Author: lenz

ENCOMPASS: North Shore is a good place for two Tripletts

Kirk Triplett wasn’t excited about his Saturday round in the Encompass Championship at North Shore Country Club in Glenview, even though it was a good one.

Triplett, an early starter, posted his second straight 5-under-par 67 and his 10-under 134 is three strokes behind leader Tom Lehman entering Sunday’s final round.

“If you drive the ball well on this golf course, things set up for you,’’ said Triplett. “I don’t feel like I’m hitting it great, but my misses have all been in good spots….It really seemed like a boring round, but boring just the way you like it – a good boring.’’

What isn’t so boring for Triplett is the development of his son Sam. In April he signed a letter of intent to play for coach Pat Goss at Northwestern and he’ll arrive in Evanston with the chance to make an immediate impact on the NU team.

“It was Sam’s good school work and good golf,’’ said Triplett. “It had nothing to do with me.’’

Sam was the latest signee for Goss, who landed Charles Wang of Sarasota, FL, and Dylan Wu, of Medford, Ore., in November. The trio will be part of a rebuilding effort. Goss’ prize recruit from the previous year, Matt Fitzpatrick, left school after the fall semester and Jack Perry, the star of this year’s squad, used up his eligibility.

Fitzpatrick, an English golfer who won the 2013 U.S. Amateur, decided he couldn’t combine college studies with the golf opportunities afforded the winner of that title. He was the only amateur to make the cut at last week’s U.S. Open and made the cut in his pro debut at the Irish Open, which concludes on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the Tripletts, father and son, left North Shore for more afternoon golf nearby after Kirk’s morning round on Saturday. Sam, who has caddied for his father, led his high school team to the Arizona prep title in 2011, won the Ping Match Play Championship in 2012 and tied for third in the Junior America’s Cup in 2013.

“Northwestern has an excellent golf program and a coach who has a reputation for developing his players,’’ said Kirk Triplett. “When they were interested in Sam I was very excited about that. It’s a very good fit for him, and he looked at a lot of schools all across the country.’’

Kirk has travelled across the world playing tournament golf and is in position to win his first tournament since February’s ACE Group Classic in Naples, FL., in Sunday’s final round at North Shore. If he’s successful it’d be his fourth victory in less that three seasons on the Champions Tour. He stands 14th in the Charles Schwab Cup point race and has career winnings on the 50-and-over circuit of over $2.6 million.

“On (the Champions) tour there isn’t the same physical level as there is on the regular tour,’’ said Triplett. “On the regular tour you’ve got to be full throttle, and everything’s got to be going pretty good for you…..I have enough physical ability to compete on this tour. The last four, five years on the regular tour I didn’t feel that way.’’

Triplett won three times on the PGA Tour and also had a win on the satellite Web.com Tour in 2011. Starting at No. 10, he went without a bogey in his Saturday round and the last of his five birdies came on a 30-foot chip-in at No. 5.

ENCOMPASS: Perry couldn’t keep up U.S. Open momentum in Round 1

Kenny Perry won the Champions Tour’s Charles Schwab Cup last year and was the circuit’s only player in action last week when he tied for 28th in the U.S. Open at Pinehurst, N.C.

At 53 he was the oldest player to make the cut at the Open, but he wasn’t so good in his return to the 50-and-over set on Friday. He opened with a bogey, added two more (one on a par-5) and settled for a 1-under-par 71 in the Encompass Championship at North Shore Country Club in Glenview. After finishing tied for third last year, he’s far down the leaderboard after Day 1.

Perry has been asked about the Open frequently since arriving here.

“In most U.S. Opens I feel pretty stressed out,’’ he said. “You’ve got 25-yard fairways, six-inch rough. Last week you just had the scrub off the fairways and you could actually play out of it. I was excited. I didn’t feel claustrophobic out there and just had a wonderful week.’’

Along the way he holed a 4-iron from 220 yards, a swing that Perry called “the shot of my life.’’

Perry’s start Friday was in keeping with his slower start on the Champions Tour this season. He has but one victory and stands fourth in the Schwab Cup point race. Front-runner Tom Lehman thinks Perry is adjusting to playing on both the PGA and Champions circuits.

“You learn quickly that it’s tough to accomplish much on either tour if you do that,’’ said Lehman. “You’re in no-man’s land. Guys figure out that you’re better off committing to one tour or the other, and Kenny’s done that. He’s committed out here, and he’s playing great. I’m not surprised ever when anybody from (the Champions Tour) steps over to the other (PGA) tour and plays well. I expect it.

Here and there

Most of the 81 touring pros were under par, but not defending champion Craig Stadler. He shot a 1-over-73. Last year his winning score was 13-under for the 54 holes.

Bernhard Langer, winner of the Schwab Cup five times in seven years and the current leader in the point standings for 2014, didn’t start so well, either. He shot 71 in his return to the tour after going on a fishing trip to Alaska with his two sons and brother last week.

The locals had a good day. Hinsdale’s Jeff Sluman, who tied for third last year, shot 67 and Lake Forest’s Chip Beck, who plays the circuit on only a limited basis, had 70.

The Encompass wasn’t the only big game in town on Friday. The Western Golf Assn. wrapped up its Western Junior Championship at Flossmoor Country Club with Northbrook’s Nick Hardy, a University of Illinois recruit, finishing in a tie for second behind champion KK Limbhasut, a native of Thailand who now lives in Loma Linda, Calif..

