Author: lenz

Doubling up: Two upgrades have increased the fun for Boyne golfers

Doon Brae (top), a nine-hole short course, and the Back Yaird, a massive Himalayan-style putting green,  have greatly enhanced the golf experience at The Highlands. (Joy Sarver Photos)

HARBOR SPRINGS, MI. – Operators of the three Boyne resorts have always stayed ahead of the game.  This year they’ve been twice as good at it.

Two upgrades at The Highlands, in Harbor Springs, have changed the golf atmosphere there.  One is called Doon Brae, a one-of-a-kind nine-hole short course that was planned as the star attraction.  The other is the Back Yaird – and, yes, that’s the correct spelling for a huge new putting green off  The Highlands dining area.

Doon Brae and the Back Yaird stand side-by-side, and they opened together on June 6 after lengthy construction periods. You can’t help but play fun golf on Doon  Brae, and the number of games you can play at the Back Yaird are limitless. There’s a small fee to play Doon Brae and there’s none at the Back Yaird,  but these two newcomers are considered teammates.

Veteran Michigan golf architect Ray Hearn designed Doon Brae, and a lot of thought was put into the process. Doon Brae is built on a ski hill.  You can see the ski lift chairs, but they’re not in use until the winter. Hearn is a big fan of sidewall bunkers, and that’s clearly evident at Doon Brae.

Aerial view of greens 3, 4 and 5 at Doon Brae reflects the new short course’s unique design. (Photo by Chip Henderson, Boyne Golf)

There’s no power carts available to get you around.  You walk and carry a few clubs (I brought along five).  A light carry bag is provided if you want one, and it’s likely you will. Tee areas are fluid.  There’s three per hole, but only one marker per each yardage.  Tee off on either side of the marker, as you deem appropriate.

Each hole has a plaque with the history of the hole’s design. There are greens with the Punch Bowl, Redan, Postage Stamp and Biarritz formats, among others. It’s interesting reading, and highly educational if you’re a serious golf buff.  A scorecard is available, but not necessary.

The course has lights for night play, speakers to bring music to the players and a bar also adds to the good times. The previous short course at The Highlands was very basic; Doon Brae is anything but that. It measures 1,050 yards from the back tees, and 851 from the front markers. Longest hole is 150 yards and the shortest is 88.

Doon Brae is a Scottish term, with Doon meaning going down into a valley and Brae meaning hillside. Downhill, uphill and sidehill lies are commonplace.  Rarely do you get a flat lie, and that enhances the fun experience. The greens, though, are the star of the show, as Hearn has created them as tributes to famous architects from the distant past like C.B. McDonald and Seth Raynor.

Doon Brae’s signage at each hole offers a look into how early courses were designed.

“It’s a terrific course,’’ said  Ken Griffin, Boyne’s director of sales and marketing. “It opens up the resort to guests who are new to golf or who might not have the time to play one of our championship courses.  Doon Brae is all about fun.’’

Size is the thing at the Back Yaird.  It’s built over 65,000 square feet.  Three nine-hole courses are set up on that terrain, and there’s space for a fourth if needed. Each nine is distinguished by different colored pins in the holes. You can have informal competitions at the Back Yaird – but they can be serious battles if that’s what you want. You can also use that space to just practice, if that’s what you want to do. It’s best suited for post-round or post-dinner activity. It’s not physically taxing.

Whether it’s Doon Brae or the Back Yaird, you’ll find a number of participants playing barefoot. Enough said for how serious the participants approach their time on the two.

One of the courses at The Highlands — the Donald Ross Memorial — has undergone regular upgrades.  It opened with 17 Ross-designed holes chosen from his courses world-wide.

Signage explains the most recent hole rebuilding job on the Donald Ross course. (Joy Sarver Photo)

 

The other hole wasn’t designed by Ross, but No. 10 from Scotland’s Royal Dornoch was from a course which the designer grew up playing. It was the last hole re-done and re-opened this year.

Ross emigrated to the U.S. from Scotland in 1899 and he has an estimated 600 courses to his credit. A panel of Boyne officials selected the holes and the course was named Best New Resort Course in the USA by Golf Digest in 1990. It was a fine composite of holes then, but future research revealed that some needed changing to assure their historic credibility.

Six were rebuilt over a three-year period.  The course was played a hole short at times, and with a reduced rate to reflect that. Now it’s back to 18 holes and – while more upgrades are being considered – more hole shutdowns are not scheduled.

My favorite hole on my favorite Boyne course — No. 13 at Arthur Hills. (Joy Sarver Photo)

My favorite Boyne course is the Arthur Hills at The Highlands.  The most memorable hole there is the par-5 thirteenth, which offers a breathtaking view from the elevated tees.  This year there was an added attraction.  Loggers have been working diligently to restore damage done by a spring storm, and it was interesting to watch them do their duties while in no way disrupting play.

