Author: lenz

Three stops to remember at Myrtle Beach courses

Flags greet visitors when they arrive at World Tour Golf Links, Myrtle Beach’s most unique course.

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – This South Carolina golf hotbed has been at least an annual stop for the last 13 years, but our latest visit was different than all the others. Our travel writing itinerary called for stops at three courses – one on the south side of town (Caledonia), one centrally located (World Tour Golf Links) and one on the north end (Barefoot’s Love Course).

There were other aspects that made this one special. In Caledonia we returned to one of the most decorated of Myrtle Beach’s nearly 100 courses.  In World Tour Golf Links we uncovered a course that we had not even heard of prior to this year’s visit, and in the Love Course we got our first good taste of a four-course facility that holds a unique place in golf history.

As you might imagine, all three have their own story to tell.

Caledonia offers a tough approach to the 18th green — a carry over high bushes and water in full view of the diners at the clubhouse.

CALEDONIA – With sister course True Blue standing nearby this golf opportunity is unmatched in South Carolina’s Grand Strand area.  All the major golf publications have recognized the beauty of Caledonia, to say nothing of the good food served in its clubhouse.

The late Mike Strantz designed the layout officially known as the Caledonia Golf & Fish Club on Pawleys Island. It was named Golf Digest’s Best New Course of 1997.  Strantz, who was based in South Carolina and succumbed to cancer at age 50 in 2005, also designed True Blue and Tobacco Road, another well-regarded Carolina layout.

I find it hard to pick a course better than Caledonia in the Myrtle Beach area, but a survey of club professionals was conducted two years ago and Caledonia was ranked second behind the Dunes Club.

Caledonia was on our schedule in the early years of our Myrtle Beach visits, but we hadn’t been back for at least six years. In the early years we loved it, even when we had rounds in difficult weather.  This time we had an early morning teeoff in bright sunshine – and the course seemed even nicer than it was in our early visits. Given all that has happened in the golf world in recent years, we found that a most pleasant surprise.

Oak trees, dripping in Spanish moss, line the cart paths at Caledonia.

WORLD TOUR GOLF LINKS – The concept is the story at this one, and North Carolina golf course architect Melvin Graham had a good one.  Originally he had three nines – the Open 9, which includes holes inspired by the U.S. and British national open championships; the Championship 9, so named because the holes were inspired from courses that have hosted the Masters, U.S. Open, PGA Championship and British Open; and the International 9, which no longer exists.

Graham’s project was eight years in the planning stages before he opened it as a 27-hole facility in 1999. The 18 holes in operation now come from 14 courses in three countries and nine states. Playing this course helps a player dream about what playing these famous courses would be like, and the plaques on each hole also provide historical anecdotes of events that occurred on the original versions.

I’ve played six of the holes and seen many of the others on the televised championships. Some of the holes might seem a bit of a stretch, compared to the real ones, but the opportunity to make birdie on the replica of the par-3 sixteens at Augusta National (which one of my playing partners did) was a thrill that would be hard to duplicate with a birdie on just another course.

Augusta National, home of the Masters, has four holes one Graham’s nines – No. 16 is the seven on the Open 9 and No. 11 is No. 4 No. 12 is No. 5 and No. 13 is No. 6 on the Championship 9. Storied St. Andrews has two holes and the others come from Pinehurst No. 2, TPC Sawgrass, Colonial, English Turn, Pine Valley, the National Country Club of Canada, Winged Foot East, Cypress Point, Royal Troon, Olympic Club, Oakmont and Bay Hill.

Maybe you wonder about the selection of a few of them – I certainly did – playing them all created a fun experience.

Davis Love created the ruins of an antebellum plantation as a special feature at Barefoot Resort.

BAREFOOT’S LOVE COURSE – We had a round on this layout because we were   that the Love Course is the most popular of the four at Barefoot Resort. I still can’t get over what happened when this one was created.

The four courses were designed by Love, Greg Norman, Tom Fazio and Pete Dye. We can’t judge which is the hardest, the easiest or the best because we played only one.  However, they were all designed as championship layouts so they should be tough.  I know the Love Course certainly was.

Love gave this one a special touch to what is considered his breakthrough architectural creation. He did that by creating  faux ruins of an antebellum plantation around the Nos. 4 and 6 greens.

What’s even more amazing is that all four Barefoot courses opened together on April 13, 2000. Such a feat was never done before and hasn’t been done since in American golf. I can’t imagine it ever being done again, and the courses are all still going strong.