ENCOMPASS: Opening day had its share of sidelights — including soccer talk

The first day of Chicago’s only pro tour stop of the year certainly had its share of twists on Friday. So many, in fact, that Tom Lehman’s 7-under-par 65 was almost an after-thought. Here’s a sampling:

In the middle of the first round Tiger Woods announced on his Facebook page that he’s ready to compete again. He sent word from Florida that he’ll play in next week’s Quicken Loans National – an event that raises money for his charitable foundation.

Meanwhile, back at North Shore Country Club in Glenview, retired Bear Brian Urlacher drew more gallery attention than most of the Champions Tour players did in the $1.8 million Encompass Championship. He’s again paired with Hinsdale’s Jeff Sluman in the two-day two-man pro-amateur portion of the event that concludes on Saturday.

Another long-time Bear, center Patrick Mannelly, made his own retirement announcement from football before teeing off in the pro-am..

Tom Kite, the 1992 U.S. Open champion, criticized the U.S. Golf Assn. for the way it conducts its U.S. Opens, the most recent of which concluded on Sunday at Pinehurst, N.C.

“Since (USGA executive director) Mike Davis started setting up the courses the U.S. Open has had lower scoring than ever before…..At Pinehurst there was no rough at all. A lot of guys can drive the ball very poorly and still have good tournaments. The guys who grew up in the old style, when the rough was very penal, don’t like what’s happened with the U.S. Open.’’

And then there was Roger Chapman, the English golfer who shot a 6-under-par 66 but was more emotionally involved in his country’s dismal showing in the World Cup soccer tournament than he was in his own great round.

“`The press will crucify them,’’ said Chapman. “We invented the bloody game. I can’t remember England being out of the World Cup after two games.’’

Soccer has been the subject of choice between Chapman and his new caddie, Angel Monguzzi since they formed their working relationship.

“He’s an Argentinian guy who caddied for Vicente Fernandez for a long time,’’ said Chapman. “He just seemed to be saying the right things at the right time. We were talking about football and the World Cup, so we had a bit of giggle at England yesterday.’’

That was in the aftermath of a 2-1 loss to Uruguay in England’s first World Cup game. Chapman didn’t find it so funny after another 2-1 loss to Italy while he was on the course Friday. Chapman — winner of two major titles on the Champions Tour last year — is convinced something is wrong soccer-wise, and he blames it on the structure of the English Premier League.

“There needs to be a radical change in the Premier League,’’ he said. “They say the Premier League is the best league in the world. It probably is for the amount of foreigners playing. They’ve got world class players, but we should limit them to three-four per game and let our youngsters in our country know what it’s like.’’

And that’s not all from Chapman.

“(The Engligh soccer players) also get paid too much,’’ he said. “The passion doesn’t seem to be there. It looks as though they want to just go on holiday basically.’’

Here’s five players well worth watching at Encompass tourney

The 12th event on the Champions Tour’s 2014 schedule, the $1.8 million Encompass Championship, begins its 54-hole run on Friday at North Shore Country Club in Glenview.

Last of the event’s three pro-ams is on tap for Thursday and the first two rounds of the 54-hole tourney proper will have a tournament within a tournament, with each of the 81 professionals teaming up with an amateur in a two-man competition. Among the amateurs are a few celebrities types – Brian Urlacher, Patrick Mannely, Gary Fencik, Kyle Long and Joe Theismann (football); Chris Collins and Toni Kukoc (basketball); Jeremy Roenick (hockey); and Gary Williams (Golf Channel anchor).

Only the pros will play on Sunday, when the champion will receive $270,000. Here are five of the pros who warrant your attention:

1, BERNHARD LANGER – 56, Germany.

With Martin Kaymer winning last week’s U.S. Open, this might be a big year for German golfers. Langer is the only multiple-winner on the Champions Tour and is leading the money list and Charles Schwab Cup standings as well.

In his PGA Tour days Langer won the Masters twice (1985, 1993). He divided his time then between the U.S. and European tours, but he’s focused on the Champions Tour since his 50th birthday and has been the circuit’s leading money winning in five of the last seven years.

He opened this season with a victory at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship in Hawaii in January and also won the Insperity Invitational in Texas. He’s also had three second-places finishes and finished in the top 10 in all 10 starts, his worst finish being a tie for ninth at the Regions Tradition in Alabama last month.

Langer made his usual workmanlike showing in last year’s Encompass Championship, finishing in a seven-way tie for third place.

2, KENNY PERRY, 53, Franklin, Ky.

Though he plays more on the Champions circuit, Perry is still a factor on the PGA Tour. He was the oldest player in last week’s U.S. Open, finishing in a tie for 28th place at Pinehurst No. 2.

In part because he splits his time between tours Perry is down in fourth place in the Charles Schwab Cup standings, trailing Langer, Jay Haas and Colin Montgomerie.

Though he didn’t win a major on the PGA Tour (he lost the 1996 PGA title to Mark Brooks in a playoff and was runner-up in the 2009 Masters), Perry accumulated 14 PGA Tour victories including the 2008 John Deere Classic.

He has six wins on the Champions Tour including one of this year’s majors, the Regions Tradition. Last year he won back-to-back Champions majors – the Senior Players Championship and U.S. Senior Open, the first time that feat has been accomplished since Haas did it in 2008.

His tie for third in last year’s Encompass was just another good result that helped him win the Charles Schwab Cup and Champions Tour Player-of-the-Year.

3, JEFF SLUMAN, 56, Hinsdale.

Sluman has had a Chicago area residence since the 1990s, when he was a regular on the PGA Tour. He once held the record at Cog Hill’s Dubsdead course with a 63 in the Western Open.

