Author: lenz

Nelly Korda should be the leading story in golf this year

 

OCALA, FL. – Unfortunately all the noise impacting the men’s pro golf tours has detracted from what is a huge story in the sport overall this season. The extraordinary accomplishments of Nelly Korda haven’t received nearly the attention they’ve merited.

This week should change that. The 79th U.S. Women’s Open tees off on Thursday at Lancaster Country Club in Pennsylvania.

It was big news when Scottie Scheffler won four of five tournaments in his hot streak earlier this year.  Korda did even better, winning five in a row and six of her last seven starts heading into the Women’s Open.

Let’s put all that in historical perspective.

In the women’s game only two other players have won five LPGA tournaments in a row – Nancy Lopez in 1978 and Annika Sorenstam in 2004-05. Maybe more to the point, only three players have won six tournaments before June – Babe Zaharias in 1951, Louis Suggs in 1953 and Lorena Ochoa in 2008.

Korda has already matched that mark. Next goal is to get seven wins for the season, a mark jointly held by Zaharias, Karrie Webb in 2000 and Taiwan’s Yani Tseng in 2011. It’ll be interesting to see how many more wins Korda has in her before 2024 is over.

If you want to compare Korda’s streaks with the men, Tiger Woods won five straight in 2007-08, six in a row in 1999-2000 and seven consecutively in 2006-07. Ben Hogan won six straight in 1948.

But, if you want to go further back both the LPGA and PGA Tour have records that seem – at this point – safe even from Korda.  On the men’s side Byron Nelson won 11 in a row and 18 tournaments overall in 1945 and on the women’s Mickey Wright triumphed 13 times in 1968, along with 11 times in 1964 and 10 in both 1962 and 1963.  Golf was a different game when Nelson and Wright were in their heydays than it is for Korda now.

Korda is playing in an era where there are more tournaments, more prize money and more good players to beat. Still, she’s only 25, so there’s plenty of time for her to pile up more wins.

Korda’s genes at least suggest she could do it, too. All the Kordas are, or were, world-class athletes. Her parents, both from Czechoslovakia, were top tennis players,  Father Petr was No. 2 in the Association of Tennis Professionals rankings in 1998 and won a Grand Slam title that year in the Australian Open. Nelly’s mother, Regina Rajchrtova, was ranked No. 26 in the world and represented Czechoslovakia in the Olympics.

Nelly’s older sister, Jessica, was successful on the LPGA Tour, too. Now 31, she dropped off the LPGA Tour a year ago after battling some lingering injuries.  She won six times on the circuit with career winnings of $7.6 million and became a mother for the first time in February.

Both Jessica and Nelly were on the U.S. Olympic team in 2020 with Nelly winning the gold medal. Their brother Sebastian has won over $5 million dollars in six seasons on the Association of Tennis Professionals circuit.

Now, though, it’s all Nelly’s show and she’ll be going after her third major title in this week’s Women’s Open. She has 14 career LPGA wins and overcame a serious injury when she developed a blood clot in her arm that shortened her season in 2021.

The U.S. Women’s Open hasn’t been kind to her, however.  She’ll make her 10th appearance this year with her best a tie for eighth in 2022 at Pine Needles, in North Carolina.

This year she’s won $2,943,708, or more than a million more than Hannah Green, who is second on the money list. In fact, Nelly has been so good that Michael Kim, a PGA Tour player, has declared that she should get a shot at playing in an event on the premier men’s circuit.  Seven women have been accorded that honor.  If Korda is interested in it, she should be an automatic No. 8.

The Women’s Open will at the least put her in the golf spotlight world-wide.  The tourney will have 26 hours of live TV coverage and Lancaster hosted one of the best previous Opens when a record 135,000 spectators showed up nine years ago.  That event turned into a battle of Koreans with then 20-year old In Gee Chun beating out Amy Yang. Chun became the fourth player to win the title in her first event.

One footnote regarding this year, though.  The 2024 U.S. Women’s Open didn’t have a record entry.  Last year 2,107 entered when the finals were at California’s Pebble Beach.  Entries this year hit 1,897.

 

Illini men could contend for NCAA golf title again

 

Mike Small has had better teams than his current one at the University of Illinois.  Several of them, including last year’s veteran squad, even came close to winning the NCAA title but couldn’t finish the job.

The current Illini did make it to the NCAA finals, which begin a week-long run on Friday (MAY 24) at LaCosta in Carlsbad, Calif., despite being dethroned as Big Ten champions by Northwestern  two weeks ago.  That ended a record eight-year conference  title run by the Illini, but they bounced back in a hurry.

Last week Small’s 17th Illini team won the NCAA’s Stanford Regional, the sixth such title under Small’ direction.

