Author: lenz

Leukemia survivor was a big hit at Legends event

Ashtyn Brown’s final swing at the LPGA Legends Championship may not have produced the desired result, but there’s no doubt she was the star of the show.

As the ambassador for Riley Children’s Hospital at IU Health, Ashtyn was the honorary starter for the 54-hole tournament on Friday. She hooked her tee shot, just a minor distraction in a saga that began in March when the hospital’s partnership with the tournament was announced.

The end result, said French Lick director of golf Dave Harner, was a $100,000 donation to the hospital through tournament activities.

Along the way Ashtyn gave several speeches describing her brutal battle with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. She also went on a media tour with Legends star Rosie Jones and played in Jones’ tournament in Roswell, Ga.

Once the Legends arrived at French Lick Ashtyn was a focal point at Thursday’s pro-am activities as well as the dinner in which she gave one more touching speech to a big gathering in the rotunda of the West Baden Springs Hotel at French Lick Resort.

In the pro-am she was paired with Joanne Carner, the LPGA Hall of Famer, and was the cart partner of Steve Ferguson, chairman of the board of Cook Group. There’s about a 50-year difference in age between Carner and Ashtyn, and their round together didn’t quite last 18 holes because of time constraints involving the Hall of Fame dinner.

“It was just incredible just to be out there with those ladies, especially Joanne,’’ said Ashtyn. “She has so much experience in golf and is a great lady as well. It’s not surprising or shocking how great these people on the Legends Tour are, and my being a golfer myself, you strive to be like them.’’

The Legends event wasn’t the first for Ashtyn in her role with the hospital. She also have speeches in golf-related settings in Indianapolis and at the PGA’s Children’s Miracle Network event in Orlando, Fla.

In all her speeches she related how she was diagnosed with the disease twice. The first was in 1999, and she endured over two years of chemotherapy. Three years later she suffered a relapse and needed another two-plus years of chemo, radiation and a trial medication that proved to be a miracle drug.

At one point, she said, her weight had dropped to 35 pounds and she was given a 10 percent chance to survive. Along the way she lost 10 of her friends along with her doctor to cancer, but Ashtyn beat the odds.

“Through speaking it’s helped me heal, just as much as I want to help other people,’’ she said. “I’ve gone through so much hurt.’’

But she is moving on from those trying days and will check in at the University of Indianapolis on Monday for her senior year. She calls the Legends experience “something I’ll remember forever.’’

In high school in Richmond, Ind., Ashtyn was a member of the state-runner-up girls golf team in her sophomore year and carried golf into college. After two years at Ball State she transferred to Indianapolis and is part of a strong team there. Though she’s a senior academically, she took a redshirt season previously and has two years of athletic eligibility remaining. She plans to make the most of it.

“I want to take my game as far as I can,’’ she said; “I love the game, but realistically I’ve got to get much better than I am now. I want my game to be the best it can be.’’

Blalock sees a bright future for LPGA Legends Tour

FRENCH LICK, Ind. — Jane Blalock and Nancy Lopez will be inducted into the LPGA Legends Hall of Fame on Thursday night. They’ll also oversee ribbon-cutting at the circuit’s new Hall of Fame at the West Baden Springs Hotel.

Steve Ferguson, chairman of the board of the Cook Group, celebrates the opening of LPGA Legends Hall of Fame with inductees (from right) Jane Blalock, Nancy Lopez, Jan Stephenson and Kathy Whitworth.

The big night precedes Friday’s start to the 54-hole LPGA Legends Championship on the spectacular Pete Dye Course here. Both Blalock and Lopez will play in the three-day event, but receiving well-deserved recognition for their golf accomplishments will take precedence.

Lopez has been one of the most popular players ever in women’s golf, having won 48 times on the LPGA Tour before moving on to the Legends circuit. Blalock was a gritty competitor, too, as shown by her 29 LPGA titles and LPGA record for most consecutive cuts made (299) but her efforts off the course overshadow her stellar playing record.

Without Blalock there would likely be no Legends Tour. She, along with 24 other senior players, put in $5,000 apiece to get things started in the 1990s. They didn’t receive much support from LPGA headquarters then but – led by Blalock as chief executive officer – the Legends Tour has carried on.

“Some people think I own it,’’ said Blalock. “I don’t. I just run everything.’’

Nancy Lopez checks out her own memorabilia in the Legends new Hall of Fame.

And, operating with a small staff from her Boston office, she’s run it well.