Boyne’s story began in 1955 when Everett Kircher purchased a failing ski resort.  Seventy years later it continues to flourish. While Kircher immediately put in a nine-hole course, the golf side of Boyne took off in 1971 with the opening  of The Heather at The Highlands.  Doon Brae, the 11th course, opened in 2025.

While Doon Brae was in its finishing stages of construction Boyne Golf hauled in some major awards.  Most noteworthy was USA Today naming Boyne Golf the No. 1 golf resort destination in the U.S. and The Highlands was named No. 2.

You can’t do much better than that.

No. 16 at Crooked Tree has its own special look. (Photo by Chip Henderson, Boyne Golf)

 

A golf trip doesn’t have to be just about golf

The Mackinac Bridge brings together Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. (Joy Sarver Photos)

MACKINAC ISLAND, MI. – The first time we visited this vacation hotspot in Northern Michigan we came largely to check out the golf.  It appeared to be a well-kept secret on the Island that we should be uncovering – and it was.

The island’s iconic Grand Hotel has an 18-hole course that is well worth playing. The front nine by the hotel is called The Jewel and Tom Bendelow designed it in 1898.  It offers a pleasant setting and the horse-drawn carriage ride to the back nine added a fun touch of the unusual.

Jerry Matthews, a Michigan architect, updated The Jewel in 1987 and designed the back nine, called The Woods, in 1994.  A lot of golf history there, but Wawashkamo was another matter.  This nine-holer was well away from where the action was on the Island and had much more history than the 18-holer.

Called Wawa, it was built in 1898 with Alex Smith the designer.  You play this unusual layout using sand to create your own tees, feathered golf balls and hickory club.  Just like the Island itself, its golf courses have lots of history.  You get the idea.

The best way to see Mackinac Island is on one of the horse and carriage tours.

All that was well and good, a story worth telling, and it produced our first travel writing award – a big boost as we were just getting this website going. That was in 2016. We’ve changed our thinking a lot since then.

While we did visit the Island just to watch the boats finish the storied Chicago-to-Mackinac yacht race a few years later, we thought this year would be a good time to visit Mackinac Island again with no  pre-conceived ideas. It was a good idea.

In our many trips around the United States we have seen both golf and travel writing change, and we’ve needed to change with it.  Covering just golf wasn’t enough. We started blending our travel destination stops with more family visits, then looked for other attractions to check out. That’s enriched our experiences.

Arch Rock, hovering over Lake Huron, is one of the best views on the Mackinac tours.

That was especially true of our return to Mackinac Island.  We visited like tourists this time. We enjoyed the 20-minute boat ride to the Island, when we crossed under the Mackinac Bridge, from the waters of Lake Michigan to the waters of Lake Huron. We took a two-hour carriage tour of the property.  We sampled the fudge, which seemed to be on sale at every other storefront.

We also savored the food at the Chippewa Hotel and chowed down on those delicious pasties – an area-wide attraction – upon our return to our hotel in Mackinaw City.  Yum!

Wish we had taken this approach sooner. Our arrival at the Island came after four straight days of great golf at the Boyne resorts (much more on this in our next destination post).  We just wanted to get a fresh look at Michigan’s Upper Peninsula after that.

The Grand Hotel’s outdoor cafe, The Jockey Club, overlooks the putting green for the Jewel course.

A couple hours’ drive from the Island was Manistique, a town with a 1.8-mile walking/biking trail along the shores of Lake Michigan. We enjoyed our 2-plus mile walk the first day so much that we stuck around another day to go even further. The route had signs giving information about the birds, fish and plants along the way. Very interesting stuff.

Our next stop is back to the wonderful world of golf — a one-hour drive from Manistique along Lake Michigan’s shores to the Island Resort & Casino in Harris, MI. We have two rounds scheduled at this destination, one on the Sweetgrass course that we believe is one of the best in Michigan, based on a stop we made in 2018.  We’ll also get a sneak peek at a nine-holer that is under construction.

This stop, though, won’t be all about golf. Hopefully none of our others will be, either. We’ll be seeking more new adventures. Can’t wait to see what lies ahead, and we’ll tell you all about it.

Colorful flower displays are a trademark of the streets winding through Mackinac Island.

 

 

 

 

 

Korn Ferry Tour is back at the Glen Club

Back in 2019 Scottie Scheffler won the first NV5 Invitational Championship – a Korn Ferry Tour event played at the Glen Club in Glenview. Now he’s the world’s No.1-ranked golfer with five major titles, the most recent coming in last weeks’ British Open.

This year’s NV5 Invitational, conducted by the Western Golf Association, returns to The Glen this week.  Teeoff for Thursday and Friday rounds are off both the Nos. 1 and 10 tees starting at 6:30 a.m.  On the weekend they run from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Scheffler is one of many players who have used the Korn Ferry as a path to the PGA Tour. Not all, of course, have been as successful on the preview circuit as Scheffler has been but the quality of play is impressive.

