Author: lenz

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.

Mistwood’s new Performance Center is spectacular

Mistwood Golf Club, the long-time Illinois Women’s Open site in Romeoville, closed early the last two years and opened a bit later than most of the other Chicago public courses this spring. Now those hard decisions, made by owner Jim McWethy and his veteran staff, are paying off.

The August closings in 2011 and 2012 enabled architect Ray Hearn to more easily put the finishing touches on his elaborate renovation work. The slightly delayed opening this weather-hampered spring was done for the same reason.

“Some areas held a little more water than we wanted,’’ said director of golf Dan Phillips. “We did some drainage work and some irrigation. We wanted to make sure everything was perfect.’’

Now it is.

Not only is the course – featuring 19 unique sod-wall bunkers – ready for a big season, but the long-awaited 5,000 square-foot Performance Center will soon become the talk of the Chicago golf scene. It is truly spectacular. There may be bigger practice facilities in the area, but there are none better. That’s why Mistwood is Chicagoland Golf’s next Course-of-the-Month.

Golfers managed a look at Hearn’s re-design last year and liked it. The IWO was even played there. This year those same golfers will be able to warm up at the new Performance Center and also stop there between nines or after their rounds, since the facility is also serving as a halfway house.

It’s not your average halfway house, though. It has a full-service bar and snack show along with eight televisions.

“We can put on anything we want,’’ said Phillips. “No one has done this before.’’

What McWethy has done with the entire Mistwood facility since taking over ownership in 2004 is extraordinary – especially considering the tough economic times that saw most courses cutting back rather than expanding. While Mistwood was a long-term project, McWethy also took over the former Ditka Dome in Bolingbrook, upgraded both the indoor range and restaurant and renamed it McQ’s. It lured golfers during the winter.

Work at Mistwood took much longer and isn’t quite done, though the parking lot has been doubled in size to eventually accommodate 240 cars.

Hearn was the course’s original designer before McWethy took over, and that finished project was well received. Golf Digest even gave the par-5 No. 8 hole a two-page spread in 1999. Hearn’s updates, done in the renovation, simply make for a better course.

No. 8 was lengthened from 552 to 590 yards, and the overall course grew from 6,702 to 7,028 yards from the back tees. The “new’’ Mistwood has a slope of 144 (up from 140) and a 74.7 rating (up from 73.0). While some holes (especially No. 3) have been given a new look and the new stone bridges at striking, the unusual sod-wall bunkers have been the most-discussed aspect of the course renovation.

Now the Performance Center is going to surprise its first-time visitors. Some of this year’s first ones thought it was a clubhouse. It’s that big and striking from along the entrance on Renwick Road. A new clubhouse, though, is just the next in McWethy’s plans for Mistwood. The Performance Center was a major project in itself.

“The planning took close to seven years,’’ said Phillips. “A lot of thought has gone into this project, and the architect (Elmhurst-based Dan Wohlfeil) hit a home run. We have a year-around facility now.’’

Not only are 11 climate-controlled hitting stations and two indoor/outdoor teaching bays heated for winter use, so is the cement floor. The hitting mats will always be nice and warm.

Most of the indoor bays won’t become a major factor until late fall. Of more immediate interest will be the expanded outdoor range.

“It’s really contoured now,’’ said Phillips. “It looks a lot like the golf course, with hills and bunkers. When you’re hitting into the practice greens it feels like you’re on the course.’’

While indoor space is available in case of inclement weather (mats in front of the Performance Centre are also an option), the outdoor range is as spacious as it needs to be for big events like the American Junior Golf Association’s Midwest Players Championship, coming June 17-20, and the IWO, which will run July 31-Aug. 2.

“Thirty-two spaces are available all the time,’’ said Phillips, “but we can have as many as we need to. We can get everybody on the range before our outings.’’

Make no mistake, though. The Performance Center is more than a practice range. In addition to the bar, snack shop and TVs the facility is equipped with high-tech teaching aids like Trackman ball flight analysis, SAM Putt Lab and Quintec ball motion putting analysis. There are also separate areas for custom club-fitting and club repair.

Club-fitting options include Fujikawa shafts. Mistwood is one of that company’s few dealers. Fujikawa produces one of the most popular shafts for tour players and doesn’t sell to traditional consumers.