“Our first real tournament was in Green Bay, Wis., in 2000,’’ recalled Blalock. “It was great. We had 15,000 people a day. I’ll never forget the goose bumps when I arrived there for the first day. We were front-page news. Then the LPGA took notice and became a little more helpful. We were off and running.’’

It hasn’t been the smoothest ride since then. The Green Bay event, which had a $500,000 purse, thrived for three years and another popular tournament in DesMoines had a four-year run. Both had changes in local leadership, though, and didn’t survive.

Still, the circuit managed to put on several events each year and the same players were even more successful in Blalock’s other golf venture – a series of one-day clinics under the banner of LPGA Golf Clinics for Women. The clinic series is in its 24th year and the Legends Tour in its 14th.

This week Blalock revealed some big news for the circuit. Walgreen’s has signed on for two more years to host tournaments in Phoenix and Delray Beach, Fla., and Juli Inkster, winding down her career on the LPGA circuit, has agree to join the Legends for its Handa Cup team event in Mississippi next month. It’ll be played at the Old Waverly course where Inkster won the 1999 U.S. Women’s Open.

Last year the Legends had 11 tournaments. This year there’s seven but the number will be up again next year. Blalock expects to have at least 10 events when the 2015 schedule is announced and the circuit could grow dramatically in subsequent years if the long-discussed U.S. Women’s Senior Open becomes a reality.

The U.S. Golf Assn. is considering creating such a championship, and president Tom O’Toole said meetings with Legends members on the topic at both Phoenix and Pinehurst, N.C., weren’t just “lip service’’ on the USGA’s part. The LPGA is supporting the Legends’ cause as well.

“There were a few different commissioners, and for a time the LPGA didn’t hurt us, but certainly didn’t help us, either,’’ said Blalock. “That’s changing now with Mike Whan (as commissioner). He’s a visionary, a go-getter. He’s got the Symetra Tour in good order and he’s picking up more tournaments for the LPGA. He knew he had to right his own ship, so now we’ll get more support.’’

Famous artist Leroy Nieman captured Jane Blalock in her playing days.

Since the two preliminary meetings with the USGA Blalock said that Whan has asked her “for more ammunition, which I gave him….We put together a powerful document. Now I feel it’s not if (we’ll get a U.S. Women’s Senior Open), but when.’’

“I’m optimistic for the first time,’’ said Blalock, “and I want to get it in 2016 while Lopez is still playing. Can you imagine how much that would help our tour? The LPGA is talking about doing a championship for us, too. I met with Mike Whan in June, and he brought it up.’’

To stimulate more interaction with the USGA the Legends offered invitations to both the winner and runner-up from the U.S. Women’s Amateur to compete in the Legends’ November stop in Florida and both accepted.

One USGA concern was whether there’d be enough senior women willing to compete to make the U.S. Senior Women’s Open a viable championship. Blalock says there are “easily 100’’ who would try just on the pro side and the Legends would provide most of them.

Back in 2000 the circuit called itself the Women’s Senior Golf Tour. Many of its players didn’t like the “senior’’ connotation and then the men’s circuit changed its name from the Senior PGA Tour to the Champions Tour. The led the women to change, too.

“We did some brainstorming,’’ said Blalock, “and feel that Legends is a really good name. It doesn’t mean you have to be old. It denotes quality. It works.’’

LPGA Legends Tour braces for its biggest tournament

A statue of course architect and namesake Pete Dye will greet members of the LPGA Legends Tour when they compete in their biggest tournament this week.

FRENCH LICK, Ind. – The Legends Championship, which made its debut on the Pete Dye Course here last year, is bigger and better for its second staging. It begins on Friday as the climax to a week of festivities designed to celebrate women’s golf.

The two-day Alice Dye Invitational drew 112 amateur players from throughout the Midwest on Monday and Tuesday, with competition on both the Pete Dye and Donald Ross courses. The Legends day-long clinic on Wednesday drew 58 amateur participants and Thursday’s pro-am will be packed with 195 players.
Sponsorship has also increased significantly.

“This is one of many big events we’ve hosted at French Lick,’’ said director of golf Dave Harner. “We’re rapidly becoming known as a destination for championship golf.’’

Prior to the start of the competition on Friday there’ll be an induction ceremony for the Legends Hall of Fame, which was created for the inaugural event last year. Jan Stephenson and Kathy Whitworth were the first inductees and Mickey Wright, Betsy Rawls, Louise Suggs and Alice Dye were also honored with membership. Wright, Rawls and Suggs won previous LPGA tournaments played at French Lick in the 1950s.

