 with a win in on the Canadian PGA Tour, a runner-up finish in the Illinois Open and a victory in the Chicago Open. Those events led to him earning playing privileges on the PGA’s Web.com Tour.
In 2014 he had just one top-10 finish on the PGA Tour’s satellite circuit, but finished strong in the Web.com Playoffs to earn his PGA Tour card for the 2014-15 season.
Under its new split-season schedule the PGA circuit started with six events prior to the New Year. With limited playing status Sainz got into only three of them and missed the cut in two. But he had one strong showing, a tie for ninth in the Sanderson Farms Championship in Mississippi, that earned him $100,000 – more than he had earned in the entire Web.com season. That one good tournament boosted his playing position from No. 49 at the start of the PGA Tour season to No. 35 on the PGA Tour’s eligibility list.
New players are subject to re-shuffling of their tournament eligibility based on their immediate play, and the big jump in status means Sainz can get his PGA Tour career off to a fast start.. He will be in the field at the Sony Open in Hawaii, which tees off on Thursday, and will get into the first three events of the circuit’s California swing – the Humana Challenge, Farmers Insurance Open and AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
He’s also pushing to get into the fourth and final stop in California, the Northern Trust Open, via a sponsor’s exemption. He hopes that the Chicago-based tourney sponsor will look kindly on a Chicago player when invitations are handed out. The second re-shuffle of new players will be made after the Northern Trust Open.
The PGA’s top players usually fill the field at Phoenix (Waste Management Open in February) and then turn out in big numbers for the Florida tournaments in March. Sainz may find it difficult to get into those events.
“I’m not sure which tournaments I’ll get into by then,’’ said Sainz. But he knows he’ll get into plenty of them if he plays well the next two months, and there’s another, more long-range incentive to consider. It’s not unrealistic to think he could compete in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil when golf returns to the Games.
Sainz’ parents are from the Philippines and Bolivia. As “a token of respect’’ he acquired dual citizenship in the Philippines when he played in a tournament there and he plans to apply for similar status in Bolivia. That would make Sainz eligible to play for those countries, neither of which is rich in golf touring pros.
WINDERMERE, FL. – Tiger Woods’ return to competitive golf figured to be the most noteworthy event in the sport last week. Now, maybe it wasn’t.
Woods played hurt, and tied for last in his Hero World Challenge at Isleworth. Just an hour away his niece, Cheyenne Woods, earned her playing privileges on the LPGA Tour in the Qualifying School’s 90-hole elimination in Daytona Beach. She’ll be a focal point on the women’s circuit at times next season.
And that’s not all that may have overshadowed the Tiger return. Jordan Spieth’s victory at Isleworth was astounding — a 10-shot win on the heels of his six-shot victory in last week’s Australian Open.
And that still wasn’t all. John Daly announced his engagement, then won his first tournament in 10 years at the Beko Classic in Turkey. Padraig Harrington, whose world ranking had dropped to No. 385, won his first tournament since the 2008 PGA Championship by taking the Bank BRI Indonesia Open and English golfer Danny Willett overtook Luke Donald in the Nedbank Challenge in South Africa.
Still, that was a great showing by Donald — on his 37th birthday after his world ranking had dropped to No. 37. Donald shot 63 in the third round and was the 54-hole leader before struggling to a 73 in the final round. His strong showing came shortly after he announced he’s working again with Pat Goss, his college coach at Northwestern.
As for Woods, at least he’s playing again — and healthy. That suggests he’ll be a factor during the rest of the 2014-15 season.
When Woods hosted his World Challenge in 2013 he was the No. 1-ranked golfer in the world. A lot has changed since then for the player whose success, many claim, is critical to the growth of the game.
Woods lost the title of his own charity tournament in a playoff with Zach Johnson a year ago, when the event was played in California, and his year went downhill from there. This year the main storyline of the World Challenge figured to be Woods more than the competition. Could he come back again after all that happened?
Unfortunately, no definitive answer came from the Hero World Challenge. He was understandably rusty (as underscored by nine chunked chip shots during the course of the 72 holes), but Wood was also sick during most of the tournament — so sick, in fact, that he experienced vomiting and nausea on the course.
Still, he finished at even par and in a tie with Hunter Mahan for 17th in the star-studded 18-player field. If a sick Tiger can do that, what can a healthy one do down the road? Time will tell.
At least Woods wasn’t deflated by the slow start in his first tournament back.
“I made some progress. I hadn’t played in four months, and I’m in absolutely no pain,” said Woods. “That’s nice.”
