The national championships in Division I college golf are on the line the next two weeks, and — in these parts, at least – it’s all about Illinois and Northwestern. Coach Emily Fletcher’s NU women are the defending champion on the women’s side. They won their first title last year at Omni LaCosta Resort…
Author: lenz
Svoboda gets his first big IPGA victory
The 108th PGA Championship – second of the year’s four major tournaments – tees off Thursday at Aronimink, in Pennsylvania, but the Illinois Section of the PGA crowned the first winner of its four majors last week and it was significant. Andy Svoboda was an immediate contender since joining the IPGA in 2024 after being…
BOOK(S) REPORT: Both Tiger, Rory get special attention this time
Two books on prominent golfers — “Tiger Project’’ by Gavin Newsham and “RORY’’ by Alan Shipnuck – came out very close together earlier this year. Both were somewhat updated when they were released, as Tiger Woods had since been involved in another auto-related catastrophe and Rory McIlroy was about to repeat as a Masters…
Two-tourney week brings Illinois PGA players together
This week’s two PGA Tour stops are the final warmups for the year’s second major tournament – the PGA Championship. The top stars will be at the Truist Championship at Quail Valley, in Charlotte, N.C., which tees off on Thursday. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, the runner-up in his last three tournaments, won’t be there…
TRAVEL: South Dakota’s Terry Redlin Art Center is a special place
WATERTOWN, South Dakota – This is our latest proof that we can enjoy destinations that don’t involve golf. We hadn’t been to South Dakota since 2015 , the last time highlighted by a stop to see the iconic Mount Rushmore. This time we made a side trip from a family gathering in Marshall, Minnesota,…
Illinois prep champion tops U.S. Open local qualifier
Last week’s first of three Illinois local qualifiers for the U.S. Open hardly went according to form. Evanston amateur Lester Low, the reigning Illinois high school champion, posted the best score – a 7-under-par 65 at Stonewall Orchard, in Gurnee, and that was two strokes better than veteran tour player Andy Svoboda, the head…
Stonewall Orchard is an early host for U.S. Open local qualifiers
This month’s Masters was the first of the year’s four major championships and – with just a 91-player field – was the smallest of those events. The biggest of the majors is the U.S. Open which officially started on Monday (APRIL 20) with the first of 109 local qualifiers. Illinois will again have three…
Illini coach Mike Small takes a crack at the Senior PGA tourney
IN SELECT COMPANY: Illinois men’s coach Mike Small (right) was paired with two former major champions in the first round of the Senior PGA Championship. Henrik Stenson (left) won the 2016 British Open and John Daly captured titles in both the 1991 PGA Championship and 1995 British Open. Stenson shot 72, Daly 73 and…
This Masters may lack its usual star power, but look out for Bryson
The Masters starts its 90th anniversary staging on Thursday. This major championship in Augusta, Ga., always gets world-wide attention, but this one may not get as much as most of the others – and for good reasons. Tiger Woods won’t be playing. Neither will Phil Mickelson. It’s the first time since 1994 that…
GOOD BOOK READING: “Death in the Strike Zone”
It’s time to stray away from golf and revive Book Report duties. The strange-looking face on his page is that of James Creighton. His picture isn’t sharp because cameras weren’t of the same quality in 1860 as they are these days.Gilbert wrote a recently-published book, “Death in the Strike Zone,’’ to make the case…