This time, following the induction of Nancy Lopez and Legends co-founder Jane Blalock, there’ll be a ribbon-cutting to open the Legends Hall of Fame at the West Baden Springs Hotel.

The Legends Championship is the only 54-hole event on the 14-year old circuit, but the last three events have all gone beyond regulation.

In May Liselotte Neumann won the Walgreen’s Charity Classic in Arizona in a playoff with Danielle Ammaccapane. In June Barb Moxness won the Judson College & Legends Pro-Am Challenge in Georgia in a playoff with Alicia Dibos.

The Legends Championship was immediately preceded by the Wendy’s Championship Challenge in Michigan, and Rosie Jones defeated Nancy Scranton in a playoff there. It was Jones’ seven win on the Legends circuit and she’s also in the field here.

Canadian Lorie Kane was the first winner of the Legends Championship, and she’ll defend her title. The inaugural Legends Championship was held in late September and finished in cold, rainy weather. Kane posted a 3-under-par 213 total to win by two strokes over Laurie Rinker and Val Skinner on the rugged but spectacular Dye layout.

“Being the inaugural winner was a thrill, but I’m looking forward to playing the course earlier in the summer, compared to last year,’’ said Kane, who earned $60,000 for her victory. This year she’ll be part of a 60-player field that will battle for the biggest purse on the Legends Tour — $500,000.

The tourney also includes a 36-hole Super Seniors Division on Saturday and Sunday. Blalock won that category, for players 63 and over, last year with a 5-over-par 149 total. The tourney will benefit the Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health Foundation.

Next LPGA tourney could be a momentum-builder for Jeray

Nicole Jeray has been toiling on the LPGA Tour since turning pro in 1993, and this week’s Wegmans Classic could be critical to her remaining on the women’s premier circuit.

“I need to play good in Rochester (N.Y.) so I can get up on the money list,’’ she said. “I started the year really well. I made the cut in my first three tournaments. Then I missed a whole bunch in a row by one or two shots.’’

The Berwyn native and Northern Illinois University graduate also struggled in the Illinois Women’s Open, a tourney she won twice, in a return home two weeks ago. As the only LPGA player in the field she settled for a 10th place finish.

Last week, though, could have put Jeray back on a positive career path. After five straight missed cut, she qualified for all 72 holes in the Meijer Classic, a new LPGA event in Grand Rapids, Mich. Jeray finished in a tie for $8th place and her $3,907 check was her best on the circuit since April . Still, Jeray needs more good showings to retain her card for another season and she’s not sure how many more tournaments she’ll be able to play in after the Wegmans.

Heading into the Rochester tourney Jeray is No. 141 on the season money list with $14,777. You have to admire her determination, though. Narcolepsy, a sleeping disorder, slowed her career for a while but she remains Chicago’s only LPGA player. In fact no other local players have even come close to making it in the last three decades.

“That totally surprises me,’’ she said. “I thought there’d be a million players from Chicago. There are a lot of good teachers around (Chicago) and we have the Illinois Junior Golf Assn., too. You’d think something’s missing, but I don’t know what it is.’’

Jeray has made regular returns to the LPGA qualifying school and played on the satellite Symetra Tour, too, compiling career earnings of $253,819. She has no intention of retiring any time soon.

“I still totally enjoy it,’’ she said. “I try on every single shot. I just need one good tournament. You just never know in this game.’’

Sainz makes a splash

Elgin’s Carlos Sainz Jr. had been struggling as a rookie on the Web.com Tour until last week’s Price Cutter Charity Championship in Springfield, Mo. Sainz broke through in a big way there, finishing in a tie for second and winning $44,550.

That payday gave Sainz winnings of $63,471 on the PGA Tour’s satellite circuit and boosted him to 68th on the money list. He had missed the cut in four straight events and six of seven before a 20-under-par performance left him joint runner-up and one stroke behind champion Cameron Percy. Sainz shot 66-65-67 in the last three rounds.

Sainz had a strong finish in the 2013 season. He won an event on the Canadian PGA Tour, lost the Illinois Open title in a playoff at The Glen Club in Glenview and then won the Chicago Open at Cantigny in Wheaton in his final events before a successful showing in the PGA qualifying school.

If he can finish in the top 25 on the Web.com money circuit he’ll be on the PGA Tour in 2015. This week’s Web.com event is the News Sentinel Open in Knoxville, Tenn.

Here and there

Teams consisting of the top seniors in the Illinois PGA and Chicago District Golf Assn. will battle for the Thompson Cup on Wednesday at Chicago’s Ridge Country Club. The CDGA will also conduct its second Super Seniors Championship at Kankakee that day.

