John Schlaman was just starting his career as a golf professional when Eagle Ridge held a grand opening for its South Course. The now 63-hole Galena facility  is virtually Illinois’ only golf resort, and the South’s creation took it to a new level.

That came 40 years ago, and the milestone will be celebrated with an afternoon golf outing and dinner on Sunday with participants urged to dress in 1980s attire.  It’s an event worth celebrating, though the anniversary won’t resemble the Grand Opening.

“We just had the North Course before that,’’ said Schlaman, then an assistant professional and now the director of golf at Eagle Ridge.  “Miller Barber, Mike Souchak, Carol Mann and Bob Goalby – all big names, all Hall of Famers – were there,’’ said Schlaman.  “You could never do that in today’s world.  Can you imagine getting Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Rory McIlory together (for a course opening)?’’

The North Course came first, in 1977,  and The General became the third 18 in 1997.  The late Roger Packard had a hand in the design of all three 18-holers as well as the nine-hole East Course.

In 1985 — the first full year after its opening – the South shared Best New Resort Course honors with Florida’s Grand Cypress in Golf Digest’s annual rankings.

Schlaman eventually became head pro at the South Course, then left to guide the operation at Prairie Landing in West Chicago.  He was there 14 years before returning to Eagle Ridge.  He wound up the director of golf two years ago with office space at The General after Mike Weiler retired.

The resort opened in 1962 and struggled through some ownership changes until Mark Klausner took over six years ago. A long-time resident of Galena, Klausner has taken on a series of expensive major upgrades impacting all areas of the resort, and has another two-year plan in the works.

“By then it’ll be an all-new resort,’’ he said. “We had lots of hopes and dreams, and all are falling into place.’’

Golf-wise, Klausner’s most significant move was the replacing all of the outdated maintenance equipment with John Deere products. That led to much improved playing conditions on all the courses. This year 278 new power carts replaced the older fleets at all the courses.

Also this year Schlaman introduced new Forward tees on 10 holes of the North and South courses, and they’ll soon be instituted on The General. The markers are orange.

“It started as tees for senior ladies,’’ said Schlaman, “but some of the older senior men are playing them, and rightly so.  They cut almost 900 yards on the South and about 500 on the North at The General. It’s a new concept, but when these courses were built women and seniors were almost an afterthought.’’

Next up is a golf studio with simulators, to be built on the driving range.

“It’s two years away,’’ said Klausner, “but the plans have been developed.’’

While Eagle Ridge & Spa is a popular destination for Chicago golfers, some Chicago area residents are building there own facilities away from the city and suburbs.

Here are two some such places:

FAIRFIELD, Wisconsin Dells – Long-time Barrington resident Jim Tracy was in the advertising business during a 23-year career at Chicago’s Leo Burnett when he bought a campground in the Dells in 1984.  It had an adjoining nine-hole golf course.

Tracy bought the golf course 11 years ago and sold the campground. Now it’s a 12-hole course, named Fairfield Hills, with a big driving range — one that is 350 yards deep and  built on 20 acres. While he was still in the advertising business Tracy would come to Fairfield to keep tabs on the course’s operation.

Then, upon retirement, he tsok over management of his facility and, while bouncing between Barrington and the Dells, made some big upgrades. Nine holes became 12 and the clubhouse was expanded to added two golf simulators. And Tracy doesn’t even play golf.

“We had the land, but I didn’t want to do 18 holes,’’ he said.  “People were saying that it took too long to play, but 12 holes was perfect.’’

Players can play three, six, nine or 12 holes at rates far below the bigger facilities in the area. A 12-hole round is $32 and players can walk or ride. Fairfield was named Wisconsin’s nine-hole Course of the Year in 2016 and – though it had more holes last year – it was again given the nine-hole state honor.

BROOMSEDGE, Rembert, S.C. – David McFarlin played high school golf at Loyola Academy, lived in Libertyville and played regularly at both Calumet Country Club and Conway Farms in Lake Forest.

Now McFarlin is co-founder and director of membership at Broomsedge, a course under construction in the Carolina sandhills.  It’s being built by co-designers Kyle Franz and Mike Koprowski with the target for opening being Oct. 15.

“Of our team of six (investors) five have roots in Chicago,’’ said McFarlin, “and Michael Keiser Jr. has been a good friend and invaluable to us.  It’s somewhat overwhelming building a golf course for the first time.’’