 

`The Longest Day in Golf’ is approaching for U.S. Open hopefuls

 

Nick Hardy, a PGA Tour rookie, hopes to qualify for his fourth U.S. Open next week. (Rory Spears photo)

`The Longest Day in Golf’ is fast approaching for U.S. Open hopefuls.

The golf focus for this week could be on the PGA Tour’s Memorial tournament in Ohio or the U.S. Women’s Open in North Carolina.  For Chicago followers, though, it should be on Monday’s U.S. Open sectional eliminations. They will determine the last players to get into the 156-man starting field in the June 16-19 U.S. Open proper at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass, and at least 15 locals are still alive.

The qualifying procedure is complicated. There are eight sectional eliminations on Monday to determine the final berths at Brookline.  The field there has 96 players who are exempt through various categories determined by the U.S. Golf Association.  Virtually all the rest will be decided in Monday’s 36-hole sectionals, which is why that day is annually dubbed “the longest day in golf.’’

This year’s U.S. Open had 8,880 entries, and 530 advanced through the 109 local eliminations held across the country. Some players, notably Chicago products Nick Hardy and Vince India, could bypass the local qualifiers because of their world ranking points.  Both have to survive the sectional stage to play at Brookline, however.

There are 871 players in the sectional eliminations, and only about 60 will get tee times at Brookline. All the sectionals are different.  The number of entries and the USGA’s perception of the strength of field will determine how many advance at each site.

The USGA hasn’t revealed who will compete, or where, but the strongest sectional is always in Columbus, Ohio, where the non-exempt PGA Tour players generally gather a day after the Memorial concludes its 72-hole run at Muirfield Village in suburban Columbus, Ohio.

Hardy, a University of Illinois alum from Northbrook, is in his rookie season on the PGA Tour.  He showed he’s recovered from a wrist injury when he was the runner-up on Sunday in the Korn Ferry NV5 Invitational at The Glen Club, in Glenview. He needed to rest the wrist for a month after finishing in a tie for 21st at the PGA’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans team event. The Glen Club tourney was the start of Hardy’s comeback.

“At the start of the week I didn’t even know if I could tee off on Thursday,’’ said Hardy.  “The layoff changed my perspective.  I had too many thoughts.  The layoff told me `I’m good at this game.’ Now my focus is the best I’ve ever had.’’

He’s already qualified for three U.S. Opens, finishing tied for 52nd in 2015 at Chambers Bay and missing the cut in 2016 and 2019 before earning his PGA Tour card last year. Hardy is poised to play in the Open again.

“I’ll go to Ohio for the U.S. Open sectional, then the Canadian Open, then the Country Club,’’ he said.

India, 33 and still working for PGA membership on the Korn Ferry circuit,  is going to skip the  Korn Ferry event in Raleigh, N.C., this week to make a return to Open sectional qualifying.  He has focused on tour events in recent years, but not this time.

Otherwise Chicago-connected players in Monday’s sectionals got there through local qualifying, and 15 did it. Aurora’s Bryce Emory, a Northern Illinois alum, was low man at a local at Cantigny in Wheaton.  Tommy Kuhl, a veteran on the University of Illinois team from downstate Morton, was low man at a St. Louis sectional, and Winnetka’s Bennet Cotton shared honors at Wild Rock in Wisconsin.

Also advancing at Cantigny were Hoffman Estates’ Timothy Lim, Glen Ellyn’s Kyle Kochevar and Chicago’s Daniel Hudson – all professionals – and amateur Varun Chopra, a former Illini player.

Those coming through at the other Chicago local at Lake Shore in Glencoe were amateurs Daniel Tanaka of Wilmette, Jackson Bussell of Lincolnshire and Timmy Crawford of Arlington Heights along with pro Josh Esler of Wauconda.

Luke Gannon, of downstate Mahomet, was among the qualifiers at Illini Country Club in Springfield.

Chicago-connected tour players Kevin Streelman, Doug Ghim and Luke Donald are in the field at the Memorial and could be in the U.S. Open sectional in Columbus on Monday.  Neither are assured spots in the Open yet.

 

 

 

 

 

Beware of those innovative new bunkers at North Carolina’s Talamore

Getting a ball over the EcoBunkers at Talamore is no easy task.

SOUTHERN PINES, N.C. – The most famous of the 51 courses in the golf mecca called Pinehurst area is Pinehurst No. 2, recently named an anchor site for the U.S. Open by the U.S. Golf Association. This week the area will also host the U.S. Women’s Open at Pine Needles, and many more big events are sure to come to the area now that the USGA is moving its headquarters there.