Last year’s champion at The Glen was Thomas Rosenmueller, who was 25 under par in winning the $180,000 first prize, and he’s on the PGA Tour now.  Last week’s winner on the Korn Ferry was Chandler Blanchet.  He was 27-under in his three-stroke victory in the Price Cutter Championship in Missouri. Adrien Dumont de Chassard, who starred at the University of Illinois, tied for fifth last week and he’s also spent some time on the PGA Tour.

WISCONSIN WINNER:  Amateur Kate Brody of Madison, WI., captured the 30th anniversary staging of the Phil Kosin Illinois Women’s Open Tuesday at Mistwood, in Romeoville.

Brody won by seven strokes after posting an 8-under-par 136 for the 36 holes.  Tying for second were professionals Taglao Jeeravivitaporn, of Chicago; and Haeri Lee, of Buffalo Grove; and Elyssa Abdulah, an amateur from Hinsdale.

Defending champion Lauren Beaudreau, of Marco Island, FL., tied for 19th; two-time Illinois Women’s State Amateur champion Sarah Arnold, of Geneva, tied for 28th’ and two-time IWO titlist Nicole Jeray, a teaching professional at Mistwood, tied for 32nd.

LIV COUNTDOWN: Only one of the four events left on the Saudi-backed tour season will be played on foreign soil – next week’s tournament in Great Britain.  The last three are in the U.S., starting with LIV/Chicago Aug. 8-10 at Bolingbrook Golf Club.

LIV players had a presence at the British Open, headed by Bryson DeChambeau.  After opening with a 78 he finished with 65-68-64 to finish in a tie for 10th.  His last three rounds were the second lowest in the event’s 153 years, and Keegan Bradley, captain on the U.S. Ryder Cup team, gave strong indications that he will pick DeChambeau for his team at the matches in September at New York’s Bethpage Black.

 

Ten LIV players made the cut in the British Open and nine didn’t, including season points leader Joaquin Niemann, Patrick Reed, Brooks Koepka and Cam Smith.

PGA COUNTDOWN: The PGA Tour has only two tournaments remaining before the start of the FedEx Cup Playoffs.  This week it’s the 3M Open in Minnesota.  Both Chicago area tour players – Doug Ghim and Nick Hardy – are in the field. Last week Ghim tied for 20th in the Barracuda Championship in California while Hardy missed the cut.

JDC AFTERMATH: The John Deere Classic, Illinois’ only annual PGA Tour stop, has announced that it has reached a milestone in charitable giving.  The tourney was first played in 1971, and this year’s event earlier this month has topped the $200 million figure. The official total for this year will be revealed in October.

 

 

Less was more in winning the Illinois State Amateur

Jordan Less, hitting a tee shot, and Connor Hamm staged a stirring duel as partners in the final two rounds of the Illinois State Amateur. (Photos Courtesy of the Chicago District Golf Association).

The Illinois State Amateur has been played for 94 years, but it’s doubtful it ever had a tournament wrapup quite like Thursday’s at Stonebridge Country Club in Aurora.

Macomb’s Connor Hamm shot a 9-under-par 63 in the morning to start the 36-hole final day of the event, and that gave him a seven-stroke lead on the field. Ham’s luck turned sour in the afternoon 18, however, starting with his approach to the first green.

“It took a terrible bounce, hit a cart path and went 50 yards over the green,’’ said Hamm.  That cost him a bogey, and things got worse two holes later when his tee shot on a par-3 mysteriously disappeared.

“We thought it hit the bunker, but it was no where to be found,’’ lamented Hamm, who was joined in his search by playing partner Jordan Less, of Elmhurst, and several tournament officials and fans.  Hamm had to walk back to the tee and drive again. He put it on the green but three-putted for a double bogey.  In three holes his lead was cut by five strokes.

Less was the only player to take advantage of Hamm’s misfortune.   A former Northern Illinois University player who took a fling as a professional on the Korn Ferry Tour, Less took the title with a birdie-birdie finish.  He rolled in a 10-footer at No. 17 and a 17-footer to win at No. 18.

Hail to the champion. Elmhurst’s Jordan Less is now headed to the U.S. Amateur.

With 68 to finish Less posted a 16-under-par 272 score for the 72 holes and Hamm, who fizzled to a 75 in the final round, was one shot back in second.  Less, who won the Chicago District’s Mid-Amateur title earlier in the summer, will now play in both the Illinois Open and U.S. Open in the next two weeks. He competed in both before giving professional golf a shot.

“I was a pro for 2 ½ years,’’ said Less.  “At the end I was in the same spot as I was when I started, and I didn’t want to stay in that same spot.’’

So he regained his amateur status and has “no regrets’’ about his fling at the pro level.  He’s working in a tool manufacturing business now and will remain an amateur golfer.