The LPGA Legends Championship, at French Lick Resort in Indiana, follows last week’s PGA Championship into the Louisville area this week. The 54-hole event, which begins on Friday, is the biggest event on the LPGA’s senior circuit. It’ll be preceded by the induction of Nancy Lopez and Legends co-founder Jane Blalock into the tour’s Hall of Fame. Ribbon-cutting for the Hall, at the West Baden Springs Hotel, will follow the induction ceremonies on Thursday night.

Qualifying for the U.S. Senior Amateur will be held on Monday at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove.

PGA: McIlroy shines brightest — even with a finish in darkness

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – No major golf tournament ever ended quite like the 96th PGA Championship did on Sunday.

The finish came in darkness with players from the last two twosomes clustered around the 18th green playing much like a foursome would. There could have been some controversy, but both Phil Mickelson nor Rickie Fowler steered clear of that after Rory McIlroy won his third straight tournament and second major title in a row.

“This is just incredible. I didn’t think in my wildest dreams I’d have a summer like this one,’’ a jubilant McIlroy said after beating Mickelson by one shot and Fowler by two with a 16-under-par 268 total for the 72 holes at Valhalla Golf Club.

A 1-hour 50-minute morning rain delay caused major problems for all involved – the players, PGA of America tournament organizations and those in the huge, swarming galleries that splashed their way through muddy spots throughout the course.

Just finishing play appeared doubtful after the delay. McIlroy was to tee off in the last group at 2:55 p.m. (Eastern time). Instead he started his round at 4:20. Because the course was so wet there were frequent delays as players sought rulings for unplayable lies. The last twosome needed 2 hours 20 minutes to play nine holes.

McIlroy, considered one of the game’s fastest players, won on patience as much as anything else. First Ernie Els and then Henrik Stenson made runs at home by shooting 5-under-par 30s on the front nine.

They backed up on the back nine, but Fowler and Mickelson, playing in the twosome immediately in front of McIlroy, never did. They had a shot as late as the strange final hole.

Play was delayed on the 18th tee as players hurried to finish before play would be called by darkness. McIlroy produced his key birdie at No. 17, hitting a 9-iron bunker shot on the par-4 to 12 feet. That put him two shots in front of Fowler and Mickelson, who couldn’t tee off on the last hole before McIlroy arrived there.

They hit there shots and headed down the fairway when tournament officials chased them down to ask if McIlroy and his partner, Austrian Berndt Wiesberger, could hit their tee shots before Fowler and Mickelson hit their second shots on the par-5. They agreed, believing that to be common courtesy, then were asked to allow the same procedure to be allowed after their second shots.

“The original plan was to let them hit their tee shots, but we weren’t planning on them also hitting their approach shots,’’ said Fowler. “We wanted to put pressure on Rory, but he was playing pretty solid golf.’’

Mickelson’s second shot ended just short of the green and Fowler’s found the front of the green. Then McIlroy hit his second shot into a green-side bunker. Mickelson nearly holed his chip shot for eagle. Fowler’s putt went five feet past the cup. They finished out their rounds, Mickelson making birdie to cut the gap on McIlroy to one shot and Fowler lipping out his birdie putt to end in a tie with Stenson for third.

McIlroy escaped the bunker and two-putted for par from 20 feet. Had Mickelson’s chip or Fowler’s first putt dropped, the competitive dynamics would have been far different for McIlroy. He thanked Mickelson and Fowler for their patience.

“I wanted to play up as a foursome,’’ said McIlroy. “That was a nice show of sportsmanship and class by those guys.’’

Mickelson was clearly not pleased with the group finish and said PGA Tour policy would have called for only the ahead-of-schedule tee shot by McIlroy to be permitted.

“But it’s not a big deal,’’ said Mickelson. “It gave everyone a chance to finish, and we did just in the nick of time.’’

Had there been a tie after 72 holes the leaders would have had to return on Monday morning for a three-hole total score playoff.

McIlroy could also have refused to play if he deemed it too dark to continue, but he didn’t want that.

“I wanted to finish this thing and get out of here,’’ he said.

The weird finish came in the aftermath of his wins in the British Open in July and the Bridgestone Invitational earlier this month. McIlroy, 25, won the PGA for the second time, the first in 2012, and also has a win in the U.S. Open. Sunday’s victory made him the third-youngest player to win four majors, following Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus. He’ll go for the career Grand Slam at next April’s Masters – the first major of 2015.

