Author: lenz

IT ZIEHMS TO ME: LPGA Legends deserve a U.S. Women’s Senior Open

Jan Stephenson (left) set off a big celebration for the World Team when her birdie putt on the last hole clinched their first win in nine tries against Team USA last year at Hermitage in Nashville, Tenn. The dramatic competition was a highlight of the Legends’ 13th season.
The LPGA Legends Tour announced its schedule for 2014 last week, and it’s good one. This circuit for players 45 and over continued its slow but steady growth and created more attractive dates for its biggest championship.

Still, the circuit has a glaring absence on the slate for its 14th season. The Legends – with players like Nancy Lopez, Joanne Carner, Jan Stephenson, Rosie Jones, Pat Bradley and Beth Daniel who have done so much for the growth of women’s golf throughout their careers — still don’t have a U.S. Open.

The U.S. Golf Assn. has a women’s equivalent for all its other individual national championships – Open, Amateur, Junior, Mid-Amateur, Senior Amateur – but there’s no U.S. Senior Women’s Open. The men’s U.S. Senior Open made its debut in 1980.

Hopefully the women’s version is just a year away, because the USGA has the money now, thanks to a new 12-year TV contract that will increase annual revenues from $37 million to $93 million. Money may have been a problem in the past, and so may have been a shortage of qualified women players in the 45-plus age group.

That’s no longer the case, and among the early proponents for U.S. Senior Women’s Open is David Fay, the for USGA executive director. He suggested a 2015 U.S. Senior Women’s Open to debut in May, 2015. It’d have the best of the Legends Tour competing against the best amateurs.

As for the Legends of 2014, their tournament schedule calls for a return to six venues from 2013 and visits to two new ones. Plus, the biggest event, the Legends Championship presented by Humana, is moving into prime August dates after making its debut in late September last year.

The Legends Championship, again the only 54-hole stop on the schedule, got off to a rousing start at French Lick in Indiana, with the Alice Dye Invitational for amateur starting off a big week to celebrate women’s golf. Last year a Legends Hall of Fame was created at French Lick, and it’ll be formally unveiled during this year’s Aug. 13-17 event. The Legends Championship will again have the biggest purse ($500,000) and most players (60), with Canadian Lorie Kane going in as the defending champion.

The return of the Legends comes after a monumental 2013 season for French Lick. U.S. News and World Report ranked its West Baden Springs Hotel as the best hotel in Indiana, among the top 10 in the Midwest and in the Top 50 Hotel Spas in the U.S. Conde Nast Travelers tabbed West Baden No. 31 among its Top 50 Hotel Spas and GolfWeek ranked French Lick’s Pete Dye Course No. 27 and its Donald Ross layout No. 48 among its Top 100 Best Resort Courses.

French Lick’s second Legends Championship competition will conclude a two-week stay for the circuit in the Midwest. The Wendy’s Charity Challenge will be played at Michigan’s Country Club of Jackson the previous week.

The season, which begins with the May 1-4 Walgreen’s Charity Classic in Arizona, will include two major site changes. The Handa Cup team event will move from Hermitage, in Nashville, Tenn., to Old Waverly, in Mississippi. Old Waverly was the site of the 1999 U.S. Women’s Open, won by Juli Inkster.

In another site change, the Walgreen’s Charity Championship will switch Florida venues on Nov. 6-9, being played this time at Seagate at The Hamlet in Delray Beach. It was held WHERE in 2013.

The Legends Tour played for over $11 million in prize money in its first 13 seasons and raised over $14 million for charity.

Fitzpatrick’s stay at NU didn’t last long

Northwestern men’s golf coach Pat Goss labeled Matt Fitzpatrick as “our most high-profile recruit since Luke Donald.’’ Unfortunately for NU, Fitzpatrick’s stay in Evanston didn’t last long.

Fitzpatrick, the reigning U.S. Amateur champion and No. 1-ranked amateur in the world, withdrew from the school on Thursday to pursue more playing opportunities as an amateur in his native England.

As U.S. Amateur titlist Fitzpatrick has invitations to this year’s Masters, U.S. Open and British Open in addition to the top amateur event world-wide. Playing a full schedule of these competitions while remaining a full-time student would have been difficult.

“Based on the opportunities I have right now from a golf perspective I feel it’s important to dedicate 100 percent of my time to the game,’’ Fitzgerald said in a statement released by NU.

Fitzgerald played in five fall tournaments for the Wildcats. He was second on the team with a 71.63 scoring average and was co-medalist at Duke’s Rod Myers Intercollegiate. He also finished third in NU’s Windon Memorial.

Goss understood Fitzgerald’s decision. “He has an incredible future ahead of him,’’ said Goss. “We wish him nothing but the best in his career.’’

Like father, like son

Winnetka resident Dennis O’Keefe, a Western Golf Assn. board member since 1992, has been elected the WGA’s chairman. His father Jim was the WGA chairman in 1955-56.

O’Keefe, president of a Lake Forest law firm, succeeds Jim Bunch of Denver as WGA chairman. O’Keefe is a member of the Glen View Club in the Chicago area as well as three other clubs in Florida.

