Author: lenz

New Orleans’ PGA Tour stop puts the focus on team play

This week’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans isn’t a big deal compared to other events on the PGA Tour.  It could turn out big for Doug Ghim and Nick Hardy, two of the Chicago area’s young guns on the circuit, however.

The Zurich Classic is the only full-field team event of the PGA Tour season.  Lots of the top stars skip the two-man team battle to rest up for the bigger events coming up. Ghim. though, saw value in team last year, recruited non-PGA Tour member Justin Suh to be his partner and they cashed in with a tie for 11th finish.

Ghim has a different partner this year in Matthias Schwab, an Austrian in his first season on the PGA Tour.  Hardy, also in his rookie PGA Tour season, will team up with Curtis Thompson, another first-year player who – like Hardy – used the Korn Ferry Tour as a path to the premier circuit.

Now in his second PGA Tour season, Ghim could reflect on his success with Suh to  appreciate what the Zurich Classic offers.

“You just feel a little added weight because usually itj’s just me and my caddie that have high hopes for our golf ball,’’ said Ghim.  “Now there’s two extra people counting on you (his partner and that partner’s caddie).  It could be a season changer.’’

The Ghim-Schwab team is a little further along than Hardy-Thompson.  Though neither qualified for the Masters two weeks ago, both Ghim and Schwab made the cut in last week’s RBC Heritage Classic at Hilton Head, S.C.  Ghim, who grew up in Arlington Heights before starring at the University of Texas, tied for 35th after going 67-69 on the weekend.  Schwab tied for 59th but has three top-10 finishes already in this first PGA Tour season.

Hardy, from Northbrook and the University of Illinois, made 12 of 24 cuts since earning PGA Tour membership but he missed in four of his last five starts.  Not qualified for the Heritage, he returned to the Korn Ferry for competition in a Texas event and missed the cut there.

Thompson’s brother Nicholas is also a PGA Tour member and his sister Lexi is a mainstay on the LPGA circuit.  Curtis’ first PGA Tour season has been a reverse of Hardy’s so far.  Curtis started slowly and has made seven of 15 cuts, but he did play all four rounds in six of his last seven tournaments.

Ghim has improved from his first PGA season to his second.  He was even No. 6 on the U.S. Ryder Cup points list before the Masters, and the top six when the standings are over get automatic berths on the U.S. team for the next Ryder Cup in Italy.  That’s not until the fall of 2023, however,

Ghim has a formula for more immediate gratification at the Zurich Classic, which tees off on Thursday. At least his strategy worked last year, when he challenged Suh to a birdie contest.  It brought out the best in both their games.

“The best way for us to be competitive is to play against each other,’’ said Ghim. “I thought, if he was going to be competitive with me I knew I was going to bring my game, so he had better step in with his. (Suh) ended up beating me, so that’s always good.’’

BITS AND PIECES: Other Illinois players will compete at New Orleans.  D.A. Points is paired with Scott Gutschewski and Dylan Wu with Justin Lower.  The tourney will also make the return to competition of Masters champion Scottie Scheffler.  He’ll play with Ryan Palmer.

Wednesday will decide the 20 club professionals who will qualify for next month’s PGA Championship at Southern Hills in Oklahoma.  The Illinois PGA had 11 players qualify for the 72-hole event at Barton Creek, in Texas, and six survived the 36-hole cut on Monday. Mike Small, the University of Illinois men’s coach, was in a tie for 16th midway through the competition and the only local player in the top 20 at that point.  Tim Streng, Garrett Chaussard, Frank Hohenadel and Brian Carroll also survived the cut.  So did Brad Marek, a former Arlington Heights resident now living in California.  He was a qualifier for last year’s PGA Championship.

 

TRAVEL NOTEBOOK: TPC Myrtle Beach is new site of World Amateur climax

TPC Myrtle Beach will be in the spotlight when the 39th World Amateur concludes on Sept. 2.

America’s golf hotbeds are shifting, now that snowbird golfers are departing the warmer weather states for cooler climates where the golf seasons are just beginning.

Golf, however, is always in season in Myrtle Beach, S.C. where the lead-in to the 39th annual Myrtle Beach World Amateur Handicap Championship is already underway — even though the tournament itself isn’t until September.

Early entries are already at 1,400 and they’ll hit over 3,000 again before long, assuring that the event will remain the world’s biggest golf tournament.  Organizers, in fact, have already made a major announcement.  They’ve moved the Sept. 2 Flight Winners Playoff – the climax to the five days of competition – from Grande Dunes to TPC Myrtle Beach. That’s a significant change.

Grande Dunes was to host for the second time until the decision was made to conduct a massive renovation there.  Grande Dunes, long one of the area’s most acclaimed layouts, will close on May 16 and re-open on Sept. 15. Architect John Harvey, who worked with Roger Rulewich on the original design and construction of the course in 2001, will lead the renovation project.