Northwestern, meanwhile, saw its season come to an end with the Wildcats finishing 12th in the 13-team North Carolina Regional, but Notre Dame will join Illinois at LaCosta after finishing third in the Texas Regional.

Illinois, though ranked No. 18 nationally and seeded third in its regional,  dominated the field at Stanford, winning by eight strokes over top-seeded Florida State. The Illini qualified for the NCAA finals for the 15th time in the last 16 years.

“This is just another step and progression in our yearly goals,’’ said Small. “We’ll enjoy it as a team, then get ready for the next piece of the puzzle.’’

Max Herendeen, a freshman, won his first collegiate tournament by leading wire-to-wire at Stanford.  He finished the 54-hole regional at 13-under-par 197 and became the fifth Illinois golfer to claim medalist honors at a regional.  Brian Campbell, now on the Korn Ferry Tour, won twice and Nick Hardy, Michael Feagles and Luke Guthrie also took titles.

“Max keeps improving and growing,’’ said Small. “He handled himself like a champion.  He hit it really solid, but the way he handled his emotions and focus is what made it fun to watch,’’

Illinois had three players in the top 10 at Stanford, and that balance bodes well for the team’s chances for another run at the national title.

“We had a total team effort from top to bottom (at the regional),’’ said Small. “Illinois golf has always prided itself on each man doing his job and this was a perfect example of that. This shows what’s possible when we play from strength and play solid, fundamental golf.’’

IN MEMORIAM: The Chicago golf community  lost two of its most popular members recently with the passing of Ed Posh and Bill Berger.

Posh, from West Chicago, was the first head professional at Village Links of Glen Ellyn and served in that post until 1995 when he assumed emeritus status.   Upon his retirement a scholarship fund was established in his honor and 118 students have benefitted from $1,240,000 in grants over the years.

Berger, from Franklin Park, was a lifetime member of the PGA and former touring professional.  He had been a co-host on the Golfers on Golf Radio show for the past 16 years. Posh was 94 and Berger 87.

HERE AND THERE:  Thomas Detry, the Belgian golfer who played for Illinois from 2012-16, tied for fourth in the PGA Championship at Kentucky’s Valhalla on Sunday. Andy Svoboda, the new head professional at Butler National in Oak Brook, couldn’t keep his early-season hot streak going at the PGA.  He missed the 36-hole cut there but was named to the PGA Cup team.

The first championship of the Chicago District Golf Association’s 111th season concludes today (WEDNESDAY) when the ninth CDGA Mid-Amateur’s title match is played at Elgin Country Club.

Long-time Chicago area club professional Tim Govern has been named the new head pro at Rolling Green in Arlington Heights.

Chicago-connected tour players Luke Donald and Doug Ghim survived the PGA’s 36-hole cut.  Former Northwestern and European Ryder Cup captain Donald had missed the cut in all four of his starts this season until finishing tied for 68th  at Valhalla.  Ghim, from Arlington Heights, tied for 35th – his best finish in a major championship since turning pro in 2018.

 

 

Bizarre — that’s the best way to sum up the PGA Championship

Bizarre. I’d say that was the best way to sum up the 106th PGA Championship at Valhalla in Louisville, Ky.

No question the golf was great.  So was the drama. Xander Schauffle was 21-under-par in finally winning a major championship on Sunday. You couldn’t beat the drama, either.  Bryson DeChambeau renewed the PGA Tour vs. LIV rivalry with a final-round charge that ended with him walking off the practice range, his chances at being in a playoff doomed when Schauffle’s six-foot birdie putt dropped on the 18th green to give him a one-stroke victory.

All that was well and good.  I’m afraid, though, that this PGA Championship will be better remembered for some strange things.

They started on Monday as players started arriving at Valhalla. Out came the report that Rory McIlroy had filed for divorce from Erica Stoll, his wife of seven years.

Divorces are sad things, but McIlroy’s timing was unfathomable. Here he’s coming off a big win at the Wells Fargo Championship on Sunday, then files for divorce the next day,  a few days before the next major championship – one where he had won in 2014.  A distraction, both for himself personally and for the tournament overall, was inevitable.  What was Rory thinking?

Stoll was quoted as saying, “There wouldn’t be a divorce if Rory was as faithful to me as he has been to Tiger.’’  To no one’s surprise, there was no comment from McIlroy. (Woods, incidentally, received little attention for good reason; he missed the cut after a second-round 77).

Anyway, the McIlroy scenario wasn’t the biggest news for long.  Scottie Scheffler, the world’s No. 1 player,  skipped the Wells Fargo the week before to adjust to becoming a father for the first time.  He got to Valhalla in good spirits until he drove to the course early on Friday for his second round.