PGA: Fowler looms as best bet to overtake McIlroy

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – It’s certainly not a case of Rory McIlroy being unable to win his third straight tournament and second major championship in a row on Sunday. The world’s No. 1-ranked golfer owns a one-stroke lead going into the final round of the PGA Championship at Valhalla.

The challenge of closing out another tournament, though, is a bit different this time.

“The leaderboard is the most jam-packed it’s been since the final round of the Masters,’’ said Rickie Fowler, who is two shots behind McIlroy. “It’s there for the taking, for sure.’’

But if it’s not McIlroy taking it, then who?

He’ll play in the final twosome with Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger, the surprise of Round 3 with his 6-under-par 65. He’s one shot behind McIlroy’s 14-under 200 total for the first 54 holes.

Wiesberger, though, is playing in the last group of a major for the first time. Prior to this week the only time he made a cut in a major was in 2013, when he tied for 64th in the British Open. Wiesberger will feel the pressure – just like he has in the past.

“I’ve never played well in the majors,’’ he said. “I’ve played well in other bigger events in Europe and won a couple, but that’s not the same. (A major) is on a different level.’’

Fowler’s final round playing partner, Phil Mickelson, is the most experienced of McIlroy’s challengers. He has wins in the Masters, British Open and PGA but has had a sub-par season. Saturday’s 67 followed a 62 in the last round of the Bridgestone Invitational last week. Those two encouraging rounds may have put him Mickelson back on the right track. He’s three behind the leader.

“It’s so fun for me to be back in the thick of it, to have a chance, to be in contention heading into Sunday,’’ said Mickelson. “I don’t have to get up a six o’clock in the morning to tee off. That’s a nice change.’’

Eighteen players are within six shots of the lead. Among the others are Australian Jason Day, who’s tied with Mickelson; Louis Oosthuizen, Henrik Stenson, Steve Stricker and Hunter Mahan. They’re all established stars, and Mahan’s 65 matched Wiesberger for the low round on Saturday.

The best bet to slow down McIlroy, though, is Fowler. He’s been the best player in the first three majors – though he didn’t win any of them. He tied for fifth in the Masters, which was won by Bubba Watson, and was joint second at both the U.S. Open, which was taken by Martin Kaymer, and the British, which went to McIlroy.

Fowler loves the pairing with Mickelson in the next-to-the-last group.

“I’m in a great position for tomorrow,’’ said Fowler. “ Phil and I are going to have some fun. If we get off to good starts we can feed off each other.’’

The near-misses in the year’s pervious majors also bode well for Fowler’s chances. He feels his time will come – maybe on Sunday.

“I expect to feel more comfortable than I did in the last two majors, ‘’ he said. “The past three majors were building blocks. Now I’ve got to go out and get one.’’

Fowler’s game was solid on Saturday – a bogey-free 67 – but he didn’t get all he could out of it.

“I was swinging very well,’’ he said. “I had a lot of good looks for birdies, especially on the back nine. I made great swings, but nothing went in. I’d just like that the putts that didn’t go in today can go in tomorrow.’’

As for McIlroy, who held one-stroke lead after both 36 and 54 holes, Fowler knows he’ll be tough to beat.

“He’s playing with a lot of confidence, and he’s not going to back up,’’ said Fowler. “Being patient is key. I’ve got to go shot for shot.’’

McIlroy stayed patient on Saturday. He one-putted nine of the last 12 greens while Wiesberger, Fowler and Mickelson were making runs at him. At one point five players (including Ryan Palmer) were tied with him for the lead.

“I feel like I’m in the best position I can be going into tomorrow,’’ said McIlroy. “I would rather be the guy that’s being chased and have that shot advantage than not. It’s going to be a shootout. The conditions are soft. Guys are going to make birdies and you know you’re going to have to make birdies as well if you’re going to win.’’

PGA: Missed cut probably means the end to Tiger’s season

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The 96th PGA Championship is only at the midway point, but its two weekend rounds will be lacking something. Tiger Woods won’t be around when the pursuit of front-running Rory McElroy resumes on Saturday.

Woods missed the cut after shooting his second straight 74 in Friday’s second round at Valhalla, and that could well mean the end to a dismal, injury-filled season for golf’s long-time No. 1 star. He still has a long way to go to recover from the back problems that bothered him all season and required surgery last spring. His 6-over-par 148 total at Valhalla was five strokes above the cut line to play the final 36 holes of the last major championship of 2014.