The USGA will have plenty of courses to choose from, the most unusual being Talamore. A Rees Jones design that opened in 1991, Talamore has long been one of the Pinehurst area’s most popular layouts for both local players and visitors, but they probably best remember it because of the llamas that grazed in a fenced-in area near the No. 14 tee.

When Talamore opened the llamas were used as caddies.  That’s no longer the case, but they’re still on the premises as a photo op for golfing visitors looking for the unusual, and they’ve even been incorporated into the new flags on every green.

The original course underwent a 2016 renovation and more upgrades followed in recent years, resulting in the layout now being called The New Course at Talamore. Visiting golfers still have something new to photograph, and it’s a lot more fearsome than those docile llamas. The resort is one of the first in the country to install EcoBunkers.  There are 10 of them spaced around holes 2, 5, 9, 15 and 17.

To say those bunkers are difficult to escape is putting it mildly. At least no one in my group could get a ball on a green from out of them, and the starter had advised us to just chip back to the fairway most of the time to minimize frustration.  That was good advice.

These sod-wall bunkers are steep, and the tallest on No. 9 is seven feet high.

This rake in an EcoBunker shows what a tall order it is for a golfer to get a ball on a green.

While these bunkers are a significant challenge and could be controversial, they’re also beautiful.

Matt Hausser, the general manager at the Talamore Resort, likens them to the bunkers on courses in the British Isles that have hosted the British Open. He admits those at Talamore “might be a little daunting’’  to some players, but they’ll also make for good conversation after their rounds.

“(Golfers) are going to notice that they want to miss them,’’ quipped Hausser.

And that’s not all.

These EcoBunkers aren’t going away any time soon. Hausser believes they’ll last for decades. The resort opted to put them in as part of an on-going multi-million dollar property enhancement that also included the addition of a Toptracer range and a 15,000-square foot practice putting course.

EcoBunkers resemble the best of the traditional sod wall bunkers, but they’re more sturdy because synthetic grass tiles were used in their construction.

Llamas have been a fixture at Talamore since the course opened in 1991. Though they aren’t used as caddies anymore, three new llamas joined the group this year.

The EcoBunker edging system dates back to 2006, at the Radyr Golf Club in Cardiff, South Wales. The course there was designed by the legendary course architect Harry S. Colt.  Its bunkers proved  vulnerable to erosion and alternative measures were considered when repair costs escalated.  That led to Richard Allen, a club member and civil engineer, finding a solution.

Some rolls of artificial grass carpet – commonly known as Astroturf – were being temporarily stored in the club’s parking lot. Allen’s ensuing research revealed that much of that Astroturf was being dumped into a landfill, which also meant another big cost, and that the material was not bio-degradable. That suggested it was resilient and durable.

Allen turned inventor, and eventually was granted patent protection. Now clubs in 40 countries have incorporated a form of EcoBunkers.  The system used at Talamore is a wall constructed on multiple layers of stacked artificial grass tiles. That provides a permanently safe resilient edge, significantly reduces sand contamination from bunker sides, prevents damage and eliminates the time-consuming greenkeeping practice of bunker edging.

Allen formed EcoBunker Ltd. in 2014 and the product has evolved since then. Scottish style bunkers became more in demand in states such as Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas where tropical temperatures are more extreme and heavy rain and winds associated with hurricanes and tornados caused significant stress on bunker walls.

The Talamore Resort has a second 18-holer, the King’s Course at Mid South Club. It’s an Arnold Palmer design that opened in 1993 and was completely renovated in 2017.  It doesn’t have llamas or EcoBunkers but does have more elevation changes than Talamore and is generally considered more difficult. Both courses were well-conditioned and had firm, generous fairways and greens that were fast and tricky.

Both also offered excellent lodging options.  That includes the Palmer Cottage, a new feature located between the two courses.

Mid South Club, Talamore’s sister course, doesn’t have llamas or EcoBunkers, but it does have striking red rocks accentuating the double green used on Nos. 9 and 18 with the clubhouse in the background.

 

Five former Illinois Open champions seek Korn Ferry Tour title

 

How difficult is it to get on the PGA Tour?   Just ask Vince India or Brad Hopfinger. They grew up in the Chicago suburbs, were stars at the University of Iowa together and among the select group of 10 players with wins in both the Illinois State Amateur and Illinois Open.

Both were early in their professional careers when they won the Illinois Open, Lake Forest’s Hopfinger doing it in 2014 and Deerfield’s India in 2018. Both followed those big wins by earning places on what is now the Korn Ferry Tour — a circuit that offers a direct path to the PGA Tour.

