Author: lenz

Florida’s Palm-Aire course gets a `refreshing’ from a Midwest perspective

Illinois-based architect Mike Benkusky is bringing his touch to what had been one of Florida’s toughest courses.

SARASOTA, FL. – Mike Benkusky had worked basically in the Midwest throughout his career as a golf course architect.  That’s not surprising, given that he grew up in Iowa, did his college work at Iowa State and then entered the architectural world under the tutelage of long-time Chicago-based architect Bob Lohman.

In 2005 Benkusky opened his own design firm, based out of his hometown of Lake in the Hills. His Illinois creations are topped by St. Charles Country Club and Arlington Lakes, and his remodeling efforts included Stonebridge, this year’s Illinois Open site in Aurora;  Bloomington Country Club and the East course at Countryside, in Mundelein. He’s also done considerable work in Iowa and Indiana.

That’s why it was an eye-opener when Benkusky was named to overhaul The Champions course at Palm-Aire Country Club. Formerly called DeSoto Lakes, the Palm-Aire club has 36 holes.  The older of the 18-holers – and the one getting Benkusky’s attention now – was designed by Dick Wilson.  It opened in 1958.

The other 18-holer, called The Lakes, was designed by Joe Lee and opened in 1982 The membership approved a $2 million budget for Benkusky’s work on the Champion and is considering an updating of The Lakes as well.

Runway tee boxes, a trademark of Dick Wilson courses, will be eye-catching when the Champion course re-opens.

Wilson and Lee worked together on many projects before Wilson’s passing, at age 61, in 1965.  Wilson’s work in Florida touched some well-known courses – Bay Hill, Pine Tree, the TPC Blue Monster at Doral and PGA National. Lee, who died in 2002 at the age of 81, was also active in Florida where he either designed or renovated about 80 courses.

Benkusky had never worked in Florida before, but his Illinois background was helpful in his landing the job.  Though both Wilson and Lee spent time as Florida residents, they did combine efforts on a major Illinois course – Cog Hill’s Dubsdread layout that was a long-time PGA Tour site.  The Palos Park course was the site of the last 16 Western Opens (1991-2006) and was the part-time base of its successor, the BMW Championship.

The Western Golf Association conducted the Western Open and has taken the BMW Championship, which is part of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, to a variety of sites since 2007.

In Benkusky’s case, his knowledge of golf history overcame the fact that Midwest courses have different soils and grasses than those  in Florida. Palm-Aire members were impressed by that.

“I got a recommendation, and –with what Dick and Joe had done – I was familiar with both,’’ said Benkusky. “I was as interested in their (Palm-Aire) history as they were themselves. I’m also finding that Florida is a little easier because of the soil. It’s all the same sandy material.’’

Palm-Aire’s clubhouse features a wall full of good memories.

Wilson’s Champion layout was one of the most difficult courses in the country when it opened. The PGA Tour visited in 1960, when Sam Snead beat all the stars of that era in the DeSoto Open.  The LPGA came the next year and also had a legendary winner.  Louise Suggs captured the Golden Circle of Golf Festival event. Memorabilia from both decorates a clubhouse wall.

The club has also hosted the National Left-Handers Championship, the LPGA’s Legends Tour and the made-for-TV All-Star Golf series. The Champion has been its showcase course.  It’s longer than the Lakes, which is more of a community course with homes lining many of the fairways.

When Benkusky’s work is completed The Champion might well host some big events again.

“I’ve had good bones to work with,’’ Benkusky said of Wilson’s original design.  “The golf course was all there, and it had some teeth to it.  There was a lot to work with, and there weren’t any drastic changes.  A solid design was there. We’ve added a little length, kept the greens and put in a new bunker style, but the bunkers will still play just as they did in the past.’’

Benkusky’s finished product won’t be a re-do or a renovation.

“It’s a refreshing – more a hybrid of what (Wilson) did because the greens had all been rebuilt since the Wilson days in the 1990s,’’ Benkusky said.

The irrigation system was only eight years old, so it didn’t need replacing.   Re-grassing with new strains of Bermuda was done on 70 acres and 12 acres of crushed shells are being put down around trees and as replacements or extensions of some cart paths.  Sixty trees were also taken down, though some will be replaced before the course opens on Nov. 1.

The tee boxes will have long runway tees – one is 90 yards long – and they will give the Champion a new look but remain in keeping with what Wilson did. The original runway tees, though, were gradually broken up over the years.

“He (Wilson) was known for them,’’ said Benkusky.  “A lot of them were taken down for maintenance, but now it appears they’ll be easier to maintain.’’

This view of the 18th green could emerge as the signature hole of the Champions course.

 

Meet the next induction class into the Illinois Golf Hall of Fame

The next induction class into the Illinois Golf Hall of Fame will be much different than the last one, which was enshrined in 2019.  The next class celebrates the playing accomplishments of both the male and female stars.

On the women’s  side there was Bessie Anthony, who was one of the nation’s top stars in the early years of American golf.  On the men’s there’s Gary Pinns – the only player to win the Illinois Open five times. While Illinois has had some great players since the sport was first played here in 1892, few have rivaled the playing success of Anthony and Pinns.