In pursuit of Jack Nicklaus’ record 18 major championships, Woods has been stuck at 14 since winning the 2008 U.S. Open. This PGA makes it 20 straight majors for Woods without a victory. Friday marked the third time in that stretch in which Woods missed the cut, and he didn’t play in six others because of injury.

Injury also played a part in his latest failure. Last week he withdrew after nine holes in the Bridgestone Invitational when he developed back spasms. His participation at Valhalla was in doubt until he showed up somewhat unexpectedly on Wednesday afternoon.

“It’s amazing Tiger was here,’’ said Pete Bevacqua, in his first year as executive director of the PGA of America. “We just wanted Tiger to do what’s best for his career and his health.’’

The only previous times that Woods missed the cut in a major championship were at the 1996 Masters, 2006 U.S. Open, 2009 British Open and 2011 PGA Championship.

Playing partner Padraig Harrington stated the obvious in saying “The man (Woods) looks like he needs to play some golf. He looked kind of raw.’’

Woods showed up here in an effort to prove to U.S. Ryder Cup captain Tom Watson that he’s fit enough to play in next month’s matches vs. Europe in Scotland. Watson remained non-committal as Woods struggled through the second round.

“Tiger’s playing performance isn’t good right now,’’ said Watson, “but he is Tiger Woods.’’

Woods played on gamely, even though he was quickly too far behind to make the cut. At least he didn’t withdraw. This PGA has had an unusually high number (seven) after four players, most notably Boo Weekley and Angel Cabrera, dropped out with injuries in the course of play.

Watson is in a tough spot as he prepares a U.S. team that hopes to end the Europeans’ recent domination of the competition, the most recent proof having come in a victory at Medinah in September, 2012. In addition to Woods’ struggles two of the top U.S. players, Matt Kuchar (back spasms) and Jason Dufner (neck), are injured.

“No doubt the injuries concern me, but it’s too early to tell,’’ said Watson. Nine players on his 12-man roster will be finalized off a point race that ends after the last putt drops here on Sunday. Watson will name his three captain’s picks on Sept. 2, after the first event of the FedEx Cup playoffs. Woods, because of his limited season, won’t qualify for the four-tournament postseason competition.

As for the PGA that’s in progress, Friday’s round was delayed 50 minutes by a heavy rain but McIlroy, in search of his fourth straight tournament victory, was ready as soon as it ended. He tacked a 4-under-par 67 to his opening 66 and is at 9-under-par 133 for the 36 holes and owns a one-stroke lead on Jason Day, who carded Friday’s best round – a 65. McIlroy and Day will be paired in the last group in the third round.

McIlroy’s driving carried him on Thursday and his short game was key on Friday.

“The conditions didn’t allow me to play the way I did yesterday,’’ said McIlroy. “I didn’t hit it quite as well, but I was able to get up and down a lot. It’s nice, knowing I can score in different ways if I need to.’’

McIlroy can do no wrong lately. He is 41-under-par in his last 10 competitive rounds, having gone 17-under in winning the British Open and 15-under in taking the Bridgestone Invitational.

PGA: McIlroy’s back nine comeback shows how good his game is now

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – If you were expecting the big-name American golfers to jump into immediate contention at the 96th PGA Championship on Thursday you would have been disappointed big-time.

Tiger Woods, after his dramatic late arrival at Valhalla on Thursday, shot 74. He admitted “that wasn’t very good,’’ but at least he had a better day than Matt Kuchar, who withdrew before the round started because of back spasms, and defending champion Jason Dufner, who quit after 10 holes because the pain in his neck made playing on “pointless.’’

Dufner made a triple bogey eight on the last hole he played, was 8-over-par for the tournament and declared in a parking lot meeting with the media that “I’m just not able to play golf right now.’’

Woods, still on the mend after back surgery, had a rare pairing with Phil Mickelson but neither could excite the huge, roving gallery. Mickelson, who finished at 2-under-par 69, said Woods “played with a lot of heart’’ and thanked the PGA of America for the pairing.

All those aches and pains made for a less-than-exciting leaderboard at the end of the day. On top, all at 6-under-par 65, were former world No. 1 Lee Westwood of England; Kevin Chappell, a 28-year old Californian who has one top-10 in 28 starts on the PGA Tour this season; and Ryan Palmer, the only one of the trio saddled with an afternoon tee time when playing conditions are generally more difficult.