So far neither have completed that journey, but they should have an edge on their rivals in this week’s NV5 Invitational,  Chicago’s annual Korn Ferry stop.It tees off on Thursday at The Glen Club in Glenview – the same course where both Korn Ferry veterans won their Illinois Opens.

India, who has played over 20 tournament rounds there, has particularly fond memories of his win.

“In 2018 nothing was going on good golf-wise,’’ said India.  “My confidence was low, and I had a wonderful tournament.  I’ve got good memories of the shots I hit there.’’

He hopes those good vibes will carry into this week’s $750,000 tournament,  known as previously known as the Evans Scholars Invitational.

The top 25 on the Korn Ferry Tour’s point list at the end of this season get automatic berths on the PGA Tour in 2023, and those in the top 75 get a chance to play for 25 more in the three-tournament Korn Ferry Tour Finals that end in September.

 

India and Hopfinger aren’t the only Illinois Open champions in this week’s field at The Glen.  Patrick Flavin, a rookie pro from Highwood, also won at The Glen in 2017 to complete a sweep of the state’s Amateur and Open.  Other Illinois Open winners playing  this week are Northern Illinois alum Bryce Emory, who won his title at White Eagle, in Naperville, in 2020,  and Wheaton’s Tee-K Kelly who won last year at Stonebridge, in Aurora.

The field also includes University of Illinois alums Michael Feagles, Luke Guthrie, Nick Hardy and Dylan Meyer. Feagles tied for fourth in last week’s Korn Ferry stop in Kansas City, Mo., and Hardy, who earned his PGA Tour card through his play on the Korn Ferry last season, is dropping back down for a week in an effort to recover from a wrist injury.

Of all the players on that list only India and Feagles are in position for a berth in the Korn Ferry Finals now.  India is No. 50 in the point standings and Feagles No. 70.  India, who has been close to earning his PGA Tour card several times despite battling health issues, needs some good finishes to make the jump to golf’s premier circuit.

“I’ve been in striking distance.  I’ve had plenty of chances but didn’t it done on the weekends,’’ he said.

India, now living in Chicago’s Jefferson Park neighborhood, suspected his climb to the PGA Tour would be a slow one.

“When I got my (Korn Ferry) card at 25 I had stuff wrong with my body and my  swing, and I’ve undone a lot of those tangles,’’ said India.  “Our season is so short you’ve got to play as many events as you can, and playing more leaves you more susceptible to injury.  My body feels real good now, though, and that’s pretty encouraging because I’m seeing results in my golf game.’’

Now 33, India is even confident enough to skip a Korn Ferry event in Raleigh, N.C., next month to compete in a sectional qualifier for the U.S. Open in Georgia.  With an Official World Golf Ranking in the top 500, India could skip the Open local qualifiers this time and – while he admits progress has been slow – he’s in it for the long haul.

“The thirties are the new prime,’’ said India.  “I have absolutely no time limits.  As long as my body is healthy and my mid is fresh I’ll do this forever.  I’m married to my golf game, and there’s not going to be a divorce.’’

FOOTNOTE:  Clair Peterson, tournament director of the John Deere Classic for 20 years, has announced that next month’s JDC will be his last. He plans to retire after the post-tournament details are completed in the fall.

Shipnuck’s “Phil” puts Mickelson’s career in perspective

Having worked in the golf media for over 50 years, I know most of the people who have written books on the sport.  I haven’t met Alan Shipnuck, author of the just-released “Phil,’’ which bills itself as “the rip-roaring and unofficial biography of golf’s most colorful superstar.’’  This book has gotten immediate buzz because of Phil Mickelson’s involvement in the controversial Saudi golf league.

Normally I’d be wary of an “unauthorized’’ biography, feeling it might well be a hatchet job of some sort.  This one wasn’t.  I don’t know that I’d call Mickelson golf’s “most colorful superstar.’’  I lean toward “most interesting’’ or “most complicated.’’ Mickelson certainly fits both of those descriptions.

That’s not really important, though. I found three subjects that Shipnuck addressed most interesting – the recount of Mickelson’s breakup with long-time caddie Jim “Bones’’ Mackay (Shipnuck said Mackay “actually fired Phil’’), the details of Mickelson’s gambling  issues  (Shipnuck says Mickelson’s losses totaled over $40 million from 2010-14) and, of course, his background on Mickelson’s connections with the Saudis’ golf venture.

That latter is an ongoing saga that factored in Mickelson not playing in either the Masters or the PGA Championship (in which he was the defending champion). Shipnuck  provides some perspective on the events that have been prominently reported over the last few months, even though the Saudi league has yet to stage its first tournament.