Broomsedge will be a private club that will have a walking culture, but carts will be available.  The course will be open 12 months a year.

 

 

 

 

 

Deerfield’s Vince India needed to get back into tournament-playing mode in defense of his Illinois Open title next week, and he certainly went after it with enthusiasm.

India just completed a six-month suspension for betting on golf with a legal online sportsbook. That was a severe penalty, considering India was not a participant in an event he bet on and apologized for the PGA Tour infraction immediately.

One of  just 10 golfers to own titles in both the Illinois State Amateur and Illinois Open, India is getting into action by entering state opens. He played in the Colorado Open last week, but shot a pair of 72s and missed the cut.

“Now I play in the Iowa Open running right into the Illinois Open,’’ said India.  The Iowa event runs Thursday through Sunday at Blue Tee Ridge in Riverside, IA., and the Illinois Open tees off on Monday (APRIL 5) at Flossmoor Country Club.

There’s no break for India on this stretch, but he attempted such scheduling last year and it was a successful venture. Frustrated with his play on the Korn Ferry Tour, he finished up a tie for 21^st place showing in the circuit’s NV5 Invitational at The Glen Club and then headed for the Illinois Open at Flossmoor.

While most big professional tournaments are Thursday through Sunday affairs, the Illinois PGA has preferred a Monday to Wednesday, 54-hole format.  It didn’t hurt India last year. India won at Flossmoor, beating Illinois alum Dylan Meyer in a playoff, and the $21,702 payday was his largest check of the  season.

India, 35, starred at Iowa before turning pro in 2011. He’s been a regular on the Korn Ferry Tour but the suspension kept him from returning this year.  He entered qualifying for the Canada swing of PGA Tour Americas in May but the trio of state opens may be a better indication of where India’s future in tournament play is headed.

He has been one of the very best players to come out of the Chicago ranks. He won the Illinois State Amateur in 2010 and took his first Illinois Open in 2018.

Gary Hallberg was the first to captured the two biggest events for Illinois players, winning  the Open in 1977 and 1982 and the Amateur in both 1978 and 1979.  Of the 10 who accomplished the feat he did the best in the professional ranks.  He was the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year in 1980 and went on to win three times on that circuit and once on PGA Tour Champions.

Others who have won the state’s two biggest events are Gary Pinns, David Ogrin, Bill Hoffer, Roy Biancalana, Mark Hensby, Brad Hopfinger, Patrick Flavin and Tee-K Kelly.

This year marks the 75^th playing of the Illinois Open. Pinns is the most successful Illinois Open player, winning five titles between 1978 and 1990. Illinois men’s coach Mike Small won four times between 2003 and 2007. India would join Harry Cooper, Dick Hart and Marty Schiene with three titles if he wins at Flossmoor. Cooper won his three from 1933-35, Hart from 1964-71 and Schiene from 1991-97.

HERE AND THERE

Tim Clarke, who had been president of Wilson Golf from 2006 to 2023, will take over as president of Batavia-based Tour Edge on Aug. 5.  Current president David Glod, who founded Tour Edge in 1986, will become chief executive officer and remain the majority owner and chief club designer.

A grand re-opening of the Winnetka Park District’s 18-hole course has been  scheduled for Aug. 13. Libertyville architect Rick Jacobson has supervised a major renovation of the layout, which opened in 1917.  The renovation project began in March of 2023.

Germany’s Thomas Rosenmueller tied the NV5 Invitational scoring record with a 25-under-par 259 at The Glen Club in Glenview to win Chicago’s annual stop on the Korn Ferry Tour. His score tied for fourth lowest on the PGA Tour’s developmental circuit this season.

Olympia Fields has named Maryland architect Andrew Green to oversee a restoration of its North Course, which has been the site of U.S. Open, PGA Championship and U.S. Amateur tourneys as well as the BMW Championship, a FedEx Cup Playoff event on the PGA Tour.

The Arlington Heights Park District has announced the Arlington Amateur will be held Sept. 7-8 with the first 120 players to sign up competing.  The event will have four divisions – men, senior (60-69) men, super senior (70 and up) men  and women.

 

 

 

The Korn Ferry Tour, the developmental circuit for players trying to make it to the PGA Tour, makes its annual Chicago area stop  this week.  Its NV5 Invitational presented by Old National Bank, begins its 72-hole run on Thursday at The Glen Club in Glenview.