A big fan of the Cubs, Bears and Formula One auto racing, Sluman is co-owner of a golf course in Rochester, N.Y., where he grew up. He’s also a serious wine collector, with over 2,000 bottles accumulated since 1957.

His biggest moment as a golfer came in 1988, when he won the PGA Championship, but he also included two wins in the Greater Milwaukee Open (1998, 2002) among his six PGA Tour victories.

He’s been a regular contender on the Champions Tour and has $595,726 in winning to show for this season. The last tournament has been the season highlight so far. Sluman teamed with Fred Funk to win the Legends of Golf two-man team event in Branson, Mo., two weeks ago.

Sluman played a major role in bringing the Champions Tour back to Chicago last year after an 11-year absence and he was in contention throughout, ending in the seven-way tie for third place.

CRAIG STADLER, 61, Denver, Colo.

No one gave Stadler, affectionately known as The Walrus, a chance last year since he hadn’t contended in a tournament since 2007. Stadler, though, put together rounds of 67, 65 and 71 for a 54-hole total of 13-under-par 203 to win the tournament.

He held off Fred Couples down the stretch to win the $270,000 first place check and that was a big reason he finished in the top 30 on the Champions Tour money list for the first time since 2008.

Hip and back injuries have hampered Stadler this season, forcing him to withdraw from two tournaments, but he showed signs of recovery when he teamed with Kirk Triplett for a third-place finish in the Legends of Golf.

Stadler won the 1982 Masters and played with his son Kevin in this year’s event, making them the first father-son team to play in the same Masters. Kevin qualified for a return in 2015, while Craig has said that will be his last appearance at Augusta National. He also has another son, Chris, who played football at Lake Forest College.

5, CHIP BECK, 57, Lake Forest.

No player in the Encompass field is more of a hometown favorite than the affable Beck, who not only lives in the area but is also a director in the Western Golf Assn. The WGA, based in Golf, administers the Chip Beck Scholarship, which sends recipients to college annually.

Beck may be best remembered as a PGA Tour player for the 59 he shot in the 1991 Las Vegas Invitational, but he did win four times on the premier circuit and was runner-up in the 1993 Masters as well as the 1986 and 1989 U.S. Opens.

As far as contending this week, however, Beck has to be considered a darkhorse at best. He’s played in only three tournaments on the Champions Tour this season, his best finish being a tie for 32nd at the Toshiba Classic in March, and his winnings are only $18,458.

Beck has played a limited schedule on the Champions Tour since 2006 with no wins yet. He had two second-place finishes in his first season on the circuit, though, and last year he tied for 32nd at North Shore.

Couples is out, but Montgomerie is in for Encompass tourney

This week’s second Encompass Championship at North Shore Country Club has two major differences from the first staging as far as the 81-player field is concerned.

Fred Couples, last year’s runner-up, won’t be there when play begins on Friday at the Glenview course but Colin Montgomerie will. Though Couples is one of the most popular players on the Champions Tour, the tradeoff seems a fair one.

Couples has a sore back and hasn’t played in a tournament since May 18 – the Regions Tradition, a Champions Tour major that was won by Kenny Perry. Montgomerie, meanwhile, won the 50-and-over circuit’s last major title – and captured his first victory of any kind in the United States – at the Senior PGA Championship three weeks ago in Benton Harbor, Mich.

“That definitely gives you huge confidence,’’ said Montgomerie. “It was a long time coming – 23 years and 130-odd tournaments without a win in the U.S. It was nice getting that monkey off my back.’’

Montgomerie was a long-time U.S. nemesis while playing for Europe in the Ryder Cup matches. The Scottish golfer didn’t play in the Champions Tour’s last stop — the Legends Championship, a two-man team event played in Branson, Mo. Jeff Sluman and Fred Funk won that title, and both will play at North Shore.

Last week Montgomerie worked as a TV commentator at the U.S. Open. No longer is he the sometimes misunderstood European player who irritated American galleries in his younger days.

“You do mellow with age and mature,’’ Montgomerie said. “I love the American way of life. I hope that’s coming across. It’s given me a new lease on life.’’

Montgomerie couldn’t play in last year’s Encompass tourney because he hadn’t turned 50 yet. He’s happy to make his debut this year in part because tournament director Mike Galeski is a long-time friend. They worked together for equipment manufacturer Callaway when Montgomerie started playing tournaments in the U.S.

The last time Montgomerie competed in Chicago was at the 2006 PGA Championship at Medinah. He was also at Medinah for the 2012 Ryder Cup, won dramatically by the Europeans with a huge comeback on the last day.

“We called it the `Miracle of Medinah,’ and we still do,’’ said Montgomerie. “I don’t know how we won that one.’’

They’ll be here

Montgomerie is one of seven players in the Encompass field to win on the Champions Tour this year. In addition to the Funk-Sluman team that won the Legends event, the others are Bernhard Langer (the circuit’s only winner of multiple tournaments in 2014), Michael Allen, Kirk Triplett and Perry, who tied for 28th playing against much younger players in the U.S. Open. Perry, 53, was the oldest player in the field at Pinehurst.

The Encompass field is a solid one. Fifty-six of the 81 starters have accounted for 370 victories in PGA Tour events. Forty-six have won a combined 252 titles on the Champions Tour. Eighteen have combined for 27 major titles on the PGA Tour and 23 have been responsible for 43 victories in the Champions Tour’s majors. Six are former Ryder Cup captains.