“It’s not a case of having any expectations,’’ he said.  “It’s just more a state of my mind. I’ve got more trust in my game now, and that’s a good thing.’’

Less pulled a cart during the tournament, and the highlight for the week was his albatross in Monday’s first round. He holed a 6-iron from 200 yards at the 540-yard ninth hole. Thursday’s rounds included two aces at the 177-yard eighth hole, but Less didn’t get one of those. Michael Jorski of Clarendon Hills and Kyle Davies of Chatham made the aces.

Two 15-year olds — Jorski and Ben Patel of North Aurora — were among the top 20 finishers who qualified to play in the 2026 State Am without going through qualifying tournaments. Jorski added to his impressive resume.  He was a winner in the Drive, Chip & Putt competition at Augusta National in 2023.

Jordan Less’ unusual putting style delivered key birdie putts on the last two holes at Stonebridge.

 

 

 

 

 

Pierce Grieve’s next goal is the U.S. Amateur

Pierce Grieve has won Illinois’ two biggest amateur tournaments. (Photo Courtesy of the  CDGA)

The biggest tournaments of the Chicago golf season are coming fast and furious now, starting with the 94th Illinois State Amateur, which concludes its three-day run at Stonebridge, in Aurora, on Thursday.

Next week comes the Phil Kosin Illinois Women’s Open Monday and Tuesday at Mistwood, in Romeoville, followed by the Korn Ferry Tour’s NV5 Invitational July 24-27 at The Glen Club, in Glenview and the Western Amateur July 28 through Aug. 2 at Skokie Country Club, in Glencoe.

There won’t be a repeat champion in Thursday’s 36-hole wrapup to the Illinois State Amateur.  Last year’s winner, Pierce Grieve of Lake Forest, chose not to defend following his victory in the Chicago District Amateur two weeks ago.

“I’ve got a busy schedule, and I just figured it’d be a lot of golf with the U.S. Amateur coming up,’’ said Grieve, who  became just the 12th player to post wins in the Illinois State Amateur (2024) and Chicago District Amateur – the two biggest events for amateurs in the state.

Grieve is looking for bigger challenges now,  with his focus on getting to the U.S. Amateur. He has to get past a qualifier on July 23 at Aldeen, in Rockford, to get to the finals Aug. 11-17 at Olympic Club in San Francisco. That could make for an ideal end to his successful amateur career.

“Professional golf is on the horizon,’’ he said.  “I’m not sure when that’ll be, but it’s definitely in the near future.’’

Depending on what happens in the U.S. Amateur qualifier in Rockford, Grieve’s professional debut could come locally – at either the NV5 Invitational or the Illinois Open.

NEXT WEEK: The 30th anniversary playing of the Phil Kosin Illinois Women’s Open has drawn 90 players with 14 of them professionals. They’ll play 36 holes with no cut, and the field will be re-paired for the second 18-hole round.

A professional — Lauren Beaudreau, a Notre Dame alum who grew up in Lemont – won last year and will defend her title.  Now playing out of Marco Island, FL., she posted a 3-under-par 141 to win by one shot last year over  Mistwood teaching pro and two-time champion Nicole Jeray and amateurs Caroline Lopez-Chacarra of Spain and Caroline Smith of Inverness.

The NV5 Invitational is part of the Korn Ferry Tour, which provides a path to the PGA Tour for its players.  Five past winners – Scottie Scheffler (2019), Cameron Young (2021), Harry Higgs (2022), Trace Crowe (2023) and Thomas Rosenmueller (2024) – are now playing on the PGA circuit.

The Big Ten Network is offering complimentary grounds admission to registrants. Contact the Western Golf Assn. for details.

FED EX COUNTDOWN:  This week’s Barracuda Championship in California is the third from the last event on the PGA Tour’s regular season and both Chicago area players, Northbrook’s Nick Hardy and Arlington Heights’ Doug Ghim, in the field and coming off strong showings.

Hardy had his best finish of the season – a tie for eighth –in last week’s ISCO Championship in Kentucky.  Ghim, who didn’t play in Kentucky, led the John Deere Classic through 36 holes before finishing in a tie for 31st two weeks ago.

Both players are in jeopardy of missing the FedEx Cup Playoffs.  Only the top 100 in the season-long standings get into the first playoff event and Ghim is No. 116 and Hardy No. 173.  Northwestern alum David Lipsky, who tied for third at the JDC, is the best bet for Illinois representation in the postseason, standing at No. 115.

The only regular season events after the Barracuda are the 3M Championship in Minnesota and the Wyndham Championship in North Carolina.

TIGHT RACES IN LIV: The Saudi-backed circuit has just one tournament left before its schedule shifts back to the United States at LIV/Chicago on Aug. 8-10 at Bolingbrook Golf Club.