Based in north suburban Golf, the WGA conducts the PGA Tour’s BMW Championship, the Western Amateur and the Western Junior while raising funds for its Evans Scholarship program for college-bound caddies.

Here and there

Two new indoor teaching facilities – The Golf Academy at Terra Cotta in Crystal Lake and Catalyst Golf Performance in Lincoln Park — have opened recently.

The Illinois PGA announced its 2014 tournament schedule this week with a notable change in the site of August’s IPGA Championship. The section’s third major tourney of the season will be back at Stonewall Orchard in Grayslake instead of going to Medinah No. 1. The tourney has a three-course rotation, but Medinah No. 1 was renovated last year and it won’t return to the tourney rotation until 2015.

Chicago’s Mike Keiser has decided on the architects for his first course at Sand Valley in Wisconsin. The team of Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore will design the first 18 of Keiser’s latest project. His multi-course Bandon Dunes in Oregon has received rave reviews.

The Illinois PGA will offer free lesson programs from 5-9 p.m. this Friday and again on Jan. 17 at the White Pines Golf Dome, in Bensenville. Links & Tees, in Addison, will hold an open house from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday.

IT ZIEHMS TO ME: Sainz, Pope, India earn Web.com Tour spots

By Len Ziehm

The Chicago area will have three new players competing on a major pro golf tour in 2014. Carlos Sainz Jr., Andy Pope and Vince India all advanced through the rigorous Web.com Tour qualifying school this week.

With the PGA Tour revamping its qualifying procedure, its satellite Web.com circuit claimed the survivors of the three-tiered Q-School for its 2014 season. Sainz, from Elgin; Pope (Glen Ellyn) and India (Deerfield) advanced through two 72-hole fall preliminary competitions and then got through the toughest of test them all – a 90-hole marathon at PGA West in LaQuinta, Calif.

Sainz did the best of the trio, finishing in 10th place among the 152 starters after a sizzling 63 in the final round that included five straight birdies on the back nine. The former Mississippi State player was 20 under par for the 90 holes, 11 strokes behind winner Zack Fischer.

The strong Q-School showing culminated an encouraging second half of 2013 for Sainz. He won The Players Cup on the PGA’s Canadian Tour a week before tying for second in the Illinois Open at The Glen Club in Glenview.

Sainz lost the Illinois Open title in a playoff to Joe Kinney but rebounded with a victory in the revived Chicago Open at Cantigny, in Wheaton, in October.

Pope, who played collegiately at Xavier, finished a stroke behind Sainz at Q-School and that will make his Web.com Tour start more difficult. The top 10 carry exempt status through the 12th tournament, those finishing 11-45 are exempt only through eight. Their playing status is adjusted based on their results.

India, who played collegiately at Iowa, tied for 42nd at Q-School with – among others – Sam Saunders, Arnold Palmer’s grandson. The Web.com Tour, formerly known as the Ben Hogan, Nike and Nationwide circuits, had an annual stop at The Glen Club for seven years but it was discontinued after the 2007 event. The 2014-15 Web.com seasons begins Feb. 6 in Panama.

Affrunti, Meierdierks in limbo

Crystal Lake’s Joe Affrunti and Wilmette’s Eric Meierdierks began 2013 with playing status on the PGA Tour. After failing to meeting money-winner requirements both may have trouble getting into the big money tournaments in 2014.

Affrunti, recovering from major shoulder surgery, made the cut in three of five PGA Tour events and six of 12 Web.com events, losing a playoff for the title in the United Leasing Championship – an Indiana stop on the satellite tour. He’ll begin 2014 with limited Web.com status thanks to the terms of a medical exemption.

Meierdierks made the cut in four of 19 PGA Tour appearances and didn’t survive the second stage of the Q-School. Both Affrunti and Meierdierks were champions of both the Chicago District Amateur and Illinois Open before testing themselves as tour players.

Did you know?

The BMW Championship, staged for the first time at Conway Farms in Lake Forest in September, was named the PGA Tour’s Tournament of the Year for the second straight season.

Mistwood, a Ray Hearn-designed public course in Romeoville, was selected as Renovation of the Year by Golf Magazine. Hearn also won that award for his work at Flossmoor Country Club in 2009.

Brad Hisel has been named general manager at Bull Valley in Woodstock, and Scott Rowe has been named to the Northwestern Sports Hall of Fame. He starred for the Wildcats’ golf team from 1993-97.

ST. AUGUSTINE, FL.: Kemper alum Hahn is part of World Golf Village’s rebranding

ST. AUGUSTINE, FL. – Jim Hahn spent nearly 30 years with Northbrook-based KemperSports, leading the management efforts of all the Chicago Park District golf courses as well as suburban layouts Waters Edge, in Worth, and Rob Roy, in Prospect Heights. He worked with Kemper facilities in other parts of the country as well.

Now the former Libertyville resident remains in golf, but with a far different facility than those he guided for Kemper.

Hahn (pictured below) took over general manager duties at the two courses at World Golf Village, an iconic links destination that also includes the World Golf Hall of Fame. He’s been at World Golf Village for a year, since leaving his last Kemper post at Cape Fear National in Wilmington, N.C.