A $1.8 million prize fund will be on the line in the 54-hole event that pays $270,000 to Sunday’s champion. Last year’s winner was Craig Stadler. He’s ben hampered by injuries most of this year but teamed with Triplett for a third-place finish at the Legends event.

Here and there

Chicago players came up empty in Monday’s Encompass qualifying round at Deerfield Golf Club. Out-of-staters Joel Edwards, Bruce Vaughan and Jim Carter shot 6-under-par 66s and Patrick Horgan shot 67, then won the fourth and last berth in the field in a three-man playoff. That foursome completes the 81-man field for the tournament and all 81 will have an amateur partner in the first two rounds.

The 95th Chicago District Golf Assn. Amateur will begin its four-day run on Monday at Hinsdale Golf Club in Clarendon Hills – the site of the CDGA’s founding 100 years ago. There’s no defending champion since Bryce Emory, last year’s winner, has turned professional. Only past winner in the 73-man field is Steve Sawtell, who won in 2004 and 2009. The field will compete over 36 holes in stroke play on Monday to determine 16 qualifiers for the match play portion of the event. The 36-hole final is on June 26.

Construction has begun on the University of Illinois’ 24-acre Lauritsen/Wohler Outdoor Practice Facility, which is adjacent to the J.G. Demirjian Indoor facility in Urbana. Illini men’s coach Mike Small and PGA star Steve Stricker designed the $2 million outdoor facility, which is expected to open on Aug. 1. It was inspired by a similar one at Augusta National, the Georgia site of the Masters tournament.

Family matters have affected Streelman’s U.S. Open preparations

Wheaton’s Kevin Streelman remains one of golf’s most promising up-and-coming players, but he’s not going into this week’s U.S. Open with any momentum. Chicago’s only homegrown PGA Tour player missed the cut in his last three tournaments.

“It’s been a strange year golf-wise,’’ said Streelman, “but it’s been a wonderful year off the course thanks to Sophia. She’s been my priority.’’

Streelman and wife Courtney became parents for the first time on Dec. 26 when Sophia was born. She arrived a month ahead of schedule, and Courtney had a difficult delivery that led to Sophia spending some time in intensive care. All is fine with the Streelman now, however.

“The first three months were tough, but Sophia’s been an angel,’’ said Streelman, who reluctantly left wife and daughter to finish in a tie for third at the Tournament of Champions in January before deciding to radically alter his schedule.

“I played great at Maui, then was home for five-six weeks after that,’’ he said. “I didn’t go to the Bob Hope (Chrysler Classic), Pebble Beach or Honda – tournaments that I usually play.’’

Since returning to the circuit his play has been sporadic, but he’s not concerned and his career tour earning will likely top $10 million with his next good showing (he’s over $9.9 million now since turning pro in 2001 and joining the PGA Tour in 2007). Sophia, meanwhile, has learned to travel. She’s already made 15 airplane rides.

This year’s Open begins Thursday on the famed No. 2 course at Pinehurst, N.C. Streelman went to college at nearby Duke but hasn’t played that course since it was renovated three years ago. He didn’t see that new look until arriving this week.

“I wasn’t going to go there early because the course wouldn’t have been even close to the conditions we’ll be playing in the Open,’’ he said. “But I’m excited. I’m feeling good and hoping things will click this week.’’

The Open will be his third of four straight weeks of tournaments. Then he’ll head overseas to play in the Scottish and British Opens and re-evaluate his schedule for the remainder of the season after playing in those events.

Luke Donald, the former Northwestern star and former world No. 1, and Elmhurst’s Mark Wilson, who survived sectional qualifying, are also in the Open field. So are University of Illinois alums D.A. Points and Luke Guthrie and Brian Campbell, who was the Big Ten player-of-the-year for the Illini this season.

Remembering Payne

Kemper Lakes will mark the 25th anniversary of the late Payne Stewart’s victory in the 1989 PGA Championship at the Kildeer course with a 5:30 p.m. reception next Wednesday (JUNE 18).

Peter Jacobsen, the popular Champions Tour player and TV golf analyst, will be featured at the event, which also marks the 35th anniversary for Kemper Lakes. Jacobsen was one of Stewart’s best friends and the latest winner of the Payne Stewart Award. Stewart lost his life in a 2000 airplane incident in the aftermath of his second U.S. Open victory at Pinehurst No. 2 in 1999.

A limited number of tickets, priced at $250, are still available for the event. Proceeds will go to the Payne Stewart Family Foundation. Contact Kemper Lakes for details.

Also on tap that night is Donald’s sixth annual Taste of the First Tee event at North Shore Country Club in Glenview. Champions Tour stars Tom Kite, Bernhard Langer, Tom Lehman and Colin Montgomerie will join Donald on the stage at that one. They’ll be in town to compete in Chicago’s only pro tour event of 2014. The Champions Tour’s Encompass Championship will begin its 54-hole run at North Shore on June 20.

Before that, though, there’ll be a pre-qualifier on Thursday (JUNE 12) at Deerfield Golf Club and the top five there will advance to the final qualifier on Monday (JUNE 16), also at Deerfield.

Here and there

Medinah Country Club will formally open its renovated No. 1 course on Friday. Tom Doak, the architect who handled the project that started the day after the 2012 Ryder Cup concluded on Medinah’s No. 3 course, will hit the ceremonial first tee shot.

Ray Hearn, the Michigan architect who directed well-received renovations at Flossmoor Country Club and the Mistwood course in Romeoville, has signed on to supervise another re-do at Midlothian Country Club.

Jack Perry, who concluded a solid collegiate career at Northwestern, took advantage of an invitation to last week’s Cleveland Open on the Web.com Tour. He survived the 36-hole cut in his first tournament as a professional.