The Saudi saga requires more time to unfold, and a full explanation for Mickelson taking a break from tournament golf isn’t provided here.  There must be more to why he didn’t play in the first two major championships of 2022.  Frankly, his absence from the PGA Championship was disappointing to me and an unfortunate distraction to both the championship and the sport overall.

Those subjects are covered in the last 50 pages of the 239-page book. Shipnuck’s ability to shed light on these sensitive subjects is a credit to him.  So is his presentation of Mickelson’s great playing career, his exemplary family life and his charitable generosity.

Lots of prominent people in and out of golf have provided anecdotes to Mickelson’s character,  and Shipnuck has had plenty of personal experiences with the golfer – even if the book is “unauthorized.’’

Overall Mickelson comes across as a basically good guy who gets stuck in awkward or controversial situations at times – and those times were never more evident than they are right now. Shipnuk’s “Phil’’ keeps it all perspective.

 

 

Streelman wants to be a factor at another PGA Championship

Last year’s PGA Championship at Kiawah, in South Carolina, will be remembered historically for Phil Mickelson becoming, at 50, the oldest winner of a major championship.

It’ll be memorable for Kevin Streelman, as well.  Chicago’s most prominent PGA Tour member finished in a nine-way tie for eighth place, his first top-10 finish in 26 appearances in golf’s majors.  Streelman finished five strokes behind Mickelson and matched the score of – among others — reigning Masters champion and world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm, Justin Rose, Rickie Fowler and Collin Morikawa.

Times have changed a lot since then.  Streelman is entered again in this week’s PGA Championship, at Southern Hills in Oklahoma, but Mickelson isn’t.  Embroiled in a controversy over his role in the creation of a Saudi-financed tour, Mickelson declined to make a title defense.

And Streelman, while the only Chicago-connected player among the 156 starters who will tee off on Thursday, has hardly been playing like a potential contender.

In his last three starts the Wheaton product has two missed cuts with a tie for 67th in the Mexico Open in between.  He didn’t play in last week’s Byron Nelson tournament in Texas.

A qualifier for the FedEx Cup Playoffs the last 14 years, Streelman has been dropping fast in the rankings this year.  Last year he finished at No. 64.  Now he’s No. 114 and the top 125 qualify for the three-tournament climax to the season in August. In the Official World Golf Rankings Streelman was 77th at the start of 2022; now he’s 113th.

At 43 Streelman’s best golf days may be behind him.  His two wins on the PGA Tour came in 2013 (in Tampa, FL) and 2014 (Hartford).

Still, another good PGA Championship showing could turn this season around. In 14 years on the tour Streelman qualified for the PGA Championship seven times, missing the cut in four of them before his strong finish at Kiawah. He also came off four straight missed cuts to notch his most memorable victory eight years ago at the Travelers Championship when birdied the last seven holes to win.

HERE AND THERE: Chris Nieto, the new head professional at Exmoor in Highland Park, defeated Brian Carroll, of Royal Hawk in St. Charles, in the title march of the Illinois PGA Match Play Championship at Elgin Country Club. It was the first of the section’s four major events of 2022.

Carbondale’s Britt Pavelonis and Crystal Lake’s Mike Karney shot 2-under-par at Biltmore in North Barrington to earn berths in the U.S. Senior Open June 23-26 at Saucon Valley, in Pennsylvania.

Bryan Cox, who had been general manager and head professional at Piper Glen, in Springfield, is now the general manager of golf operations at the Arlington Heights Park District.

Bryce Emory, the 2020 Illinois Open champion from Aurora, and Jaime Lopez Rivarola, of Jacksonville, FL., led the fields Monday in Chicago’s U.S. Open local qualifiers at Cantigny, in Wheaton, and Lake Shore, in Glencoe, respectively. The survivors will compete in sectional play for spots in the Open proper June 13-19 at Brookline, in Massachusetts.

The Big Ten champion University of Illinois men’s team concludes its bid to reach the NCAA finals at today’s regional at Yale’s course in Connecticut. Also concluding their bids in three-day regionals are Notre Dame, at PGA National in Florida; and Northwestern and Southern Illinois, at Ohio State Golf Club.

The first championship event of the Chicago District Golf Association’s 109th season – the CDGA Mid-Amateur – also concludes today at Naperville Country Club.

