Author: lenz

Jeray, Harris are U.S. Women’s Open hopefuls

This week’s golf, both nationally and locally, is all about the women.

The U.S. Women’s Open tees off on Thursday at Sebonack, a seven-year old New York course co-designed by Tom Doak and Jack Nicklaus. Meanwhile, the Illinois Women’s Amateur begins the match play portion of its competition on Wednesday (TODAY) and concludes on Friday at Cantigny in Wheaton.

Two Illinois players will be in the field at Sebonack. Nicole Jeray, the veteran LPGA Tour player from Berwyn, survived a May 5 qualifying session at Elkridge Club in Baltimore and Chelsea Harris, a former University of Iowa player from Normal, advanced at a May 14 sectional at Cantigny in Wheaton.

Harris, who earned her berth in a playoff, works with swing guru John Platt, last year’s Illinois PGA Teacher of the Year. Platt, now working out of Mistwood in Romeoville, will be Harris’ caddie at Sebonack.

Jeray, 42, regained her LPGA playing privileges this year and ranks 111th on the circuit’s money list with $20,670 won in 11 events. She came up one stroke shy of missing the cut in her last start – the Walmart Northwest Arkansas Championship that concluded on Sunday.

Inbee Park won that tourney and will be a heavy favorite at Sebonack when she goes after her fifth win of the season. Two of her previous ones came in LPGA majors – the Kraft Nabisco and Wegmans LPGA Championship. The last LPGA player to win three majors in a row was Babe Zaharias 63 years ago.

Park will try to keep her streak going in the tourney’s first visit to Long Island in its 68-year history. While Jeray and Harris are longshots, both are in select company. This year’s Women’s Open drew a record 1,420 entrants from 46 states. The previous record entry was last year, when 1,364 tried to get into the final at Wisconsin’s Blackwolf Run.

Fourteen of the 156 starters at Sebonack are teenagers, the youngest being Nelly Korda of Bradenton, FL. She is the younger sister of Jessica Korda, one of the 81 players exempt from qualifying rounds, and they are the daughters of Petr Korda, a former touring tennis pro who won the 1998 Australian Open doubles title.

Anniversary event for IWGA

The Illinois Women’s Golf Assn. will celebrate the 80th anniversary of its state amateur championship at Cantigny.

Qualifying rounds, played on Tuesday, placed the entrants in flights for the match play portion. Northwestern student Elizabeth Szokol, from Winnetka, won last year’s title at Ravisloe in Homewood, defeating Michelle Mayer of Illinois in the final.

Cantigny will host the Women’s Amateur for the first time. The men’s Illinois State Amateur was played there in 1996, 2002 and 2008.

Did you know?

The 94th Chicago District Golf Assn. Amateur runs through Thursday at Edgewood Valley, in LaGrange.

Thomas Pieters, who helped Illinois to a runner-up finish in the NCAA tournament in his junior season, has turned professional. He made his pro debut in the Scottish Hydro Challenge on the European tour.

Next month’s John Deere Classic will include young stars Justin Thomas, who helped Alabama to the NCAA title, and Patrick Rodgers of Stanford in its starting field. They received sponsor’s exemptions as did Jordan Spieth, who was invited to last year’s JDC and has four top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour this season.

The Golf for the Child outing, benefitting Court Appointed Special Advocates of Will County, will be played at Ruffled Feathers on Friday. Proceeds from the event will serve abused and neglected children.

Hinsdale’s Brendan O’Reilly lost a playoff with Daniel Wetterich of Cincinnati for the Boys Division title at this week’s Midwest Junior Players Championship at Mistwood. Bolingbrook’s Jessica Yuen was third in the Girls division of the American Junior Golf Assn. event.

NORTHWEST INDIANA: Opening hole provides spectacular start at Lost Marsh

HAMMOND, Ind. – The Lost Marsh golf course didn’t exist when I lived in Northwest Indiana from 1967-69 and was just getting serious about golf. What a shame!

Back then, while working for the Hammond Times immediately after finishing college, the courses of choice were Wicker Park – it had a player-friendly course, the best hot dogs in Indiana and a most friendly staff — and the much newer Scherwood, in Schererville. Then there was Woodmar, right next to Wicker, but it was a private club and difficult to get on.


Though Woodmar no longer exists — it was taken over for retail development in 2005 — this corner of northwest Indiana has many more golf options now. None, however, top Lost Marsh, which opened in 2003. It’s already hosted tournaments on the LPGA’s Futures (Symetra) Tour and gained popularity as a fine outings course after its spacious prairie-style clubhouse was completed in 2009.