Also being enshrined at The Glen Club in October will be renowned swing guru Dr. Jim Suttie; Mason Phelps, a two-time Western Amateur champion; Herbert James Tweedie, who designed the first nine holes of the original Chicago Golf Club; and Phil Kosin, creator of both Chicagoland Golf magazine and the Illinois Women’s Open.

The IWO celebrates its 26th staging in July at Mistwood Golf Club, in Romeoville, but it may never have a player the caliber of Anthony. Playing out of the long gone Westward Ho club, she was the first Chicago area woman to make her mark on the world stage.

An Evanston resident and the daughter of a Chicago lawyer, Anthony Helped found the Women’s Western Golf Association and then won its first three tournaments from 1901-03.  In 1903 she won the U.S. Women’s Amateur at Chicago Golf Club, beating another Chicago player – Anna Carpenter – by a whopping 7 and 6 margin in the title match.

That was basically it for Anthony’s golf career.  She had announced her engagement before winning the national title and opted not to made a title defense after getting married. There’s no telling how many more titles she might have won had she remained competitive.

Pinns remained competitive for a long time. He strung his five Illinois Open titles over three decades, winning the first as an amateur in 1978, then winning the next three in the 1980s.  The last one – in 1990 – was especially memorable as it came at Village Links of Glen Ellyn, his home course and the club where his brother Doug was a teaching pro.

Among Pinns’ other victories were the 1974 Illinois high school title and the 1977 Illinois State Amateur crown.

After a solid amateur career Pinns took a crack at the PGA Tour before returning to Chicago where he established himself as one of the area’s top teaching pros. He was the 2014 Illinois PGA Teacher of the Year and was director of instruction at Oak Brook Golf Club for 27 years.

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This year’s 27 nominees were whittled to the final 10 in the first selection meeting of a state-wide panel representing all of Illinois’ major golf organization.  The six survivors were chosen after the second selection session on Tuesday night.

“The committee worked very hard to select this group from an outstanding roster of candidates,’’ said selection committee chairman Tim Cronin.  “They range from the early days of the game in the state to today.  Each has been recognized as a leader in their aspect of golf.’’

The inductees will be enshrined on Oct. 1 at The Glen Club, in Glenview, which houses the Illinois Golf Hall of Fame.

 

 

Evans Scholars tourney is loaded with Chicago golf stars

 

The Evans Scholars Invitational, the only pro tour event in the Chicago area this season, tees off on Thursday at The Glen Club, in Glenview. It’s an annual stop on the Korn Ferry Tour, which provides a direct path to golf’s premier circuit — the PGA Tour.

Scottie Scheffler won the inaugural ESI at The Glen in 2019 and is now a regular on the PGA Tour.  Curtis Thompson was the champion last year when the tourney had to be shifted to Chicago Highlands, in Westchester. He’s back in the field this week, but Thompson is in a precarious position.

A former Louisiana State golfer, Thompson turned pro in 2014 and his lone Korn Ferry victory came at Chicago Highlands.  Now he’s 27th on the circuit’s point list and only the top 25 at season’s end earn PGA Tour cards.

The current Top 25 includes Northbrook’s Nick Hardy, whose fourth-place finish on Sunday in the AdventHealth Championship in Missouri boosted his status to No. 14. David Lipsky, a former Northwestern golfer, is No. 6.  A flock of other players with Illinois connections have work to do in the final 12 tournaments of the season to crack the coveted Top 25.

Deerfield’s Vince India, winner of an Illinois Open at The Glen, tied for sixth in Kansas City but that only improved his status to No. 56 on the Korn Ferry list. Northwestern alum Dylan Wu remained No. 28 after finishing in a tie for 21st. Lake Forest’s Brad Hopfinger, a titlist in both the Illinois State Amateur and Illinois Open, is No. 45.

This week’s field at The Glen also includes two others with wins in both the State Am and Illinois Open – Mark Hensby and Patrick Flavin.  Also scheduled to go are former University of Illinois players Brian Campbell, Luke Guthrie and Scott Langley, ex-Illinois State Amateur winner Jordan Hahn and former Glenbard West golfer Andy Pope, who reached the finals in four U.S. Opens but remains a regular on the Korn Ferry circuit.

Also in the field are Stefan Jaeger and Chase Wright, who won the titles at Ivanhoe when the Korn Ferry stop was played there as the Rust-Oleum Championship, and Dawson Armstrong, who won the 2015 Western Amateur played at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove.

The reigning Western Amateur champion, Pierceson Coody, received the traditional sponsor’s exemption to the ESI but he’s opted to play for Texas in the NCAA Championship instead. Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen of Denmark, the other finalist in the last Western Am, will be in this week’s ESI field.

Since last year’s staging First Midwest Bank has agreed to be the ESI’s presenting sponsor and SERVPRO, of Glenview, is providing complimentary tickets to the Thursday-Sunday tournament rounds.

PGA AFTERMATH: Wheaton’s Kevin Streelman made a strong showing in last week’s PGA Championship but bogeys at Nos. 13 and 17 in the final round cost him dearly.  Streelman started the final round in fourth-place and climbed into a tie for second during the last 18.

The back nine letdowns, though, landed him in a nine-way tie for eighth place.  He still had a $263,000 payday, but only the top four and ties received automatic invitations to next year’s Masters.