The greens will be restored to their original size, reclaiming nearly 40,000 square feet of putting surface that had been lost over time.  That’s a 33 percent increase in the size of the putting surfaces.

Grande Dunes is installing new TifEagle ultradwarf bermudagrass greens and every bunker will be renovated with a Capillary Concrete liner installed.  That will eliminate washout and drastically improve drainage. The clubhouse will also be expanded.  The pro shop will grow by 400 feet, an indoor/outdoor bar will be added and the outdoor seating will be greatly expanded.

Grande Dunes, one of Myrtle Beach’s best courses, will soon be closed for a renovation.

“Grande Dunes is one of Myrtle Beach’s crown jewels, and this renovation project will ensure the course continues to provide the type of experience golfers have come to expect,’’ said Steve Mays, president of Founders Group International, the course’s parent company and owner of 21 MB courses.

Scott Tomasello, the World Am tournament director, has no qualms about the move to TPC Myrtle Beach, a Tom Fazio design that displays many of Dustin Johnson’s trophies in its clubhouse and hosts DJ’s World Junior Championship among many big events.

“We knew TPC would be a perfect landing spot,’’ said Tomasello.  “We look forward to showcasing their beautiful property.’’

The final shootout follows 72 holes of age group net competition that begins on Aug. 29. Over 50 other MB courses will be used in the preliminary rounds.  For more information checkout www.myrtlebeachworldamateur.com.

 

WHILE THERE’S always golf action in Myrtle Beach, some noteworthy developments are being made in other states as well:

FLORIDA: Saddlebrook Resort, in Wesley Chapel, and Cabot Citrus Farms, in Brooksville, have new owners with big plans. Both will be closed for major overhauls.

Saddlebook, which opened in 1981, has chosen Troon to manage the resort’s golf operations. The resort has two Arnold Palmer-designed courses as well as the 45-court Harry Hopman Tennis Academy.

Camilo Miguel, chief executive officer of new owner Mast Capital, said his firm is in the early stages of a major renovation of the entire property.

“There is a lot of opportunity in elevating the property and bringing back some of its luster,’’ said Miguel.  “There hasn’t been much investment in the property in decades.’’

Florida’s Saddlebrook Resort will get a facelift under new ownership.

Cabot Citrus Farms is the new name for what had been World Woods. Work has begun there with architect Kyle Franz overseeing a renovation of the featured  Pine Barrens course.  Keith Rebb and Riley Johns, who renovated the Winter Park 9 in Orlando and designed the Bootleggers Par 3 at Michigan’s Forest Dunes, will oversee changes on the Rolling Oaks course, and Mike Nuzzo will be in charge at the short course and practice facilities.

WISCONSIN: Sand Valley, in the town of Rome, is getting a third course and will eventually get a fourth.  And that’s not counting The Sandbox, a short course designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw.

Sand Valley has a strong group of architects.  The namesake course is also a Coore and Crenshaw creation and David McLay Kidd designed Mammoth Dunes. Now those layouts will have company.

Tom Doak will begin work on Sedge Valley sometime this spring and the Lido will open to members and resort guests in 2023. Sedge Valley will open in 2024.

“The golf experience at Sedge Valley is completely different from anything else on the property,’’ said Sand Valley co-owner Michael Keiser.  “Tom Doak moves so easily from the large-scale engineering project of the Lido to this much more intimate design.  Watching him identify and work his routing to these incredible natural green sites was a true `pinch me’ moment.  This is how the great ones have always done it.’’

These chairs will soon be filled at Wisconsin’s Sand Valley with two new courses under construction.

Meanwhile, play in the golf hotbed of Kohler will soon be picking up.  Tee times are being taken at the Irish Course at Whistling Straits and the Original Championship layout at Blackwolf Run.  The Straits course, site of last fall’s Ryder Cup matches, and the River and Meadows Valley layouts at Blackwolf Run are scheduled to open on April 22.

WEST VIRGINIA; The Pete Dye Golf Club, in Bridgeport, will host the finals of the new Pete Dye World Championships on Oct. 23-25.  The late Dye called that course “my best 18 holes on one golf course.’’

Participants in the new event will be qualifiers from one-day stroke play tournaments held at any course designed by any member of the Pete Dye family. There’ll be six divisions of the tournament – men’s net and gross, women’s net and gross and senior men net and gross.  There’ll also be team best ball formats and a pro-am.

CALIFORNIA: Visit Carlsbad, the destination marketing organization for the Pacific Coast town of Carlsbad,  is welcoming golfers to the Omni LaCosta Resort, Park Hyatt Aviara and The Crossings at Carlsbad.