Lost Marsh is operated by the Hammond Port Authority and its course was designed by Charles Howard. He isn’t very well known in the Chicago area since most of his creations are in Texas. Built on 330 acres of natural prairie, marsh and woodlands, the most striking feature of Lost Marsh is its No. 1 hole – a 340-yard par-4 (pictured above).

The presence of Lake George makes water a factor on the first four holes, but the island fairways and greens look is a particular eye-opener when you stand on the first tee. In fact, I can’t think of a more memorable opening hole in the entire Chicago area.

Lost Marsh isn’t very long – from the tips it’s a modest 6,803 yards – but the par-72 layout is tight and challenging.

There’s more to like about Lost Marsh than its championship course, though. There’s five sets of tees on the big course, but there’s also a nine-hole par-3 course and a First Tee program. The upscale clubhouse (pictured below) is one of the biggest and best of any at Chicago area public facilities, and the driving range has a heated indoor hitting area.

Plus, with Lost Marsh it’s location, location, location.

Outdoor enthusiasts can indulge in biking, hiking and bird-watching on its nature trails. In fact, a deer and two fawns crossed one fairway during this summer’s Concierge Outing, a shocker to me and my playing partners.

Nearby Wolf Lake provides canoeing, kayaking and paddleboat rentals. The Pavilion at Wolf Lake provides summer concerts, and the Horseshoe Casino is available for more nighttime pursuits. All are just a few minutes away from the course which itself is less than an hour’s drive from downtown Chicago.

All that tends to make Lost Marsh a tourist destination that just happens to include what its operators bill as “the finest public golf course in Northwest Indiana.’’ I can’t quibble with that claim.

ILLINOIS WOMEN’S AMATEUR: Youngest champion in 80 years is just 16

ILL. WOMEN’S AMATEUR: Youngest champion in 80 years is just 16

The Illinois Women’s Golf Assn. has conducted a state amateur championship for 80 years, and this year’s version produced its youngest-ever champion.

Bing Singhsumalee, 16, won the tourney in spectacular fashion, chipping in for birdie on the first hole of a sudden death playoff to defeat Lauren English, a University of Iowa junior from Bloomington, in the title match at Cantigny, in Wheaton.

Singhsumalee, a junior at Waubonsie Valley High School, chipped in from 30 feet on the 362-yard No. 1 of Cantigny’s Woodside nine. Her approach on the par-4 had come up short while English put her second on the green. English missed her birdie putt after Singhsumalee holed out, ending the match.

Singhsumalee took up golf at age 4 at Cantigny’s Youth Links and played there as well as on the 27-hole main layout regularly. The Naperville resident now lists Bolingbrook as her home course, however.

“It’s really fun playing with people older than me,’’ said Singhsumalee. “It’s definitely a new experience, because I’m so used to playing against players 17 or 18.’’

She was 1-up in the title match going to the last hole of regulation play – No. 9 on Cantigny’s Lakeside nine – but English stayed alive by rolling in a 12-foot downhill par putt after both players missed the green with their approaches at the par-4.

English was trying to join brother Kyle as a champion in a top Illinois amateur event. Kyle won the Chicago District Amateur at Medinah in 2011. Their parents, Mark and Mary, are both golf professionals. The Illinois Women’s Amateur will be played at Crestwicke in Bloomington in 2014. That’s English’ home course, and Kyle is now an assistant pro there.

Singhsumalee, shared medalist honors with 2012 champion Elizabeth Szokol, a Northwestern sophomore from Winnetka. Both shot 73s in the 80-player qualifying round.

Szokol was eliminated by Ember Schuldt, a University of Illinois player from Sterling, 3 and 2 in the quarterfinals and English ousted Schuldt 3 and 1 in the semifinals. In that match English made birdies on both back nine par-3s and ended the match with an 8-iron on the par-3 17th that stopped 18 inches from the cup. Singhsumalee earned her berth in the title match by beating 2011 champion Nora Lucas of Chicago 2 and 1.

Cantigny, which has hosted the men’s Illinois State Amateur three times, was hosting the women’s version for the first time and that helped Singhsumalee.

“I feel it was an advantage because I know the feel of the layout and speed of the greens,’’ she said.

ERIN HILLS: Wisconsin layout will be popular destination prior to ’17 Open

ERIN, Wis. – The hoopla was extraordinary when Erin Hills first welcomed golfers in 2006. The very upscale public course on the outskirts of Milwaukee was even awarded a U.S. Golf Assn. national championship (the 2008 U.S.Women’s Amateur Public Links) before its land was even seeded.

By 2009 – following an ownership change from creator Bob Lang to Milwaukee businessman Andy Ziegler, co-founder of the investment firm Artisan Partners — Erin Hills was named a site for both the 2011 U.S. Amateur and the 2017 U.S. Open. Frankly, I couldn’t understand why.