Cog Hill, in Lemont will host the first of 50 world-wide qualifiers for the Turkish Airlines World Golf Cup amateur event on Monday (JUNE 16). The finals are in Turkey in November.

The Illinois PGA will hold a qualifier for the Illinois Open at Inverness on Monday, and the Chicago District Golf Assn. will host a similar elimination for the Illinois State Amateur at Lake Bluff on the same day.

Was scheduling back-to-back Opens at Pinehurst No. 2 a good idea?

For American golfers June is the biggest month of the year. It’s U.S. Open time, and this June will be different than all the others. This time you need a primer to know what will be going on, so here goes:

The men’s U.S. Open dates back to 1895 and the U.S. Women’s Open to 1946. Never before have they been played on consecutive weeks on the same course. This year they’ll be played at Pinehurst’s No. 2 course in North Carolina, with the men competing from June 12-15 and the women from June 19-22.

Back-to-back stagings on the same course may never happen again. It’s a grand experiment by the U.S. Golf Assn., and I think it’s a great idea. The women will have to play on a beat-up course, but they have the chance to show just how good they are in comparison to the men – and I think you’ll be surprised when the strokes are added up.

Chances are, this experiment may never be tried again. David Fay, the former executive director of the USGA, was instrumental in the scheduling years ago. He believes that Pinehurst is the only facility that could accommodate such a back-to-back scenario, but he does believe that Pinehurst officials will be happy enough with the results to be willing to try it again. Time will tell.

At any rate, the country’s best golfers like the idea. The tourneys drew a record number of participants – 10,127 for the men and 1,702 for the women. The men, who had to either designate themselves as professional or have a Handicap Index of 1.4, had representatives from all 50 stages, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and 75 foreign countries. The women, pros or amateurs with a Handicap Index of 2.4, had entrants from 46 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and 52 foreign countries. Thanks to the eliminations in May most of them have already been eliminated.

The men had 111 local qualifiers in May, and the survivors will kick off June at one of 10 sectional eliminations around the U.S. Unfortunately – and for the second straight year – Chicago doesn’t have one. The closest are in Ohio. Most of the PGA Tour players who aren’t exempt from qualifying have entered 36-hole eliminations at either Columbus or Springfield. That’s because the sectionals come immediately after the PGA Tour’s Memorial tournament in Dublin, Ohio – a Columbus suburb. More berths at Pinehurst will be offered there.

On the women’s side, there were no local qualifiers. Chicago did host one of the 13 sectionals, at Indian Hill in Winnetka. It had 71 players going after two spots at Pinehurst, and those advancing were Hannah Pietlia of Brighton, Mich., and Elizabeth Thong, of Thornhill, Ontario. Pietlia was medalist with 4-over par 146 for the 36 holes, two better than Tong. Streamwood’s Noriko Nakazaki was the top local player, finishing one strong behind Tony in a tie for third.

Both the men and women will have 156-player fields at Pinehurst, and both tourneys will cut to the low 60 and ties after the first two rounds.

The men’s sectionals in particular are always exciting, given that many name players don’t survive and quite a few competitors who aren’t PGA Tour players do. One of the latter with a seemingly great chance to do that is Vince India. A rookie struggling on the Web.com Tour, India was the talk of the local qualifiers.

The former University of Iowa golfer who grew up in Deerfield shot a 10-under-par 61 to earn medalist honors in a local qualifier at Waterlefe, in Sarasota, FL. India played there because it was close to his new residence in Lakewood Ranch, FL. India moved there after obtaining playing privileges at the Concession Club, the site of the annual Big Ten Match Play Championship.

Concession is also the home course for former PGA champion Paul Azinger and Tony Jacklin, the former U.S. and British Open champion. The name of the course was inspired by Jacklin, in honor of a memorable Ryder Cup moment when course designer Jack Nicklaus conceded him a short putt that led to the competition between the U.S. and Europe ending in a tie in 1969. Last month Concession hosted a new team event, the Concession Cup, which pitted amateur teams from the U.S. and Europe against each other.

“This is my third winter (at Concession), and Paul Azinger’s been quite the mentor to me,’’ said India, the Illinois State Amateur champion in 2010. “It’s helped for me to play at a facility that’s in major championship condition every day.’’

India didn’t survive the 36-hole cut in the rain-hampered South Georgia Classic, the previous week’s stop on the Web.com Tour at Kinderlou Forest in Valdosta, Ga. He spent time with Azinger working on his alignment after heading to Florida and it paid off with a six-shot win in the Open qualifier.

“I’d rather have the 61 in a tournament where they pay some cash out,’’ said India. “I’ve been struggling to post a number like this on the Web.com Tour this year.’’

India wasn’t the only Chicago medalist at the 18-hole local qualifiers. Chicago hosted two locals. Cog Hill teaching pro Garrett Chaussard was low man in the first, at George Dunne National in Tinley Park, with a 71. Northwestern star Jack Perry shared medalist honors in the second, at Knollwood Club in Lake Forest, with a 68. Chicago’s David Lipsky shot 66 at the South Bend Country Club to earn medalist honors there and Elgin’s Carlos Sainz Jr. – like India a struggling Web.com Tour player – was low man at Fox Hollow in Trinity, FL., with a 65.

Four other Chicago players got through the local at George Dunne – pro Andrew Godfrey of Homewood and amateurs Glenn Przybylski of Frankfort, Dan Stringfellow of Roselle and Kenneth Lee of Westmont. Max Scodro, the 2012 Illinois Open champion, and Libertyville’s Michael Schachner were survivors at Knollwood and University of Illinois junior Brian Campbell, the Big Ten player-of-the-year, qualified for sectional play in the Springfield, IL., local at Illini Country Club.