An auto accident near the course led to the death of a man moments earlier, and Scheffler was arrested for an unrelated driving offense. He was slammed against the side of his car by a police officer, handcuffed, finger-printed, photographed in an orange jail shirt and put in a cell. He started his pre-round stretching there before a friendly police officer offered him a sandwich as he was being released.

Scheffler played well despite the unpleasant ordeal and – in sharp contrast to McIlroy – talked to the media for 13 minutes after his round, displaying concern for the family of the accident victim. How he regrouped to shoot 66 still amazes me. Scheffler faded in the third round, finishing in a tie for eighth.

His nightmare isn’t over, though.  Scheffler faces four charges, one a felony. His arraignment was to be on Tuesday, but it was later postponed until June 3.  Scheffler plans to play in the Charles Schwab Challenge this week in Texas.

There were a few other notable things that, of course, paled in comparison to the McIlroy and Scheffler episodes.

Steve Stricker’s withdrawal before the first round was noteworthy, though understandable. The 57-year old PGA Tour Champions star had tied for seventh in the 2014 PGA at Valhalla after playing his first Ryder Cup there in 2008. Those memories had Stricker looking forward to playing Valhalla again, even though he would be in the midst of playing three major championship in three weeks and making three title defenses in five — a stretch that even Woods didn’t have to face  during his heyday.

“I’m excited to get to play the PGA Championship in the middle of all this with the young guys,’’ Stricker had said.  Only he didn’t play.  After all, three Champions Tour majors coupled with his dual role as defender and host at his own tournament just became too much. He’s in the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship in Michigan this week.

More footnotes:

Collin Morikawa made five straight birdies in his Saturday round to get to the top of the leaderboard but didn’t make another until final hole on Sunday.  At least, as Schauffele’s playing partner,  he got a close-up view of the champion’s exquisite final round.

Jon Rahm, who had the longest streak of the season for avoiding missed cuts, missed this time.  Rahm had gone 18 tournaments before his letdown.  Now Hideki Matsuyama has the longest streak, at 16.

Schauffele’s 21-under-par 263 was a scoring record for a major championship.  He became the 11th wire to wire winner of the PGA, the first being Kentucky native Bobby Nichols in 1964. Shauffele’s first-round 62 tied a record in major championships and Shane Lowry matched it in the third round.  Only five players have shot that number in a major, and Schauffele has done it twice.  The first came in last year’s U.S. Open.

The nicest thing about the week, though, was a break in the frequently ugly confrontations between members of the PGA and LIV circuits.  LIV member Brooks Koepke won the PGA in 2023 and DeChambeau – with three birdies in the last six holes and two in the last three — made an emotional run at another win for the Saudi-backed circuit.  Though he didn’t get it, he was popular with the gallery and showed appropriate sportsmanship afterwards.

“I gave it my best and lost to someone who played incredibly well,’’ said DeChambeau.  “I put as much effort as I possibly could into it.  Xander is well-deserving of a major championship.’’

Kind words are especially nice to hear during these turbulent times in professional golf.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Will a PGA Tour visit bolster Myrtle Beach tourism? We’ll see

It was long overdue, but the PGA Tour now has a tournament in Myrtle Beach. (Joy Sarver Photos)

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – Having about 100 courses, an oceanside setting and tons of lodging and dining options made Myrtle Beach a popular place for golfers to visit.  It wasn’t good enough for the PGA Tour, however – at least not until this year.

Golf’s premier circuit brought its first-ever tournament to the stunning Dunes Golf & Beach Club in May. Even without a great field the Myrtle Beach Classic received a warm welcome that encouraged city leaders.

“This high-profile sporting event not only enhances our area’s reputation as The Golf Capital of the World, but also reinforces the strong community spirit that defines the Grand Strand,’’ said Karen Riordan, president and chief executive officer of Visit Myrtle Beach. She called the inaugural playing of the event “a standout success.’’

Tournament director Darren Nelson reported that over 1,300 volunteers turned out to get the Classic off to a good start.

“With the continued dedication and support from the Myrtle Beach community the event is poised to continue to grow and evolve, further spotlighting the Grand Strand as a premier destination for golf and recreation,’’ said Nelson.

The tourney reported over 40,000 spectators attended the pro-am and four tournament rounds and claimed that the 15,281 ticketholders for Saturday’s third round was 5,000 more than expected. TV coverage on The Golf Channel was also helpful.

Chris Gotterup earned the champion’s blue jacket as the first winner of the Myrtle Beach Classic.