Eighteen LIV players are in the field this week at the British Open, then the circuit resumes play in the United Kingdom July 25-27.  Talor Gooch won the individual title and Jon Rahm’s Legion XIII took the team honors in last week’s stop in Spain.  Gooch, the circuit’s Individual champion in 2023, won for the first time since that season.

Rahm won last year’s Individual title at Bolingbrook in a duel with Joaquin Niemann. This time the Bolingbrook stop will be the last regular season event before the Individual  championship in Indianapolis and the season-ending Team championship in Michigan.

Niemann holds a lead over Rahm in the Individual standings going into the United Kingdom event. Rahm’s Legion XIII is the team leader.

 

 

Eagle Ridge Resort is getting into some fishy business

Can you believe this huge tiger muskie was pulled out of Lake Galena? (Courtesy of Eagle Ridge)

GALENA, IL. — Since Mark Klausner took over the ownership of Eagle Ridge Resort & Spa seven years ago the facility has taken on an exciting fresh new look. That’s especially true this year.

“We continue to expand our horizons,’’ said Klausner, a resident of the Eagle Ridge area for 25 years.

“We’re re-inventing ourselves all the time,’’ said Colin Sanderson, the resort’s director of sales and marketing. “Since 2019 we’ve taken the profits and put it all back into the resort and we’ve been building partnerships within the area.’’

Already the resort has added the Smokehouse Barbecue to its dining options and celebrated a rare double honor for its 63-hole golf complex.

Coming soon will be a unique new package combining fishing with the golf. Details haven’t been announced yet, but the new package is a no-brainer.  The golf has always been extensive, and fishermen have found great success in Lake Galena. The tiger muskies are biting, and one angler recently caught one that measured within an inch of the Illinois record.

Klausner remains especially proud of the Stonedrift Spa, which has been a big hit since its opening a year ago.  The barbecue was a natural, too, as the Smokehouse – the brainchild of general manager Steve Geisz, a smoker enthusiast – fills a need for the entire area.   Barbecue restaurants have been a rarity there, and the Smokehouse opened a month ago.

Eagle Ridge has added barbecuing at the Highland Restaurant, which adjoins The General golf course.  Sun sails are also being added to the Highland to provide comfort for outdoor diners.

As for the golf, Scott Szbowicz was hired in the spring to revamp the instruction program.  He’s been operating as a roving instructor in the Chicago area but has taken residence in the Galena area and will have an increasing presence at the resort.

The golf operation also got a big boost when the raters at GolfWeek magazine judged both   Eagle Ridge’s oldest and youngest courses in the top 15 in Illinois.  The General, an Andy North and Roger Packard design that opened in 1997, was ranked No. 7 and the North Course, which opened on July 4, 1977, was ranked No. 15.

Director of golf John Schlaman shows off The General’s new viewing area. (Joy Sarver Photo)

“Selecting The General was obvious,’’ said director of golf John Schlaman. “It didn’t surprise me because it’s been in Golf Digest’s Top 100, but the North was a pleasant surprise.  It was an honor to see the North on the list, and that’s not saying anything negative about our South course.  They’re so different from each other.’’

The General is spectacular because of its elevation changes.  There’s a 289-foot elevation change from the No. 1 hole to No. 18 and the signature fifth hole (formerly No. 14 prior to a recent and well-received decision to flip the nines) is a par-4 with a 189-foot drop from the tee to the green.

While the steep, winding cart path rides at the General can be exciting while requiring caution, the older North is longer than The General and a more likely tournament course.  North is 6,884 yards from the tips and The General 6,726. The South is noted for having streams running through 11 of the 18 holes.

Six new blue chairs have been added at The General, providing an up close view of both the No. 10 tee and No. 18 green. The elevated patio at The Highlands also offers the same views there, making for a pleasant setting when players are finishing their rounds.

Schlaman was on board when The General made a high-profile grand opening, then he left for 14 years to head the then new Prairie Landing in the Chicago suburbs. He returned to Eagle Ridge as head pro at the South before moving up to his present position and has a good perspective on the evolution at Illinois’ premier golf resort.

“We’ve aged gracefully,’’ he said. “We have longevity approaching 50 years on our oldest course, and the property is super cool. Our rolling terrain is only in this part of the state.’’

Barbecue cuisine is now available at the Highlands Restaurant thanks to sous chef Mel Anderson.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Korn Ferry, LIV tours will follow the John Deere Classic to Illinois

Brian Campbell’s win in the John Deere Classic was pulled off with the University of Illinois logo on his golf bag.

Sunday’s conclusion to the John Deere Classic triggered the end of the PGA Tour’s season in Illinois.  The JDC is the circuit’s only annual stop in the state, and recently-crowned champion Brian Campbell headed a group of this year’s leading competitors on to a charter flight to Ireland a few hours after the last putt dropped at TPC Deere Run. They’ll play in  this week’s Irish Open.

So, what’s next?