The par-3 ninth hole at Erin Hills (Paul Hundley photo)

The main reason, it seemed, was that Mike Davis – then the USGA director of competitions and now its executive director – saw great promise for the place. But, in my first three visits to the course, spread over several years, the layout seemed to be in flux. In fact, it was. Architects Michael Hurdzan, Dana Fry and Ron Whitten made renovations to the layout in 2008 and again in 2009.

“Blind shots were eliminated and a lot of changes were made to accommodate championship golf,’’ said John Morrissett, Erin Hills’ competitions director. A less significant tweak, the moving on the No. 3 green to the right, is coming next. Balls can roll on to the new green; they can’t now.

Even without seeing this next update, it’s clear to me what all the earlier fuss was all about. After playing the course the day after this year’s U.S. Open at Merion near Philadelphia, I can safety predict that Erin Hills will be a fantastic U.S. Open site in four years. You have my word on that, and I’ve covered 27 U.S. Opens live since my first one in 1973.

Merion, an old-style course with loads of history, turned out a better Open site than expected. Despite extraordinarily limited length by U.S. Open standards, it gave pro golf’s best players all the challenge they wanted. None broke par.

Erin Hills will, in many ways, be different than Merion. That layout in Ardmore, Pa., couldn’t even be stretched to 7,000 yards. Erin Hills was set at 7,760 for the U.S. Amateur and measures 7,823 from the current tips. That’s a staggering 800-yard difference or – to put it another way – two golf holes longer. And, I’m told there’s a set of tees – hardly ever used – that could provide a course measuring 8,300 yards.

The overall setting at Merion was cozy or cramped, depending on your point of view. That course was built on 110 acres. Erin Hills’ 18 holes are spread over 652.

The extra space can be put to good use, both historically and financially, if the USGA chooses to do that. Erin Hills’ 18th hole can play at 660 yards. If it’s set up at that length it’d be the longest hole in Open history.

More importantly, Erin’s acreage allows for many, many more spectators. Galleries had to be limited to 25,000 at Merion, unusually small for an Open venue, and more spectators means more revenue.

Erin Hills’ No. 4 is one of the best par-4s on the course. (Paul Hundley photo)

“Merion is certainly a gem,’’ said Jim Reinhart, general chairman of the 2017 Open, “but with its size there were certain restrictions. Our preliminary discussions with the USGA call for 45,000 per day and I know – with the enthusiasm of golfers in the Midwest – there’ll be a sellout.’’

My advice to the USGA and Reinhart on this issue is to openly go after a tournament attendance record. Shoot for 300,000 for the week. If ever there was a venue to do that, it’s Erin Hills. And, such a turnout would make a strong statement for golf in Wisconsin as well as the entire Midwest. The Open doesn’t come to the Midwest enough.

Erin Hills has room for much more than 45,000 each day. Medinah’s galleries for last September’s Ryder Cup matches were reported between 40,00 and 45,000 daily, and there was never play on every hole at any one time. That’s the nature of match play competition. During the U.S. Open all 18 holes will have golfers, as there’ll be 156 players on the course the first two competitive rounds. Erin Hills could accommodate well over 50,000 each day.

Reinhart is aware of the impact the 2017 Open will have on his state.

“The last 15 years a number of national and international events have come to Wisconsin, but we’ve never hosted our nation’s national championship,’’ he said. “We’re humbled to be given that honor. Some think we’re in the middle of nowhere, but we’re only 35 miles from downtown Milwaukee and two hours from Chicago.’’

One problem looms: the roads leading to Erin are mainly country roads. Shuttle buses will be an even bigger priority at the Open in ’17.

As for the course, the biggest change in Erin’s brief history comes at No. 7. It originally was a par-3 with a blind tee shot. Players were asked to ring a bell behind the green after completing the hole to signal the next group that it was safe to tee off. The bell is still there, but the par-3 is gone. It was combined with a par-4 to make for an excellent par-5 that plays at 605 from the tips. In fact, all four par-5s measure over 600 and the par-72 course carries a hefty rating of 77.9 and slope of 145.

With the historic Open closing in more and more players will come from farther and farther away to test Erin Hills. It was a busy place most of this spring, with greens fees of $200 (if you carry your own bag). Caddies – about 65 are available — are a must at this tricky walking-only course, however, so getting in a round is basically a $300 proposition.

While lodging looms a concern for the thousands of visitors for the ’17 Open, the club has developed some on-site options for this year’s visitors. There are three four-bedroom cottages with individual rooms and suites. There’s also fine dining in the clubhouse, which has been recently expanded, and post-round drinks can be enjoyed in the Irish Pub or on the Terrace Sports Lounge.