LaCosta has been a go-to spot for golfers and celebrities since the 1960s.  Aviara features the region’s only Arnold Palmer-designed course and The Crossings is a popular municipal course.  The city is also  known as the golf equipment capital of the world as the home of club manufacturers Titleist, Callaway, TaylorMade, Cobra and Honma.

INDIANA: The Harbor Links Golf Club at the Sagamore Resort is a premier marina and golf destination located between Indianapolis and Cincinnati. Its 18-hole public course was designed by P.B. Dye, one of Pete and Alice Dye’s two sons.

GEORGIA: Stone Mountain Golf Club has two courses on the outskirts of downtown Atlanta.  The Stonemont Course was designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. in 1969.  The Lakemont Course was designed by Georgia native John LaFoy.  Both are noted for their great mountain views.

The Omni Homestead Resort, in Hot Springs, Va., dates to 1766 and is in the process of a $120 million property-wide renovation. This waterfall graces the No.17 green on the beautiful Cascades course, which was once the home layout for a young Sam Snead.

 

 

Berger joins Johnson as JDC ambassador

Daniel Berger has joined Zach Johnson as a JDC ambassador.

Only Zach Johnson had been sporting the logo of Illinois’ only annual PGA Tour event on his golf bag.  Now America’s next Ryder Cup captain has company.

Daniel Berger, a four-time winner on the PGA Tour and member of the victorious U.S. Ryder Cup team last fall at Wisconsin’s Whistling Straits, sported the John Deere Classic logo on his bag for the first time at last week’s Masters. You might have had a hard time seeing it, as Berger finished in a tie for 50th place and didn’t get much TV time.

Now a charitable ambassador for John Deere, Berger’s involvement is a big boost for the tournament that will be played a week earlier than usual – June 30 through July 3 – at TPC Deere Run in downstate Silvis.

Berger and John Deere, in a multiyear agreement, will commit $100,000 in donations to various organizations in lieu of a traditional win bonus. Berger has two wins at the St. Jude Classic and one at both the Pebble Beach Pro-Am and Charles Schwab Challenge in his PGA Tour career.  The Schwab win came in the first PGA Tour event conducted after the circuit took a three-month break because of pandemic issues in 2020.

“I’ll bet I’ve got the best looking bag around,’’ Berger said on Twitter.  He’ll be in the field at the RBC Heritage Classic, which tees off on Thursday in Hilton Head, S.C.  The field also includes Illinois-connected players Luke Donald, Kevin Streelman and Doug Ghim.

ILLINI BREAKTHROUGH:  Coach Mike Small’s current University of Illinois men’s team hasn’t been the dominant force it had been in collegiate golf but that could be changing with the most important tournaments of the season closing in.

The Illini tied for first with Cincinnati in their season-opening tournament in September, then went winless in seven straight until last week’s victory in Purdue’s Boilermaker Invite. Illinois senior Adrien Dumont de Chassart was the medalist and Tommy  Kuhl, Jackson Buchanan and Piercen Hunt also finished among the top 10 individuals.

“A solid team effort,’’ said Small.  “The guys weren’t fazed by the tough, cold conditions at the start, then we were going  head-to-head with a good team on their home course. To close solidly is a mindset that we have talked about embracing and becoming a habit.’’

The Illini compete in Ohio State’s Kepler Intercollegiate April 23-24 before the Big Ten championship and NCAA tournaments kick in.

BITS AND PIECE: Dubsdread, the long-time Western Open site at Cog Hill in Palos Park, opens on Saturday, as one of the last Chicago area courses to welcome players.  Cog Hill also has a new director of grounds.  He’s Reed Anderson, who previously worked at Butler National, Chicago Golf Club and New Year’s Winged Foot.

KemperSports has made some major hires at its Chicago courses.  Chris Stewart is the new general manager at Royal Melbourne, in Long Grove; Tom Grey becomes the general manager at Canal Shores, in Evanston; and T.J. Wydner is the GM at Chicago’s Harborside International.

Dave Lockhart’s Golf360 TV show now has a co-host. Katie Kearney will join ex-Bear Patrick Mannelly when the broadcasts begin in June on NBC Sports Chicago.

Taylor Lambertsen, who grew up in Palos Park and held assistant professional jobs at Kemper Lakes and Exmoor, is the new director of instruction for the First Tee of Greater Chicago.

The Illinois PGA has announced the site for its fourth and final major event of the season.  Lake Shore, in Glencoe, will host the IPGA Players Championship Sept. 26-17.

 

 

Rick Reilly’s latest book is another winner

It’s been a while since I’ve done a book report, but Rick Reilly’s “So Help Me Golf’’ (Hachette Books) certainly merits one. It goes on sale May 10, but I was accorded a sneak preview.