World Golf Village, which opened in 1998, has undergone some changes and is gradually rebranding itself as a place offering more than golf. Now it’s going by the name Renaissance World Golf Village Resort and Convention Center. The resort and accompanying residential community is spread over 6,300 acres.

“It’s a true resort, though it hadn’t been talked about that way,’’ said Hahn. “It’s not just two golf courses you can play. We’re trying to create the atmosphere of a resort. That means you can stay and do a variety of things as opposed to just golf.’’

In addition to the King & Bear and Slammer & Squire golf courses and the elaborate Hall of Fame, World Golf Village includes a recently renovated Renaissance Hotel, one of the largest (300 seats) IMAX theaters in Florida, PGA Tour Golf Academy and a state-of-the-art spa all just a few miles from the heart of historic St. Augustine, the oldest city in the U.S.

The resort concept was initiated by Jeffrey Oliasami after he took over as general manager of the Renaissance shortly before Hahn ‘s arrival.

All the components of a resort are there, but they have private owners. Honours Golf, based in Birmingham, Ala., owns the two courses. Marriott owns the hotel. The Hall of Fame is owned by its own association. BlueGreen has time shares available. The Murray brothers’ Caddie Shack bar-restaurant and the convention center are also part of the package.

“Having separate owners has been a little challenging in the past, but the last couple years we’ve tried to promote ourselves as one resort,’’ said Hahn. “The Rennaisance has been great about this. Jeffrey Oliasami lives and breathes the belief that we’ve got to be part of the same resort to be successful, He believed strongly in the resort visions, and everybody has embraced it. If the resort can be successful, we’ll all be successful.’’

There is one reminder of the tough times World Golf Village went through prior to the rebranding. A series of retail shops are vacant, probably because they’re too far off I-95 to attract shoppers who aren’t staying on the property.

Otherwise, though, things are on the upswing – especially at the two very unique courses. Both opened about 10 years ago and had interesting creative concepts.

The Slammer & Squire honors legendary players Sam Snead and Gene Sarazen. Bobby Weed designed the sporty course, which is on the short side compared to The King & The Bear. The only course co-designed by Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, it’s the more challenging layout.

The finishing hole at the Slammer and Squire course sets the tone for World Golf Village.

Honours Golf took over both layouts long before the economic downturn of the last few years. Honours owns about half of the 15 courses it operates in the southeastern United. States. Primary owners are Bob Barrett and Rob Schultz. Barrett had been an assistant professional at Augusta National and head pro at Quail Hollow – both sites of PGA Tour events. He was also involved in the start of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail in Alabama.

Both the World Golf Village courses are well-conditioned, and improvements were recently made at the Slammer & Squire clubhouse. They’ve been vying for golfers with a variety of nearby courses while resort business picks up.

“They’re not where they used to be five years ago, but nobody is,’’ said Hahn. “But these courses are doing fine. They took a dip, but they’re still very profitable properties, both of them.’’

A goal for the golf operation is to bring back more resort play – a challenge with the famed Pete Dye-designed TPC Sawgrass just a few miles away. Sawgrass, home of The Players Championship, has one of golf’s most famous holes. Its par-3 17th has an island green that alone is an enticement for visitors. Sawgrass recently boosted its fees over $400 per round.

“ From a resort perspective, that’s our competition,’’ said Hahn, “but we’re not in that price range. We’re a $150 golf course.’’

During the economic downturn both resorts saw play from business golfers decline. World Golf Village (viewed by night below) sought to make up for that by supplementing resort play with local players, but the locals couldn’t afford such a high greens fee. Now, with the economy looking up again, Hahn admits “We want to build up resort play; that’s how we’ll really be successful.’’

No other resort can offer the spectacular World Golf Hall of Fame, a facility rich in historical memorabilia that also includes a unique putting course and hole-in-one challenge for its visitors. You don’t have to be deep into golf to appreciate what the World Golf Hall of Fame has to offer. Just the long-running Bob Hope exhibit is worth the price of admission.

This year the Hall will carry on without its main annual event. There won’t be an induction ceremony during the PGA Tour’s Players Championship in May. Officials wanted to skip a year to allow for the revamping of the selection process.

While looking forward to the return of the Hall inductions, Hahn doesn’t feel its absence with have much of an effect this year.

“They’ve made a lot of improvements here,’’ he said. “Our owners feel confident in these properties, and they’re investing back in them.’’

VALDOSTA, Ga.: Bob Spence wants to take Kinderlou Forest to a new level

VALDOSTA, Ga. – Bob Spence is about to hit the 60-year mark as a golf professional. Now his focus is on Kinderlou Forest, a stunning 18-holer just 16 miles from the Florida state line, but Chicago golfers should remember him well.

Spence, who turned pro in 1954 – a few months after graduating from high school, was the first director of golf at Kemper Lakes. The late Jim Kemper hired him in 1978 to direct the opening of the Long Grove course designed by Dick Nugent and Ken Killian. Kemper Lakes was an instant hit. It was the first public course to host a PGA Championship in 1989, a year in which Payne Stewart was crowned the champion.