Scottie Scheffler, now the game’s No. 1 player, was the tourney’s first champion.  He won in 2019 when the event was known as the Evans Scholars Invitational, and that was his first professional victory. Other promising young players want to follow in Scheffler’s footsteps.

Trace Crowe had an unusual path to winning the NV5 title last year. He had missed seven straight cuts and was without a top 10 in 28 career rounds on the Korn Ferry circuit. Then, after getting into contention, he had a triple bogey on the second hole of the final round at The Glen before posting his 25-under-par 259 final score.

Crowe was only the fourth player to win a Korn Ferry tournament after making a triple bogey in the final round, the first being former world No. 1 David Duval in the 1993 Korn Ferry Championship. Crowe rallied after his mishap, making  eight birdies and carding a 5-under-par 66 before beating Patrick Fishburn in a two-hole playoff. Now Crowe’s a member of the PGA Tour.

Illinois-connected players on the PGA’s development circuit were numerous over the years, but this year’s Korn Ferry membership has only three — University of Illinois alums Brian Campbell and Dylan Meyer and Brad Hopfinger, a former Illinois Amateur and Illinois Open champion.

Campbell appears on the brink of earning his PGA Tour card, standing eighth on the Korn Ferry  point list with the top 30 at season’s end advancing to the premier circuit.

Beaudreau wins IWO

Lauren Beaudreau, a Benet Academy and Notre Dame product, captured the 29^th Illinois Women’s Open at Mistwood in Romeoville.  Beaudreau, playing out of Marco Island, FL., grew up in Lemont.  She finished the 36-hole event at 3-under-par 141 on Tuesday.

Beaudreau owned a one-stroke edge on three golfers, headed by two-time champion and Mistwood teaching professional Nicole Jeray.  Also at 142 were two collegiate players competing out of Inverness – Caroline Smith and Carolina Lopez-Chacarra.

Smith is a redshirt senior at Indiana and help the Hoosiers to the Big Ten title last season. Lopez-Chacarra, from Spain, plays collegiate at Wake Forest.

HERE AND THERE

Lake Forest’s Pierce Grieve captured the 93^rd Illinois State Amateur in a three-hole playoff with Marcus Smith of Rockford. Grieve, a 6-6 left-handed golfer, captured the title at Atkins Golf Club, the newly-renovated home course for the University of Illinois teams in Urbana.  Grieve is now headed to the U.S. Amateur.

Farah O’Keefe, a University of Texas freshman, was both the medalist and champion at last week’s 124^th Women’s Western Amateur at Onwentsia, in Lake Forest. Her victim in the title match was Californian Elise Lee, an incoming freshman at Northwestern.

Medinah Country Club has opened its famed No. 3 course for members play. The course, site of the 2012 Ryder Cup matches as well as multiple playings of the U.S. Open and PGA Championship, was closed all of last year for a major renovation.  Power cart usage hasn’t been allowed yet, and there’ll be no guest play until 2025. The course will host the President’s Cup in 2026.

Geneva’s Katherine Lemke, Inverness’ Caroline Smith and Barrington’s Mara Janess are among the 156 qualifiers for the U.S. Women’s Amatuer, to be held Aug. 5-11 at Southern Hills in Oklahoma.

Architect Todd Quitno is overseeing the building of a new 16,000 square foot putting green and short game practice facility at Vernon Hills’ course. He is also the designer of Canal Shores, which plans to have 12 of its 19 renovated holes open for play on Aug. 1.  The Evanston course will also have a new name – The Evans at Canal Shores – to honor Chick Evans, founder of the Western Golf Association’s Evans Scholars Foundation.

Scheduling conflicts have been a problem for Chicago’s tournament organizers for years. This week marks the first big conflict of this season, and the two tournaments involved are very big ones.

The 93^rd Illinois State Amateur and the 124^th Women’s Western Amateur both teed of on Tuesday. The State Am concludes on Thursday and the Women’s Western wraps ups up with a 7:30 a.m. championship match on Saturday.

This conflict isn’t as problematic as some in the past because only the Women’s Western is played on a Chicago area course.  Onwentsia, in Lake Forest, which hosted the first two championships in 1901 and 1902, is the host site for the fifth time.