Przybylski had a big May, winning the 23rd and last staging of the Illinois State Amateur Public Links title at Harborside International before surviving his local Open qualifier. Przybylski had also won the Public Links event in 1994 and his repeat 19 years later should serve as a good springboard into U.S. Open sectional play.

In previous years most of the local survivors would opt for a sectional elimination close to home, but Chaussard and Campbell didn’t. A California native who played collegiately at Illinois, Chaussard planned to return to California for sectional play. Though sectional assignments weren’t announced at the time of this printing, the destination for both Chaussard and Campbell, also a California native, appeared to be Lake Merced and Olympic Club in the San Francisco area. Chaussard had particularly good vibes about playing there because he had qualified for the 2008 U.S. Open which was played at a California course — Torrey Pines – after getting through local and sectional qualifiers.

Just getting to Pinehurst would obviously be a great feat, but winning the title after going through 18 holes of local eliminations and 36 of sectional play would be astounding. Most champions are exempt from at least local play based on previous performances. The only players to win the Open after going through local and sectional play were Ken Venturi, in 1964, and Orville Moody, in 1969.

Here’s 10 good reasons to go to the Encompass Championship

The Encompass Championship on the Champions Tour is coming to North Shore Country Club in Glenview from June 16-22. Tournament rounds are June 20-22. If you love golf you should be there. Here’s 10 good reasons why:

1, It’s Unique.

The pro golf tours are making fewer and fewer appearances in the Chicago area, and — with the BMW Championship going to Cherry Hills in Denver in September — the Encompass will be the only stop from any of the circuits in 2014 and is also set for another staging at North Shore in 2015.

2, It’s Meaningful.

The best players on the 50-and-over tour are playing 54 holes for $1.8 million in prize money with the champion receiving $270,000. Points are also on the line in the Champions Tour’s Schwab Cup competition, which could mean a big season-ending payday. This is no exhibition. That’s significant money and the competition will be intense.

3, The Players are Famous.

At least most of them are. With pro golf events it’s never a given on who will show up until the day before the tournament week, but the Champions Tour is filled with PGA stars of the past, and most will be competing at North Shore. Encompass director Mike Galeski is expecting Jay Haas, Colin Montgomerie. Jeff Sluman, Ben Crenshaw, Hale Irwin, Tom Kite, Bernhard Langer, Nick Price, Chip Beck, Corey Pavin, Kenny Perry, Rocco Mediate, Steve Elkington, Fred Funk and Mark O’Meara to show up. He’s also hopeful Fred Couples, last year’s runner; 2012 U.S. Ryder Cup captain Davis Love III and Tom Watson, his successor as the leader of America’s Ryder Cup effort, will make it as well. Even if a few top players decide to take the week off, name recognition may well be better at this Champions Tour event than at many of the PGA Tour stops.

4, It’s For a Good Cause.

The tourney will have four new charity beneficiaries this year – Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Illinois chapter; Jr. Achievement of Chicago, The First Tee of Greater Chicago and the Daniel Murphy Scholarship Fund. All are dedicated to helping youth, and the Champions Tour players will also host a Junior Clinic from 3-4 p.m. of tournament week. In addition to those organizations a Birdies for Charities program will be in effect for the first time with fans able to make pledges to charities of their choice off the number of birdies made during the competition.

5, The Price is Right.

Tickets start at $20 for grounds privileges any day, but youth17 and under will be admitted free as will military personnel, both active and retired. A book of six tickets, all good for any day of the tourney, is $90. Champions Club privileges are $250. Parking is available at Old Ochard Mall with free shuttle service to the course.

6, The Site is Special.

North Shore is one of Chicago’s oldest and most historic courses. It opened in 1924 and hosted the Western Open just four years later, Abe Espinosa winning the title. In 1933 North Shore hosted the U.S. Open, and Johnny Goodman triumphed. He’s the last amateur to win the U.S. Open. The club also welcomed the U.S. Amateurs of 1939, won by Marvin “Bud’’ Ward, and 1983, won by Jay Sigel. Prior to the Encompass the last major event held at North Shore was the 2011 Western Amateur. That event was won by Ethan Tracy. Few private clubs have hosted so many big tournaments and those that have rarely open their doors to the public. The Encompass offers one of those rare opportunities to see where so much golf history was made.

7, Viewing is Excellent.

Like most every course built before the 1950s, North Shore wasn’t designed to host big spectator events. Courses all had to be walk-able when North Shore was built because there were no golf carts. As a result, the greens and tees are relatively close together. You can easily walk a round with any player. That’s not an easy thing to do at PGA Tour events.

8, There’s a Celebrity Component.

There’ll be a tournament within a tournament during the first two days of the Encompass Championship. Each of the 81 professionals will be paired with an amateur in a 36-hole, two-man team event during the Friday and Saturday rounds. About 10 of the 81 amateur spots were reserved for celebrities and the early ones who committed to participate included Brian Urlacher, Roger Clemens, Toni Kukoc and Jeremy Roenick.

9, The Defending Champion has a Story to Tell.