Oh, yes.  The golf was good, too.  Chris Gotterup, an up-and-coming 24-year old, was 22-under-par en route to winning by six strokes on a course designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. in 1948. Another young hotshot, Thorbjern Oleson, set a course record with a 10-under 61.

Vanna White, a mainstay on TV’s Wheel of Fortune and a North Myrtle Beach resident, played in the pro-am and said what many were thinking about the only new tournament on the PGA Tour in 2024.

“We relate Myrtle Beach to golf, and it’s been that way for a long time,’’ she said.  “It’s  time the PGA Tour came here.’’

No argument there, and the area’s biggest tournament – the 41st annual World Amateur Handicap Championship – is still to come, along with a myriad of other events that have been annual attractions in Myrtle Beach.  The World Amateur will bring bring over 3,000 players to Myrtle Beach from Aug. 26-30. It’s the world’s biggest golf tournament and this two-time participant has fond memories of the experience.

The PGA Tour certainly needed to put one of its tournaments in this golfing hotbed.  Now we’ll find out if Myrtle Beach really needed the PGA Tour. Chances are both parties will benefit from the relationship that will continue for at least a few more years.

Grande Dunes will host the final round of Myrtle Beach’s World Amateur Handicap Championship.

In the meantime the Myrtle Beach golf community has continued to upgrade its courses.  Our stop took us to Grande Dunes first. It has re-opened after a lengthy renovation and will return as the site of the Flight Winner’s Playoff, the climax to the World Amateur.

Next stop was Myrtlewood, a 36-hole facility that offers the Pinehills and Palmetto courses.  We played Pinehills, a layout in the final stages of a bunker renovation.  We got rained out after 10 holes.  Still, a fun day with our return likely as soon as we get back to the area.

Finally, we hit the Caledonia Golf & Fish Club – arguably Myrtle Beach’s most popular course. (At least it is our favorite).  Caledonia and neighbor True Blue make for a nifty double-round day if you choose to accept the challenge.

Because we’ve been to Myrtle Beach many times over the past 20 years we can attest to the quality of lots of other courses – Pine Lakes, River Club, Pawleys Plantation, TPC Myrtle Beach, Founders Club, Barefoot Resort’s Fazio, Dye and Love courses, King’s North at Myrtle Beach National, Oyster Bay, Thistle.  The beat goes on.

The key to Myrtle Beach’s success isn’t  because the PGA Tour has finally arrived there.  It’s because course leaders haven’t been reluctant to re-invest in their properties. For the vast majority of visitors over the years that’s been the most important thing.  That’s why Myrtle Beach has maintained its prominent position as a golf destination.

Myrtlewood (above) has two 18-holers, both fun layouts, while Caledonia (below) has a most memorable finishing hole with the clubhouse as a backdrop. There’s frequently an audience on the veranda cheering on the players as they finish their rounds.

 

 

 

New Butler National pro could be PGA’s player to watch

 

Andy Svoboda, the new head professional at Butler National in Oak Brook, has made a big impression since arriving on the Chicago golf scene in March, and this week he could make an even bigger one.

Svoboda is one of two Illinois PGA members to qualify for the PGA Championship, which tees off Thursday at Valhalla, in Louisville, KY.

Jeff Kellen, Svoboda’s predecessor at Butler National and the newly-named head man at North Shore in Glenview, also will be in the field as will Brad Marek, who was a stalwart growing up in Arlington Heights and won the 2005 Illinois State Amateur.

That trio will take on the world’s best touring pros, with LIV golf member Brooks Koepka the defending champion. Koepka figures to battle Rory McIlroy for the title.  Both won their last starts, with McIlroy doing it in impressive fashion on Sunday at the PGA Tour’s Wells Fargo Championship in North Carolina.  McIlroy also won the last PGA Champions play at Valhalla, in 2014.

Svoboda, Kellen and Marek were among 20 club professionals to qualify golf’s second major championship of the season at the PGA Professionals Championship two weeks ago in Texas. Two Chicago-connected PGA Tour members – Luke Donald and Doug Ghim – will also be in the field at Valhalla but Svoboda looms as one of the most interesting longshots.

With career winnings over $1 million on both the PGA and Korn Ferry tours before turning to the club pro ranks Svoboda has been nothing short of sensational since joining the Chicago club pro ranks.

He was second in the Professionals Championship, then followed up with another runner-up finish in last week’s Illinois PGA Match Play Championship at Bull Valley, in Woodstock. Prior to those finishes he was the medalist in a local qualifier for the U.S. Open, so his hopes to play in that major are still alive as well.

Svoboda, now 44, was edged out in the first of the Illinois PGA’s four major tournaments of the season when his birdie putt on the 18th hole hit the back of the cup and spun out.  Had he made that putt he would have forced a playoff for the title with Medinah’s Travis Johns, the tourney champion.