The U.S. Open goes to Pinehurst, in North Carolina, next year. Then it ventures to Chambers Bay, a newer facility in Washington, in 2015 and to long-time host club Oakmont, in Pennsylvania, in 2016.

After Erin Hills gets its turn the Open goes to three frequent Open venues – Shinnecock Hills in New York in 2018, California’s Pebble Beach in 2019 and New York’s Winged Foot in 2020.

“With all those names, it’s nice to have Erin Hills in the middle of that list,’’ said Reinhart. “The USGA chose Erin Hills because Wisconsin has been so supportive of major sporting events, both at the state and local levels. Plus, it’s been a long time since this part of the country had a U.S. Open.’’

The last one in the Midwest was in 2003, when Jim Furyk emerged the champion at Olympia Fields.

This latest revision of Erin Hills has not gone unnoticed. In August of 2013 Golf Magazine added the layout to its Top 100 Courses in the U.S. Erin Hills entered the prestigious ranking at No. 96.

ENCOMPASS CHAMPIONSHIP: Couples’ birdie blitz didn’t faze Stadler

Craig Stadler’s first Champions Tour win in eight years seemed a foregone conclusion for awhile on Sunday. After all, he had a five-shot lead after playing his first six holes at North Shore Country Club in Glenview.

That lead wasn’t so safe, though.

A combination of Fred Couples’ birdies and Stadler’s own shaky play turned the Encompass Championship into a gritty battle down the stretch, and Stadler’s win wasn’t assured until he rolled in a breaking 12-foot par putt on the 18th green to complete a sand save.

“I finally made one that counted,’’ said a relieved Stadler, who hadn’t even contended in a tournament since 2007. He underwent hip replacement surgery in 2010 and also had problems with his back and foot, but health concerns were only part of his problem.

Stadler’s game, once good enough to win the 1982 Masters, soured until he paid a visit to California-based swing guru Billy Harmon when he was on the brink of quitting. Harmon revived Stadler’s career by changing his setup, his alignment and his grip. In other words, it was a complete makeover that isn’t done yet.

“It’s been all new stuff now,’’ said Stadler, who turned 60 earlier this month. “It’s been about a six-week process of totally changing my whole golf game, revamping everything. I’m not sure this is the fruition of it yet, because I putted just phenomenally well until the back nine today. If I keep putting well it doesn’t matter how I hit the ball.’’

For a week at least, that mindset worked.

Stadler dominated Chicago’s first Champions Tour event since 2002. He was in a three-way tie for the first round lead, was two strokes ahead after two rounds and was at the top of the leaderboard throughout the final 18.

He made birdies on his first two holes on Sunday and added two more at Nos. 5 and 6. Then he had some shaky moments before he posting a 71 and a winning 13-under-par 203 total for the 54 holes. Couples applied the most pressure, making birdies on his first three holes and getting to 7-under for the day on the 14th.

David Frost, Bernhard Langer, Mark O’Meara and Hinsdale’s Jeff Sluman – one of Stadler’s playing partners in the final threesome – all had chances to catch Stadler but none did. That quartet ended in a tie for third, one stroke behind Couples.

Couples had the best chance to catch Stadler. He arrived at the 18th tee one behind Stadler, who had made bogeys at Nos. 12, 14 and 15 and was struggling four groups back. Couples put his tee shot in the fairway but his 9-iron second at the par-4 wound up in a green-side bunker.

“A pretty simple shot,’’ said Couples. “I call it a shank. It wasn’t very good.’’

His bunker shot wasn’t very good, either. “I just hit it too soft,’’ said Couples, who couldn’t save par and settled for a 66 – best score of the day.

Even then Couples still had a chance, and headed for the practice range to warm up in the eventuality of a playoff. That looked like a distinct possibility when Stadler’s second at the 18th also found a bunker. He got out, to 12 feet, and faced a left-to-right downhill putt with a six-seven inch break.

“It looked really familiar to the putt I made a billion years ago (actually 1992) at Akron,’’ said Stadler. “I talked to myself — `you made that one, make this one, what the heck.’’’

The putt went in for the ninth Champions Tour win of Stadler’s career and first since his marriage to wife Jan three years ago. “Her whole family’s here, probably 10 of them, so it was very special,’’ Stadler said.

From a previous marriage Stadler has two sons – Kevin, who plays on the PGA Tour, and Chris, who played football at Lake Forest College. Sunday’s win earned Stadler $270,000 from a $1.8 million purse.

“Craig made a few bogeys down the stretch, but clearly he was the class of the field,’’ said Sluman. “He played great, hit hit some wonderful shots, putted great. That putt on 18 was really, really important to him, and the crowd was pulling for him. I couldn’t be happier for him.’’