Coinciding with the opening of the Performance Center, Mistwood added John Platt to its teaching staff. The Illinois PGA’s Teacher-of-the-Year, Platt joins Performance Center director Mike Baldwin and Chris Ioriatti as heavy-duty instructors. Phillips and Mistwood head professional Visanu Tongwarin also include teaching as part of their duties.

“As a whole, our goal is to offer a complete performance experience,’’ said Baldwin. “We can work on every aspect of your game. We can make any tweak from the club performance side and the player performance side.’’

While Platt focuses on tournament players and Ioriatti is U.S. Kids-certified, the Mistwood staff can accommodate all types of players.

“We try to create an overall experience that is memorable, makes you better and touches every level of performance there is,’’ said Baldwin. “And we want to have some fun doing it.’’

Johnson’s JDC title defense is almost as captivating as Stricker’s was last year

Clair Peterson, tournament director for the John Deere Classic, has felt blessed – and with good reason.

From 2009-2011 he had a very popular champion whose presence enhanced the interest in the JDC. Steve Stricker, from nearby Madison, Wis., tried to become only the fifth golfer in 140 years to win a major professional tournament four straight times last July. That made the 2012 JDC international news.

Stricker wasn’t successful in his bid for a four-peat, but the interest generated by his attempt led to the JDC raising a record $6.79 million for 493 local and regional charities. That dollar figure was a staggering $1.5 million over the previous high, and the PGA Tour presented the tourney with its Most Engaged Community Award for 2012.

Though Stricker won’t be playing for such a lofty spot in golf history, this year’s JDC – scheduled for July 8-14 at TPC Deere Run in Silvis — wil have a defending champion who is every bit as popular in the Quad Cities.

Zach Johnson dethroned Stricker, and no player is closer to the tournament than Johnson. He’s been a JDC board member since 2003 — his rookie season on the PGA Tour.

“We’ve had great story lines,’’ said Peterson, the tournament director since ’03. “Steve Stricker is a humble, hard-working guy who comes back for every media day. He made a tremendous title defense that wasn’t over until an hour before the finish on Sunday. And now we have Zach, a favorite son who has been with us through good and bad times. We couldn’t have scripted it any better.’’

Johnson’s connection with the tournament began the year before Peterson moved into his present position.

“In 2002 Zach, being from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, had a network of investors that lobbied for us to give this kid a chance.’’

Johnson was given a sponsor’s exemption that year, but didn’t survive the 36-hole cut. He asked Johnson for an exemption the following year, when he was starting his career on the Nationwide Tour.

“He called me Mr. Peterson then, and I told him we should be on a first-name basis,’’ said Peterson. The exemption was granted, but Johnson missed the cut again. He did, however, blossom on the Nationwide (now Buy.com Tour) and wound up that circuit’s leading money-winner.

That feat earned Johnson his PGA Tour card, and Johnson invited him to become a JDC board member. Johnson, armed with a business degree from Drake University in DesMoines, Iowa, has retained that role ever since and never missed the tournament even when it might have been to his own detriment.

In 2007 Johnson won the Masters and could have picked up a very significant appearance fee to play in a European tournament the week of that year’s JDC. He chose to return to the Quad Cities instead.

Even before that Johnson went the extra mile to help the event that he regularly refers to as “my fifth major.’’ When Vijay Singh, the champion in 2003, declined to appear at media day for the 2004 tournament Johnson stepped in.

“We didn’t know what to do, so we asked Zach to take on that role. Now, 10 years later, there’s a good bookend to that story,’’ said Peterson. Johnson, as this year’s defending champion, gets the spotlight at the next media day event this month (JUNE).

As a board member Johnson has recruited top players to the Quad Cities, John Huh being one of them for this year. Johnson was also instrumental in Peterson’s wildly successful decision to hire a jet to take players directly from the Quad Cities to the British Open instead of increasing the tournament purse.

Johnson advised the JDC was to hire the jet because “it’d make the players’ life easier.’’ In so doing, it greatly improved the field at the Quad Cities in its traditional dates the week before the year’s third major championship across the pond. In 2011 South African Louis Oosthuizen prepared to defend his British title by playing in the JDC instead of resting or playing in a European event for a substantial appearance fee.

Oosthuizen enjoyed his Quad Cities experience so much in 2011 that he used his prize money to buy a John Deere tractor for his family farm in South Africa. This year he’s returning to the Quad Cities with his father and father-in-law so that they can get the same tour of the John Deere plant that he received.