“Andy’s a great player and plays the game like a true gentleman,’’ said Johns. “He got an unfortunate break at the end, but I had a lot of fun competing against him.  He’s going to win a lot of these events going forward.’’

Johns has already had his share of Illinois PGA victories, winning the Match Play for the first time in 2010, the Players Championship in 2014 and the IPGA Championship in 2019.

He hadn’t been in the Match Play final since 2017 prior to his title run last week. Now he needs to win August’s Illinois Open to complete a career Grand Slam of the IPGA’s major events.

Johns got to last week’s title match by beating defending champion Chris French, of Aldeen in Rockford, in the quarterfinals and reigning IPGA Player of the Year Brian Carroll of The Hawk in St. Charles in the semifinals. French won last year after qualifying for last year’s PGA Championship.

HERE AND THERE: The men’s teams at Northwestern, Illinois and Notre Dame all wrap up their three-day NCAA regional tourneys today (WEDNESDAY, MAY 15) with hopes of qualifying for the NCAA finals May 24-29 at LaCosta in Carlsbad, CA.

Chicago State finished fifth behind champion Florida A&M in the PGA Works Collegiate Championship at Florida’s TPC Sawgrass.

The ninth Chicago District Mid Amateur begins its three-day run on Monday (MAY 20) at Elgin Country Club with Glenview’s John Ramsey the defending champion.   Qualifying for the CDGA Amateur begins the following day.

 

Gotterup is an appropriate first champion at Myrtle Beach

Chris Gotterup sports his new blue jacket as Myrtle Beach’s first champion. (Joy Sarver Photo)

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – This was only fitting.  The newest tournament on the PGA Tour was won by one of the circuit’s youngest players.

Chris Gotterup, just 24 and barely a year removed from his last college tournament, captured the inaugural Myrtle Beach Classic at the Dunes Golf & Beach Club.  He took a four-stroke lead into Sunday’s final round, then floundered twice before finally putting the win away.

Gotterup opened the final round with two bogeys then went birdie-eagle-birdie to open a five-shot lead.  The lead was in jeopardy again when he struggled on the first four holes of the back nine.  His advantage was cut to two after 13 holes before he regrouped again to beat closest rivals Davis Thompson and Canadian Alistair Docherty and earn the blue jacket — the start of a tradition for the tournament’s champions.

“No matter what tournament I’m in, I’m going to grind it out,’’ said Gotterup, whose two comebacks made the surprise arrival of his parents and two brothers all the more special.  They weren’t expected here until Monday.

The final round was marked by a 10-under-par 61 by Denmark’s Thorbjern Oleson, a course record on the ocean-side layout designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. in 1948. Gotterup’s closing 67 and gave him a 72-hole score of 22-under-par 262.

Meanwhile, Gotterup had only one top-five finish to show for his first 26 starts on the PGA Tour but is now headed for this week’s PGA Championship at Valhalla, in Louisviile, KY. The year’s second major championship tees off on Thursday and Sunday’s win got him there.

Gotterup spent his first four collegiate years at Rutgers, where he had a Player of the Year season.   Then he took a redshirt year at Oklahoma and was even better there. He followed it up by getting eight starts on the PGA Tour, many through sponsor exemptions.

Those eight starts technically ruled Gotterup out of rookie status on the PGA Tour for this season, but he has no complaints about that.

“Those eight starts were huge for me,’’ he said.  “I left school with no status at all but I played good and grinded it out.’’

He also did just that to get his first professional win in the first PGA Tour event at Myrtle Beach, a golf mecca that justifiably bills itself as “the World’s Golf Capital.’’

The tourney, blessed with beautiful weather and good crowd support, made its debut on the same day that the Wells Fargo Championship, held just 173 miles away in Charlotte, N.C., with a much stronger field than Myrtle Beach’s, ended its PGA Tour run.  That decision was made by its sponsor several months ago, but its site – Quail Hollow – will host next year’s PGA Championship.

 

 

One tournament begins, another ends on PGA Tour this week

The Dunes Golf & Beach Club may be the most history-rich course in Myrtle Beach.

OCALA, FL. – Even without a ball being hit yet, the week ahead looms as an interesting one on the PGA Tour.

Holding two concurrent events in the same week isn’t unusual on the PGA Tour, but this is a little different.  The Wells Fargo Championship, in Charlotte, N.C., and the Myrtle Beach Classic are similar in that both are 72-hole events that begin their four-day runs on Thursday.

The Carolina events aren’t that far apart either – only 172 miles, less than four-hour drive.  Otherwise there are some stark differences.