Brad Marek, the former Hersey High School standout and 2005 Illinois State Amateur champion, was second-low club professional in his first appearance in the PGA Championship.  He earned $18,800 and had the satisfaction of beating three of the top four players in the world rankings going into the event.  Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas and Xander Schauffele all failed to survive the 36-hole cut.

HERE AND THERE: Winnetka’s Elizabeth Szokol, Chicago’s only player on the LPGA Tour, had her best finish of the season on Sunday – a tie for seventh in the Silk Championship in Virginia….Eighth-ranked Illinois is the only area qualifier for the men’s NCAA Championship, which tees off on Friday at Grayhawk, in Arizona….Mistwood has set the dates for the 26th Illinois Women’s Open.  It’ll be played July 6-7 on the Romeoville course…..Arlington Heights’ Ryan Kowalski won the Chicago District Mid-Amateur title at Lake Shore, in Glencoe.  It was Kowalski’s first appearance in a CDGA championship.

 

 

My reflections on the career of architect Arthur Hills

How good a golf course architect was Arthur Hills? This book says it all.

 

I wish I could say that I knew Arthur Hills better than I really did. Our only in-depth meeting came in 1993, when – as a Chicago golf columnist – I was invited to the Grand Opening of one of his designs, called The Thoroughbred in Rothbury, Mich. I do know Hills’ work quite well, though.

Last year, at the request of friend and colleague Fred Altvater,  I had the honor of introducing the Arthur Hills Golf Trail to not only the readers of  the Ohio Golf Journal but golfers nation-wide through pieces that ran in other publications and websites.

In addition to Hills’ four Illinois designs I’ve also played his courses in Michigan and South Carolina. My favorite is the Arthur Hills Course at Michigan’s Boyne Highlands Resort, but there were so many good ones. Hills eventually designed over 200 courses and renovated over 150 in a career that began in 1967.  He worked as a course designer into his eighties before passing away on May 18 at the age of 91.

While Pete Dye may have received more notoriety for his golf architectural efforts, Hills’ work will never be taken lightly. Residential courses were his staple and, in my native Illinois, he created good ones in Stonewall Orchard, a long-time site of the Illinois PGA Championship; Bolingbrook, the  centerpiece of the community of the same name; Ivanhoe, site for several Korn Ferry Tour events; and Chicago Highlands, a private club that hosted the Evans Scholars Invitational on the Korn Ferry circuit last year.

Stonewall, in the north suburb of Grayslake, was Hills’ first Illinois course. It opened in 1999.  Bob Malpede, now the director of golf at White Deer Run in Vernon Hills, directed the interview process that brought Hills to the golf rich Chicago area.

“Art was most cooperative and he wanted to be in Chicago,’’ Malpede recalled. “He came once a month (when the course was under construction) and we walked all 18 holes each time – and it was hard keeping up with him. He was very involved with the project, and he was very enjoyable to work with – except on the 18th hole.’’

The design of No. 18 was controversial then, and still is with some players.  Malpede suggested a second look at it, Hills wanted it the way he designed it and that was that.

Creating Stonewall was basically a three-year project and Malpede kept in touch with Hills after that, even attending his 80th birthday party in Atlanta.

Heritage Harbour’s  No. 17 may be controversial if you play it from the tips, at 224 yards. We didn’t try that.

Hills, of course, did much more work in Ohio and Michigan than he did anywhere else. He was always based in the Toledo area, with partners Steve Forrest and Shawn Smith.  Hills, Smith & Forrest was one of the country’s most prominent golf architecture firms. Forrest worked with Hills for 42 years.  Smith started with the group in 2010.

Nine of Hill’s designs are in Ohio, the first of which was Brandywine in 1967, and 17 are in Michigan.  The latter includes 27-hole eye-catcher Bay Harbor.

“I had the great privilege of learning all aspects of golf course architecture from a distinguished professional practitioner and humble gentleman,’’ Forrest told the Toledo Blade after learning of Hills’ passing. “Arthur became a father-like figure to me – a mentor, instructor, exhorter and admonisher always trying to improve his own skills.’’

Dave Hackenberg, long-time columnist and golf writer for the Blade, knows the impact Hills has left on a town long noted for its golf enthusiasm.

“Art was one of a  handful of Toledoans who spread the city’s golf brand far and wide over the past century,’’ said Hackenberg.  “He started with the Yellow Pages and modest ambitions….then made his mark with masterful, dramatic course designs around the nation and around the world.’’

Altvater announced the formation of the Arthur Hills Golf Trail at the 2019 Toledo Golf Show.  The Trail  includes three courses in Michigan – The Legacy in Ottawa Hills and Stonebridge and Leslie Park in Ann Arbor – and two in Ohio – Stone Ridge and Maumee Bay.

“There’s probably 10-12 good Arthur Hills designs in the Toledo area,’’ said Altvater.  “Down the road we hope to have them involved as well.’’

I was assigned to be Hills’ cart partner in that long-ago Grand Opening of The Thoroughbred. It was  a well-attended outing, a most enjoyable event that had us starting off the No. 1 tee on a typical Hills’ course. I generally found Hills’ courses marked by one hole that was either controversial, goofy, unusually tricky, memorable – you pick the adjective.  The Thoroughbred definitely had one, though I can’t remember which one it was after 28 years.