A great writing talent, that Rick Reilly.  I’ve met some of those gifted types and read many more of them over the years.  I got to know Rick a bit when we both reported on the PGA Tour’s Memorial tournament in the 1990s, and we played some informal rounds of golf while the event was going on.

I’ve read a few of Rick’s nine previous books, my favorite being “Commander in Cheat,’’ an analysis of Donald Trump’s involvement in golf.  “So Help Me Golf’’ is much different than that one. It’s one of those rare books that you can read briefly, put it down for a day or so and then pick up reading without missing a beat.  It’s filled with short but very readable segments on such celebrities as Bryson DeChambeau, blind entertainer Tom Sullivan, basketball legend Michael Jordan and golf personalities  Jordan Spieth, Joel Dahmen, Sophie Popov, Erik Compton and Mike Keiser.

At least those were the segments that were most memorable to me. They were presented in an unusual setting, Reilly tying the book into his own family matters – most notably a difficult relationship with his father. The paperback version is 258 pages, all filled with interesting vignettes.  Some might already be familiar to you, others not.  All benefit from the Reilly touch.

Scheffler is the obvious choice to win this year’s Masters

Scottie Scheffler may have been the only player still smiling after the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March.

Picking the winner of any PGA Tour event is an exercise in futility. Still, come Masters time, forecasting the champion seems almost an obligation. I’ve been making the effort since attending my first Masters in 1986, and I’ve picked the winner only once – Fred Couples in 1992.

With the 86th Masters teeing off on Thursday, I’ll first tell you who won’t win this week.  Then I’ll explain why Scottie Scheffler will.

The usual contenders don’t seem ready.  Tiger Woods, assuming his “game time decision’’ is to play, hasn’t been in serious competition since being involved in a serious auto accident in 13 months ago. The fact that he even considered teeing it up so soon was surprising.  Winning? Well, even he’s not ITAL that END ITAL good.

Phil Mickelson won’t play, either because he’s suspended or contemplating his future in the game – take your pick.

Defending champion Hideki Matsuyama has a sore neck that was painful enough to force his withdrawal from last week’s Valero Texas Open and Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau couldn’t even come close to making the cut in that last tournament leading into the year men’s first major championship of 2022.

Dustin Johnson and Justin Thomas, surprisingly, haven’t won yet 15 tournaments into the  2022 portion of the PGA Tour schedule.  Thomas has played in seven events, Johnson in five.  Patrick Cantlay, the FedEx Cup champion and PGA Tour Player of the Year in 2021, hasn’t won either and his form has been way off since a runner-up finish at Phoenix in February.

And now for Scheffler.  The 25-year old Texan is on a role.  He’s won three of his last five starts that began with a win over Cantlay in a playoff at Phoenix and included a head-to-head win over Johnson in the semifinals of his last start – a victory in the World Golf Championship’s Match Play Championship two weeks ago.

I was up close and personal for Scheffler’s other victory, at the Arnold Palmer Invitational last month.

Already the first player to win three times before the Masters since Thomas and Johnson did it in 2016, Scheffler wisely skipped the Valero Texas Open in his home state to get ready for this week’s shootout at Augusta National.

Despite his youth, Scheffler knows all about Augusta National.  He played in the last two Masters and finished top-20 in both. This is a young player coming on fast, and a tournament in the Chicago area played a big role in that.

In 2019, when the pandemic was keeping fans and media away from tournaments, the Western Golf Association created the Evans Scholars Invitational in an effort that kept the Korn Ferry Tour in Chicago.  Scheffler won it at The Glen Club in Glenview, beating Marcelo Rozo in a playoff. That was Scheffler’s first win as a touring pro and triggered his ascension to the PGA Tour.

Last year he was a captain’s pick for the U.S. Ryder Cup team — a surprise to many, myself included.  Still, he was unbeaten in his matches at Whistling Straits, going 2-0-1 in the Americans’ one-sided victory over the Europeans.

Now, after his continued success over the last three months, he’s been elevated to the No. 1 player in the world, according to the Official World Golf Rankings.  Can that first major championship be that far off?

BITS AND PIECE: Chicago had a champion in Sunday’s Drive, Chip & Putt national finals at Augusta National.  Michael Jorski, of Clarendon Hills, won in the Boys 12-13 division. It was his second appearance in the finals.  He made it in the 7-9 age group when his family lived in Kansas.

No Chicago-connected players qualified for this year’s Masters.  Needing to win last week, all five entered the Valero Texas Open.  Wheaton’s Kevin Streelman did the best, tying for 18th.

Deerfield’s Vince India, a former Illinois Open champion and  now a regular on the Korn Ferry Tour, helped his father Dan get a tee time for his foursome on a recent guys’ trip to the TPC Stadium Course in Florida. It produced a shot for the record books.  Playing from the White tees, Dan holed his tee shot from the White tees at No. 12 – a 296-yard par-4 – for an albatross.