The Wells Fargo is a tournament with some rich history, while Myrtle Beach – which bills itself “the Golf Capital of the World ‘’ with some justification  — has never hosted a PGA Tour stop. The Wells Fargo is a Signature Event with a $20 million purse and many of the game’s top stars.  The Myrtle Beach Classic has a $4 million purse and its field is dominated by the young up-and-coming stars.

While the Myrtle Beach Classic is a new event, the Wells Fargo is being held for the last time.  Its inaugural playing was in 2003, and its list of champions include Jim Furyk, Tiger Woods, Anthony Kim, Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fower, Brian Harman and Max Homa.  Its defending champion is Wyndham Clark, the reigning U.S. Open titlist. Wells Fargo, though, has announced that it won’t renew its sponsorship after this year’s playing.

Charlotte has been a PGA Tour site long before the Wells Fargo teed off for the first time at Quail Hollow Club, and that venue won’t be disappearing from big-time golf.  It’ll host the PGA Championship in 2025. That won’t be anything new for the club, either.  It was the site of Justin Thomas’ PGA victory in 2017 and the President’s Cup was also played there in 2022.

Robert Trent Jones Sr. created The Dunes course in 1948. (Joy Sarver Photos)

Switching the focus to Myrtle Beach, it’s shocking that this community hasn’t attracted  corporate sponsorship for a PGA Tour event until this year.  For over 40 years MB’s nearly 100 courses have been used for the World Amateur Handicap Tournament.  With entries topping 3,000 annually, it’s believed to be the biggest golf event in the world.

This is a really avid golf town,  and there have been professional tournaments held there in the past.  The U.S. Women’s Open was played in MB in 1962 and the women’s circuit held four tournaments there in the 1990s, with Australian star Karrie Webb winning two of them. Seven Senior PGA Tour Championships were also held there, the last in 2000.

Myrtle Beach even has a TPC course, and many of Dustin Johnson’s trophies are on display there. The Myrtle Beach Classic, however, will be played at The Dunes Golf & Beach Club, a par-71 layout measuring 7,347 yards.  It’s the second-oldest course in Myrtle Beach.

Robert Trent Jones Sr. was the designer in 1948, and insiders believe it can be stretched a little longer to better suit PGA Tour players. Those who were early entrants included Brandt Snedeker, Jonattan Vegan, Daniel Berger, Joel Dahmer, Cameron Champ and Charley Hoffman.

Organizers of the MB event held a unique qualifying event, called The Q, as part of its pre-tournament promotional festivities.  They also had no trouble finding volunteers.  The number needed filled up quickly, — faster, they believe, than any  event with the exception of a Ryder Cup. Clearly the enthusiasm for golf on its biggest stage is bubbling over in Myrtle Beach.

The new event has one – at least minor – concern.  Sunday’s final round will be played on Mother’s Day, and that might cut into attendance. Of course, that could minimally impact the Wells Fargo, too.

What the future holds for both events is uncertain.  It’s unlikely Quail Hollow will be without a big event after the PGA Championship next year.  It’s been just too good of a tournament site and new sponsorship should be forthcoming eventually.  The Myrtle Beach Classic has a contract for two more years and would likely continue long beyond that, assuming the sponsoring and crowd support are up to expectations at the inaugural event.

The ocean views at The Dunes create a stunning backdrop for golfers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three golfers with Chicago ties await the PGA Championship

 

Next week’s PGA Championship is the second of golf’s four major tournaments of 2024, and it’ll be extremely significant from a Chicago perspective.

Two present Chicago area club professionals – Andy Svoboda of Butler National and Jeff Kellen of North Shore – earned spots in the field by finishing in the top 20 at last week’s PGA Professionals Championship in Texas.

And that’s not all.  A third player with strong Illinois ties, Brad Marek, also cracked the top 20 and earned his second appearance in the PGA.  Marek grew up in Arlington Heights, attended Hersey High School and won the Illinois State Junior in 2002 and the Illinois State Amateur in 2005. He turned pro in 2008 after playing collegiately at Indiana.

Svoboda tied for second in the PGA Professionals Championship at Fields Ranch, in Frisco,  TX,  Marek tied for sixth and Kellen tied for eighth.  That tourney had a 312-player field, with all the participants having survived PGA sectional qualifiers. Now they’ll match skills with the world’s best touring professionals.

The experience is nothing new for Marek, who has been working in  since California since 2015.  In 2021 he qualified after a top-20 finish in the PGA Professionals event, then he made the cut in the PGA Championship at Kiawah, in South Carolina.