Johnson, of course, is no longer a resident of Cedar Rapids. He and his family (wife Kim, sons Will and Wyatt and daughter Abby) live in Sea Pines, Ga., where the weather is more conducive to year-around golf. Johnson’s parents, though, still live in Cedar Rapids and he’s been able to maintain his duties with the JDC board despite his PGA Tour commitments.

“Our board has 37 people overall and the executive committee has about eight people,’’ explained Peterson. “We meet once a month before board meetings and Zach calls in. He couldn’t possible be there.’’

But he has learned to play TPC Deere Run over the years. He finished second to Stricker in 2009 tied for third in 2011 before his breakthrough win last year. It came in a two-hole playoff with Troy Matteson, the clinching birdie coming when Johnson hit a 6-iron from 193 yards on the No. 18 hole to within inches of the cup.

That was Johnson’s ninth win on the PGA Tour. Stricker wound up fifth, tied with Luke Guthrie – another University of Illinois golfer who got into the tournament on a sponsor’s exemption. Stricker, though he’s playing a very limited schedule, will be back in the JDC field.

“I wasn’t surprised he wanted a limited schedule,’’ said Peterson. “He is focused first and foremost on his family, and being away from home so much truly bothered him. Financially he has been very successful, and making that decision took the pressure off him. He goes out when he wants, when he’s healthy and refreshed.’’

Even on a limited schedule Stricker has been very competitive in the tournaments he has played in. Maybe a Johnson-Stricker duel at TPC Deere Run will be in the offing. In the Quad Cities there couldn’t be anything better.

Wait to get into U.S. Open begins for Medinah’s Travis Johns

Sectional qualifying for the U.S. Open, aptly dubbed “golf’s longest day,’’ was especially long for the Chicago players hoping to land a berth in the Open proper at Pennsylvania’s Merion course in two weeks.

None made it through Monday’s 11 nation-wide 36-hole sectionals, and newly named Medinah assistant pro Travis Johns is the only one with even a faint chance of cracking the 156-man starting field at Merion.

Johns lost the second — and last — spot available in a sectional at Old Warson in St. Louis in a playoff. His opponent, Mackenzie Hughes – a 22-year old two-time Canadian Amateur champion – made par on the first extra hole to drop John into the first alternate spot. First alternates frequently make it into the field thanks to late withdrawals, so Johns still has a chance.

Hughes and Johns were both at par 142 for 36-holes at Old Warson, three strokes behind medalist Jay Don Blake. Blake, 54, finished second in the Champions Tour’s Principal Charity Classic in Des Moines, Ia., on Sunday.

Most of the Chicago players who survived the local qualifying rounds competed at Old Warson. Lake Forest mini-tour player Brad Hopfinger, who had the low score in Chicago’s two local qualifiers, was second alternate after posting 143. Reigning Illinois Open champion Max Scodro and Cantigny teaching pro Rich Dukelow were at 155.

Mixed results for the Illini

Illinois men’s coach Mike Small qualified for sectional play but understandably withdrew from the Old Warson elimination, citing fatigue after playing 22 holes. His Illini completed a spectacular season with a runner-up finish in the NCAA finals, which climaxed on Sunday in Atlanta.

The Illini, 4-1 losers to Alabama in the title match, had the best NCAA showing by a northern school since Minnesota won the title in 2002.

Two of Small’s former players now playing on the PGA Tour, Scott Langley and Luke Guthrie, will play at Merion. Langley survived sectional play in Memphis and Guthrie did the same at Columbus, Ohio. Guthrie needed a playoff to do it.

JDC lands 19 recent winners

Early commitments to next month’s John Deere Classic, the annual PGA Tour stop in the Quad Cities, included 19 winners of recent PGA Tour events along with at least 12 British Open qualifiers.

Tournament director Clair Peterson confirmed the entries of defending champion Zach Johnson and Steve Stricker, the winner from 2009-2011. Other recent champions in the field include Boo Weekley (Crowne Plaza Invitational), Kevin Streelman (Tampa Bay), D.A. Points (Houston), Derek Ernst (Wells Fargo) and Sang-Moon Bae (Byron Nelson Classic).

Among the other entrants are Nick Watney, Bo Van Pelt, Charles Howell III, Ben Crane, Mark Wilson. Louis Oosthuizen, Carl Petterson, John Hug and John Senden.