While Hills was a solid Toledo product with degrees from Michigan, Michigan State and the University of Toledo, his designs are as far away as Portugal, Croatia, Sweden, Mexico and Norway.

Just two days after Hills’ passing my good friend and golf partner Herb Gould lined up a couples’ round at Heritage Harbour, in Bradenton, FL.  Herb didn’t know of Hills’ death at the time, and neither did the personnel in the pro shop when we arrived. We all reminisced about Hills’ courses and then the staff stunned me by bringing out a beautiful book, “The Works of Art.’’ It’s a terrific collection of most all the Hills designs.

“You need to have this,’’ the staffer told me – and he was right. I wasn’t aware such a book on Hills existed, and it’s a real keeper.

As for Heritage Harbour, it wasn’t one of Hills’ most notable creations – a residential layout that had extremely wide fairways but most challenging shots into the greens.  Playing it on an extremely windy day made those shots especially challenging, but it was still a lot of fun.

That controversial hole? Staff members thought it might be the par-3 seventeenth but that didn’t coincide with my view.  It wasn’t one hole that was controversial at Heritage Harbour. It was the cart paths. The starter at the first tee said we’d be covering 10 miles of cart paths during the round.  After finishing I don’t doubt him, but I’ve never played a course anywhere with that much time spend in a cart.

The one controversial hole concept seemed to me (and a few others, I might add) to be a Hills trademark.  I’m not sure he felt that way, however. What we should remember, first and foremost, is that all of his courses brought so much joy to golfers of all abilities. They enriched the lives of so many people just because they were so much fun.

 

Herb and Liz Gould joined Joy and me in a round that celebrated the career of Arthur Hills.

 

 

 

 

From Dundee Crown to Kiawah: Roger Warren’s career in golf

Roger Warren’s career in golf started in 1986, when he took on a summer job at Village Links of Glen Ellyn. Now he’s the president of the Kiawah Island Resort, host of the 103rd PGA Championship which tees off on Thursday.

Warren had college stints at both Northern Illinois and Western Illinois and was both a teacher and basketball and golf coach at both the Illinois Math and Science Academy and Dundee Crown High School before his career change into golf.

At Village Links he learned what it was like to work at a 27-hole public facility that drew 95,000 rounds a year and had tee times as early as 5:30 a.m. on weekend mornings to accommodate the demand for play.

“It was a great training ground for lots of people – Dave Glod (founder of Batavia club manufacturer Tour Edge), Matt Pekarek, Ed Posh.’’  Pekarek was the general manager at The Links and Posh the long time head professional.

After working there from 1986-91 Warren moved over to the then brand new Seven Bridges, in Woodridge, from 1991-2003 and served a term as president of the Illinois section of the Professional Golfers Association of America. Then it was time for another move, to Kiawah which gained instant fame as host of the 1991 Ryder Cup matches.

“The experiences I had at Village Links and Seven Bridges prepared me for a skill set to understand what it took to provide great service and a great golf experience,’’ said Warren.  “When I was promoted to (Kiawah) president in 2005 I had to learn the hotel business, villa rentals and the restaurant business.  It was the change that I was looking for, but initially it was like drinking water from a fire host, trying to figure it out.’’

Warren did figure it out.  He became president of the PGA of America in 2006, and this week is Warren’s second stint as president of the major tournament’s host.  Kiawah hosted in 2012, when Rory McIlroy won.  This time Kiawah offers the longest course in history — 7,876 yards.

“The Ocean Course hasn’t changed much in nine years,’’ said Warren. “We’ve added 20-30 yards to a few holes and transplanted some mature oak trees from other parts of the golf course to strategic positions to create challenges.    The conditions are different in May than they were in 2012 when the tournament was played in August. We’ve put in some different grasses and the rough will be deeper.’’

Warren has dealt with other changes at the resort, too – most recently the pandemic. Kiawah, located on a 10-mile island off Charleston, S.C., has four other courses.

“We closed in April and furloughed 1,000 of our 1,200 employes,’’ said Warren, “but we got them all back in early August.’’

Then the golf boom kicked in over most of the country, but especially at Kiawah.

“Play has been up 38 percent over the best year we’d ever had,’’ said Warren.  “It’s been a very good year for us.’’

And it won’t slow down after the exposure the resort will receive during this week’s PGA Championship. Ninety-nine of the top 100 players on the Official World Golf Rankings are in the field including 70 international players from 25 countries.

AN IPGA EPIC: Last week’s final in the Illinois PGA Match Play Championship at Bull Valley, in Woodstock, brought together Jim Billiter, now at Ivanhoe Club, and Garrett Chaussard, director of instruction at Skokie.  Between them they had won four of the previous six titles.

This time Billiter claimed his third title since 2015 despite going 4-down after seven holes.  He made birdies on six of the next 10 holes and won 2 and 1.  Chaussard was a finalist for the fourth straight year.