 

 

 

 

 

Illini men take three-tourney winning streak into NCAA regional

The University of Illinois men’s team earned its 15th straight appearance in NCAA regional play, which starts on Monday.  That was no surprise after the Illini won their seventh straight Big Ten title and 12th in the last 13 years last week, extending a run of three straight tournament titles.

Now things get more difficult.  Coach Mike Small’s team was assigned the No. 4 seed the Yale Regional in New Haven, Ct.  It begins a 54-hole run Monday and the top five teams go to the NCAA finals  at May 27-June 1 at Grayhawk, in Scottsdale, Ariz.

“As a program you always want to build momentum at the right time of the year,’’ said Small.  “We’ve gotten better every month, and we were pretty solid in the last three tournaments.’’

Regardless of how the Illini perform in NCAA play, they figure to remain a collegiate power for at least another season.  Small’s top two players, seniors Adrien DuMont de Chaussart and Tommy Kuhl,  have decided to use a fifth season of eligibility – an opportunity afforded by pandemic issues.

This year Small had an inexperienced team.  Next year that won’t be the case, and the Illini hope to build on their streaks – Big Ten championships, NCAA regionals and NCAA Championships after their run in their year’s NCAA tourney.

If the Illini survive the regional in Connecticut they’ll make their 14th straight appearance in the NCAA finals.  With their present 13 the Illini have the second longest streak in the finals, one behind Texas’ 14.

“These streaks mean a lot to everybody,’’ said Small.  “They show good longevity, but there’s a little added pressure.  Each team has to play for its own identity, not for the teams from the past.  But I know they’re excited about the NCAA.’’

U.S. WOMEN’S OPEN:  Naperville’s Lisa Copeland, who finished third in the Girls 12-13 age group at April’s Drive Chip & Putt national finals at Georgia’s Augusta National, was in the spotlight again at Monday’s 36-hole qualifying round for the U.S. Women’s Open at Stonebridge, in Aurora.

Lisa was in a 4-way tie for second after shoot 71 in the morning round of the 36-hole elimination. Only one berth in the U.S. Women’s Open was on the line, however, and  Mexico’s Lisa Gutierrez, who played collegiately at the University of New Mexico and is now on the LPGA’s Epsom (formerly Symetra) Tour, got it with  a 70-72 performance on the 6,309-yard par-72 layout that hosted last year’s Illinois Open.

Lisa was a two-time qualifier out of the Medinah Regional for the Drive Chip & Putt national finals. She plays out of Cog Hill, in Palos Park,  and is coached by that club’s Kevin Weeks.

HERE AND THERE: After not being held for two years the Chicago Baseball Cancer Charities outing will be staged for the 51st time on July 14 at Twin Orchard, in Long Grove. Twin Orchard, gearing up for its centennial celebration in 2024, will begin a renovation of its White Course in August with architect Drew Rogers supervising the project that also includes the addition of four pickleball courts.

Jason Hyatt, head coach at College of DuPage and a member of the teaching staff at Cantigny, in Winfield, has been named to the NCAA Men’s Coaching Association Hall of Fame.  In his 19th season as COD’s coach, Hyatt won the NCAA title and was part of national championship teams in 1997 and 1998 as a player there. His current team goes after its 10th regional title beginning on Sunday at Prairieview, in Dixon.

A local qualifier for the U.S Senior Open will be held today at Biltmore, in North Barrington, and a U.S. Open local elimination is on top for Monday at Lake Shore, in Glencoe.

Judson University will hold a golf outing to benefit its World Leaders Forum on June 13 at Bull Valley, in Woodstock.

 

John Deere Classic gives Flavin the royal treatment

 

The awarding of sponsor’s exemptions isn’t a big deal at a PGA Tour event.  Tournament directors usually announce the lucky four or so winners in the early days of tournament week.

That’s not the case with this year’s John Deere Classic, however.  Highwood’s Patrick Flavin received the good news nearly two months  before the JDC, which tees off on June 30 at TPC Deere Run in downstate Silvis.

Not only did JDC executive director Clair Peterson declare Flavin the first special exemption for this year’s tourney, he also invited him to the event’s May 13 media preview event where he will share the spotlight with defending champion Lucas Glover. Rarely are non-PGA Tour members accorded that honor.

“I’m pumped.  This is a dream come true,’’ said Flavin, who starred for his college team at Miami of Ohio but got his first major notoriety by winning both the Illinois State Amateur and Illinois Open in the same year (2017). Only David Ogrin, a PGA journeyman, had accomplished that feat, back in 1980.

“Patrick’s performance in Monday qualifiers this season in addition to his strong college career and Midwestern roots compelled us to invite him,’’ said Peterson.