At Kiawah Marek finished 78th, beating two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson, who finished 80th, in a year when such luminaries as Sergio Garcia, Dustin Johnson, Xander Schauffele, Adam Scott and Justin Thomas didn’t survive the 36-hole cut.

The Svoboda-Kellen scenario is interesting as well.  Kellen switched head professional jobs, moving from Butler, in Oak Brook, to North Shore, in Glenview, during the winter.  Svoboda, who had been the Connecticut PGA Player of the Year in 2023, was hired at Butler in March.

While a Chicago newcomer, Svoboda is a seasoned tournament player.  Now 44, he topped $1 million in winnings on both the Korn Ferry and PGA Tours. He was a three-time winner on the Korn Ferry and runner-up at the PGA Tour stop in New Orleans. Like Kellen, he’ll be playing in the PGA Championship for the first time.

“It’s a dream come true,’’ said Svoboda.  “(The Professionals Championship) was a great week on an amazing golf course with amazing competition.  It was fun to play at the new home of the PGA of America.’’

Svoboda will be in the field for the Illinois PGA’s first of four majors this week.  The IPGA Match Play began its three-day run on Tuesday at Bull Valley, in Woodstock.

For Kellen making it to Valhalla was even more special.  He did it with his father serving as his caddie in Texas.

“I’m so proud to be a PGA member,’’ said Kellen.  “This was a wild week with all the weather delays, but I was able to buckle down and play some good golf.’’

Getting two Illinois Section members into the PGA Championship is a rarity.  The last time it happened was in 2004 when Roy Biancalana and Mike Small made it.

HERE AND THERE —  Illinois’ Jackson Buchanan has been named joint winner of the Big Ten Player of the Year honor after a ballot review.  He shares the honor with Purdue’s Herman Sekne. The Illini have had a Big Ten Player of the Year for four straight years.

NCAA men’s regional play begins on Monday (MAY 13) with Illinois in the Stanford Regional.  Big Ten champion Northwestern will be in the North Carolina Regional and Notre Dame in the Texas Regional.  Two Illinois State golfers, Valentin Peugnet and Alex McCulla, will compete as individuals in the Purdue Regional.

Jason Day has entered July’s John Deere Classic.  He started his PGA Tour career there in 2006 but hasn’t played in Illinois’ only annual PGA Tour event since 2011.

Illinois third, and last, U.S. Open local qualifier will be held Monday (MAY 13) at Illini Country Club in Springfield.  It’ll have 84 players competing for five spots in the final qualifying stage.  Illini CC will be hosting a local for the 45th consecutive year, or every year since the U.S. Golf Assn. has held such qualifiers.  No other club in the country can make that claim.

The Golfers on Golf Radio show kicked off its 34th season last week on WNDZ (750-AM).  The longest-running golf radio show in Chicago history has a new starting time – 9 a.m., on Saturdays.  It has three co-hosts at the moment – Rory Spears, Ed Stevenson and Len Ziehm —  with Bill Berger fighting a battle with cancer.

 

 

NU golfers show Illini aren’t invincible in the Big Ten

Illinois’ record eight-year run as the Big Ten champion in men’s golf is over.  Northwestern, led by medalist Daniel Svard, was a winner by 15 strokes at Ohio’s Scioto Country Club on Sunday with the Illini second.

Both schools will get their regional assignments in the NCAA tournament today on The Golf Channel’s Selection Show.

“Hats off to Northwestern,’’ said Illini coach Mike Small.  “They controlled the narrative from Day 1. Nobody else played to that level. They had four guys in the top 10.  We didn’t have much answer for that.’’

Svard, a sophomore, won the individual title for the second straight year and was NU’s third multiple winner following Sid Richardson (1937-38) and Luke Donald (2000-01). It was the Wildcats’ first team title since 2006.

Illinois junior Jackson Buchanan was second individually, finishing one stroke behind Svard’s 1-over par 211 in the 54-hole test.

OPEN LOCALS: The two Chicago area local qualifiers for June’s U.S. Open at Pinehurst, N.C., are now official.

Northern Illinois alum Bryce Emory, the 2020 Illinois Open champion from Aurora, and new Butler National head professional Andrew Svoboda shared medalist honors last week at Stonewall Orchard in Gurnee and Hinsdale’s Mac McClear dominated Monday’s session at Cantigny in Wheaton.

David Nyfjall, a Northwestern alum from Sweden, and Charlie Nikitas, of Glenview, survived a four-man playoff for the final two berths in the final qualifying stage at Stonewall and Libertyville’s Graham O’Connor Brooks and Bloomington’s T.J. Barger were among five players sharing second place at Cantigny.

McClear, a Big Ten medalist twice at Iowa, shot a five-under-par 67 in his Open qualifier, was five strokes better than his nearest rivals.