 

 

 

 

 

Scott Gneiser knows what it’s like to caddie in the Masters

IN CHICAGO DISTRICT GOLFER

Every year when April rolls around the world’s best golfers turn their attention to the Masters.  That’s true for their caddies, too.

Scott Gneiser, a Chicago area resident for 22 years, should know. He’s in his 33rd year as a tour caddie and estimates that he’s worked 15 Masters.

“Everybody circles that on their calendar,’’ said Gneiser, who carried for 2001 PGA champion David Toms in most of his visits to Augusta.  He’s also been a Masters bag-toter for Andy North and Bill Haas and had stints on the bag for such prominent players as Jeff Sluman, Brent Geiberger and Anthony Kim.

Oh yes, he’s also caddied for his son Billy in the Illinois State Amateur and Illinois Open. The Masters, though, still triggers a ton of memories.

“I started as a caddie in 1989 for a friend of mine from Michigan,’’ said Gneiser.  “He didn’t make the tour the next year so I was going to go back to a resort (Sugar Loaf) where I had been working.’’

Then Andy North, a two-time U.S. Open champion, asked him to be his caddie for the 1990 season. Gneiser wasn’t so sure he wanted to do that until he saw North’s tournament schedule.  It included the Masters.

“So, l said `I’m in,’’’ said Gneiser. “It was so exciting. Andy was winding down his career at that time, but he was such a great story-teller. Andy was pretty special.’’

First of the Masters memories was the Par-3 Contest, which was a bit different than it is now. Family members of the players are used instead of tour caddies now.

“Andy asked that I not walk over before we were to tee off,’’ said Gneiser.  “He walked me behind Butler Cabin to those nine holes.  It was a slice of heaven back there. When it was time to tee off it was so loud.  Back then the tickets for practice rounds were unlimited, and they jammed people in there. They also had beer stands, which they’ve since taken away.  It was a huge party with wall-to-wall people. You could hardly move back there during the Par-3 Contest.’’

The Par-3 was even more special when he carried for Toms, who wound up winning it, albeit reluctantly.

“He gets to the last hole 4- or 5-under par and his name is at the top of the leaderboard,’’ said Gneiser.  “He asked me what he should do – hit it in the water? — because nobody has ever won the Par-3 Contest and gone on to win the tournament. David was playing pretty well at the time.’’

Gneiser convinced Toms to go for the win because he’d get his name on a board of champions and also pick up some crystal.

“David gets up there, quick-hits it and his ball rolls to four inches from the hole,’’ Gneiser recalled.  The victory was assured, but those good shots didn’t carry over to that Masters tournament. Toms, though, had some good moments at Augusta, tying for sixth in 1998 and tying for eighth in 2003.

“My biggest bummer was that I was never in contention down to the end,’’ said Gneiser.  “I had a bunch of top 10s but nothing like on Sundays with the big nerves going.’’

Haas did provide him a glimpse of what front-running was like at Augusta. Haas grabbed the first-round lead  In Gneiser’s second tournament carrying his bag but didn’t stay in contention.

Gneiser’s arrival at the Masters came a few years after Augusta National’s membership allowed tour caddies to work the tournament.  Only Augusta caddies were allowed before that.

“The old caddies weren’t happy that we were there, and you could feel for them,’’ said Gneiser.  “We were frowned upon for being there, but one guy stood up for us – Herman Mitchell, Lee Trevino’s caddie.’’

The caddie atmosphere eventually improved, and there was a big upgrade when the old caddie hut was replaced by a modern one that offered food all day.  Even some players and club members visited after that.

“I loved going to the Masters, but it was one of the toughest tournaments to work as far as clubbing your player goes,’’ said Gneiser.  “If you missed by even two inches on those greens it could mean a bogey.  It seemed like Augusta was a place you’d go to get fired.  That’s how intense it was out there.’’

There was also the need for extra planning at Augusta.  Usually the caddies rented houses and stayed together, but Gneiser shared a place with Toms on one occasion.

In the midst of those Masters experiences Gneiser met Jane Mikita, daughter of hockey great Stan Mikita.  They were married in 2001 and have three sons, all of them into golf.  Charlie plays at Carthage College in Wisconsin and Billy at DePaul.  Tommy is finishing up high school.  The family plays most of its golf at Cog Hill or Carriage Greens, which is near their Darien home.

Gneiser and Toms took a couple breaks — “He fired me once, and I fired him once’’ – but continued as a team for the last five years on PGA Tour Champions, the 50-and-over circuit. That’s meant a reduced workload, a good thing with Gneiser turning 57 this year.

“It’s a little easier there.  You get carts for pro-ams and the tournaments are usually only three rounds,’’ he said. “The Champions season is also only 22-23 weeks, and on the regular tour it was 30 weeks plus.’’