Did you know?

The top players from the Illinois PGA and Chicago District Golf Assn. will battle in the 52nd Radix Cup matches today (WEDNESDAY) at Oak Park Country Club. The six matches begin at 12:30 p.m.

The IPGA Golf Fest will run from noon-6 p.m. on Sunday at White Pines, in Bensenville. Cog Hill, in Lemont, will get a visit from the Ping fitting van from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturday and host its Couples Scramble tourney on Sunday over the No. 3 course.

Kris Yoo, a University of Wisconsin junior from Schaumburg, was awarded one of two exemptions to the Island Resort Classic, a June 28-30 stop on the LPGA’s Symetra Tour at Michigan’s Sweetgrass course.

Bob O’Link’s Gary Groh outlasted Ivanhoe’s Jim Sobb in a 21-hole final at the IPGA Senior Match Play Championship at Shoreacres in Lake Bluff.

Volunteers and pro-am participants are still needed for the Champions Tour’s new Encompass Championship, coming to North Shore in Glenview June 17-23. Call 847-904-2397 for details. The tourney also announced two more celebrity participants – new Bears’ coach Marc Trestman and Blackhawks’ announcer Pat Foley.

Chicago hopefuls talke U.S. Open dreams to St. Louis’ Old Warson

St. Louis was the site of the Senior PGA Championship, which concluded on Sunday, and it’ll also be the place of choice for the Chicago golfers who survived local qualifying for the 113th U.S. Open, to be played later this month at Merion in Ardmore, Pa.

Old Warson Country Club, in St., Louis, will have a 42-player field for a 36-hole elimination on Monday. It’ll be one of 11 such tournaments held across the U.S. on what’s known as “golf’s longest day’’ to determine the 156 starters at Merion. There were a record 9,865 entries for this U.S. Open and only 52 were exempt from the qualifying rounds.

Chicago has hosted a sectional every year for at least four decades, but not this time. That meant the 10 survivors of Chicago’s two local qualifying tournaments had to travel and Old Warson got the bulk of them. Newly-named Medinah teaching professional Travis Johns will be the first player to tee off there.

Also completing at Old Warson, a Robert Trent Jones Sr. design that opened in 1955 , will be Lake Forest’s Brad Hopfinger, the 2011 Illinois Amateur champion who was low man in the Chicago locals with a 66 at Northmoor in Highland Park on May 6; Illinois Open titlist Max Scodro; Cantigny teaching pro Rich Dukelow; 2008 Illinois Am winner Zach Barlow; and amateur Kenneth Li of Westmont.

They’ll have tough competition at Old Warson. Champions Tour members Mark O’Meara, Jay Haas and Jay Don Blake have also entered there. The number of qualifiers at each sectional hasn’t been announced, but those with the strongest fields will get the most.

Old Warson has hosted three previous U.S. Open sectionals, the last in 2004, but the biggest event held there was the 1971 Ryder Cup matches.

Double duty for Small

Last week University of Illinois men’s coach Mike Small was selected for the Illinois Golf Hall of Fame, but the excitement of that career achievement didn’t end there. His Illini won an NCAA regional at Fayetteville, Ark., and began play in the NCAA Championship at Capital City Club near Atlanta on Tuesday.

It’s Illinois’ sixth straight appearance in the NCAA finals, but the first time the Illini got there by winning a regional. The NCAA final extends to Sunday (JUNE 2) and if the Illini are still in the competition by then Small could have a travel dilemma.

He also survived local qualifying for the U.S. Open, having advanced through an 18-hole elimination in Noblesville, Ind. Small is entered in the Old Warson sectional. Getting an overnight flight from Atlanta to St. Louis might be possible but arriving fresh enough for a tense 36-hole day might not be.

Did you know?

The PGA Tour’s John Deere Classic has given a sponsor’s exemption to a college player – Iowa junior Steven Ihm. He’s also among the U.S. Open hopefuls competing at Old Warson.

Cantigny, in Wheaton, has added Monica Coleman to its teaching staff. She’ll be the staff’s performance coach.

The Chicago District Golf Assn. will conduct two qualifiers today (MAY 29). U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links berths will be on the line at Wilmette Golf Club and spots in the CDGA Amateur will be available at River Forest, in Elmhurst.