Kemper also hosted a tournament on the Champions Tour for several years and was the site of a U.S. Women’s Amateur, the Grand Slam of Golf and 24 straight Illinois PGA Championships before an ownership change led to the facility going private.

Spence moved on, too. Prior to the Kemper experience he spent six years as an off-and-on PGA Tour player. Afterwards he established himself as a teacher, working with –among others — the famed Bob Toski, and an expert on course operations.

He enjoyed all those things, but found out that he loved course architecture more than anything else. Spence hooked up with Davis Love III to create Love Golf Designs in 1994. Kinderlou Forest, now celebrating its 10th anniversary under owner John Langdale (pictured below on right with Spence), was one of the first of the 20 courses that Spence built on Love’s behalf. It is most likely the best.

“We continued until the economy went bad,’’ said Spence. “Now (Love Golf Designs) is on hold, but Davis had a major desire to get into golf course architecture later in his career. I wouldn’t be surprised if the company started up again.’’

Love, of course, was the 1997 PGA champion and the losing U.S. captain in the dramatic Ryder Cup matches played at Medinah last September. He’s resumed his playing career and is also the host for the McGladrey Classic, a PGA Tour event played on his home course in Sea Island, Ga.

Kinderlou Forest has had a great first 10 seasons. Spence has declared it “better than Kemper Lakes’’ and isn’t so sure it isn’t the best course in Georgia – even though that state is home to legendary Augusta National, where the Masters tournament is played every April.

“There’s a lot of similarities between here and Kemper Lakes,’’ said Spence. “Both are great golf courses. Kemper Lakes has a lot of water and length. Kinderlou Forest doesn’t have as much water, but has variety in length and look on every hole.’’

Spence won’t designate a signature hole at Kinderlou, believing all 18 are special. The most striking visually, though, is the par-5 fourth, which features a large, deep cavern. You can play over it or around it. Either way, you don’t forget it.

The cavern, created when soil was needed to build a highway fronting the course, also extends in front of the tee at the par-3 fifth hole (see photo above).

The lack of houses on the property is another similarity between Kemper Lakes and Kinderlou. So is the personality of the owners. Langdale and his family have long been prominent in various business and political endeavors in south Georgia, just as Jim Kemper was prominent in the insurance world in Chicago.

“Jim Kemper was one of the most special people I’ve ever known,’’ said Spence. “He became a fatherly figure to me, helping my life in any way he could. John Langdale is the same way. He wanted a showplace for Lowndes County. He wanted to give back, just like Jim Kemper did at Kemper Lakes. I’ve been very fortunate to work with special people.’’

As was the case at Kemper Lakes, Spence moved on to other projects after Kinderlou Forest was up and running. Langdale brought him back six months ago to take Kinderlou Forest to a new level.

The first 10 years certainly weren’t bad. About 200 homes were built on the 4,000-acre property and the course, built on 600 of those acres, has already hosted a pro tour event (the Web. com Tour’s South Georgia Classic will be played there for the eighth time in April).

Kinderlou Forest, though, stands somewhat alone on the outskirts of Valdosta, a city of 54,000 and home to Valdosta State University and its 13,000 students. The weather makes golf an option year-around and overall living is affordable.

Kinderlou’s No. 13 has the feel of the famous courses at Pinehurst in North Carolina.

“We’re in the process of building it into a community, possibly a retirement community,’’ said Spence. “We’re trying to get people to come in here, and if they do they’ll want to stay.’’

Two Chicago area club professionals, Phil Benson and J. Anderson, have already brought groups from Chicago to check out what Kinderlou Forest has to offer.

As good as it is, Kinderlou Forest — at 7,474 yards from the tips –is no course for retirees, so a second — much shorter layout — will be needed. A lodge is also a consideration, though Kinderlou has townhome villas available for golfing guests and plenty of hotels are nearby. But space for more homes is abundant.

“If Kinderlou goes as planned we will have a lot of people coming from out of state, and a lot coming to retire,’’ said Spence. “It’s a great place to live. We’re building an atmosphere that you’d rather be here than anywhere else.’’

IT ZIEHMS TO ME: New Concession Cup will bring back good memories

BRADENTON, FL. – The Ryder Cup matches have produced plenty of drama over the years, but one of the most memorable events in the competition didn’t involve anyone hitting a shot.

It came in 1969 at England’s Royal Birkdale, in the final singles match between American Jack Nicklaus and England’s Tony Jacklin. Nicklaus conceded a two-foot putt to Jacklin, which resulted in their match being halved and the competition ending in a tie for the first time.

Nicklaus’ gesture was considered great sportsmanship in some quarters, but not in keeping with the competitive aspect of the event according to others – among them some of his U.S. teammates. The debate has raged on as the Ryder Cup – staged last September at Medinah with Europe winning in dramatic fashion – taking its place among the most popular team competitions in all of sports.

Fast forward over 40 years. Jacklin settled in this Florida community between Tampa and Sarasota and Nicklaus went on to do great things as a course architect while his playing career was winding down. That’s when their paths crossed again, for the building of The Concession – a dazzling but challenging course that will soon host an event of its own to further rekindle that Nicklaus-Jacklin moment from the past.