Rarely has the Chicago District Golf Association taken the State Am outside of the Chicago area, but this time it’s being played at Atkins Golf Club, in Urbana.  The choice of Atkins is significant because it’s the home of the University of Illinois men’s teams, which have consistently been a collegiate powerhouse under coach Mike Small.

Atkins has recently been renovated to benefit the Illini program.  It had been known as Stone Creek, and the tournament was played there in 2004 when T.C. Ford won the title. This year the tourney will have a field weakened by the absence of Hinsdale’s Mike McClear, who won the last two years.  He turned professional after a great collegiate career at Iowa.

Three of last year’s top five are back, however. T.J. Barger, of Bloomington, was second and Pekin’s Mason Merkel and Rockford’s Marcus Smith tied for fourth. The tourney drew 565 entrants, and it was whittled to 138 starters at Atkins through eight state-wide qualifying rounds.

The starters range from 15-year old Michael Hahn to 71-year old former champion Mike Milligan.  Low players in the qualifying sessions were Pierce Greve and Nick Fernberg.  Both posted 6-under-par 66s, Greve at Lake Bluff in the first elimination and Fernberg at Sanctuary at New Lenox in the last one.

The field has two 18-hole rounds before the field will be cut to the low 35 and ties on Wednesday.  The survivors will go 36  more holes to determine the champion on Thursday. In an upgrade from previous tourneys, this year’s winner will also get an invitation to next month’s U.S. Amateur at Hazeltine, in Minnesota.

The Women’s Western may be the most prestigious in women’s amateur golf.  It’s been played for an uninterrupted 123 years.  One of Chicago’s very first stars, Bessie Anthony, won the first two years. Later winners include LPGA mainstays Nancy Lopez, Cristie Kerr, Grace Park, Brittany Lang, Stacy Lewis and Ariya Jutanugarn. Past competitors have won 135 major titles and 60 have played in the Solheim Cup.

This year’s event has 120 starters, all with handicaps of 5.4 or less. The last seven Women’s Western Amateurs have been held at Chicago courses with Californian Jasmine Koo taking the title last year at White Eagle in Naperville.

Two rounds of stroke play qualifying start this year’s tournament.  The second is today and the low 32 will advance to three days of match play to decide the champion.  The first round and Round of 16 will be played on Thursday, the Round of eight and semifinals are Friday to determine the two finalists.

The Chicago area has five of its stars in the field headed by two-time Illinois State Amateur winner Sarah Arnold of Geneva.  She won the state title in 2019 and 2023 and was the runner-up this year.  Other locals competing at Onwentsia are Emily Krall of Lake Forest, Samatha Postillion, Burr Ridge; Caroline Smith, Inverness; and Mara Janess, Barrington.

There are far more contenders from out of the area  with players from 28 states and 17 countries competing this week. The best of those may be college players – Caitlyn Macnab, Missississpi; Anna Morgan, Furman; Sadie Englemann and Annabelle Pancake, Stanford; Farah O’Keefe, Texas; and Kelly Xu, Clemson.

 

 

SILVIS, IL. – Saturday’s third round was the traditional moving day at the John Deere Classic, and Jordan Spieth set the tone for that.

His fast start inspired others with later tee times, especially Davis Thompson. Thompson shot the week’s low round – a  9-under-par 62 – and will take a two-stroke lead over Eric Cole, Aaron Rai and Hayden Springer into Sunday’s final round at TPC Deere Run.

Spieth, who skipped the JDC for nine years after his last win here, showed flashes of the spectacular form he displayed in years past, but he had too big a deficit to have much of an impact on the leaderboard at the end of the day.

Starting in a tie for 47^th place, the two-time JDC champion scorched the front nine with a 29, then worked his way in for an 8-under-par 63.  That boosted him 35 spots on the leaderboard into a tie for 12^th.

“Just a good solid round. No chip-ins,  nothing spectacular, no crazy ones,’’ said Spieth.  “Anything is going to be a lull from a 29.’’

Spieth was briefly tied for the lead after 12 holes, then got caught in a club choice dilemma at the 13^th. That led to his only bogey and he let a good birdie chance get away at No. 14.

“If I par (at 13) and birdie 14 from the position I was in I shoot 32 on the back and a 61,’’ said Spieth.

Could-a, should-a, would-a!