The Illinois PGA’s Senior Match Play Championship concludes Thursday (MAY 30) at Shoreacres, in Lake Bluff.

Shiloh Park, a nine-holer in Zion, will celebrate its 50th anniversary on Thursday (MAY 30) by charging $1 for a round of golf and another 10 cents assessment to offset the cost of installing a fence to enclose the course.

SENIOR PGA: Kohki Idoki overcomes three Champions Tour superstars

ST. LOUIS – Who would have expected this?

Three of the top stars in American golf were in position to win the 74th PGA Championship at Bellerive Country Club on Sunday. None did.

The first major title of the year on the Champions Tour instead went to Kohki Idoki, a 5-foot 5-inch 136-pound Japanese golfer whose professional record was as unimpressive as England’s Roger Chapman, who came out of similar oblivion to win both the Senior PGA and U.S. Senior Open last year.

Idoki, 51, won two Japan PGA Tour events, in 1990 and 1993, and took his first win on his country’s Senior Tour last year. Those credentials barely got him into the Senior PGA field for the first time, and his play was too good for perennial contenders Kenny Perry, Jay Haas and Mark O’Meara. All had shortcomings of one sort or another.

O’Meara simply started too far back. His closing 65 on Sunday matched Idoki for low round of the tournament, but he came up three strokes short of Idoki’s 11-under-par 273 total for 72 holes and finished solo fourth.

Battle-hardened veterans Perry and Haas just couldn’t cope with back nine pressure. Haas, playing on a course he knew better than any player in the field, made three bogeys in a six-hole stretch on the back nine. That killed his hopes to win the title a third time, but 54-hole leader Perry had an even bigger collapse.

He started the final round with a two-shot lead on playing partner Haas and was up three on the field with six holes to go. That margin disappeared in a hurry. When Perry made double bogey at the par-3 13th and Idoki made birdie at the 14th they were tied at the top of the leaderboard.

“Kenny and I got wrapped up in each other for awhile,’’ said Haas, “but after the 13th hole we realized it wasn’t just the two of us.’’

Idoki’s 15-foot birdie putt at No. 17 gave him the lead for good and Perry’s hopes of catching him ended when he made bogey at the par-3 16th and then put his tee shot deep in the woods at the par-5 17th. Both Perry and Haas made birdies at No. 18 to edge O’Meara out of a share of second but those birds were too little, too late.

The story was Idoki who won $378,000 in his first trip to the United States but couldn’t talk about it much. Neither he nor his translator could barely speak English. Playing in the U.S. was as big a mystery to the constantly smiling Idoki as he was to the American players.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen him hit a shot,’’ said Haas. `I don’t know anything about him.’’

Through his translator Idoki said he took up golf when he was 9 years old at a course in Osaka. Another Japan golfer in the Bellerive field, Joe Ozaki, has been his mentor in recent years.

“I prefer to just stay in Japan,’’ said Idoki, through his translator. “It’s one of the greatest things to become a PGA champion. I cannot think of anything more. I was surprised with the huge galleries on the course. I was very excited.’’

Idoki’s participation is uncertain, but most of the Senior PGA field is expected to compete in the Encompass Championship at North Shore Country Club in Glenview from June 17-23. It’ll mark the circuit’s first Chicago visit since 2002.

SENIOR PGA: Perry-Cochran scenario makes for a neat story

ST. LOUIS – It’s not unusual for the PGA to pair friends in the first two rounds of its tournaments. That’s why Kenny Perry and Russ Cochran played together in the first two rounds of the 74th PGA Championship at Bellerive Country Club.

The results, though, don’t always come out they did on Thursday and Friday. Perry and Cochran both shot 69 on Thursday and 66 Friday. They stand at 7-under-par 135 at the top of the leaderboard heading into today’s third round of the season’s first major on the Champions Tour, so they’ll be playing together again.

Cochran and Perry went to high school together in Paducah, Ky., They played the PGA Tour together, and now – in their fifties – they remain friendly competitors.

“It’s near when childhood friends pick up again on the Champions Tour,’’ said Perry. “We’re very comfortable together. We’ve had a lot of laughs and good times.’

“A great couple days,’’ chimed in Cochran. “Plus, my son (Ryan) was my caddie and one of my best friends, Freddie Sanders, caddied for Kenny.’’

Both players won on the PGA Tour in Illinois. Cochran, winner of the 1991 Western Open at Cog Hill, is 54 and two years older than Perry, winner of the 2008 John Deere Classic.