Still, Gneiser wouldn’t rule out a return to Augusta.

“I’d have to get in pretty good shape to walk around that place,’’ he said.  “But when you say Augusta and the Masters you get a different feel. The energy level is up.  It’s a very hilly golf course, and it’s always a long week so you have to pace yourself.  Still, I’d love to go back and do it again.  You never know.’’

 

 

Masters preliminary events give young stars a chance to shine

Unless Kevin Streelman, Luke Donald, Doug Ghim, Nick Hardy or Dylan Wu win this week’s Valero Texas Open there won’t a Chicago-connected player in next week’s Masters tournament.

The champion of the PGA Tour event on Sunday in Texas gets the final spot in the year’s first major championship at Georgia’s Augusta National, and all five of Chicago’s PGA Tour members – none of them Masters qualifiers yet — are in the field when play begins on Thursday in San Antonio.

Regardless of how they fare, however, there will be a significant Illinois presence in Masters-related competition.

Two collegiate stars, Northwestern junior Irene Kim and Illinois senior Crystal Wang, received invitations to the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, which tees off on Wednesday (TODAY), and five Chicago area youngsters are among the 80 qualifiers nation-wide for the Drive, Chip and Putt finals staged on Sunday.

Members of Augusta National established a 54-hole women’s tournament in 2019.  This year’s 72 invitees will play the first two rounds at the nearby Champions Retreat course on Wednesday and Thursday.  Friday will be a practice day at Augusta National and the top 30 who survived the 36-hole cut will decide the title Saturday on the Masters’ course.

Jennifer Kupcho, the world’s top-ranked amateur at the time and now an LPGA member, emerged the first champion after she played her final six holes at Augusta National in 5-under-par.  The tournament wasn’t held in 2020 because of pandemic concerns and 17-year old Tsubasa Kajitani of Japan won last year in a playoff with Wake Forest student Emilia Migliaccio.

Kim and Wang will be part of a strong international field in this year’s ANWA.  Migliaccio returns for her third appearance in the tournament and Rose Zhang, now the top-ranked women’s amateur, heads the field.  Kim was the Big Ten’s Golfer of the Year in 2021 and Wang had four top-15 finishes in five starts for the Illini in the fall season.  She was also third in last year’s Illinois Women’s Open.

The Masters competitors will start arriving on Saturday and many will be on hand for the final round of the ANWA and Sunday’s Drive, Chip and Putt finals.  Both will be televised on NBC.

All five Chicago qualifiers earned their spots in a regional final at Medinah Country Club last fall. Two of them – Naperville’s Lisa Copeland, in the Girls 12-13 age division, and Clarendon Hills’ Michael Jorski, in the Boys 12-13 division, will be making their second appearances at Augusta National.  Lisa qualified in 2017 and Michael in 2018, when he was living in Kansas.

Medinah hosted the qualifiers earlier this month but Copeland couldn’t make it.  She has spent the winter sharpening her game in Florida.

Jorski felt that being at Augusta National before will be a big help the second time around.

“It definitely will,’’ he said.  “I was just really nervous (the first time).  It’s harder to see the actual beauty and actual fun of being there.  Now that doesn’t matter.  You’ll have fun.  Of all the people who tried to qualify you’re one of just 10 (in your age group) who made it.’’

He was in the 7-9 age group in his first appearance. Since moving to Chicago he has played on the Cog Hill team that qualified for the national finals in the PGA Junior League in Arizona last year.

The other Chicago qualifiers for this year’s Drive, Chip and Putt are Ledius Felipe, of Poplar Grove, in the Boys 10-11; Eloise Fetzer, of LaGrange, in the Girls 7-9; and Martha Kuwahara, of Northbrook, in the Girls 14-15.

 

 

No Ryder Cup captaincy for Donald, but his game seems on the upswing

These are trying times for Luke Donald, the Englishman who starred on Northwestern’s teams before eventually enjoying a long run as the world’s No. 1 golfer.

Now 44, Donald’s best days as a player are probably over but he is still a force in the game both in the Chicago area and world-wide.  Though now a Florida resident, his presence in Chicago is still felt through his extraordinary support of the Northwestern and First Tee programs.

More recently he was in the spotlight for something he didn’t do; he was expected to be named the European Ryder Cup captain for the 2023 matches in Italy, but he wasn’t.

Donald had all the credentials for the job.  He made four appearances as a player for Europe and never was on a losing team.  He also served twice as Europe’s vice captain and seemed a shoo-in after Padraig Harrington, Europe’s captain in last year’s matches at Wisconsin’s Whistling Straits, gave him a resounding endorsement.