This time it was Jacklin making the gesture, an effort to boost the image of a course that he designed in collaboration with Nicklaus. The new event is The Concession Cup, which is certain to become a nice addition to the world golf calendar. It’s in keeping with how the club was created in the first place.

“Jack was being courted to build a golf course, and I approached him with this idea,’’ said Jacklin. “His conceding that putt was a big relief to me, and it’s become a famous moment. It’s brought up at all the Ryder Cups.’’

Jacklin suggested a course named in honor of Nicklaus’ famous concession. Nicklaus liked the idea and eight years ago The Concession was built with the two playing an exhibition match that drew several thousand spectators in January, 2006, as the highlight of its grand opening.

While the layout is a “Nicklaus Signature’’ course, its scorecard notes that it was designed “in association with Tony Jacklin.’’ That was a concession on Nicklaus’ part, too. Jacklin found the land and would have been content if that was the end of his role in the course’s creation but Nicklaus didn’t want that. Jacklin (left in photo above) and Nicklaus made it a collaborative effort.

“Jack has done thousands of golf courses and I’ve done several,’’ said Jacklin, “but we did this one together.’’

The club has embraced the concession of ‘69 by using silhouettes of Nicklaus and Jacklin in its logo – one of the most striking in golf (pictured above) – and the two will be honorary captains at this spring’s Concession Cup, a new team event that will bring together the top mid-amateur, senior and super senior players from the U.S. and Great Britain/Ireland.

Nicklaus’ courses are all super challenging, and The Concession is one of only 12 courses in the U.S. with a slope over 150. The 7,474-yard (from the back tees) layout has a slope of 155. It was built over 540 acres, an extremely large land usage for an 18-hole course.

The course will complete a three-year agreement to host the men’s Big Ten Match Play Championship this winter and will host the NCAA men’s and women’s championships in 2015. It tried to land the LPGA’s Solheim Cup but was unsuccessful. The creation of the Concession Cup, though, will elevate the club’s profile and create a competition that might eventually be incorporated into the U.S.Golf Assn. schedule.

“We’ve been striving through the years to attract attention to our place through tournaments,’’ said Jacklin. “That’s not an easy thing to do, but we’re all very excited about this one. It’ll be a massive event.’’

The biennial match play competition will bring together the best mid-amateur, senior and super senior players from the U.S. and Great Britain/Ireland two weeks after the next Masters. There’ll be a practice round and opening celebration gala on April 29, a charity amateur event on April 30, nine foursome matches on May 1, nine fourball matches on May 2 and 18 singles matches on May 3.

While the competitors on both teams won’t be announced for a few weeks, the U.S. team will include Nicklaus’ son Gary along with top amateurs Nathan Smith and Vinny Giles. Paul Azinger, former U.S. Ryder Cup captain and a Concession member, will be honorary chairman of the event and ex-PGA Tour player turned golf commentator Gary Koch will emcee the banquet. He’s a Concession member, too.

Still seeking members, The Concession was named the Best New Private Course in the U.S. by Golf Digest in 2006 and its practice facility is one of the best in the world. Tour players Brittany Lincicome, Hollis Stacy, Sandra Gal, Dicky Pride, Scott Hoch and Andy Bean use it regularly and famed instructor David Leadbetter has declared The Concession his “home away from home.’’ He’s worked with his top players and given lessons there.

In late January Concession Cup officials made their first player announcement. Vinny Giles (U.S.) and Garth McGimpsey (Great Britain-Ireland) will be playing captains.

First players on the U.S. squad are Doug Hanzel, Savannah, Ga.; Chip Lutz, Reading, Pa.; John “Spider” Miller, Bloomington, Ind.; Pat Tallent, Vienna, Va.; Paul Simpson, Raleigh, N.C.; Danny Yates, Atlanta; and George Zahringer, New York. First GB-I players named were Ian Brotherston, Maurise Kelly, Adrian Morrow, Arthur Pierse and Andrew Stracey.

IT ZIEHMS TO ME: Rich sees long run for International Crown — and at his course

Jerry Rich’s dream took its first big step towards reality immediately after the 2013 LPGA season concluded Sunday with Shanshan Feng’s victory in the CME Group Titleholders tourney at Tiburon in Naples, FL.

That was the last event in which countries could earn points for participation in next year’s inaugural International Crown event. Rich (pictured below) was a primary force behind the International Crown’s creation, and his Rich Harvest Farms facility in Sugar Grove, IL., will host the second staging of the innovative biannual team competition in 2016.

Rich hopes the International Crown will be played at Rich Harvest many times after that, but first things first.

The first International Crown will be at Caves Valley near Baltimore next July 24-27, and the eight countries that have earned berths there are South Korea, the U.S., Japan, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, Chinese Taipei and Australia. That news shared the spotlight with Shanshan Feng’s winning of the $700,000 first prize at Tiburon – a prize twice that given the champion of the U.S. Women’s Open.