ENCOMPASS CHAMPIONSHIP: Stadler’s a surprise leader entering final round

ENCOMPASS CHAMPIONSHIP: Stadler’s a surprise leader entering final round

Who would have expected Craig Stadler to be the 36-hole leader of the Encompass Championship?

Well, certainly not Craig Stadler.

The veteran long ago nicknamed the Walrus hasn’t won a tournament since 2004 and hasn’t even been in contention in one since 2007. Three months ago he was on the brink of ending his long career as a touring pro. On Sunday, though, he will take a two-stroke lead into the final round of the $1.8 million Encompass Championship – the new Champions Tour event being conducted at North Shore Country Club in Glenview.

Finishing with darkness setting in on Friday, Stadler overcame a 3-hour 28-minute rain delay to post a 67, good enough for a share of the first round lead. He followed that with a scorching 65 on Saturday, a round in which he holed a 40-foot bunker shot en route to a 32 on the back nine.

Another usual back-in-the-pack player, Bob Tway, matched Stadler’s 65 and Hinsdale’s Jeff Sluman strung four birdies on the back nine en route to shooting a 66. They are two strokes shy of Stadler’s 12-under-par 132 total going into the final 18.

Stadler, the 1982 Masters champion, appears a man on a mission.

“(Golf) hasn’t been fun in a long time,’’ he said. “We’ll see what happens tomorrow, but it’s fun to make putts – and I’ve made a boatload of putts.’’

So what caused the sudden transformation? Sessions with swing guru Billy Harmon certainly helped. A desperate Stadler went to see him in Palm Springs, Calif.

“I walked out on the back range and Billy’s standing there,’’ recounted Stadler. “He said, `What are we doing?’ I said `You’ve got two days to either fix it or I’m done, very simple. He looked at me and said `Let’s go!’’’

And off they went. Stadler doesn’t think his game has been completely fixed yet, but quitting isn’t a consideration any more.

“Shooting in the 60s is a lot better than shooting 78s and 82s and 76s and 79s, which is what I’ve been shooting off and on for the last four-five years,’’ he said. “It got to the point, one, it was no fun, and two, it was getting to be embarrassing.’’

Tway’s 65 was a bit more spectacular than Stadler’s – at least at the end. He shot 6-under 30 on the back side and on the last eight holes he went eagle-par-par-birdie-birdie-birdie-par-birdie. The sizzling stretch ended when a 30-foot putt dropped.

Like Stadler, Tway – best known for holing a bunker shot on the last hole to take the 1986 PGA title from Greg Norman – was having his own frustrations before arriving at North Shore. They mirrored what Stadler has been going through.

“My game has not been what it should be,’’ he said. “Today was better. There has been some frustration, but I’m a whole lot more mellow now than I was when I was on the other (PGA) Tour.’’

Both Stadler and Tway won a major title in their PGA Tour days and both have sons named Kevin who are touring pros. Kevin Stadler in on the PGA Tour and Kevin Tway, the 2005 U.S. Junior Amateur champion, is playing on the Web.com circuit.

Stadler and Tway both are big fans of North Shore, an old-style course that some of the current Champions Tour players last tested in the 1983 U.S. Amateur.

“That shows how old we are, but we love it,’’ said Tway. “When everyone found out we were going to get to come here we were all excited. The course is in unbelievable shape.’’

“It’s probably got the best fairways I’ve seen ever,’’ said Stadler. “I played here a couple times when I was in college way back when. I absolutely love it.’’

Sluman, a leader in getting the Champions Tour back for the first time since 2002, made eight birdies while playing in the last group of the day with retired Bear Brian Urlacher. Urlacher chipped in twice, which was more eye-catching that Sluman’s steadiness.

“Just a good solid round, and I kept myself out of trouble,’’ said Sluman. “We just felt it was long overdue to get an event back in Chicago. We’re excited to be here.’’

The duel for the $270,00 first prize, to be awarded after Sunday’s final round, figures to be a tight one but the tournament within the tournament — the two-man pro-am team event that ended on Saturday – certainly wasn’t. The duo of pro Steve Pate and amateur Lee Tenzer posted a 25-under-par score for 36 holes and won by five shots.

ENCOMPASS CHAMPIONSHIP: Another Langer-Frost duel begins

A 3-hour 28-minute rain delay disrupted the return of the Champions Tour to Chicago on Friday, but it didn’t interrupt the season-long duel of the circuit’s two top players.

Bernhard Langer, the season money leader and No. 2 in the season-long battle for the coveted Charles Schwab Cup, posted a 5-under-par 67 at North Shore Country Club in Glenview to share the first-round lead with Duffy Waldorf and Craig Stadler.