What was even nicer Spieth’s record 26-under-par 262 performance. The score was a tournament record, and Spieth became the first wire-to-wire winner of Woods’ charity event.
“The best I’ve ever played, which is what I said in the Media Center in Sydney (after his win in the Australian Open),” said Spieth. “I played better this week.”
The flu-like symptoms that Woods experienced at Isleworth didn’t compare to what he went through since the World Challenge of 2013. He had back surgery on March 31 and tried to salvage the 2013-14 PGA Tour season but his attempt was futile. He was in too much pain.
During the season he played in only eight tournaments world-wide, and his best finish was a tie for 25th place. That’s why he entered this week’s newly-named Hero World Challenge with just a No. 24 world ranking. A motorcyle manufacturer based in India, has taken over sponsorship of Tiger Woods’ charity event.
Still, hopes were high for the game’s long-time No. 1 player who turns 39 on Dec. 30. The Challenge was his first competitive event since he limped off the Valhalla course in Louisville after missing the cut in the PGA Championship in August.
Since then Woods underwent extensive rehab on his back, rarely touching a golf club until the last few weeks. He dropped swing coach Sean Foley and named Chris Como his“swing consultant.’’ Together they’ve begun work on a swing change to accommodate his potentially vulnerable back.
There’s been one big positive for Woods recently, too. He landed his biggest endorsement contract since his fall from grace in the aftermath of the car crash in the Isleworth community here five years ago. Hero Moto Corp, a motorcycle manufacturer based in India, will pay Woods upwards of $6 million per year for the next four years as part of his latest endorsement deal.
Woods has never ridden a motorcycle, and said he doesn’t intend to, but he was photographed sitting on his new sponsor’s products this week. Hero will continue sponsorship of Woods’ World Challenge, which will be played in the Bahamas the next three years. Next year’s Challenge will be played at the luxury resort Albany, which is jointly owned by Woods, Ernie Els and the Tavistock Group — the developer of Isleworth. Els designed the course at Albany.
All looked good in the world of Tiger before the first ball was struck on the long, challenging Isleworth layout on Thursday. Woods looked lean and strong, suggesting he had lost weight during the rehab. He was in good spirits. The back, he said, felt fine. He said he had regained his explosiveness and just needed to hit more balls. Tiger Woods was closely followed on Isleworth’s jumbotron, but the real Hero has been Jordan Spieth.
That became obvious as soon as it was time to compete. His first tee shot on Thursday went out of bounds. He made bogeys on his first two holes and added another on a par-5. That put him in a hole early and he never got out of it, shooting 77 in his first round back.
Patrick Reed and Woods were the first twosome off the tee in Round 2 and their games couldn’t have been much different. Reed was 8-under-par after 10 holes and envisioned shooting in the 50s. He settled for a course-record 63 and didn’t considered the disparity in scores — Woods improved to a 70 — as a cause for concern for his playing partner.
“His game seemed fine,” said Reed. “Of course he didn’t like the score he had. He had a couple loose shots out there, but he knows what he’s doing.”
Tiger Woods used to be Isleworth’s premier golf-playing resident. Now it might be Bubba Watson, who owns Tigers’ former home.
Woods did admit that his latest swing change hasn’t fully kicked in yet.
“The good news is, I know the process,’’ said Woods. “I’ve
made changes before in my game, and it takes time.’’
Steve Stricker, like Woods, had been on rehab duty and was in his first competition in three months. He had 67 in the first round but struggled after that and was paired with Woods in the third round.
The hip that had troubled Stricker most of the 2013-14 season turned out to be a herniated disc in his back. He could sympathize with Woods’ plight.
“There’s a comfort level with this game, and if you don’t have that comfort it’s difficult to play,’’ said Stricker. “So, it’ll take some time, I’m sure…It’ll be a challenge for Tiger, but he’ll be fine.’’
Woods finished the third round with three straight birdies while posting a 69 — his best round of the week. On Sunday he avoided solo ownership of last place by shooting a 72 that pulled him into a tie with Mahan.
So, while there were some positives, Woods may not be seen in competition for awhile now. Without giving specifics he said his schedule for 2015 will be a bit different than in previous years and that he expected to be very busy beginning in the middle of the year. Tiger Woods and his rivals had to deal with lots of challenging holes at Isleworth, but none was more striking than the bunker-filled sixth hole, a 411-yard par-4 that has been dubbed The Ledge.