Rich was there to both see the Titleholders drama unfold and participate in the International Crown press conference with LPGA commissioner Mike Whan and top players from five of the countries who earned berths at Caves Valley. He described the announcement staged there as “magnificent.’’

“All the girls were so excited, but especially the Korean and Asian girls,’’ he said. “When you look at the top players in the world, 60 percent of them are from Asia. They’re so excited because they couldn’t get into the Solheim Cup.’’

The Solheim, staged successfully at Rich Harvest in 2009, matches players from only the U.S. and Europe. The International Crown will have eight four-player teams. The players will be decided on point standings after the Kraft Nabisco Championship ends on March 31.

Rich’s work on the International Crown started long before Whan announced its creation at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, FL., last January. Even before the event was made official Rich paid a visit to Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel, a non-golfer who had been on the job only eight months, to alert him about what was coming.

“It was important that I met with him then because he hadn’t made a decision on the Sport Festival that had been held at McCormick Place for 10 years under Mayor (Richard) Daley,’’ said Rich. “When Mayor Daley retired the event wasn’t done for a couple years, and we tried to bring it back for our kids.’’

Emanuel was all for that, Rich said, but he told Rich “it was all about money….He said `You raise half, and I’ll raise the other half.’’

Then the conversation quickly shifted to the International Crown. Rich gave Emmanuel a sneak preview well ahead of the formal announcement.

“He was excited, because Chicago has one of the largest ethnic populations in the world.’’ said Rich. “He said `This is the Olympics we never got.’ I hadn’t thought of it like that. We talked about how we could work with the city to energize its ethnic base, and we’ve done that.’’

Rich has done much more on the International Crown since then, breaking mainly for trips to watch his alma mater – Northern Illinois – battle for more football glory. He wants the International Crown to be a fixture at Rich Harvest, and doesn’t think that’s out of the question.

“The last four-five months that’s really all I’ve been involved in,’’ he said. “We’ve had countless meetings with various corporations. Three or four have expressed major interest, and I’d like to have one title sponsor for the whole thing. I can’t say too much right now but there’s a Chicago company that really wants to hit the Asian market. We’ll have more meetings the second week of December.’’

Whan knows of Rich’s plans and has been non-committal. And Rich, while sticking to his desire for a long run at Rich Harvest, could see a departure at some point as well.

“If we keep it in Chicago we might run four tournaments there, then bring it to Asia for one year and then bring it back here (to Chicago),’’ said Rich. “We need this in Chicago, because Chicago doesn’t have anything right now. The people there stood behind us for our Solheim Cup and, if we play our cards right in 2016, we’ll knock everybody’s socks off.’’

NASHVILLE, Tenn.: Hosting LPGA tourneys has benefitted Hermitage

OLD HICKORY, Tenn. – Hermitage, a 36-hole public facility on the outskirts of Nashville, Tenn., isn’t the only club to see a longstanding pro golf tournament leave its premises or disappear altogether.

On the PGA Tour, En-Joie Country Club in Endicott, N.Y., hosted the B.C. Open for 34 years – the last in 2005. Warwick Hills, in Grand Blanc, Mich., welcomed the Buick Open for 31 years before leaving in 2009. Oakwood Country Club, in Coal Valley, IL., hosted a tournament now known as the John Deere Classic for 24 years, until 1999. And another Illinois course, Cog Hill in Lemont, was the site of two big-time championships – the Western Open and BMW Championship – for 20 years. The Western was discontinued, and the BMW Championship moved to Chicago’s north suburbs this year.

From the LPGA side, there’s The Rail course in Springfield, IL. It was an LPGA tournament site for 30 years, the last being in 2006.

Golf tournaments come and go. With the courses that host them, it’s not like that. Most all of those former tournament sites are still around. They go through an adjustment period, of course. Owners need to re-position their course in the marketplace and re-invent themselves. Some might even be better off without the annual hassle a big tournament inevitably brings.

“Not having a tournament allows you to have open play three more weeks of the year,’’ said Katherine Jemsek, president of the family-owned 72-hole Cog Hill public complex. “There’s less disruption for regular players. Players with permanent tee times usually had to take at least one week off plus the week of the tournament.’’

In reality, the effect of no longer hosting a big event varies from course to course.

“There’s not a transition,’’ said Jemsek. “You just go back to doing day to day business. It’s just that you don’t have the excitement gearing up for a big event.’’

Mike Eller, the Hermitage owner, has gone through it all. He got into big tournament mode early. His first course hosted one of the LPGA’s most popular stops, the Sara Lee Classic, from 1988-2002. Hermitage wasn’t even open when Eller consented to host the tournament.

“Craziest thing I ever did,’’ said Eller, who was on the 17th green conferring with an agronomist when a Sara Lee official called. That was back in 1986.

“He said `We’ve chosen you,’’’ recalled Eller. “I jumped up and down coming out of the clubhouse, then looked around and realized we hadn’t even mowed it yet.’’

A few courses have landed big events before their official opening in recent years, but it wasn’t the same at Hermitage.

“Now they can get six years to make a course right,’’ said Eller. “Ours was a scary situation, but we worked hard and I had a very, very generous partner.’’