Perry plays right-handed and has had a slightly better professional career. He shifts between the PGA and Champions, and was in the field at the premier circuit’s Byron Nelson Classic last week. Cochran plays left-handed. Together they put on an annual outing for the course they grew up on, Paxton Park in Paducah.

Paducah is a three-hour drive from Bellerive, and Perry and Cochran had considerable friends and family members in their gallery as they opened a two-stroke lead on third place Kiyoshi Murota of Japan. First-round co-leaders Jay Haas, who grew up in nearby Belleville, IL., and Duffy Waldorf are three back along with Loren Roberts.

Haas, selected for induction into the Illinois Golf Hall of Fame earlier this week, has played Bellerive more than any of the 156 starters. His first-round 66 was a career best on the layout, which was the site of the 1992 PGA Championship and 2004 U.S. Senior Open.

“I was in a U.S. Open sectional qualifier here when I was about 16,’’ he said. “I’ve probably played 30 rounds here. I don’t know if that gives me an advantage. Maybe it let’s me know where to miss it on certain holes.’’

TRAVERSE CITY, MICH.: Two resorts have withstood the tests of time

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. – Golf course openings are rare in these tough economic times. Three decades ago that wasn’t the case, but none back then were as celebrated as Jack Nicklaus’ The Bear at Grand Traverse Resort.

Grand Traverse, then just five years old, took an extraordinary step when The Bear was ready for play. Virtually very member of the media covering the 1985 U.S. Open at Oakland Hills was invited to play the layout the day after Andy North won his second Open title, and most of them showed up.
That type of sendoff for a new golf course was unheard of, and media members from throughout the country found the layout appropriately named. It was indeed a bear.

The Grand Traverse tower over looks the humps and bumps of The Bear.

Over the years the course has been changed a bit, and Grand Traverse has undergone ownership changes. It remains, though, the heart of golf in the Traverse City area – and I consider that region the golf capitol of Michigan. Apparently I’m not alone. Golf Digest lists Traverse City as one of its Top 10 Best Buddies-Trip Golf Destinations this year.

Traverse City has grown considerably since The Bear opened. Now the area has 17 championship courses. The Bear is just one of three at Grand Traverse. Spruce Run, which pre-dates the resort, opened in 1979 as a Bill Newcombe design. Gary Player’s first Michigan course, The Wolverine, opened in 1999.

Now owned by the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, Grand Traverse has a 17-story hotel that features most interesting upscale dining (The Aerie Restaurant and Lounge) on the 16th floor and two casinos are nearby. Also new this year is an expansion of the golf teaching staff. Director of instruction Scott Hebert, lead instructor Terry Crick and assistant Charlie Hathaway have been joined by two new lead instructors – Randy Ernst and Adam Roades.

The Bear, still the toughest course in the area, was strangely bypassed as a site for pro tour events. A Senior PGA Tour event, the now defunct Ameritech Senior Open, was played there in 1990 before moving to Chicago for a 12-year run. The Michigan Open was played on The Bear for 28 years, and Hebert won it six times.

That tourney may have left in 2008, but The Bear has maintained its high profile without hosting an annual big event. In 2012 the Michigan Golf Course Owners Assn. named The Bear and Grand Traverse its Course-of-the-Year. That’s one lofty honor, given that Michigan has more public courses (768) than any other state. And, only two other states have more total golf courses. Golf is indeed big business in Michigan.

Traverse City golf, though, isn’t limited to The Bear and Grand Traverse. Shanty Creek, another long-time favorite in Bellaire, has four courses including two that have been widely recognized – Arnold Palmer’s The Legend (its popular par-3 fourth hole is shown above) and Tom Weiskopf’s Cedar River. The Bear and The Legend together started making Traverse City a significant golf destination. Now both United and American have direct flights from O’Hare to Cherry Capital Airport in part at least to accommodate golfers.

Shanty is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and Cedar River has long been one of my all-time Michigan choices. Interesting things are going on at another Shanty layout, though. Eight-inch cups have been added on all 18 greens of the Summit course, a move to make the game easier and encourage more people to give this challenging sport a try. A new set of forward tees, set at between 95 and 125 yards, have also been added to the layout, designed as a par-71 by architect William Diddel that plays 6,260 yards from its tips. This innovative moves are – at the very least – a good try to freshen things up a bit.