The PGA will be back in Illinois twice in 2026, for the 55th playing of the JDC and the late-in-the-year Presidents Cup team event at Medinah.  There are still two national professional  tours staging events in the Chicago area this year, though.

A Western Golf Association event, the NV5 Invitational, is July 24-27 at The Glen Club in Glenview. It’s part of the Korn Ferry Tour  which provides its players with a path to the PGA Tour. Scottie Scheffler, now world No. 1, was the first winner of its Chicago area stop and four past champions including  last year’s winner, Thomas Rosenmueller, are playing on the PGA Tour now.

An interesting sidelight to this event is the free daily grounds admission provided by Big Ten Network. You have to register to get your tickets.  Check the WGA website (www.wgaesf.org) for details.

Bigger name players will be coming to the fourth playing of LIV/Chicago Aug. 8-10 at Bolingbrook Golf Club. The Saudi-backed circuit features such stars as Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau.

LIV is playing at Valderrama, in Spain, this week and in the United Kingdom July 25-27 before coming to Chicago.  The Bolingbrook event will be the first of three back-to-back tournaments to climax the LIV season.

Bolingbook hosted for the first time last year in the LIV Individual Championship.  Rahm edged Chile’s Joaquin Niemann for the title.

CHARITABLE SIDE:  One of Chicago’s longest standing golf fundraisers, the Chicago Baseball Children’s Charities outing, returns to Twin Orchard, in Long Grove, on July 17. First held in 1970, the event has raised over $18 million for cancer patient care at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, the Ann & Robert Lurie Children’s Hospital and Camp One Step – a program that provides educational, social and physical developmental services to children with cancer.

The CBCC was founded by Marv Samuel and former White Sox pitcher Billy Pierce was one of the first celebrity participants.  After Pierce’s roommate of 11 seasons with the Sox, Nelly Fox, died of cancer Pierce joined the organization’s board. Other retired baseball players and Chicago sports and media members have joined in over the years.

HERE AND THERE: Brian Campbell’s winning score of 218 at the John Deere Classic was the highest winning number since Bryson DeChambeau won with the same number in 2018.

Brandon Wessel, of Sunset Ridge in Northfield, won last week’s Illinois PGA Senior Championship at The Grove, in Long Grove. He posted a 7-under-par 137 for 36 holes.

Next week’s schedule has the 94th Illinois State Amateur beginning its three-day run at Stonebridge, in Aurora, on Tuesday  and the WGA’s Women’s Western Amateur tees off on Monday at Red Run, in Michigan.

The fourth event of the Illinois PGA’s new Open Series is Monday at Elgin Country Club.

Max Homa (left) and Rickie Fowler didn’t win the John Deere Classic but they were the fan favorites at TPC Deere Run. (Joy Sarver Photos)

 

 

Illini alum Campbell gets another playoff win at the JDC

Brian Campbell and his girlfriend Kelsi McKee celebrate another playoff win. (Joy Sarver Photos)

SILVIS, IL. – Brian Campbell was just finishing up at the University of Illinois when he saw TPC Deere Run for the first time.  That was in 2015 when he got in the John Deere Classic  field as a sponsor’s exemption and missd the cut.  He’s come a long way since then.

Campbell returned as a pro two years later and tied for 12th, then didn’t return again until this week when he won the 54th John Deere Classic in a one-hole playoff.

“Yes, it all started here as an amateur, my  first invite, ’’ said Campbell. “I’ve loved it ever since. I have no words.  To be let alone in a playoff and to finish it off, it’s just amazing.’’

Campbell and Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo were both 18-under-par in the regulation 72 holes.  Campbell put his drive in the playoff in the center of the fairway, his second 16 feet from the cup and – after Grillo sent his drive in the right rough,  his second over the green and hit a weak chip – Campbell two-putted for par and his second victory of the season.

“I expected a little bit of a fight, not that much,’’ said Grillo. “I got myself there.  I gave myself a chance. That’s all I can do.’’

Emiliano Grillo coped with the rain in the final round but Brian Campbell rained on his parade.

It wasn’t so easy for Campbell in the 72 holes before the playoff. Lots of players wanted to climb the leaderboard.  Northwestern alum David Lipsky, playing in the last group, matched Campbell’s eagle at No. 17 and could have won with a birdie at 18.  Instead he hit a weak drive into the left rough, chipped back to the fairway and had a putt to get into the playoff.

“I’m disappointed the putt didn’t drop on the last, and the tee shot on the last, but I’m pretty happy with the week,’’ said Lipsky.  “In my situation, I’m gaining FedEx Cup points, money, all that stuff.’’

Lipsky was in position to extend a JDC tradition for having the most first-time winners (24) of any PGA Tour event.  Arlington Heights’ Doug Ghim hoped to be the 25th after leading the first two rounds.  He wound up tied for 31st. Lipsky remained winless on the circuit.