HERE AND THERE: The Chicago District Golf Association concludes the first event its 108th championship season on Wednesday when the CDGA Mid-Amateur, canceled by the pandemic last year, wraps up at Lake Shore, in Glencoe….Northwestern legend Luke Donald didn’t qualify for the PGA Championship but his game is improving.  He shot 66-67 on the weekend to make his second straight cut and tied for 13th in last week’s Byron Nelson Classic. Illinois alum Dylan Meyer made the field through Monday qualifying, shot 66 in the first round and tied for 68th place. A day later Meyer shared medalist honors at the third and last Illinois local qualifier for the U.S. Open, shooting a 3-under-par 68 at Illini Country Club in Springfield.

 

Ex-Illinois Amateur winner qualifies for his first PGA Championship

 

Twenty club professionals qualified for next week’s PGA Championship at South Carolina’s Kiawah course at a 312-player elimination last month in Florida.  None of the qualifiers were members of the Illinois PGA session, but one of the 20 has deep Chicago area roots.

Brad Marek came out of Hersey High School, in Arlington Heights, where he won a sectional title as a senior in 2002.  He also won the Illinois Junior State Amateur and was the state’s Junior Player of the Year that year and captured the Illinois State Amateur at Crestwicke, in Bloomington, in 2005.

“A junior amateur legend, both in summer events and high school matches,’’ said long-time Hersey coach Dan Caporusso, who is headed to Kiawah to watch Marek play in his first major championship. He earned his spot against the world’s best players by finishing in a tie for eighth at the PGA Professionals Championship, posting a 3-under par 287 over 72 holes on the Wanamaker and Ryder courses at PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, FL.

A three-time Academic All-American at Indiana, Marek turned pro in 2008 and was strictly a tournament player through 2017. He won 15 times on various mini-tours and had a couple near-misses in U.S. Open qualifiers but never earned a place in a PGA Tour event.  He did, however, come through in his first try at a PGA Championship berth.

Marek became a member of the PGA of America in 2019 and was eligible for its Professionals Championship for the first time in 2020, but the event was canceled due to pandemic concerns.

“It’s funny,’’ said Marek.  “I’ve been playing my best golf since I stopped playing full time.’’

He’s won five times since then, even though his main job is running a junior golf academy designed for students who want to play college golf.

“There’s quite a bit less pressure than there was when playing full-time was my only source of income,’’ said Marek.  “I’ve been practicing smarter because I don’t have as much time to work on my own game, and I’m enjoying the challenge of it.’’

Marek settled in Berkeley, Calif., in 2015 and teaches at Corica Park in Alameda. He returned to Chicago last week for a full-day session with Garrett Chaussard, the director of instruction at Skokie Country Club in Glencoe, and he arrived at Kiawah for the first time on Tuesday – a full week before the tournament tees off on May 21. He’s lined up Clare Langford, a top amateur who lives in Oregon, to be his caddie again.  They teamed up at Florida in April and they’ll have a longer lead-in time time before the second major championship of 2021.

“I’ve heard Kiawah is a special place, and I heard from others who said they got worn out before the event when they played in their first major championship,’’ said Marek. “I’ll work longer the week before the tournament.’’

Caporusso and five other friends from Chicago will be on hand to cheer Marek on at Kiawah, and he plans to file regular reports on Instagram to keep others informed of his progress throughout the tournament.

CANTIGNY SURVIVORS: Two-time Illinois State Amateur champion Tee-K Kelly, of Wheaton, and Roselle’s Dan Stringfellow, a former Illinois prep champion who played collegiately at Auburn, shared honors with 4-under-par 68s at Monday’s U.S. Open local qualifier at Cantigny, in Wheaton.

Michael Schachner, an assistant coach at DePaul, was one shot behind the co-leaders and reigning Illinois Open chapion Bryce Emory, of Aurora and Tyler Isenhart, of Geneva, carded 71s. They were the only players under par in the second Chicago local.  They’ll bid for played in the Open proper at Torrey Pines, in California, in sectional play next month.

Last of the three Illini local qualifiers will be Monday at Illini Country Club, in Springfield.

HERE AND THERE: Illinois’ Adrien Dumont de Chassart and Northwestern’s Irene Kim have been selected to play in the Arnold Palmer Cup matches at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove on June 11-13…..The Korn Ferry Tour’s Evans Scholars Invitational, coming up May 27-30 at The Glen Club  in Glenview, will have its first presenting sponsor.  First Midwest Bank will have that honor at the $600,000 event….B.J. Paul has been named director of player development at Bolingbrook….Nike golf camps will begin at Mistwood, in Romeoville, on June 7….The Illinois, Notre Dame and Northwestern men’s teams were all assigned to next week’s regional in Oklahoma with the top five teams and top individual going to the NCAA finals the following week at Grayhawk, in Arizona….Grand opening of the Youth Golf Development Center is scheduled for May 24 at Sunset Valley, in Highland Park….The Illinois PGA Foundation has begun a series of clinics for military veterans at Pine Meadow, in Mundelein, and Veterans Memorial, in North Chicago.

 

 

 

 

Illini golfers are awaiting another crack at that elusive NCAA title

Mike Small couldn’t compete in last week’s PGA Professionals Championship in Florida – which offers a spot in the field for the PGA Championship coming up in two weeks at Kiawah in South Carolina – for one good reason.  He’s a college coach first and foremost and his Illinois team had to win the Big Ten Championship again.