Craig Stadler, better known in golf circles as The Walrus, was a surprise winner of last year’s Encompass Championship. His game was suffering before he got to North Shore – the last of his previous eight Champions Tour wins was in 2004 and he hadn’t even contended since 2007 — and it hasn’t been all that good since his victory there. Still, he was in the world golf spotlight in April when he joined son Kevin as the first father-son combination to compete in the same Masters tournament. Craig got in because he was the famous tourney’s 1982 winner. Kevin qualified as winner of a PGA Tour stop during the previous year. Kevin finished high enough to return to Augusta National next year. Craig missed the cut and has said that will be his last appearance at the Masters. Defending his Encompass title won’t be easy for the 61-year old Stadler either, but at least he appears recovered from the hip surgery and variety of other ailments that slowed him down for a six-year period.

10, You Can Always Watch.

While North Shore is a spectator-friendly place, the event won’t be hard to follow even on the days you can’t get there. Golf Channel will provide live coverage from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. on Friday (first round), and 2-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday (second and final rounds).

Four top college stars will get PGA Tour experience at JDC

Illinois’ only PGA Tour event of 2014 has thrived by appealing to young players, and director Clair Peterson saw no reason to change that approach when he announced his sponsor exemptions for the John Deere Classic this week.

Peterson invited four of the very best college stars to battle the PGA Tour players in the 44th staging of the $4.7 million tournament July 7-13 at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, IL., on the outskirts of the Quad Cities.

Invitees included the top two players in the amateur world rankings – Stanford golfers Patrick Rodgers and Cameron Wilson – plus Oklahoma State’s Jordan Niebrugge and Iowa’s Steven Ihm. Niebrugge will defend his titles in four big events this summer – the U.S. Public Links, Western Amateur, Wisconsin State Amateur and Wisconsin State Match Play.

Rodgers is receiving his third straight JDC invite and Ihm had one last year. Wilson wouldn’t likely have been included had he not won the individual title at the NCAA Championship last week.

Jordan Spieth, who won last year’s JDC in a five-hole playoff, was a sponsor exemption in 2012 after he had completed his freshman year at the University of Texas. He lauded Peterson’s exemption approach.

“Other tournaments need to look at this event as an example,’’ he said at Monday’s media kickoff. “It’s just the opportunities that come out of this. There’s no way that I win last year without that opportunity from the year before. There’s no way that I’m able to feel comfortable on the PGA Tour so quickly without the starts I was given. This tournament does it right.’’

Spieth has done a lot right since becoming the youngest winner of a major professional tournament in 80 years at the 2013 JDC. Still shy of his 21st birthday, he made the U.S. Presidents Cup team, contended at both the Masters and Players Championship and has climbed into the world’s top 10 in the rankings.

Coming off four straight weeks of tournaments, Spieth showed he still has a winning touch at TPC Deere Run. He holed a bunker shot on the last hole of regulation play last year to get into the playoff, in which he beat defending champion Zach Johnson and Canadian David Hearn. Spieth was asked to attempt the same bunker shot at the media day, and he holed the shot again.

Stymied in the sectionals

Five players were Chicago connections were medalists as local qualifiers for the U.S. Open, but none of them survived Monday’s 10 nation-wide sectional eliminations to get into the 156-player finals scheduled for June12-15 at Pinehurst, N.C.

One who wasn’t so sharp in the locals – Brian Campbell, Illinois’ Big Ten player-of-the-year – did earn a spot at Pinehurst through a sectional in California and Mark Wilson, PGA Tour regular from Elmhurst, and Illinois alum Luke Guthrie qualified in the Columbus, Ohio, sectional. As PGA Tour players both were exempt from the local eliminations.

Two others still have an outside chance of playing at Pinehurst. Illinois alum Scott Langley, who plays on the PGA Tour, was first alternate at Memphis, Tenn., and Roselle amateur and Medinah member Dan Stringfellow was second alternate at Springfield, Ohio.

Here and there

The 53rd Radix Cup matches between top professionals from the Illinois PGA and top amateurs from the Chicago District Golf Assn., will be contested Wednesday (JUNE 4) at Oak Park Country Club. The pros lead the series 33-17-2.

General manager Janet Dobson has announced her retirement after 35 years at Kemper Lakes in Long Grove.

Top-seeded Doug Bauman, of Biltmore Country Club in Barrington, captured the Illinois PGA Senior Match Play championship at Merit Club in Libertyville.

Connie Ellett, a junior on the Northern Illinois women’s team, has been named the first recipient of the Betty Rich Award for her dedication and leadership on the course.

Don Pieper, general manager and head professional at the Merit Club in Libertyville, has been named chairman of the Illinois PGA Foundation.

The Chicago qualifier for the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links tourney will be Wednesday at Sportsman’s, in Northbrook.

First Illinois Open qualifier is Thursday at Deerfield and first Illinois State Amateur qualifier is also Thursday, at Kankakee Elks.

The Mental Health Assn. of Greater Chicago has scheduled its fund-raising outing for July 17 at Makray Memorial in Barrington.

Wisconsin’s golf boom really started at Blackwolf Run two decade ago

KOHLER, Wis. – What’s been going on in golf in Wisconsin is astonishing.

Another PGA Championship and a Ryder Cup coming to Whistling Straits. A U.S. Open on its way to Erin Hills. A Robert Trent Jones renovation of the famous Flower Hole at Sentry World. A new Mike Keiser resort, Sand Valley, with four courses to be built near Wisconsin Rapids.

That’s a ton of major development for a state with a short golf season, but the boom has been in the works for awhile.

Like, say, about 25 years.

With all due respect to the Lake Geneva resorts, Grand Geneva and Geneva National, the dramatic surge in golf development in the Badger state the last few years has roots to Herb Kohler’s decision to bring in architect Pete Dye. He designed the Blackwolf Run course at The American Club.