Given the economic climate of the last few years it’s understandable that golf course owners might be reluctant to take on expensive projects. That hasn’t been the case at Mistwood in Romeoville, however.
In the last three years owner Jim McWethy brought back Michigan architect Ray Hearn for a renovation of a course that he designed in 1998. The upgrading included a major remodeling of the practice range and the installation of 21 sod wall bunkers on the course.
And that wasn’t all.
While the course renovation necessitated the closing of the course for parts of 2012 and 2013 McWethy also ordered the building of a spiffy Performance Center. Like the work on the course, it didn’t come cheap.
And that wasn’t all.
Mistwood’s original clubhouse was dismantled in September and a new one is expected to be ready by next June. It’ll be a two-building structure – a restaurant and banquet facility in one building and pro shop, staff offices and men’s and women’s lockerrooms in the other. The two will be connected by a common basement that’ll be used as a storage area for carts and other essentials.
And, even that’s not all.
In the midst of the above work being done McWethy purchased the 10-year old Ditka Dome in nearby Bolingbrook. It had been an indoor practice range with a bar-restaurant. Now it’s much more than that, and more work is in progress there.
Throughout it all McWethy has politely declined to reveal the costs involved.
“I don’t want to give a number, but obviously it’s very significant,’’ he said.
That begs the question: why was McWethy willing to take on all these projects when the golf industry was – to put it mildly – not experiencing the best of times?
“The economy is not good and golf is an activity that is being challenged,’’ McWethy admitted. “It goes back to my fundamental belief that if you do a good job with every aspect of it, there’s still enough business out there. There’s still a lot of people playing golf.’’
But there’s some trepidation, too.
“Is this the best possible investment right now? No. Is it a good investment now? Yes. We can look either real smart or real dumb,’’ summed up McWethy. “We don’t know yet.’’
A true visionary who just turned 70, McWethy grew up in Palos Heights and has been a long-time resident of Downers Grove. He was involved in the Berry Bearing Co., which was started by his paternal grandfather and manufactured bearings and related products in Lyons until the family sold the company in 1992.
Almost immediately after the sale McWethy had an opportunity to get involved in golf and he took it.
While growing up he played, caddied and sold balls at the Navajo Hills course, which was eventually taken over by developers. His grandfather was both a president and club champion at Aurora Country Club but McWethy was never that good a player – though he did play on his high school and college teams. A member at both the Dunes Club in Michigan and Chicago Golf Club now, his handicap once reached six, but now he says it’s twice that.
“Golf was something I loved to do,’’ he said, and his inroad into the business side of the game developed when the owner of the headquarters building used by Berry Bearings, invited him to invest in a family-owned Michigan public course named Mistwood.
A year later that investment was expanded to include another Mistwood, the one in Romeoville that was soon to be built. McWethy became a seven percent investor in both courses and in 2003 he took over ownership of the Romeoville version, and that included hosting the Illinois Women’s Open. Both the course and tournament have blossomed under McWethy’s ownership and the extraordinary recent upgrades suggest that will continue.
“I love the game and take pride in doing things right,’’ he said. “That produces a tremendous feeling of satisfaction. Another twist to it is that it’s nice to be doing something by yourself. It makes you stand out in that respect.’’
The cost notwithstanding, McWethy admits to being “a little bit of a perfectionist’’ and believes the money spent will pay off in the long run.
“If you want something new, there’s not many places to go,’’ he said. “Every other course is kind of the same as it was 10, 15, 20 years ago. I see a little opportunity there. Our course is very popular now, and the people playing it are more serious golfers and come from greater distances to play it.’’
He envisions Mistwood becoming a golf destination (though he has no plans to add lodging to his to-do list) and he wants to host more significant competitions. His biggest concern now is “getting the word out.’’ To accomplish that he’s taken out ads on The Golf Channel and is also using billboard advertising.
“A lot of people still don’t know that there’s a treasure of a golf course sitting right here,’’ said McWethy, “but there’s still a lot of personal pride in doing something as well as it can be done. We wanted to build a great golf course, which we’ve done that. We have a Performance Center without peer and we’re building a clubhouse – the third piece of the puzzle. I don’t want to sound cocky, but we’ll have one of the finest golf facilities in the Chicago area.’’
And then what? Family considerations might play a part in what comes next, and neither his wife, son nor daughter is much into golf yet. McWethy says “we don’t anticipate buying another golf course,’’ but time will tell.