One of Traverse City’s other resorts, A-Ga-Ming, is also a multi-course facility. Located in Kewadin, it has three 18-holers.

Best of Traverse City’s other seven courses may be LockenHeath (a Steve Smyers design in Williamsburg that is the longest of the region facilities at 7,239 yards) or Manitou Passage, in Cedar, which offers great views overlooking Lake Michigan. The views are so good, in fact, that ABC’s Good Morning America named its Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore as “America’s Most Beautiful Place.’’ It was selected after judging 10 contenders that included spots in California, Hawaii and North Carolina.

Hallberg has been Chicago’s best ever home-grown golfer

No Chicago-born and raised golfer has accomplished more than Gary Hallberg, and now he’s coming back.

Hallberg was a state high school champion at Barrington, an Illinois Open winner twice, an NCAA champion at Wake Forest and the first player to earn PGA Tour playing privileges without going to qualifying school.

As a professional he was the PGA’s rookie-of-the-year in 1980. He won on the PGA Tour three times, the Nationwide (now Buy.com) circuit and the Champions Tour. He also won in Japan. Last year he was runner-up to Fred Couples in the Senior British Open.

About to turn 55 on May 31, Hallberg is a regular on the Champions Tour. He’ll be competing in the Senior PGA Championship, at Bellerive in St. Louis, starting on Thursday, and has entered the Encompass Championship, which begins at North Shore in Glenview on June 21. That event marks the 50-and-over circuit’s return to Chicago for the first time in 12 years.

Hallberg is happy to compete in Chicago again, though he’s lived in Colorado for several years. Born in Berwyn, Hallberg’s family lived in Park Ridge before moving to North Barrington in 1969. His parents still live there, and Hallberg’s heart has never left the area. He was back last week, in part for a practice round at North Shore before heading to St. Louis.

“My folks are here and my daughter goes to school here,’’ said Hallberg. “It’s my home away from home. I love to reminisce about the good days here.’’

His father George, a Swedish immigrant, introduced Hallberg to golf when he was 8 years old. His first round was at Rob Roy, in Prospect Heights. He developed his game playing the former Thunderbird (now Makray) course in Barrington and still holds the course record (a 64) at Stonehenge, the Barrington private facility. He also caddied at Biltmore, another Barrington private club.

“All I wanted to do back then was play golf,’’ said Hallberg. “If there was a patch of green grass I wanted to hit a ball off it. I developed an addiction to the game. I’d polish my clubs with a tooth brush.’’

The passion for golf has never left, though Hallberg is married with two grown children now. His son Eric, 19, is showing interest in playing golf.

“He wants to give it a shot, but it’s whatever he wants,’’ said Hallberg. “I stand back a little. It’s his journey. That’s what my dad did.’’

This Champions Tour season hasn’t been a rousing success yet. Hallberg’s best finish in a tie for 17th. But he’s well rested going into this week’s first major championship for the circuit at Bellerive. He’s also looking forward to North Shore, where he played several times as the guest of the club’s late long-time professional Bill Ogden.

“I feel prepared after a few works off to work,’’ said Hallberg, “and it’s fantastic we’re going to North Shore. I think we’ll get a great turnout.’’

More honors for Small

Life couldn’t get much better for Illinois men’s coach Mike Small these days. As a player he shot 69 and earned the last of four U.S. Open sectional qualifying berths offered in a local qualifier at Sangamore Club in Noblesville, Ind. As a coach, his Illini won an NCAA regional at Fayetteville, Ark., to advance to the finals starting next Tuesday (MAY 28)_in Atlanta.

To cap off the month Small was selected to the Illinois Golf Hall of Fame. The selection committee voted in Small, Champions Tour veteran Jay Haas and Bob Harris, former head professional at Sunset Ridge in Northbrook. Induction ceremonies will be held in October at The Glen Club in Glenview.

Another big event at Medinah

Medinah will never have an event as big as last fall’s Ryder Cup, but the club will host perhaps the year’s biggest charity event next Tuesday (MAY 28). It’ll include play on the famed No. 3 course, the Ryder Cup site.

The fourth annual Medinah Patriot Day will be played on both the Nos. 2 and 3 courses. No. 1 is undergoing a renovation supervised by architect Tom Doak. The event provides financial assistance to support Illinois military families.