Though Small was prevented from winning a major individual title for the fourth time, his team got the job done, capturing the Big Ten title for the sixth straight year and 11th time in the last 12 at Crooked Stick in Carmel, Ind.

And now comes the good part.

As  as successful as the Illini have been in conference play, they have yet to win the NCAA title and their path to it starts on Wednesday when The Golf Channel announces the regional assignments for the national championship.  The Illini are hoping to be assigned to a May 17-19 regional at Sagamore, in Noblesville, Ind. – a good steppingstone for them to get to the NCAA finals.

Whether they get their preferred close-to-home regional assignment isn’t all that important.  The Illini, enduring an 11-month layoff from competition because of pandemic concerns, still won five tournaments and qualified for the NCAA tournament for the 13th straight year.

“College golf is very thankful we could play this spring after being on the shelf for so long,’’ said Small, in his 17th season guiding the Illini. “Winning the Big Ten is always special for the kids. You try to get as many wins as you can.’’

Illinois has a fine indoor facility to use in the winter months but its outdoor course, formerly Stone Creek and now called Atkins, is undergoing a renovation.

“We’re adding 800 yards and redoing all the bunkers and greens,’’ said Small, who expects the work to be completed next spring.  The NCAA finals will be long over by then.

This Illinois team has two solid seniors, Michael Feagles, who won the Big Ten’s Les Bolstad Award for low scoring average this season, and Belgium’s Giovanni Tadioto, who has also been on four straight Big Ten Championship teams.

Adrien DuMont de Chassard, a recruit from Belgium who tied for second individually in the conference tournament, is waiting in the wings to lead next year’s Illini as are junior Tommy Kuhl and sophomore Jerry Ji, a recruit from The Netherlands. They formed a solid starting five throughout the Illini season.

BEST AT DUBS:  Chicago’s first of three local qualifiers for the U.S. Open was dominated by Brian Bullington, a former University of Iowa golfer from Frankfort, on Monday.  He scorched the famed Dubsdread course at Cog Hill, in Palos Park, with a 7-under-par 65.

Four others advanced to sectional play – Jeremy Nevius, of Mountainside, Nev., who shot 67; Elmhurst’s Jordan Less, who plays for Northern Illinois, who posted a 68; and Chicago’s Larry Blatt and Zach Burry, of Appleton, Wis., who carded 70s.  Blatt is a former University of Illinois player.

Cog Hill hosted one of 109 local qualifiers that feed into the finals at Torrey Pines, in California, next month. Cantigny, in Wheaton, will host the next Chicago local qualifier on Monday and the final one in Illinois will be May 17 at Illini Country Club, in Springfield. Most of the local survivors will bid for spots at Torrey Pines in sectionals in Ohio later this month.

HERE AND THERE: Two of the top Midwest golf resorts have named new head professionals.  Mike Weiler, former head pro at Wynstone in Barrington, has taken over at Eagle Ridge in Galena and Ryan Brown, who had been at Eagle Ridge, is now in charge at Grand Geneva, in Wisconsin.  Dave Hallenbeck, who has been at Grand Geneva in various capacities for 48 years ,  is now the resort’s ambassador while planning for his retirement…..Luke Donald, the long-ago Northwestern star and former world No. 1, snapped a streak of 10 straight missed cuts on the PGA Tour with a tie for 54th place showing in the Valspar Championship on Sunday……Brad Helms, one of the longest-running superintendents in the Chicago area, is retiring.  He’s been on the job at Palatine Hills for the last 39 years…..Abbey Daniel, of Covington , La., and Celine Herbin, of Doral, FL., were the survivors of last week’s qualifier for the U.S. Women’s Open at Kishwaukee, in DeKalb…..Foxford Hills, in Cary, will host a Pars in the Stars tournament teeing off a 7 p.m. on Saturday.

 

GOLF/TRAVEL NOTEBOOK: World’s Largest 19th Hole is back at World Am

 

The World’s Largest 19th Hole always packs the house during the Myrtle Beach World Amateur

The Myrtle Beach World Amateur – always one of my favorite tournaments of any year – is adding three new divisions for its 38th staging this year. There’ll also be 70 flights and $100,000 in prize money, and Southwest Airlines has added 10 new non-stop destinations to help players get there.

That’s not the best news, though.

The best news is that the World’s Largest 19th Hole will be back.  It’s one of the best parties in all of golf – four evenings at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center that’s open to all of the anticipated 3,200 participants. Last year, while the five-day tournament was held, the big party had to be canceled because of pandemic concerns.

Without the World’s Largest 19th Hole the World Am didn’t seem to many (including me) to be the World Am. Many of Myrtle Beach’s best dining establishments provide food, beverages of all sorts are plentiful, there’s entertainment of all sorts, exhibits and dancing. In short, it’s the most festive of post-round gatherings of any tournament, anywhere.

This World Am will be played Aug. 30 to Sept. 3 on 55 of Myrtle Beach’s best courses. It consists of 72 holes of net stroke play competition followed by an 18-hole playoff pitting all the division winners against each other.