Chicago has never been rich in PGA Tour players over at least the last three decades, but there’ll be a new one on golf’s premier circuit in the 2014-15 season. Elgin’s Carlos Sainz Jr. earned his PGA Tour card by virtue of his play on the Web.com Tour this year.
Sainz, 28, barely made it through the complicated qualifying procedure that went into effect barely a year ago. First he had to make it into the top 75 money-winners in the Web.com’s regular season. Thanks largely to one strong tournament he finished in the No. 74 position.
That put him in the Web.com Finals, a four-tournament series that also included players ranked from 125-200 in the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup standings. The Web.com Tour offered PGA Tour cards to the top 25 on the regular season money list and the top 25 in the playoffs. Of the 50 who advanced Sainz ranked No. 49.
Between the regular season and playoff series in his rookie season on the Web.com Tour Sainz had but one top-10 finish and made only 11 cuts in 24 tournaments, yet he still earned playing privileges on the PGA Tour.
“You can look at it different ways,’’ said Sainz. “Getting there with just one top-10 is pretty amazing. Everyone judges you by the number of cuts you make, but really it’s all about how the tour is structured. It’s so top heavy with its money structure. There’s a huge disparity between finishing No. 1 and No. 75. That gives a guy like myself a chance to get to the next level.’’
Sainz’ road to the PGA Tour was a difficult one. He started dreaming about getting there while playing in Illinois Junior Golf Assn. tournaments when he was 15 years old. The dream seemed possible after his graduation from Elgin Larkin High School and a four-year college career at Mississippi State.
He turned pro after that and spent three seasons on the Canadian PGA Tour before surviving qualifying school for the Web.com Tour in the fall of 2013.
“It’s been a crazy learning experience for me,’’ he said. “I had the Canadian Tour to fall back on, but the travel was so different in the Web.com. It was a different culture, playing on different grasses. I was just trying to learn.’’
That wasn’t easy. His first tournaments were in Colombia, Chile, Brazil, Panama and Mexico before the schedule shifted to U.S. courses. His breakthrough came at the Price Cutter Charity Classic in Springfield, Mo., where he tied for second and won $44,550. That represented most of his regular season winnings.
The $67,897 that he earned in the regular season allowed him to keep playing in the postseason events, and his game came together while he was completing a grueling stretch of 14 tournaments in as many weeks. He had a tie for 19th and a tie for 12th in the first two tournaments in the Finals, then missed the cut by one stroke in the third.
With his card in serious jeopardy, Sainz got through the season-ending Web.com Tour Championship in a tie for 31st place. He had to sweat out a bogey on the last hole, but that finish was just good enough to move him to golf’s next level.
While making it to the PGA Tour is a giant step forward, keeping his card will be just as difficult. He’ll have to finish among the top 125 money winners and won’t have many tournaments to do it.
“My priority will get me into between 15 and 20 events,’’ he said. “It comes down to me being ready to play when I do get in. I have enough events, in my eyes, to make it. It might be harder for me, but I’m looking forward to the challenge.’’
He couldn’t get into the first tournament of the PGA Tour’s new season, the Frys.com Open, but that enabled him to get a much-needed rest. He didn’t play for 12 days before defending his title in the Chicago Open at Cantigny. Sainz didn’t win but finished in a strong tie for third as Andy Ruthkoski of Muskegon, Mich., won the title.
Still, the fall has been kind to Sainz in the past, and he expected to get into both the last two November tournaments — Sanderson Farms Championship in Mississippi and the Mayakoba Classic in Mexico — before the PGA Tour goes on its December break. Good showings in those events would get his PGA career off to a good start and would be reminiscent of how he got to the Web.com Tour just a year ago.
In a torrid late-season stretch in 2013 Sainz won a Canadian PGA Tour event, lost the Illinois Open title the next week in a playoff, won his Chicago Open and then survived the first Web.com qualifying school.
“I get better as the year goes on,’’ he said. “The fall is a great time to catch fire.’’
Given the brutal winter of 2014, no doubt plenty of Chicago golfers will want out in search of warmer climates within the next few months. Many will likely head for Arizona. After all, in addition to the sunshine there are lots of good courses in that state and – for another diversion – the Cubs and White Sox will both conduct spring training there before the winter weather departs Chicago.
Those who opt for Arizona, however, don’t have to wait to cross the state line to play some interesting golf courses. The likely route to the Arizona line would be Interstate 80 out of the Chicago area through Iowa and Nebraska, then Interstate 76 to Denver and Interstate 25 to Albuquerque, N.M.