“Luke would be great,’’  Harrington told The Daily Mail, a London newspaper.  “Behind the sceneshe does a terrific job.  His managements style, he’s got the experience.  I’d thoroughly recommend him.’’

So did Graeme McDowell, who served with Donald as Harrington’s vice captains in Wisconsin.

Donald was “very humbled’’ when he heard that and gave a 30-minute presentation to the European Ryder Cup selection committee.  It included the captains of the last three European teams – Darren Clarke, Thomas Bjorn and Harrington;  Keith Pelley, chief executive officer of the DP World Tour, and David Howell, chairman of the European Tour players committee.

Actually Donald would not have been the first choice.  Lee Westwood appeared the front-runner until he took himself out of consideration. Still, the five-man committee – perhaps stung by Europe’s 19-9 whomping at Whistling Straits – went for Sweden’s Henrik Stenson as captain instead.

Donald was confronted about that selection at last week’s Valspar Championship.

“I thought I had a good chance this year,’’ he told GolfWeek.  “Hopefully, that’s not my chance gone.’’

It could be, though.

Sergio Garcia, Justin Rose, Ian Poulter – as well as Westwood and McDowell – have been keys to Europe’s previous domination of past Ryder Cups.  They’re still playing, but will be captain’s candidates not far down the road.  Garcia, given his past battles with New York’s boisterous fans, would especially seem an attractive choice when the matches are played at New York’s Bethpage Black in 2025. That would be Donald’s next chance to be a Ryder Cup captain.

While his Ryder Cup future may be in limbo, his playing days might be on the upswing.

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Still dealing with back problems, Donald had dropped to No. 547 in the Official World Golf Rankings prior to last week’s Valspar Championship in Florida.  Donald won that tournament in 2012 when it was called the Transitions Championship, and it came at a crucial time in his playing career.  It restored his position as golf’s No. 1 at that time. Donald spent 56 weeks as world No. 1 in 2011 and 2012.

Last week he finished in a tie for 16th in the Valspar Championship – his best showing in the PGA’s 2021-22 wrap-around season that has  included six missed cuts in 10 starts.  In a pro career that began in 2002 Donald has earned $37 million with five PGA Tour wins and eight more on the European circuit.  He was the leading money-winner on both tours in 2011.

His nezt start figures to be the RBC Heritage Classic in South Carolina April 14-17 – the week after the Masters.  Donald has four runner-up finishes and two thirds in the Heritage.

 

 

 

 

Valspar produced a great climax for the PGA’s Florida Swing

Champion Sam Burns (left) and Davis Riley settled the Valspar title in a dramatic playoff.

The first day of spring also coincided with the last day of the PGA Tour’s four-tournament Florida Swing this year, and  the final tournament of the Sunshine State’s moment  in the sun for 2022 provided the best weather,  the biggest crowds, the best scoring and the most drama of the four events.

Sam Burns repeated as the champion of the Valspar Championship, dubbed the PGA Tour’s “most colorful tournament’’ thanks to its paint company sponsor, by beating Davis Riley with a 33-foot birdie putt on the second hole of a sudden death playoff. The winning putt came at the par-4 sixteenth hole – the start of the treacherous three-hole Snake Pit that concludes the respected Copperhead course at Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor.

The winning putt circled the hole before dropping in, spoiling what would have been a Cinderella-type win for Riley who started the day with a two-stroke lead, then had to bounce back from a triple bogey on the par-5 fifth to force the playoff. He had a chip shot from green-side rough to continue the playoff after Burns’ bomb went in, but his desperation shot went long but didn’t leave him deflated.

“I got punched in the mouth early and had to hit the reset button,’’ said Riley.  “But he won in the moment. We’ve probably played against each other since we were 11-12 years old. He just did what he needed to do.’’

“I was really excited,’’ said Burns, who climbed into the No. 10 spot in the Official World Golf Rankings, and he also soared to second in the FedEx Cup standings. “The last couple weeks I tried to not get too high or too low.  When  the putter came through it was really cool.’’

The winning putt came on the same No. 16 green where he made a key birdie putt en route to his win in the 2021 Valspar.  The event was played in May then, and Burns gained more respect for the trio of finishing holes known as the Snake Pit.

“That’s its M.O.,’’ he said. “It comes down to some dramatic finishes, and crazy things happen on that stretch.’’

Burns took a break from the tour after three consecutive missed cuts on the West Coast and he also bypassed the Honda Classic, first of the tournaments on the Florida scene.  When he returned he was ready to play.  A tie for ninth at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and a tie for 26th at The Players Championship preceded his rousing win on the Copperhead layout.

The Valspar tournament came down to a battle of 25-year olds after Justin Thomas and Matthew NeSmith faltered on the final hole of regulation play.   Burns and Riley played their 72 holes in 17-under-par 267 and Thomas and NeSmith came up one stroke short.  Those four players comprised the final two twosomes of the day. No one else really challenged that foursome.