The late Ray Danner, who passed away four years ago, was chief executive officer and chairman of the Shoney’s and Captain D’s restaurant chains. Danner had no reservations about taking on such a big project immediately.

“He said `This course will be all right or chances are I’ll go broke – and I’m not going broke,’’’ Eller recalled. “The putty wasn’t even dry (on the clubhouse) when (the LPGA) pulled their trailers in. We’re really, really good at being faced with situations. We view them as opportunities and love making them happen.’’

The Sara Lee Classic had some great champions – Nancy Lopez, Laura Davies, Meg Mallon (twice), Annika Sorenstam – and was a big deal annually in a community then lacking in professional sports of any kind. The tourney thrived until Sara Lee dropped its sponsorship after a 12-year run.

“Twelve years with one sponsor, that’s a long time,’’ said Eller. “Like everything else, there’s times when you need to take a breath of fresh air to try something else. Even when they took the tournament to another course for a year, that didn’t bother us really.’’

Indeed, Hermitage did move on. That first course, now called General’s Retreat, was designed by Gary Baird. Now a Nashville resident, Baird came from California where he had worked for renowned architect Robert Trent Jones Sr. for 12 years. Hermitage was Baird’s first start-to-finish project and – at 6,822 yards — has been a fine course for both men and women.

Shortly before the Sara Lee Classic’s demise Eller added a second 18-holer, named President’s Reserve. Designed by Atlanta architect Denis Griffiths on three times the land used for the original course, this layout played at 7,157 yards when it opened in 2000. Like its predecessor, Hermitage’s second course has no housing but it does have 45 acres of wetlands.

“The land there is totally different (from the first course). It feels like it’s in South Carolina,’’ said Eller. “It offers the people here something that they’d have to travel a long way to find.’’

Golfers have traveled a long way to find Hermitage.

“Our business is broken down to one-third local players, one-third tourists and one-third corporate outings,’’ said Eller.

Apparently they like Eller’s most unusual feature. He has 25 sheep grazing on the two courses.

“I like things that are different, but not too far off the wall,’’ he said. “I was playing at Whistling Straits (a Wisconsin course that hosted the 2004 and 2010 PGA Championships and the 2007 U.S. Senior Open) and a sheep breezed right by me. I thought, this is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen. As soon as I got back home I started looking for some sheep.’’

He found some in eastern Tennessee and went with his wife to Virginia to pick up some more. The sheep have set Hermitage apart from other Tennessee courses, and they haven’t scared away tournament organizers, either.

In addition to the run of LPGA stops Hermitage has landed three national Executive Women’s Golf Assn. events on its original course and the LPGA Legends Tour staged its ISPS Handa Cup team event there this year. The layout, with its well-placed mounding, remains an excellent spectator course.

On the men’s side, Hermitage has hosted the Society of Seniors event and had feelers from the PGA Tour five years ago about holding a tournament on the newer course. Eller believes that’s still a possibility, but it’s not his primary focus for the future.

“Now we’re concentrating on adding a lodge,’’ he said. “There’s not a course in Nashville or in middle Tennessee that has one directly connected to a golf course. For that you’ve got to have 36 holes, and there’s not many of us around. We’ve got the property for it, and the perfect setting, too. It’d be great.’’

The return of the LPGA Legends is a possibility, too. The circuit for stars who have passed their 45th birthday contracted for one-year U.S. vs. the World weekend team match at Hermitage in October. It was deemed a success, and Eller told the post-tourney gathering that “It was such an honor to host….We love to have company, and you’re family. We hope we can do this again.’’

Hermitage took the Legends event at the last minute because Eller thought “this would really be fun.’’ It was — for the players, spectators and Hermitage staff.

“I didn’t realize how much I missed it until the tents started going up,’’ said Eller. “Then the ladies started coming in, and it felt great inside. It really did. They’re so approachable, and it’s amazing how they play. We’ve always had a great connection with women’s golf. It’s a natural here for us. It’s been a blessing.’’

IT ZIEHMS TO ME: Malm takes his talents to White Eagle

The best player in the Illinois section of the PGA is moving.

Curtis Malm, the IPGA Player-of-the-Year in 2012 and 2013 while an assistant professional at St. Charles Country Club, has moved to White Eagle in Naperville as the head professional.

Malm, who spent five seasons at St. Charles, won the Illinois Open as an amateur in 2000 and blossomed in the IPGA ranks with back-to-back victories in the section’s Match Play Championship at Kemper Lakes in 2012 and 2013. He was the first player in 25 years to win that title in back-to-back years.

The 2013 season also saw Malm match the Elgin Country Club course record when he shot a 9-under-par 63 in an IPGA stroke play event.

Hinsdale is focus of CDGA centennial

The Chicago District Golf Assn. announced its tournament schedule for its 100th season on Tuesday with Hinsdale Golf Club appropriately in the spotlight during the organization’s centennial campaign.

Hinsdale was the home club of Francis S. Peabody, the first CDGA president and the man credited with getting 25 area clubs together for the purpose of organizing in 1914. Hinsdale will host the CDGA’s oldest event, the Chicago District Amateur, from June 23-26, and also the newest one – the season-ended Centennial Founders Club Championship on Oct. 16. The Founders Club event is a team competition.