“With all the pressure everyone is aware of what can and can’t happen,’’ said Lipsky.  “I’m just happy how I had a really good mindset, kept plugging away and grinded it out.’’

Northwestern alum David Lipsky missed a good chance to become another first-time PGA winner at the JDC.

Campbell is the second Illini golfer to win the JDC.  Steve Stricker won three times, from 2009 to 2011. Illini supporters were vocal on Campbell’s behalf all week.

“I’m so proud to be in the same conversation with  Steve Stricker,’’ he said. “I never had his much support in a golf tournament.’’

Campbell came from California to play for coach Mike Small at Illinois.  He earned his PGA Tour card shortly after his college days were over, then lost it and needed seven years to get it back.

His first win on the PGA Tour came earlier this year in Mexico, in a playoff with South African Aldrich Potgieter.  In that one Campbell benefitted greatly from one of his errant shots bouncing off a tree and into a position where he could win.

“Mexico was definitely a shock,’’ said Campbell, “and reliving it this week is something special.’’

BITS AND PIECES: Ed Fiori, winner of one of the JDC’s most notable stagings, passed away on Sunday.  He was 72, and the biggest of his four PGA Tour wins came when he beat Tiger Woods. Woods was a 20-year old phenom trying to earn his PGA Tour card when he made his only appearance in the tourney, then called the Quad Cities Classic and played at Oakwood Country Club in nearby Coal Valley in 1996.  Fiori topped the field with Woods finishing in a tie for fifth.

Jackson Koivun, a 20-year amateur in his freshman year at Auburn, was in the field as a sponsor’s exemption and tied for 11th.  His father George attended nearby Moline High School, and Jackson is the world’s No. 1-ranked amateur golfer.

Rickie Fowler, who had only played in the JDC in 2010 when he was still an amateur, tied for 18th after shooting 67-66 in the weekend rounds. He finished four strokes behind the leaders and tied with Davis Thompson, who set the tournament scoring record in his victory last year.

Potgieter, who won last week’s PGA Tour stop in Detroit, bypassed the final round – and a paycheck in the process.  He withdrew after the third round, no reason given.

Three former JDC champions – Michael Kim, Dylan Frittelli and J.T Poston didn’t survive the cut but 49-year old Zach Johnson, the winner in 2012, did – and for 17th straight year.  He has played all 72 holes 20 times in his 23 starts. This time he tied for 44th.

Max Homa (left) and Rickie Fowler made rare appearances at  TPC Deere Run and were popular additions.

 

 

 

 

 

Ghim drops back, Thompson moves into position at the JDC

There was lots of drama on the 18th green at TPC Deere Run at the end of the third round of the John Deere Classic. Doug Ghim (left) left frustrated after losing the tournament lead while defending champion Davis Thompson rolled in a putt to take sole possession of the lead. (Joy Sarver Photos).

SILVIS, IL. – Doug Ghim’s chances of becoming the 25th first-time PGA Tour winner at the John Deere Classic looked good after he held the solo lead after the first and second rounds.

“Any win on the PGA Tour is amazing,’’ said Ghim, a long-time resident of Arlington Heights.  “To do it here would be awesome.’’

Well, it would have been.  The John Deere Classic, which has more first-time winners since 1970 than any tournament on the circuit, could well have another in today’s final round at TPC Deere Run — but it most likely won’t be Ghim.  The rest of the field came at him in droves in Saturday’s third round and Ghim couldn’t keep up.

He was even par after playing four holes and had fallen into a tie for fourth. Then the  challengers kept coming in droves. That was the most amazing part of Saturday’s round.

Twelve players were co-leaders during the round and nine were tied for the lead midway through the back side.  When play was over defending champion Davis Thompson held a one-stroke lead on University of Illinois alum Brian Campbell, Northwestern alum David Lipsky, Max Homa and Emilio Grillo.

Thompson shot a 67 to hit the 54-hole stop at 15-under-par 198 and the four immediately trailing him had 68s on Saturday. Ghim shot 74 and tumbled into a tie for 21st, six shots behind leader Thompson.

That shifted the best possibility for a 25th first-time champion at the JDC to Lipsky, an All-American in his days at NU.  Lipsky, 36, won three professional events on foreign sale but has just one runner-up finish since joining the PGA Tour in 2022.

Brian Campbell (right) celebrates after making a clutch putt on the final green of the third round at TPC Deere Run, but he still trails Davis Thompson (following Thompson off the green) entering the final round.

Thompson, meanwhile, set the JDC scoring record last year at 28-under 256.  He could become the tourney’s first repeat champion since Steve Stricker won three in a row from 2009-2011.

The defender wasn’t at his best starting out on Saturday, a round pushed up to an 8 a.m. start with play in threesomes due to weather concerns that never materialized.

“I was hitting it solid, just didn’t really score great on the front,’’ he said. “My caddie gave me a pep talk on 10 tee and I was able to finish strong.  It’s nice to have some momentum going into tomorrow.’’