Elevated tee shots aren’t unusual at Blackwolf Run, and they can create some scenic challenges.

Blackwolf Run has changed a lot since the likes of Ernie Els and Greg Norman competed in the World Championships of Golf there from 1995-97. A year later the U.S. Women’s Open came to Blackwolf and produced an epic victory by Korean Se Ri Pak. That really set the stage for the influx of great Asian players on the LPGA Tour.

Then Kohler made the unusual decision to add another 18 holes at Blackwolf. Dye’s original 18 was named Best New Public Course for 1988 by Golf Digest. In expanding Kohler allowed the River and Meadow Valley nines to be put on different courses to create a 36-hole complex.

The move paid off. More championship golf came to Kohler when Whistling Straits became a reality and more came to other areas of Wisconsin once Kohler showed it could be done.

Now – before the excitement of the 2015 PGA Championship, the 2017 U.S. Open, the opening of Keiser’s next project and the opening of a reported fifth course in the Kohler area — is a good time to spend some quality time where it all began. Blackwolf Run remains one of the nation’s premier golf destinations. A trip to Kohler shouldn’t center on rounds at Whistling Straits. Blackwolf Run remains a great place to play, even if big tournaments won’t be there for awhile.

The 2012 U.S. Women’s Open was its latest venture on golf’s big stage, and the original 18 was put back together for that event. Visitors won’t get to play the original layout, but the two separate 18s are just fine. So is the historic hotel and the adjacent Carriage House Annex with its spa, and the Horse & Plow restaurant remains a hot spot.

While quality remains, this season is unique. A lot of planning will be done, as Jason Mengel has set up headquarters to direct the 2015 PGA Championship and Michael Belot has returned to his home town as both general manager of Destination Kohler and vice chairman (behind David Kohler) of the PGA Championship.

Belot had spent time away, as director of the 2006 and 2009 PGA Championships and the 2012 Ryder Cup at Medinah and considered more roles with the PGA of America before heading home. His family moved to Kohler in 1978, when he was one year old, and he lived there until going off to college in 1996. Other family members have continued to live in the Kohler area.

“I had some great opportunities with the PGA after the Ryder Cup,’’ said Belot, “but I thought this would be a perfect fit. I have two young sons and would be re-locating every few years (had he remained with the PGA). This works out well for me personally and professionally.’’

He’s got a much bigger job now, with responsibility for all lodging, the Sports Core, nine restaurants and – among many other things – the proposed new course.

Though its location — on 247 acres of Kohler-owned land near the own of Wilson, 10 miles south of Whistling Straits — has been disclosed and Dye has been on the property, further details on the project are hush-hush at the moment. Plans were submitted to the Wilson planning commissioner on May 12, and Belot says “We’re just working through the process.’’

A visit to the site suggests some holes will be on Lake Michigan, as is the case with Whistling Straits.

At least a few holes of the proposed fifth course in the Kohler area will have views like this one of Lake Michigan.

The talking for now focuses on next year’s PGA. Mengel arrived last July after working as tournament director of the 2013 Senior PGA Championship at Bellerive in St. Louis.

“That’s a very good club and a good market,’’ he said. “We set all-time new corporate records there, and the 100th PGA will be there in 2018.’’

For now, though, Mengel’s concern is 2015, when Whistling Straits will host its third PGA in 11 years. He started selling corporate hospitality last September.

“Everything went absolutely fantastic,’’ he said. “We’ve seen wonderful support. Three chalet villages were on our initial plan, and we’ve already sold out two and have just one spot left in the third. We’re already talking expansion plans, and we’re only a year into it.’’

Ticket sales for 2015 will start on Aug. 11, the day after this year’s PGA concludes at Valhalla, in Louisville, but potential buyers have to register before then to hold their place in line for those tickets.

“The time to act is now,’’ Mengel said. Plans for the 2020 Ryder Cup underscore that. Buy a hospitality chalet now and you get the right of first refusal at the Ryder Cup five years later. Buy four Wanamaker Club tickets now, and you can bypass the ticket lottery for the Ryder Cup down the road.

Seventy-five percent of the volunteer positions have already been filled for the 2015 PGA, a testament to the good experiences many felt while working at the previous big events in the area.

Tournament director Jason Mengel is happy with the way preparations for the 2015 PGA Championship are progressing.
Mengel says this PGA won’t be quite like the others.

“The biggest difference is the commitment that Kohler Company and Pete Dye made to build our infrastructure out on the golf course. That will be the most visible difference,’’ Mengel said. “A lot of work will be done outside the ropes so we can build our infrastructure.’’

“This will be a huge difference,’’ chimed in Belot. “We’ve committed to changing the golf course. Some areas will be graded to accommodate corporate hospitality. Some of the views (from the hospitality venues) will overlook Lake Michigan. They’ll be spectacular.’’

Tweaking aside, Wisconsin still has plenty of enthusiasm for golf’s biggest events.

“It’s a great thing. It shows the love for golf in this state,’’ said Mengel, who grew up in Michigan. “We’ve seen the passion at the 2004 and 2010 PGAs. What an amazing market this is for golf.’’

Belot admits the Wisconsin golf is “truly remarkable.’’

“When you have tremendous courses like we have at Kohler people will be interested in playing them,’’ he said. “They’ll take advantage of the golf season that they do have, despite having such a short window to play.’’

The 2015 PGA is just the next step.

“Everything we’re doing is for 2015, but we’re keeping in mind the Ryder Cup,’’ said Belot. “It’ll be here before we know it.’’