Most interesting of the Round 1 results was the 66 posted by Jim Furyk, who joins current world No. 1 Rory McIlroy, Sweden’s Henrik Stenson and Spain’s Edoardo Molinari at one shot off the lead entering Friday’s Round 2. Furyk has the track record to win this last of the year’s major tournaments. Champion of the 2003 U.S. Open at Olympia Fields, Furyk was runner-up to Dufner in last year’s PGA at Oak Hill in New York.

A schedule change has seemingly ignited Furyk this season. He took a month off after the U.S. Open, where he tied for 12th. He returned to action with a fourth in the British Open, a second in the Canadian Open and a 15th in the Bridgestone Invitational.

“First time I’ve ever done that in midseason,’’ said Furyk. “Surprisingly I came out pretty mechanically sound. Now I’m fresh mentally.’’

The decision to take a midseason break didn’t come easily. It took sports psychologist Bob Rotella to convince Furyk to take a break.

“My dad’s been trying to get me to play less golf for five years,’’ said Furyk. “My wife would probably love for me to play less but is always supportive no matter what I do.’’

Furyk solicited Rotella’s help to help him better manage his time.

“I had never worked with a sports psychologist for 19 and a half years of my career,’’ said Furyk. “It really wasn’t anything to do with my game. He’s an easy person to talk to, and I have a hard time usually opening up to people and to strangers. Definitely his thoughts have helped me be more patient this year.’’

As for McIlroy, he recovered from a double bogey at the par-5 10th hole and a three-putt bogey at No. 11 thanks to four straight birdies from Nos. 12-15 and another bird at the last. Coming off wins in the British Open and Bridgestone Invitational, McIlroy admitted the bad back nine start was a concern.

“It’s (the tee shot at No. 10) one of the only bad shots I’ve hit in a few weeks,’’ he said. “What I was really angry about was, you don’t compound that error and make a bogey on the next hole. I was hot, and I was trying to use that fire as a fuel to propel myself forward. It just shows where my game is mentally right now, that I was able to do that.’’

Luke Donald, another afternoon starter and former world No. 1, got within a stroke of the lead after 13 holes, then lost four shots to par on the last five holes to post a 70. Wheaton’s Kevin Streelman, the other player in the field with Chicago connections, finished birdie-birdie for a 2-under 69.

PGA: Late arrival, health report puts Tiger back in the spotlight

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The suspense is over.

Tiger Woods showed up at Valhalla on Wednesday, just a few hours before Thursday’s start of the 96th PGA Championship. After a brief practice session promised he’d tee off in Thursday’s first round.

Woods left the Bridgestone Invitational after nine holes on Sunday after injuring his back. He returned to Florida while his caddie, Joe LaCava, came here to scout the course that will host the year’s final major championship for the third time.

Though he skipped a scheduled Tuesday press conference Woods did request an extension of his registration time and the PGA of America granted it. On Wednesday, after playing some practice holes, he declared himself ready to go.

Woods underwent back surgery after a slow start to this season and hasn’t played well since his return. He re-injured his back hitting a shot from an awkward lie in a bunker on the second hole in the Bridgestone tourney at Firestone in Akron, Ohio. He played on, but was in obvious pain after hitting his tee shot at the ninth hole and withdrew. He head to his Florida home to undergo treatment.

“Basically, when I landed on the bunker my sacrum went out,’’ Woods said in an impromptu meeting with the media on Wednesday. “So, I pinched the nerve and hence the spasm. My physio put it back in and we’ve just been treating it.’’

Woods downplayed any danger of his playing this week.

“My physio is here. If it does go out, he’s able to fix it,’’ said Woods. “It’s one of those things again. I still need to build strength, still continue to get stronger. It’s just going to take more time.’’

He said the pain is gone.

“The treatments have been fantastic – once the bone was put back in,’’ he said. “It was a different pain than what I had been experiencing, so I knew it wasn’t the site of the surgery.’’

Woods won the PGA the last time it was held at Valhalla in 2000, beating Bob May in an epic four-hole playoff. The course has undergone changes since then, and Woods said his yardage book from that tournament is “useless.’’

“There’s some new things that we have to learn out there,’’ said Woods. “Joey has been here on the ground. He’s got a pretty good handle on it. We’ll run through some more of it as we go. I feel good about the shots I hit. I need to get more feel for how this golf course in playing. I’m not used to seeing the chipping areas like this. We didn’t have that in 2000. It was just deep bluegrass.’’

Though he’s playing, Woods’ play this entire season wouldn’t suggest he’ll contend in the upcoming 72-hole battle. Rory McIlroy, the winner at Bridgestone, comes in as the consensus favorite to claim the title that Jason Dufner won last year at Kiawah in South Carolina.