Flavin’s showing in the 18-hole Monday rounds, in which about 100 players compete for four berths in the tournament proper, particularly caught Peterson’s attention. Flavin sees them as his path to the PGA Tour, and so far so good.

Flavin survived the Monday qualifier for the Bermuda Open and tied for 17th in the tournament.  He survived the Monday qualifier for the Puerto Rico Open and tied for 22nd.

In addition to those successes he narrowly lost spots in Monday playoffs at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and Valspar Championship and was one shot out of a playoff for a berth in this week’s Wells Fargo Championship.

Though Flavin survived on Monday at last week’s Mexico Open he missed the cut and didn’t cash in for prize money or the all-important FedEx Cup points.

“I need enough points to get into the last three Korn Ferry (Tour) events of the year,’’ said Flavin.  “That’s my goal.  That’s the carrot I’m chasing.’’

If he gets into the Korn Ferry Finals and finishes in the top 25 he’ll get his PGA Tour card.  It’s not an impossible feat.  Patrick Reed tried the Monday qualifier rout in 2012 and survived six of them. In 2018 he won the Masters.

Sponsor exemptions also can lead to FedEx points, and Flavin earned some when he was invited to the Corales Puntacana tourney in the Dominican Republic and tied for 54th.  Now the only PGA Tour event in his home state has also opened a door for him.

“John Deere’s a game-changer,’’ said Flavin.  “I’ve given myself lots of opportunities. I’ve gotten so much better, but the biggest change is mentally.  It’s just feeling you belong.  I’m really in a good place.’’

Flavin has earned 75 FedEx points in the three PGA Tour events in which he made the cut and estimates he’ll need 100 to get into the Korn Ferry Finals. He could get 100 just by playing well in the JDC and hopes to compete in Illinois before that.

Last year the Western Golf Association gave him a sponsor’s exemption into its Evans Scholars Invitational, and Flavin finished fifth in that Korn Ferry stop.  He’s hoping for  a return to the tourney, renamed the NV5 Invitational, when it comes to The Glen Club May 26-29.

 

HERE AND THERE: The Illinois men’s team rallied in Sunday’s third round of the Big Ten championships at French Lick, Ind., to win the league title for the seventh straight year and 12th in the last 13. The Illini learn where they’ll be playing the regional stage of the NCAA tournament at today’s 3 p.m. Golf Channel announcement..

Kent State won the Mid American Conference title for the sixth straight time last week at White Eagle, in Naperville.  Northern Illinois finished third, but the Huskies had a notable accomplishment on the women’s side.  Jasmine Ly, who won the MAC title a week earlier, became the first NIU woman to qualify for the NCAAs.

Illinois alum Nick Hardy is dealing with a wrist injury in his rookie season on the PGA Tour.  He hopes to return to action at the Byron Nelson Classic.

The 32nd season of the Golfers on Golf Radio show begins at 10 a.m. on Saturday on WNDZ (750-AM). Rory Spears, Ed Stevenson, Bill Berger and myself will return as co-hosts of the longest-running golf radio show in the Chicago area.

 

`Tiger & Phil’ is an important addition to golf history

 

At first I felt bad for Bob Harig, a friend of mine who authored the recently-released `Tiger & Phil: Golf’s Most Fascinating Rivalry.’ Bob and I grew up in the Chicago suburbs and, while I’m a little older, we became friends over the past few decades while covering the pro golf scene for our various media outlets.

Publishing deadlines can sometimes be tricky, and those affecting Bob meant that he couldn’t include the latest big events in the lives of the two great golfers – Tiger’s dramatic return to last April’s Masters, where he survived the 36-hole cut  after a long layoff while he recovered from an auto accident, and Phil’s controversial stance involving the imminent arrival of Greg Norman’s Saudi-backed golf tour.

Upon further reflection, though, I came to realize that lack of attention to those newsworthy matters doesn’t much matter.  There’ll be a lot more to cover in the careers of both Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, and Harig had better start thinking about a sequel.

The bottom line is that `Tiger & Phil’ (St. Martin’s Press) stands by itself in being an important addition to golf history.

I’ll gently take issue with calling this one “golf’s most fascinating rivalry.’ Having written about the sport for well over 50 years, I still lean a bit more towards Nelson vs. Hogan and/or Nicklaus vs. Palmer. Those seemed more intense, personal matchups than Woods vs. Mickelson.

These are different times, though, and Harig has nicely blended the careers of Woods and Mickelson into a very comprehensive, even-handed report that begins when both were amateurs and captures the highs and lows in their days as professionals.

