First played in 1923, the Illinois PGA Championship has basically been The Mike Small Show since 2001. That’s when the Illinois men’s coach captured the title for the first time. He’s won the tournament 11 times in the last 14 years, but next week’s 93rd staging at Medinah’s No. 1 Course will be a little…
Author: lenz
This golfer is not only good — he’s fast, too!
Eri Crum arrived at Stanford University in 1994, the same year that Tiger Woods did. They were teammates on the school’s golf team for two years, before Woods started his legendary career as a touring pro. Crum stayed at Stanford, earning his letter in golf his final two seasons, and now he’s still involved in…
This U.S. Amateur champion is already something special
Rain delays, caddie changes, a bad tee shot at a critical moment. Nothing was going to keep Bryson DeChambeau from joining some of golf’s most elite company on Sunday. In winning the 115th U.S. Amateur at Olympia Fields Country Club DeChambeau joined Jack Nicklaus (1961), Phil Mickelson (1990), Tiger Woods (1996) and Ryan Moore (2004)…
DeChambeau, Bard reach U.S. Amateur final
Only four golfers have won the NCAA individual title and the U.S. Amateur in the same year, and three of those are household names. Bryson DeChambeau can join the select group – one that includes Jack Nicklaus, Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods and Ryan Moore — with a victory on Sunday at Olympia Fields Country Club….
U.S. Amateur is down to the Final Four
The 115th U.S. Amateur started with over 7,000 entries world-wide, and 312 qualified for this week’s finals at Olympia Fields Country Club. Now there are only four players left. Saturday’s semifinals pit Japan’s Kenta Konishi against Derek Bard, a University of Virginia golfer, and Bryson DeChambeau, the NCAA champions from Southern Methodist, against Sean Crocker,…
Mitchell, 37, is last Illinois golfer eliminated in U.S. Amateur
It didn’t take long to realize that Thursday wouldn’t be a good day for the Illinois players still competing in the 115th U.S. Amateur at Olympia Fields Country Club. University of Illinois golfer Alex Burge was in the first match of the day in the Round of 32. He lost 2-up when his opponent, Kyle…
Illinois-connected players go 4-0 in U.S. Amateur matches
Illinois coach Mike Small was delighted that four of his players were among the 312 qualifiers for this week’s 115th U.S. Amateur at Olympia Fields Country Club. He was even more happy that two of them, Alex Burge and Thomas Detry, were among the winners in Wednesday’s first round of matches. Both had to do…
Donald has some work to do before he can compete at Conway Farms
This week’s Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, N.C., isn’t one of the bigger PGA Tour events but it’s huge for Luke Donald. The former Northwestern star, who was once No. 1 in the Official World Golf Rankings, needs a good showing to assure himself a spot in the FedEx Cup Playoffs. The top 125 players in…
Burge, Cooke beat the rain, advance at U.S. Amateur
Alex Burge and David Cooke both won big tournaments this summer, and now they’re poised to win something much bigger. Though it’s not official yet, Burge and Cooke most likely survived the 36-hole stroke play portion of the 115th U.S. Amateur at Olympia Fields Country Club and will be among the 64 qualifiers for the…
No U.S. sweep of 2015 majors, but Day deserved this PGA
SHEBOYGAN, Wis. – No longer is Jason Day the best golfer without a major championship. The 27-year old Australian had been in the conversation for that dubious honor for several years, but he took himself out of it on Sunday by winning the 97th PGA Championship at Whistling Straits. Day had this one coming. He…