The other most notable addition to the expanded 60-event schedule is the CDGA Par-3 Championship, to be held Sept. 8 at Lost Dunes in Bridgman, Mich. The event was held twice as a CDGA Foundation event but is now part of the tournament calendar.

Former IWO champion is retiring

Allison Fouch-Duncan, the Michigan golfer who won the 2010 Illinois Women’s Open at Mistwood, in Romeoville, before moving on to the LPGA Tour, is retiring from the circuit.

She declared herself retired after a press conference to announce that her hometown of Grand Rapids had landed an LPGA tournament. The $1.5 million Meijer LPGA Classic will be played at Blythefield Country Club from Aug. 7-10, 2014. Fouch-Duncan is a member of the LPGA Executive Committee.

Did you know?

The Women’s Western Golf Assn. has set sites for its 2014 championships. The 114th Women’s Western Amateur will be June 23-24 at Lancaster (Pa.) Country Club and the 88th Women’s Western Junior will be at Knollwood, in Granger, Ind., from July 28-Aug. 1. Knollwood will host the event for the fifth time. Lancaster, one of the nation’s oldest clubs, was designed by William Flynn. His credits include former U.S. Open venues Merion, Shinnecock Hills and Cherry Hills as well as the Glen View Club, home base of WWGA president Kimberly Shriver and several WWGA directors.

Dan Tully, superintendent at Kemper Lakes the past 14 years, is moving to nearby Twin Orchard in Long Grove and Randy Wahler, the superintendent at Knollwood, in Lake Forest, for 33 years, has announced his retirement.

Emily Fletcher, the Big Ten women’s coach of the year in 2013, has landed two prize recruits from California. Sarah Cho and Hannah Kim are both ranked in the top 10 nationally on the Junior Golf Scoreboard. Cho is also ranked No. 1 in California and Kim is No. 3.

Jeff Perdew, general manager at Chicago Highlands, and two head professionals – Wade Gurysh of Knollwood and Nick Papadakes of Old Elm – have been elected to the IPGA board of directors.

Getting to Texas was a tough ride for Ghim

The top high school golfers from across the country made their college commitments this week in the NCAA’s early signing period. One of them earned his scholarship the hard way.

Doug Ghim, an Arlington Heights resident and senior at Buffalo Grove, landed a scholarship to traditional collegiate powerhouse Texas even though he didn’t play a round of high school golf the last three years.

“I don’t know if it’s unprecedented or not,’’ said Ghim moments before a ceremonial signing ceremony with his mother Susan and father Jeff (pictured above) at the Golf Nation indoor facility in Palatine. “I came out of nowhere. I had one great season and showed up at this level.’’

Ghim’s success came through American Junior Golf Assn. events rather than playing for Buffalo Grove. He played one season for the Bison, finishing third in the state meet as a freshman, then decided to go in a different direction.

As a sophomore he received a coveted invitation to one of the AJGA’s premier events – the Ping Invitational on Oklahoma State’s course in Stillwater.

“It was a difficult decision,’’ said Ghim. “In my freshman year I got invited to another invitational in Florida and gave it up. The Ping is one of the hardest to get in to. Everyone raves about it, but it overlapped with sectional qualifying for state.’’

Ghim thought it would be “insulting’’ to his high school teammates to leave the team at such a critical point in the season, so he spent the last three years competing solely in the big junior events across the country. It paid off when Texas, a school that produced such stars over the years as Ben Crenshaw, Tom Kite, Justin Leonard and – most recently – Jordan Spieth, noticed him.

So did other strong golf schools, and Ghim visited Northwestern, Illinois and Duke before choosing the Longhorns.

“The big reason was the weather,’’ said Ghim, coached only by his father since he was 5 years old. “I wanted to go somewhere where I could work on my game year-around.’’

Ghim’s Korean-born father Jeff teaches mainly junior players at Golf Nation and a variety of other Chicago area locations. Taking the national, rather than local, route in his son’s development wasn’t easy.

“We’re not very rich,’’ admitted Doug. “I’m very proud of our story. I never had the nicest golf clubs or best outfits. The only golf balls I had were the ones my dad and I fished out of the water. It was intimidating going into tournaments. I had to work twice as hard as the other kids.’’

The Ghims don’t have a home course. They looked for the best deals and played lots of twilight golf at the area’s public courses. Sometimes they’d get invitations to play at private clubs, but most of Doug’s development came via travel that included frequent trips during the school year.

“I hope my story will show to other kids that aren’t as fortunate that – as long as you have the will – you can make it to one of these big universities,’’ said Ghim. “They’ll call you, and you won’t have to call them all the time.’’

While Ghim opted to leave the state, both Illinois and Northwestern went largely outside Illinois with their early recruits. The Illini signed Glenbrook North’s Nick Hardy along with two Indiana players – Dylan Meyer of Evansville and Colin Proctor of Anderson. NU landed Charles Wang, of Sarasota, FL., and Dylan Wu, of Medford, Ore.