I was on site for a lot of those highs and lows, so that made the book all the more intriguing to me.  I loved the recounting of Mickelson’s frustrations in winning his first major championship after 46 misses, especially the story of the 1999 U.S. Open at Pinehurst. Payne Stewart won that title, and Phil was the runner-up with the birth of his first-born child as a ffbackdrop. Then there was his collapse on the final hole of the 2006 U.S. Open at Winged Foot, which handed the title to Geoff Ogilvy.

As for Tiger, his flops in competition were few and far between, making his run of victories seem all the more staggering. The 2008 U.S. Open win in a playoff with Rocco Mediate at Torrey Pines was perhaps the most dramatic of them all, but his story isn’t done.  Right or wrong, Woods’ numerous battles after off-course issues make him front page news every time he decides to make a comeback.

Their personalities and backgrounds are different.  So are their playing records with the exception of Ryder Cup play.  Both were less than spectacular in those matches, a fact that has always puzzled me.

In short, while the exploits of both Woods and Mickelson have been covered extensively by media over the years, Harig’s version of combining their careers into one book was a great idea.  Still, there’ll be more to tell — and Harig may be one to do it the best.

 

 

Illini golfers are ready for another Big Ten title run at French Lick

Coach Mike Small’s University of Illinois men’s golf team hasn’t been the powerhouse this season that it had been during most of the last two decades.

Things changed for the Illini  in a big way at this crucial point of the season, however.

The Illini tied for the title in their first tournament, then went seven straight events without a victory before winning their last two in commanding fashion.  They expanded a one-stroke lead to eight in the final round of the Boilermaker Invitational on Purdue’s home course two weeks ago, then defended their title in Ohio State’s Kepler Invitational on Sunday by expanding a seven-stroke lead to 13 in a rousing final round..

Adrien Dumont de Chassart, a senior from Belgium, enjoyed a big two weeks.  He captured his third collegiate victory at Purdue, then was named to the International team for the second time in the Palmer Cup, a high profile team event that’ll be played July 1-3 in Switzerland.

De Chassart played in the event in 2021 when the Palmer Cup was held at Rich Harvest Farms, in Sugar Grove.  He’ll become the second Illini to play in two Palmer Cups, fellow Belgian Thomas Detry being the first in 2014 and 2015.

Topping off his big two-week stretch, de Chassart was named the co-Big Ten Player of the Week thanks to his victory at Purdue and joined fellow senior Tommy Kuhl in a tie for third place to spur the win at Ohio State.

While his star player was picking up those honors Small made a rare competitive appearance while the college season was still in progress.  He tied for 33rd in last week’ s PGA Professional Championship in Texas, an event he had won it three times. While his finish wasn’t good enough to crack the Class of 20 who qualified for next month’s PGA Championship in Oklahoma, it was good enough for the 55-year old Small to finish the highest among the 11 Illinois PGA members who qualified for the national championship.

Amidst the team’s strong play the school also announced a June 3 date for the Grand Opening of the Atkins Golf Club, the renamed and much renovated new home of Illinois’ men’s and women’s teams.

The wins at Purdue and Ohio State gave the Illini momentum going into the three-day Big Ten championships, which tee off on Friday on the Pete Dye Course at French Lick, Ind., and the NCAA tournament, which concludes the season.

The Illini have won the last six Big Ten titles and 11 of the last 12, and they’ve made 13 consecutive appearances in the NCAA tournament during Small’s 21 seasons at the helm.

 

HERE AND THERE:  Mistwood, in Romeoville, has announced that the 27th Illinois Women’s Open will be played there July 25-26 with a format change.  The event will be reduced from 54 to 36 holes.

Mistwood also announced that Angelica Carman has been hired as the sustainability specialist.  Her first project will be to establish The Farm at Mistwood.

Hickory Knoll, a nine-hole course in Lake Villa that was closed the last two years, has announced a re-opening on May 6. North Shore Capital Group has acquired the course, which originally opened in 1947.

Illinois-connected PGA Tour players Dylan Wu, Nick Hardy and Doug Ghim all made the cut in the circuit’s only in-season team event last week but they were on separate teams at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.  Wu and Justin Lower tied for 10th, Hardy and Curtis Thompson tied for 21st and Ghim and Matthias Schwab tied for 32nd.

The Golfers on Golf Radio show will return for its 32nd season at 10 a.m. on May 7.  The show will  switch to WNDZ (750-AM) for this season.

The Chicago District Golf Assn. will conduct a qualifying round for its Senior Amateur on Thursday at Bloomingdale.