That doesn’t mean the players are counting Woods out.

“He still has a huge impact, especially on the media side,’’ said Ricky Fowler, who has played the first three majors better than any other player but didn’t win any of them. “You can see all the attention with last week WD-ing and this week not registering on time. I want to see Tiger around, but I want to see him healthy and at his best. Unfortunately he’s not healthy and not at his best right now.’’

Malm’s alternate status for PGA has evaporated

Yes, there will be a Chicago area contingent in the year’s last major. Luke Donald, Steve Stricker and Kevin Streelman will tee it up Thursday in the 96th PGA Championship at Valhalla, in Louisville, Ky.

But there’ll be some notable absentees, too. Mark Wilson and D.A. Points, both going through sub-par seasons, have the week off. So do up-and-coming University of Illinois alums Luke Guthrie and Scott Langley and – in a distinct departure from recent years – there won’t be a local among the 20 club professionals among the 156 starters.

Mike Small, the Illinois coach, has been a consistent qualifier and a few of his state colleagues have made appearances as well. Not this year, though. Small and Conway Farms’ Matt Slowinski fizzled in the last holes of the Professional Players National Championship, which determined the 20 qualifiers, but Curtis Malm’s near-miss was even more heart-breaking.

The first-year head man at White Eagle in Naperville was, for a while at least, at the top of the alternate’s list among the club pros. If one of the 20 couldn’t play for whatever reason Malm would be making his first appearance in the PGA Championship this week.

Malm, the Illinois PGA player-of-the-year the last two seasons, was in a six-man playoff for the last five club professional spots at Valhalla. He was the odd man out at the end of the four-hole playoff but still held out hopes of getting in – until a few days ago.

“I’m officially removed from the event,’’ said Malm. “They give the PGA (club pro qualifiers) to a certain date. If one withdraws after that they fill it with one of their guys.’’

In other words, a touring pro gets in – not a club pro. The PGA of America is the body that represents the club professionals (about 27,000 of them) in the golf industry. Malm is understandably disappointed.

“It’s terrible,’’ he said. “I’d definitely would have been down there (if there was a chance for his elevation to the field). It’s time for the PGA of America to step up and have a backbone. We’re losing control of our tournament.’’

The PGA does have the strongest field of the four major championships with 99 of the top 100 on the World Rankings entered at Valhalla. The lone absentee from that group is Dustin Johnson, who announced last week he is taking a leave of absence from golf to detail with personal issues. Tiger Woods’ status is also in doubt after he withdrew from last week’s Bridgestone Invitational with a back injury.

The Bridgestone, won by Rory McIlroy in a duel with Sergio Garcia, didn’t bode well for the chances of the players with Illinois connections fortunate enough to play at Valhalla. Donald (Northwestern) tied for 50th, Steve Stricker (Illinois alum) finished 65th and Streelman was 71st among the 72 players who completed all four rounds. Woods was among four who withdrew.

Here and there

The PGA of America announced on Monday that grounds tickets for the four tournament rounds are sold out. Those seeking tickets for the 2015 PGA at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin have until Sunday to pre-register.

As soon as the PGA Championship ends the LPGA Legends Championship tees off at nearby French Lick Resort in Indiana. Jane Blalock, who directs the Legends circuit, and Nancy Lopez will be inducted into the Legends Hall of Fame as part of the festivities.

Brian Carroll, of Royal Hawk in St. Charles, won the Illinois PGA Assistants title on Monday, carding a 5-under-par 137 over 36 holes at St. Charles Country Club for a four-stroke victory.

The nation-wide courses managed by Billy Casper Golf will conduct the World’s Largest Golf Outing next week to benefit the Wounded Warrior Project. The Chicago area courses participating include Orchard Valley in Aurora, Whisper Creek in Huntley, Water’s Edge in Worth, George Dunne National in Oak Forest, Highland Woods in Palatine, Indian Boundary in Chicago, Chick Evans in Morton Grove and River Oaks in Calumet City. All the events will be held on Monday, Aug. 11, except Whisper Creek. The event will be held there on Tuesday, Aug. 12.

Arnold Palmer visited Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Gove last weekend to check out the place for next June’s Palmer Cup matches between college stars from the U.S. and Europe.

Hana Lee, a senior on the Northwestern women’s team, is competing in the U.S. Women’s Amateur, which runs through Sunday in Glen Cove, N.J. She’ll try to duplicate the success of NU teammate Kacie Komoto, who recently repeated as the Hawaii State Match Play champion.