Spieth goes into Sunday’s  final round seven strokes behind Thompson, who stands at 21-under-par 192 after 54 holes. So, get ready for another first-time PGA Tour winner – a JDC tradition.  There have been 23 of them in the tournament’s 53-year history, with Spieth among them.

Despite his stunning third round, that 24^th first-time winner might not be Thompson. Cole, Rai and Springer all have yet to win on golf’s premier circuit.

Thompson has had three runner-up finishes, with two of them coming in his last six starts. He tied for second last week in the Rocket Mortgage Championship in Detroit and was also a runner-up in the new Myrtle Beach Classic in May. In between his finishes included a tie for ninth in the U.S. Open.

Jon Rahm, now on the LIV Tour, was the first winner to thwart Thompson’s bid for win No. 1. They shared the 54-hole lead before Rahm won by a stroke in their duel at last year’s American Express Championship in California.

“Last week I was four back going into Sunday and didn’t know what it would take to win that golf tournament,’’ said Thompson. “It’s a new week.  I’ve been playing well and will just try to keep it going. Hopefully I’ve got one more good one in me.’’

The last first-time winner at the JDC was Dylan Frittelli in 2019. In addition to Spieth other first-time winners here include TPC Deere Run designer D.A. Weibring, Scott Hoch, Payne Stewart, David Toms, ex-Illinois Amateur and Open champion Mark Hensby, reigning British Open champion Brian Harman and reigning U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau.

After three days of beautiful weather tournament officials are expecting a sudden change for the final round.  Bad weather is expected early in the morning and late in the afternoon.  To compensate the 77 survivors will again play in threesomes but play will begin off both the Nos. 1 and 10 tees beginning at 9:25 a.m. Last tee time is 11:37.

 

 

 

 

 

SILVIS, IL. – Friday’s cut day at the John Deere Classic wasn’t pretty, but it produced some popular results.

Jordan Spieth, a playoff champion at TPC Deere Run twice before skipping the Illinois’ only annual PGA stop the previous nine years, was below the projected cut line with six holes remaining in his second round. He made birdies at Nos. 14 and 17 to finish the first 36 holes at 6-under-par 136, meaning he’ll play in the two weekend rounds.

Wheaton’s Kevin Streelman was in more serious jeopardy but made three birdies in the last three holes to survive on the number  at 5-under 137. Arlington Heights’ Doug Ghim (-6) and defending champion Sepp Straka (-5) also are still alive, though far behind co-leaders C.T. Pan of Taiwan and Aaron Rai of England. They’re at 8-under 128 after posting 63s on Friday.

Spieth, reflecting on his dramatic wins in  2013 and 2015, thought he was getting into contention.

“I could start attacking by getting some birdies early,’’ he said.  “Then I just messed up 11 and 12.  All of a sudden I was behind the cut line. Unfortunately I’ve been in that position far too often this year, and it’s very frustrating and annoying.’’

Hayden Springer, the unheralded PGA Tour rookie who exploded for a 59 in the opening round on Thursday, was tied with Pan and Rai after 11 holes.  Then he endured a four-hole stretch of bogey-bogey-birdie-double bogey and settled for a par 71. He’s in a six-way tie for fourth, two shots behind the leaders.

Pan lost his veteran caddie recently when 76-year old Mike “Fluff’’ Cowan opted to return to Jim Furyk’s bag. Pan called that “unfortunate.’’

“They’ve had a great partnership, and Fluff always wanted to finish his career with Jim,’’ said Pan.  “This week I have Ben Hulka caddying for me.  We worked together for a year or two.  He’s been good.’’

What wasn’t so good was some “conversation’’ that Pan had with the Taiwan Olympic committee Thursday night.  Pan won the bronze medal in the 2020 Olympics and will be in this year’s competition in Paris later this summer.

“I had terrible sleep,’’ said Pan. “We had a really serious conversation, just trying to figure out all the arrangements before I go there.  It didn’t go well.  I can tell you that.’’

Rai shook off a late collapse in last week’s Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit, where he tied for second.

“I was really pleased with that,’’ he said.  “From the whole of last week there were so many more positives than negatives. I was able to reset and start well obviously this week.’’

The longest of long shots heading into the second half of the tournament is amateur Luke Clanton.  The Florida State product made the cut at the U.S. Open and was 10^th last week in Detroit.  He played on a sponsor’s exemption there and also has one at the JDC. His 63-67 start put him in the six-way tie for fourth after the first half of the tournament.