From there it’s a straight shot for about four hours on Interstate 40 to Winslow, Ariz. –- the town made (somewhat) famous by the Eagles’ song, “Take It Easy’’ – and it’s not much further to more typical Arizona destinations like Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon.
Before reaching Arizona, though, consider these golf options, most all of them within an hour of the main highways on the route:
AMANA
First state out of Illinois is Iowa. The Harvester Golf Club – the best-known public course in Iowa – is a little further down Interstate 80 near Des Moines, but I’d suggest a stop about an hour before that — in the Amana Colonies on the outskirts of Iowa City and Cedar Rapids.
Amana’s hilly course, designed by William Spear and opened in 1989, may have a few too many blind shots, but the elevation changes create some great views and interesting, fun challenges. The restaurants and shops in the Colonies are also worth a visit. The Colonies – there’s seven of them that date back to 1855 – have been designated a National Historic Landmark.
After leaving the Amana Colonies it’s only barely an hour’s drive to Rhodes, which is 25 northeast of DesMoines and the home of The Harvester. It’s a well-received Keith Foster design that opened in 2003.
INFO: amanagolfcourse.com, harvestergolf.co
TIBURON
After leaving Iowa the logical next stop would be in Omaha, the first big city in Nebraska. There’s plenty of courses in the area (16 in the city itself), but two stand out. Tiburon is the best. It has 27 holes, a definite plus, with its Hammerhead,, Great White and Mako nines.
I’m also intrigued by the city-run Johnny Goodman Course. This 18-holer honors arguably Nebraska’s most famous golfer. Johnny Goodman is the last amateur to win the U.S. Open, having captured the 1933 championship at North Shore in Glenview. Greens fees at both courses are most reasonable, but Goodman is generally a busier place.
It’s always nice to find “hidden gems,’’ and this one might be the best one in Nebraska. It’s located in Gothenburg, 35 miles from the bigger town of North Platte. Wild Horse has an interesting history. Its designers are Dan Proctor and Dave Axland, who have a small architectural firm called Bunker Hill Golf Inc. Within the golf industry, though, they’re better known as the lead construction and shaping specialists for the much better known architectural duo of Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore.
Crenshaw and Coore handled the renovation of Pinehurst No. 2 for last summer’s U.S. Open. They also created a well-received Nebraska course, Sand Hills. Proctor and Axland worked for them on that projected.
We’ve strived to keep our golf stops reasonably close to the main highways, but another Nebraska possibility — the upscale Prairie Club in Valentine – should get some consideration. It has three courses, all created by well-known designers – Tom Lehman (Dunes Course), Graham Marsh (Pines) and Gil Hanse (Horse).
Prairie Club, about 300 miles from both Omaha and Denver, is managed by Chicago’s well-respected KemperSports. Visiting the Prairie Club requires a significant departure from our designated route to Arizona, but the stop is well worth it if you have the time.
INFO: playwildhorse.com, theprairieclub.com.
FOSSIL TRACE
This one is owned by the city of Golden, a suburb one mile outside the Denver limits and the home since 1873 of the beer manufacturer Coors. One of my favorite architects, Jim Engh, designed the Fossil Trace course, which opened in 2003.
Fossil Trace is reasonably priced and fun, though some might think it on the gimmicky side. Engh’s signature hole, No. 12, has fossil rock formations in the middle of the fairway. The other holes range from a 100-yard par-3 to a 659-yard par-5.
This course is the closest to a must-play layout on our road to Arizona. It’s adjacent to the foothills of the Rocky Mountain Front Range and 15 minutes from downtown Denver. Golf Digest also rates it among its Top 50 Courses in America for Women.
INFO: fossiltrace.com. (RICH, FYI: PHOTO OF NO. 12 SEEMS IDEAL TO SUPPLEMENT THIS PIECE).
PAA-KO RIDGE
Some say this is the best course in New Mexico, and it’s certainly one of the longest – 7,667 yards from the tips. It’s located 17 miles from Albuquerque in the town of Sandia Park.
Paa-Ko Ridge has 27 holes with extreme elevation changes. It’s very scenic thanks to its mountainous location and probably the most challenging course on our road to Arizona. Golf Digest named it the Best New Course in America for 2000.
The University of New Mexico, in Albuquerque, also has one of the better college layouts in the country. It’s also one of the oldest, having opened in 1966. This course is known for its extremely quick, tricky greens and unusual location. It’s next to an airport, which means incoming and outgoing aircraft might present a distraction.