Meanwhile, David Frost, the Schwab Cup leader and No. 2 on the money list — $50,084 behind Langer though playing one less event, is just one stroke back at 68. He’s in a tie for third with, among others, long-time Burr Ridge resident Jeff Sluman and Gary Hallberg, who grew up in Barrington.

Frost was in the clubhouse before storms and lightning halted play at 12:22 p.m. Waldorf had one hole to go and Langer two. Waldorf returned to the course and made bogey on his final hole to be the first in at 5-under.

“Obviously I would have liked to have finished (before the delay),’’ said Waldorf. “It would have been a big difference. Usually when you’re playing well you definitely want to keep playing. When we warmed up the wind was blowing like 25 miles an hour on the range, and we’re thinking, `What’s going to happen?’’’

Langer wasn’t as concerned.

“Even though it was a fairly long break, the good thing is we knew we were only going to play two more holes, so it was only three full swings,’’ said Langer. He parred in to match Waldorf. Stadler took an opposite route to the top of the leaderboard. He played most of his holes after the delay and finished just before darkness halted play.

Sluman, paired with Brian Urlacher in the two-man team event that concludes with Saturday’s (TODAY) second round, was on the 14th tee when play was stopped because of the bad weather. He and Urlacher spent a good portion of the delay talking to the media, during which Urlacher said he had no plans after his retirement from the Bears but had no intention of playing again.

Urlacher said he’s been playing plenty of golf since his retirement announcement. It showed when he rolled in a 40-foot par putt on the second hole, but he four-putted two holes later.

“I still get into trouble a lot, but I enjoy (golf),’’ he said. “I have more time to practice now, so I should get better.’’

“He’s got a lot of ability because he can turn his body really quick and he has great hands,’’ said Sluman. “If he keeps playing, he’ll be a mid to low 70s shooter.’’

Sluman parred on his first hole after the delay and made birdie on the second, but he couldn’t get another one and settled for a spot one stroke off the lead.

Because of the lengthy delay some players couldn’t complete the first round. Those who didn’t will finish it prior to the start of Round 2.

“The course took the water very well,’’ said Langer after eight-tenths of an inch of rain softened the course. “I was surprised because it drained so well.’’

The team event ends on Saturday. Only the 81 professionals will play on Sunday when the $1.8 purse is distributed. The champion will receive $270,000.

ENCOMPASS CHAMPIONSHIP: Irwin aims for sixth victory on Chicago courses

No golfer ever has had the success that Hale Irwin has enjoyed on Chicago courses. Not Fred Couples, not Mark O’Meara, not Bernhard Langer, not Tom Lehman, not even Illinois Golf Hall of Famer Jay Haas or Nick Price – the last winner of back-to-back Western Opens at Cog Hill back in the early 1990s.

All of them will be trying to put a damper on Irwin’s extraordinary four decades of success here starting Friday when the 54-hole Encompass Championship tees off at North Shore Country Club in Glenview.

Irwin won at Butler National (1975 Western Open), Medinah (1990 U.S. Open), Stonebridge (1997 Ameritech Senior Open) and Kemper Lakes (1998 and 1990 Ameritech Senior Opens). Like the three ASOs, the Encompass is part of the Champions Tour and the $1.8 million event is the circuit’s first in the Chicago area since 2002.

The 50-and-over circuit’s return was due in part to campaigning by a group of players that included Irwin, who met with North Shore’s members as part of the negotiation process.

“I’ve always loved Chicago. It’s a great sports town, and we’ve had great success here with golf tournaments,’’ said Irwin. “Coming to North Shore, all the players are very impressed with the golf course…..This tournament is going to rank in the top five or 10 right now and, with a successful week of golf, it’s going to rise very rapidly to the top of the heap, one of the best we have out here.’’

Irwin’s no kid anymore, not even by Champions Tour standards. Once the circuit’s dominant player, he’s 68 now with a family that includes three grandchildren. He belongs to clubs in St. Louis and Arizona but uses them basically for practicing. Other than his tour appearances, Irwin’s golf is not the high priority it once was.

“I do spend a little time on keeping my game relatively current,’’ he said. “I don’t let it go completely.’’

But, the likely winners of this first Encompass Championship in Chicago (it made its debut last year in Tampa, Fla.), would seem to be David Frost or Langer, the circuit’s only two-time champions this season. John Cook, third behind those two on the circuit’s Charles Schwab Cup point standings, should also contend.

Couples and Kenny Perry, who split time between the Champions and PGA tours, are also in the mix along with Jeff Sluman, who has long called Burr Ridge his home base.