Last year he won by four strokes after playing the weekend rounds in 62-64.

“Last year gave me confidence,’’ Thompson said, “but I can’t really focus on last year. That’s in the past.  I’ve got to focus on the present. I’m really excited to go and compete.’’

Campbell, who got his first win in Mexico this year, had the most spectacular finish on Saturday, sinking a 36-foot putt to climb into a share of the lead.  He birdied the first two holes, but gained more momentum when the long putt dropped at the finish.

“You love to see a putt go in on 18,’’ he said. “My caddie said I’m due for a long one, and sure enough, it went in. That was awesome. Hopefully I’m going to have one of those tomorrow for something bigger.’’

The main contenders were in the last two groups Saturday, and that created some fireworks on the 18th green.  Grillo got to 14-under par first, then Lipsky, then Homa and then Campbell.  That set the stage for Thompson to get sole possession of the top spot for Sunday, when play will be in twosomes.

Homa has played in the JDC only twice – in 2015 and 2017 – but he did win an important tournament in Illinois. In 2016 he came from seven shots back in the final round to win the Rust-Oleum Championship, a Web.com Tour event at Ivanhoe. That helped him regain his PGA Tour card for the 2016-17 season and he went on to win six times on the PGA circuit.

David Lipsky (left) and Max Homa have swings that look alike, and both are tied for second after 54 holes.

 

 

 

 

Ghim is halfway to his first victory on the PGA Tour

Arlington Heights’ Doug Ghim is the 36-hole leader in the John Deere Classic. (Joy Sarver Photos)

SILVIS, IL. – Could this be the week that Arlington Heights’ Doug Ghim notches his first victory on the PGA Tour? It’s certainly possible.

Ghim’s 62 gave him the first round lead in the 54th John Deere Classic on Thursday and he maintained a one-stroke lead after adding a 68 on Friday. Both rounds featured hole-outs from the fairway, Friday’s coming at the par-4 15th.

“That’s not the easiest hole out there, so it was unexpected, and it was huge!’’ said Ghim. “It’s been a couple years since I holed out from the fairway.  To get two in back-to-back days is great.’’

Ghim,  at 12-under-par 130, is in a dogfight, though. Just one stroke back are defending champion Davis Thompson,  veteran Max Homa, Illinois alum Michael Campbell, Northwestern alum David Lipsky and Emilio Grillo.

“It’s just the halfway point  — so early in the tournament,’’ said Ghim.  “The leaderboard is so bunched.  I’m still chasing because 20-something under par is probably going to win.’’

Thompson was a record 28-under in his victory last year.

The JDC is known for its abundance of first-time winners on the PGA Tour.  There’s been 24 of them in 53 years and Ghim could certainly become the 25th after Sunday’s final round at TPC Deere Run.

In his eighth professional season the 28-year old Ghim has been in position to win before.  He played in the last group on Sunday in the 2021 Players Championship but eventual champion Justin Thomas took charge then.  Ghim notched his only runner-up finish on the circuit in Las Vegas last year, losing by one stroke to J.T. Poston – the JDC champion in 2022.

“I played well there and was patient all week,’’ said Ghim. “I didn’t try to knock all the grass off the course the entire week and almost won.’’

“Almost’’ is good if you’re playing horseshoes, but not in golf.

“Sometimes you see guys shooting 8 or 9 under (par) every day and you try to keep up,’’ said Ghim. “You should just try to stay in your own bubble.  Every year I’ve gotten a little better at that.’’

This would be a great time and place for Ghim to crack the winner’s circle.  He’s one of only two Chicago area regulars on the PGA Tour and the JDC is the only annual PGA Tour stop in Illinois.

Preferring to focus on national junior tournaments, Ghim played only one year of high school golf at Buffalo Grove. He was a college star at Texas and now lives in Las Vegas. Still, he’s found a comfort level playing in the Midwest.

“In general it’s the style I’m used to,’’ he said.  “I grew up playing tree-lined courses with bentgrass rough and greens. I always look forward to coming back to the Midwest.’’

He tied for 19th last week in Detroit, and that was his third top-25 finish in 17 starts in what has been a mediocre season so far.  He started the year by revamping his support team and changed caddies at the Canadian Open last month.

His best finish this year was a tie for 11th in Florida in March.   Along the way he missed six cuts. This is a new week, though, and his play at TPC Deere Run has been steady in three of the last four years – a tie for 18th in 2021, then a tie for 26th in 2023 and a tie for 34th last year.

The challenge will be a little different in Saturday’s third round. Potential thunderstorms resulted in starting times being moved up to 7:45 a.m. off both the Nos. 1 and 10 tees.  Play will again be in threesomes and the Dierks Bentley concert, planned for the conclusion of play,  is scheduled to begin at 3:45 p.m., weather permitting.