SILVIS, IL. — The John Deere Classic, Illinois’ only annual PGA Tour event, tees off for the 55th time on Thursday at TPC Deere Run with eight past champions, another eight among the top 50 in the Official World Golf Rankings and two of the top-four finishers at this year’s U.S. Open. Jordan Spieth,…
Author: lenz
Local tournament performances made up for a tough U.S. Open
Last week’s erf Open was a rousing success for champion Wyndham Clark, but not for Illinois-connected players. Only Adrien Dumont deChassart, who attended the University of Illinois, and Dylan Wu, a Northwestern alum, survived the 36-hole cut at Shinnecock Hills and neither was among the top 50 finishers. Amateur competition within the Chicago area was…
Jordan Thomas had an impressive Chicago Adaptive Open win
A guy named Thomas with the initials JT could well be a contender when the 126th U.S. Open tees off on Thursday at New York’s Shinnecock Hills course. The Chicago Adaptive Open already had a champion of that description when Jordan Thomas, a 37-year old Nashville, TN. resident, shot 70-69 in his two rounds…
The Landings will wow golfers with its numbers in Savannah
SAVANNAH, Ga. – The International Network of Golf scheduled its Spring Forum at The Landings Golf & Athletic Club. While it was a much different venue than the ones used in the past, the decision to go to The Landings was a good one for lots of reasons. A key word in describing…
Hardy makes it to the U.S. Open again
Northbrook’s Nick Hardy has had better seasons as a golf touring pro. The former Illinois star was a PGA Tour regular and even won a tournament – the Zurich Classic of New Orleans team event in 2023 – but he’s struggled this season on the Korn Ferry Tour. Hardy, 30, survived the 36-hole cut…
These Pinehurst upgrades extend beyond the golf courses
PINEHURST, N.C. – It seems like every time you visit the Pinehurst Resort you find something new. The resort’s leadership has never been reluctant to make improvements, but it’s gone beyond the norm this year. With all due respect to the well-received Pinehurst No. 10 course, the most notable change this time is on the…
The Landings makes this ING event even more special
SAVANNAH, GA. — Spring Forums were a fixture on the yearly calendar for the International Network of Golf starting in 1991. The first three were held in Hilton Head, S.C., and that’s not far from this week’s version in Savannah, Ga. This Spring Forum is different from all the others, though. The ING contingent…
JDC’s defending champion is playing through some pain
Brian Campbell is a month away from defending his title in the John Deere Classic, but a lot has happened to the University of Illinois alum since his playoff win over Emiliano Grillo last year at TPC Deere Run in downstate Silvis. The win there was his first on the PGA Tour, at the 2025…
Illinois State Women’s Amateur moves to Elgin CC
Very few of the big Illinois golf tournaments have undergone as many recent changes as the Illinois State Women’s Amateur. The downstate-based Illinois Women’s Golf Association conducted the tournament for 90 years, then passed it on to the Chicago District Golf Association in 2024. The tourney was played in a match play format through…
BOOK REPORT: An All-Star contribution to baseball history
Randall Sullivan’s “The First All-Star Game’’ (Atlantic Monthly Press) is aptly named. It is the story of the first baseball game between the stars of the National and American leagues that was played in 1933 at Chicago’s Comiskey Park. (As you might guess we’re venturing away from golf again to spotlight some outstanding writing…