All 81 starters will be paired with an amateur for two days of team competition – a tournament within the tournament. There’ll also be a celebrity component, though one of the originally announced celebs – Scottie Pippen – withdrew on Thursday.

Pro-celebrity pairings, announced Thursday, have Larry Mize with Bears’ coach Marc Trestman, Couples with Toni Kukoc, Sluman with Brian Urlacher, Craig Stadler with Joe Theismann, Chien Soon Lu with Jay Hilgenberg, D.A. Weibring with Robbie Gould, Mark Brooks with Jack O’Callahan, Bobby Wadkins with wounded warrior Chad Watson and Don Pooley with Pat Foley.

Couples thought he might be paired with Michael Jordan.

“He’s out of town,’’ said Couples. “I asked Bo Jackson, but he’s got his charity event on Saturday. Michael gave me couple suggestions and Jeff Sluman put me in touch with Toni, so I’m excited. I’ve never met him, but I’ve seen him play basketball.’’

Kukoc took up golf as his NBA career was winding down and will be – at 6-11 and a left-handed golfer – a striking figure on the course. He also can play. Last year he was the club champion at Twin Orchard in Long Grove.

As far as the pro ranks go, the only notable late withdrawal was Fuzzy Zoeller and the only notable non-entry was Tom Watson. Otherwise the Encompass field is loaded with the sport’s stars of the past. Play begins at 7:15 a.m. with the last group going off at 1:34 p.m.

Nick Price returns to Champions Tour at Encompass event

Some of Nick Price’s best days in a Hall of Fame career on the PGA Tour came in Chicago, when he won back-to-back Western Opens at Cog Hill in 1993 and 1994.

Price’s participation in this week’s new Encompass Championship is big news on the Champions Tour simply because he’s playing again. He hasn’t competed on the 50-and-over circuit since last August when he suffered a torn ligament in his left elbow.

His return comes at North Shore Country Club in Glenview, in the second of three new tournaments on the Champions Tour schedule. One of eight former Western champions in the field, Price will hit his first shot in Thursday’s pro-am. There’ll also be a day-long pro-am on Wednesday (TODAY), and among the players in it will be Bob Gilder – winner of the circuit’s last Chicago event, at Harborside in 2002.

The Encompass’ 54-hole main event begins on Friday with a new look from the circuit’s previous Chicago visits. In the first two rounds the 81 pros will be paired with an amateur in a two-man, two-day team event. The amateurs include a few celebrity types – Bears’ kicker Robbie Gould; retired football stars Joe Theismann and Brian Urlacher; ex-Bulls Scottie Pippen and Toni Kukoc; new Bears’ coach Marc Trestman; Jack O’Callahan, who played for the Blackhawks after helping the U.S. won an Olympic hockey gold medal in 1980; wounded warrior Chad Watson and Hawks’ broadcaster Pat Foley.

Only the pros will be on the course on Sunday when the $1.8 million purse will be distributed, with the champion receiving $270,000.

Nine winners from the Champions Tour’s first 10 tournaments of 2013 are in the field, including David Frost and Bernhard Langer – the only two-time champions. They also rank 1-2 in the circuit’s season-long Charles Schwab Cup standings.

Champions from Chicago’s golfing past will be headed by Hale Irwin, who won five times on area courses – the 1975 Western Open at Butler National, the 1990 U.S. Open at Medinah, the 1995 Ameritech Senior Open at Stonebridge and the 1998 and 1999 ASO at Kemper Lakes.

Irwin, Langer and Price are among seven Hall of Famers in the field, the others being Fred Couples, Tom Kite, Ben Crenshaw and Sandy Lyle. In addition to Irwin and Price the Western Open winners competing at North Shore include Tom Kite (1986), Crenshaw (1992), Scott Simpson (1980), D.A. Weibring (1987), Wayne Levi (1990) and Russ Cochran (1991).

Another former Chicago winner, John Riegger, will make his Champions Tour debut at North Shore after just reaching his 50th birthday. He won the 2007 LaSalle Bank Open on the Nationwide (now Web.com) Tour.

He’s a player again

Lance Ten Broeck learned his golf on Chicago’s South Side and won on the PGA Tour before switching from player to caddie. As Jasper Parnevik’s long-time bag-toter Ten Broeck rarely competed as a player, but he’ll be in the field this week. He shot 68 in Monday’s open qualifying round at Deerfield to earn a spot among five survivors. Tim Matthews was low man with a 66.

Ten Broeck isn’t the only player giving the Encompass some local flavor. Jeff Sluman, Gary Hallberg and Chip Beck – all Champions Tour regulars – are also entered.

Did you know?

The Illinois Women’s Amateur makes a rare Chicago appearance next week. The 80th version of the event will begin a four-day run on Tuesday (JUNE 25) at Cantigny in Wheaton.