There’ll be three new gross divisions – for women, men’s senior (50 and over) and men’s mid-senior (60 and over). The winners of the men’s open and men’s mid-senior will receive exemptions to the Dixie Amateur the women’s gross winner will get a pass into the amateur division of the South Carolina Women’s Open.

The women will also have two brackets – one for players 59 and under and another for seniors 60 and over.

There’ll also be a new site for the playoff for all group winners.  After eight years at the Barefoot Resort the climax to the competition will be contest at Grande Dunes. For more information check out PlayGolfMyrtleBeach.com

Welcome the Bootlegger — that’s the name for Forest Dunes’ new 10-hole short course.

WHAT’S IN A NAME?  A highlight of last year’s travels was a return to Forest Dunes, one of the very best courses in Michigan and a long-time favorite of ours.

Last year’s visit was planned around the opening of a 10-hole short course designed by Kieth Rhebb and Riley Johns. It measures but 1,135 yards but is a nice supplement to the well-regarded 18-holer designed by Tom Weiskopf, the highly innovative Loop (a Tom Doak design that can be played in two directions) and a big putting course.

Now the new short course has a name.  It’s called the Bootlegger, a nod to the history of the land Forest Dunes was built on.

GENTLEMEN, START YOUR ENGINES: Brickyard Crossing isn’t a new course, but it’ll always be a unique one.  The Pete Dye design has four holes inside the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. I was part of a a pre-opening preview arranged by Dye many years ago and have yet to visit a course quite like this one.

Now that course is going to get more of the attention that it has long deserved.  NBC Sports’ GolfNow technology and services is being added “to better manage operations and improve the guest book experience through enhanced tee time management, pricing, payments and marketing.’’

The upgrade isn’t lost on driver Conor Daly of Ed Carpenter Racing.

“Brickyard Cross is a world-class course set against an incredible backdrop.. This partnership with NBC Sports and GolfNow only serves to enhance an already epic experience,’’ Daly said.

A REALLY GRAND OPENING: Any Jack Nicklaus course opening is something special, but at American Dunes it’s even more so.

The Grand Haven, Mich., course, which benefits the Folds of Honor, had some play last fall but the formal opening is coming up on May 2.  The project represents the vision and collaboration of Folds of Honor founder and chief executive officer Dan Rooney and Nicklaus, who donated his design team’s services to support the Folds of Honor mission.

 

Ten finalists named for next Illinois Golf Hall of Fame induction class

 

The first stage for selection to the Illinois Golf Hall of Fame has been completed, and the 27 nominees have been whittled to 10.

Among the finalists are three long-time club professionals – Doug Bauman, of Biltmore in North Barrington; Bruce Patterson, of Butler National in Oak Brook; and Tim O’Neal, of North Shore in Glenview. The Illinois PGA is also represented among the finalists by instructor Gary Pinns, the only player to win the Illinois Open five times; and Mike Miller, the IPGA’s long-time executive director.

Prominent among the other finalists is Jerry Rich, creator of Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove – a venue that has hosted the Solheim Cup, Western Amateur and Western Junior, the NCAA Championships and the Arnold Palmer Cup.  The Palmer event will be return to Rich Harvest in June.

Also in contention are Dr. Randy Kane, turfgrass expert for the Chicago District Golf Association; Dave Ryan, a Taylorville resident who has dominated the Illinois senior competition and won the 2016 U.S. Senior Amateur; nationally-known swing guru Dr. Jim Suttie; and the late Phil Kosin, who founded Chicagoland Golf magazine and the Illinois Women’s Open.

Selections are made every two years. The first induction class into the Illinois Golf Hall of Fame was in 1989, and the group now has 85 members. A state-wide selection panel will whittle the current finalists to between three and five on May 25, and the induction ceremony is tentatively scheduled for Oct. 1 at The Glen Club, in Glenview — the home of the Hall of Fame.

GHIM ON A ROLL: Doug Ghim, the PGA Tour rookie from Arlington Heights, padded his season bank account with a $62,943 payday thanks to a tie for 11th in last week’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans team event.  Ghim, partnered with Justin Suh, climbed four places to No. 70 in the FedEx Cup rankings and he can climb higher with another good showing in this week’s Valspar Championship at Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbour, FL.

The Valspar was the first event canceled when the pandemic hit last March but this year it has one of its best fields ever.  Englishman Paul Casey is going for a three-peat but he’ll have to beat No. 1 Dustin Johnson, No. 2 Justin Thomas,  Phil Mickelson and U.S. Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker – all rare entrants into the event. All three Illinois PGA Tour players – Kevin Streelman, Ghim and Luke Donald – are also in the field and Donald (2012) and Streelman (2013) are past winners of the tournament.

A Chicago connection could be worthwhile in the Valspar, as Innisbrook has a Chicago owner (Sheila Johnson) and all four of its courses were designed by legendary Chicago designer Larry Packard.