In the other Florida tournaments this last month Austrian Sepp Straka won the Honda Classic with a 10-under performance.  Scottie Scheffler was 5-under to take the Arnold Palmer Invitational and Australian Cameron Smith was 13-under in capturing the weather-plagued Players Championship. Those performances paled in comparison to the shot-making on display at Copperhead.

Though NeSmith and Riley haven’t had the success that Burns and Thomas have had on the circuit,  NeSmith shot a course record-tying 61 in the second round and Riley had 62 in the third.

Burns, meanwhile, took another big step toward behind recognized as one of golf’s top stars.  He won his first PGA Tour event at last year’s Valspar Championship, then won again at the Sanderson Championship in Mississippi last fall. Now he has three wins in a year’s span.

 

Here’s why Rich Harvest will host an event on controversial new golf tour

Jerry Rich, owner of Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, has done wonders for amateur golf by making his ultra-private course available for big tournaments like the Western Amateur, NCAA Championship and Palmer Cup. His biggest venture into the professional ranks came in 2009, when Rich Harvest hosted a very well-received Solheim Cup, a team event between the top women from the U.S. and Europe.

That’s why Wednesday’s announcement that Rich Harvest would be a host site in the first season of a controversial golf tour organized by Greg Norman and backed by the Saudi Arabia sovereign wealth fund came as a surprise.  The eight-eight-tournament team competition is called the LIV Golf Invitational Series and Norman, one of the greatest players in golf history, is chief executive officer of LIV Golf Investments.

Mention of the Saudi Arabia connection wasn’t included in the group’s schedule announcement, in which Rich Harvest was assigned Sept. 16-18 dates.  It was the fifth event of the series and last of four planned in the United States. Total prize money for the eight events is $255 million, with all the events played at 54 holes.

Perceived competition from the Saudi circuit has led to PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan to ban any players from his circuit if they join the newly-announced tour. The popular Phil Mickelson, an outspoken critic of PGA Tour policies, played an active role in getting the Saudi circuit started.

Criticized by many of the PGA’s top stars Mickelson has taken a leave of absence from tournament play, and Monahan — while refusing to say Mickelson has been suspended — said they’ll have to meet before Mickelson can play in another PGA tournament.

So, why did Rich Harvest get involved in the controversy?

Rich didn’t comment when the circuit was initially announced, but his staff put out a statement on behalf of Rich Harvest Farms. It citied “benefits’’ the tournament would have on the Kids Golf Foundation of Illinois, the caddies at Rich Harvest, Ukrainian refugees, educational institutions (most notably Rich’s alma mater Northern Illinois and Aurora University, both of whom play and practice at the Sugar Grove club), businesses in the greater Chicago area and “the Illinois golf community.’’

Rich, as well as Sugar Grove village president Jennifer Konen, made it clear they’re all in for tournament in the aftermath of Norman’s announcement..

“I’m thrilled to announce (his support of Norman’s release),’’ Rich said in his regular “Jerry’s Drive’’ message to friends of Rich Harvest on Thursday.  “I hope to see a big turnout from all you golf fans!  This will be huge for Illinois and the Chicago area.’’

“The Village is thrilled to welcome the LIV Golf Invitational Series to Sugar Grove,’’ echoed Konen.  “Rich Harvest Farms is a valued member of our community and it is exciting that it will be showcased in this new tournament.  Sugar Grove looks forward to hosting golf fans from around the world.’’

Players who will compete in the Saudi events haven’t been announced, but the schedule shows there will be some conflicts.   The first event, June 9-11 in London, is opposite the Canadian. Open and just a week before the U.S. Open in Massachusetts.  The second, at Pumpkin Ridge in Oregon July 1-3, is opposite the John Deere Classic – Illinois’ only annual PGA Tour stop. The other Saudi events all come after the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Playoffs.

Trump National, in New Jersey (July 29-31)    and The International in Boston (Sept. 2-4) are the other U.S. events on the Saudi circuit. The season wraps up with events in Bangkok, Thailand; Jeddah, Saudi Arabia;  and the season-ending team championship Oct. 28-30 at a site to determined.

This is a long way from being over.  Norman is considering legal action against the PGA Tour if it bans players from playing on his tour, and the PGA is considering the creation of a rival Premier Golf League that would offer massive paydays and ownership stakes for tour members. It’d probably play in the fall, after the FedEx Cup events.

As far as Chicago golf is concerned, the event at Rich Harvest fills a growing void of big tournaments coming to the area.  The PGA Tour won’t be here for the second straight year and the U.S. Golf Association, Ladies PGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions haven’t had an event at a Chicago area course since the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship was played at Kemper Lakes in 2018.  None of those organizations have one scheduled in the future, either.