Samantha Troyvanovich has made a verbal commitment to defend her Illinois Women’s Open title at Mistwood next month. She’s competing in the Women’s Western Amateur this week in Dayton, Ohio.

Steven Ihm, the first University of Iowa golfer to be awarded a sponsor’s exemption to the PGA Tour’s John Deere Classic, just captured the prestigious Sunnehanna Amateur title in Pennsylvania.

Pat Rollins, the Lombard police officer who got a confused Rory McIlroy to last September’s Ryder Cup singles matches at Medinah in the nick of time, has been named police chief in Sugar Grove.

Wilson Sporting Goods will host Mike Small Day festivities June 28 at Stone Creek in Urbana.

Couples, Lehman, two ex-Bulls give Encompass plenty of star power

Everything’s coming together for next week’s Encompass Championship at North Shore Country Club in Glenview.

Fred Couples and Tom Lehman have formally entered the first Champions Tour stop in Chicago since 2002, assuring the event one of the strongest fields on the 50-and-over circuit. The 81 starters include all of the top 10 on the circuit’s season money list and 28 of the top 30.

“There’s been a big change on the Champions Tour since 2002,’’ said tournament director Mike Galeski. “Ten-fifteen years ago there were a bunch of old, fat guys but these players today play quite well and they’ll be playing on a course that’s easy to walk around. People can get real close to these guys.’’

The only notable absentee from the commitment list is Tom Watson who won three Western Opens at Chicago courses during his career on the PGA Tour.

Galeski also announced two more of the 10 celebrity participants, who will be in the two-day pro-am on June 21-22. Bulls’ legends Scottie Pippen and Toni Kukoc will be among the celebs paired with one of the Champions Tour players in the tournament within the tournament. Only the 81 pros will play on Sunday, June 23, the final day of the $1.8 million event.

Encompass Championship preliminaries begin on Friday (JUNE 14), with a pre-qualifying round for Illinois PGA players at Deerfield Golf Club. The survivors of that elimination will advance to the final qualifying on Monday, also at Deerfield. In that one they’ll battle Champions Tour members who didn’t qualifying for the starting field on past performance. Among that batch are veteran touring pros Fulton Allem, Tom Byrum, T.C. Chen, Trevor Dodds, Blaine McCallister and David Peoples.

Many of the players won’t be in a hurry to leave Chicago after the Encompass ends. They’ll stay for a June 24 qualifying round for the U.S. Senior Open at Ruth Lake in Hinsdale. The U.S. Golf Assn., which conducts the Senior Open, has reported that a Chicago player – 58-year old Burr Ridge amateur Brian Gold – was the first entry nation-wide for that national championship.

Meierdierks, Affrunti enjoy breakthroughs

Wilmette’s Eric Meierdierks and Crystal Lake’s Joe Affrunti – both former Illinois Open champions — used last week’s St. Jude Classic in Memphis to jump-start their PGA Tour seasons.

Meierdierks, making his third cut in 12 starts, had a third-round hole-in-one en route to finishing in a tie for 35th place. Despite a final-round 75, that was a career best finish for the PGA Tour rookie and his $28,714 paycheck boosted his season earnings to $51,159.

Affrunti made his first PGA Tour start after a lengthy rehab from major shoulder surgery. He suffered a torn labrum on his left shoulder in June, 20ll, and was on medical leave for eight months. Affrunti had played on the Web.com Tour in the late stages of his rehab and made four cuts in eight starts on the satellite circuit before tying for 47th at Memphis and earning $15,333.

Though they’ve earned PGA Tour playing privileges, Meierdierks and Affrunti have had trouble getting into events. Neither qualified for this week’s U.S. Open but could make the field for next week’s Travelers Championship in Hartford, Ct.

Did you know?

Rich Harvest Farms owner Jerry Rich will host still another big event. The Palmer Cup, pitting the best college golfers from the U.S. and Great Britain-Ireland, will be played at the Sugar Grove course in 2015.

Hall of Famer Ben Crenshaw, among the Encompass entrants, will conduct a short-game clinic at Bolingbrook Golf Club at 3 p.m. next Tuesday (JUNE 18).

The Golf for the Child Classic, a fund-raiser for Court Appointed Special Advocates of Will County that serves abused and neglected children, will be held at Ruffled Feathers in Lemont on June 28.

The next Illinois Golf Hall of Fame induction – honoring Jay Haas, Mike Small and Bob Harris – has been set for Oct. 25 at The Glen Club in Glenvew.

The Golf Scene, hosted by Steve Kashul on Comcast SportsNet Chicago, begins its 20th season this week. It’s the longest-airing local golf show in the United States.