HERE AND THERE – Fifty players will compete for two spots in the Chicago qualifier for the U.S. Women’s Open tourney on Thursday (APRIL 29) at Kishwaukee, in DeKalb. The survivors advance directly to the June 3-6 finals at Olympic Club in San Francisco…..The first of the local qualifiers for the men’s U.S. Open is Monday (MAY 3) on Cog Hill’s Dubsdread course in Palos Park.  Eight-four players will compete for spots in sectional play….The University of Illinois men’s team notched its fourth team title of the season last week in Ohio State’s Kepler Invitational.  Coach Mike Small’s Illini team goes after its sixth straight Big Ten title and 11th in the last 12 years beginning Friday at Crooked Stick, in Carmel, Ind….Chris French, playing out of Aldeen, in Rockford, headed three players with Illinois backgrounds to survive the first cut in the 54th PGA Professionals Championship, which is in progress at PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, FL.  French is in a tie for 36th place through two rounds and is nine shots behind leader Omar Uresti.  Dakun Chang, formerly Twin Orchard in Long Grove but now living in Jupiter, FL., and Andy Mickelson, director of golf at Mistwood in Romeoville,l are tied for 51st place  and are one stroke behind  French. The tourney ends on Wednesday…..Patrick Lynch, who recently retired after a long career as head professional at Cantigny, in Wheaton, is now the golf event manager at Bolingbrook….Patrick O’Donoghue is the new general manager at Deerpath, in Lake Forest.

 

 

 

Streelman, Frittelli form `Team Illinois’ in PGA team event

 

The PGA Tour’s most unusual tournament has an unusual pairing this week.

The Zurich Classic of New Orleans is a two-man team event that tees off on Thursday at TPC-Louisiana, with teams competing at best-ball on Thursday and Saturday and using the alternate shot format on Friday and Sunday.

Played for the fourth time this week, it’s the only official team event on the PGA Tour schedule, and it also  includes a “Team Illinois’’ – well, sort of.

Wheaton’s Kevin Streelman, the Chicago area’s premier PGA Tour player, is paired with Dylan Frittelli, the defending champion in the state’s only annual PGA Tour stop – the John Deere Classic. Frittelli, who played collegiately at Texas, had his professional breakthrough when he won the JDC at TPC Deere Run in downstate Silvis in 2019.

Frittelli hasn’t made his title defense yet because last year’s much-anticipated 50th anniversary of the event was canceled due to pandemic concerns. Now that milestone, together with Frittelli’s bid for a repeat title will be played from July 8-11. Both the JDC and the Zurich Classic were canceled in 2020 due to pandemic issues.

Streelman has a frequent competitor in the JDC, but never won it. Frittelli had never finished higher than a tie for 18th in a PGA Tour event until he won the JDC – a victory that stirred memories of another player who won for the first time in the Quad Cities.

Frittelli was a senior when Jordan Spieth was a freshman at Texas.  Their Longhorn team won the 2012 NCAA title. Spieth immediately turned pro, won the JDC twice along and eventually also captured the  Masters and U.S .Open in 2015 and the British Open in 2017.

“Jordan came in (to Texas) as the most highly recruit player,’’ recalled Frittelli in reflecting on his JDC win.  “He had a chip on his shoulder, and we pushed each other.  I beat him in more tournaments than he beat me at the college level.’’

Both are still Texans, Spieth residing in Dallas and the South African-born Frittelli in Austin. Frittelli had tried to play on both the U.S. and European tours, but the win at the JDC changed that. He’s now an American-based player. His pairing with Streelman for this week’s tourney was announced during last week’s RBC Heritage Classic. Both let good finishes slip away with shaky final rounds on Sunday.

Streelman finished with a 73 and tied for 33rd place in the Heritage.  Frittelli shot 74 on Sunday and dropped to a tie for 56th. Both are trying to improve their positions in the FedEx Cup Playoff standings.  Streelman is No. 70 and Frittelli No. 96.

Doug Ghim, the PGA Tour rookie from Arlington Heights, is No. 74 in those standings.  He didn’t fizzle on Sunday in Hilton Head, shooting a 66 to climb 22 spots to a tie for 33rd with Streelman.  Ghim will also play in New Orleans. His partner will be Justin Suh.

LIPSKY’S ON A ROLE:  David Lipsky may finally have landed himself a spot on the PGA Tour.  Now 32, the Northwestern alum has been the runner-up in the last two tournaments on the PGA’s satellite Korn Ferry Tour.

Now a Las Vegas resident, Lipsky climbed from No. 8 all the way to No. 4 on the Korn Ferry point list thanks to a 65 on Sunday that boosted him 21 places on the tourney leaderboard.  He just needs to stay in the top 25 to earn his PGA Tour card for the 2021-22 season.

Northbrook’s Nick Hardy, a Korn Ferry rookie, also had a strong tournament in finishing in a tie for fifth, but he remained No. 19 in the point standings.

HERE AND THERE: The Chicago District Golf Association has taken over sponsorship of Dave Lockhart’s Golf360 show on NBC Sports Chicago.  It’ll make its season debut on June 5 from Michigan’s Harbor Shores course…..Cog Hill, in Palos Park, has added Top Tracer technology and will soon add lights spectator seats to its driving range..…Heritage Oaks, formerly Sportsman’s in Northbrook, will offer Trackman on its range.  The facility, undergoing a major renovation, is targeted for a late-July opening….. Jeff Sluman, making a rare return to PGA Tour Champions after returning as a Chicago area resident, tied for 24th in last week’s Chubb’s Classic in Florida.