Final qualifiers begin on May 20 to decide the 156 finalists for the Open proper at Pinehurst, N.C. on June 13-16.

HERE AND THERE:  Nick Hardy’s title defense with partner Davis Riley in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans ended with the pair finishing in a tie for 28th place on Sunday.  Hardy, from Northbrook, had local company at that spot.  Arlington Heights’ Doug Ghim, paired with Chan Kim, and Northwestern alum Dylan Wu, playing with Justin Lower, also were in the group tied for 28th.  Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry won the PGA Tour’s lone annual two-man team event.

Winnetka’s Elizabeth Szokol, Illinois only LPGA Tour player, tied for 61st in the Jim Eagle LA Championship.  Szokol has survived the 36-hole cut in six of her eight starts in 2024 with a best finish of a tie for 30th in the season-opening Tournament of Champions.

Northwestern has earned a spot in the women’s NCAA tourney, which begins its three-day regional run on Monday in East Lansing, Mich.  Illinois didn’t qualify as a team but senior Isabel Sy will compete there as an individual.

The first of the Illinois PGA’s four major tournaments – the Match Play Championship – tees off on Monday at Bull Valley, in Woodstock. Chris French, of Aldeen in Rockford, is the defending champion.

Twelve IPGA members, among them French and Svoboda, are competing in the PGA Professional Championship this week in Texas.  Illinois has the fifth-most  players in the 312-man field among the PGA’s 41 sections.  The tourney ends today and the top 20 qualify for the PGA Championship May 13-19 at Valhalla, in Kentucky.

The Chicago District Golf Assn. will hold a qualifier for its Senior Mid Amateur on Wednesday at Bloomingdale and the first qualifier for its Mid Am Thursday  at Kankakee Elks.

 

 

 

 

Australia tourney gives the LIV Tour a big boost

 

OCALA, FL. – No, I wasn’t at LIV GOLF/Adelaide. Last week’s tournament was played in Australia. This was also one of the few LIV events that I didn’t watch on television.

Still, from all I can gather, it provided an opportunity for the fledgling circuit to celebrate.

Australia Golf Digest reported a crowd of 35,000 for the final round.  The LIV Golf League announced an attendance of 94,000 for the week.  I’ve been on hand for four LIV tournaments and attendance – while not insignificant – didn’t approach those numbers.

I don’t doubt the numbers in Adelaide, though.  This is Australia, where LIV commissioner Greg Norman grew up. The tournament also had a dramatic finish.  The team competition, a staple at LIV events, was ideal.  For the first time a playoff was needed to decide the team winner and the all-Australian Rippers were in it.

That didn’t hurt attendance or crowd enthusiasm, nor did the fact that the Rippers beat the all-South African Stingers.  LIV team playoffs call for two players on each team competing with total score counting. Captain Cameron Smith and his mates – Mark Leishman, Matt Jones and Lucas Herbert – were the heroes of the day.

Said Smith:  “This week has far exceeded my vision for what was ahead.  I always knew internally that Australia would really embrace LIV with the culture, with the music, with the entertainment, with all of that goes on around it.  I always felt like this was the place it was going to make it big, and how it’s been (in the Australia events) the last couple years has been insane.’’

The show on his home turf understandably uplifted Norman, who said he was “feeling proud.’’

“With what we’ve gone through over the past 16 months, both as a league and what I’ve copped personally – the hatred – this makes it all worth while,’’ he said.

And that’s not all.

“Vindication is not the right word,’’ said Norman.  “It’s  the ignorance of others who simply don’t understand what we’re trying to do.  “I actually feel sorry for them because they now see the true value of LIV golf and want to be part of it.’’

Well, whether “they want to be part of it’’ remains to be seen, but if LIV supporters needed a boost, the happenings in Australia provided it.

The timing is good, too.  LIV has another event this week, in Singapore, and then two in the U.S., in Houston and Nashville in June. After heading overseas for July tournments in Spain and the United Kingdom the circuit concludes its regular season at the Greeenbrier, in West Virginia, Aug. 16-18.

Two season-ending tournaments – billed as the climax to the third season – follow in September. I feel especially close to this issue because I was told (or at least strongly advised) that one event is coming to the Chicago area, my long-time home base. That was nearly a month ago.

The event wasn’t to be held at Rich Harvest Farms, which hosted LIV tournaments the last two years, and I was unofficially advised that it will be held at Bolingbrook Golf Club, an Arthur Hills design in Chicago’s South suburbs.  A radio station – again unofficially – said it’ll be the individual championship and the dates will be Sept. 13-15.

As I was finishing up this piece I was advised that Bolingbrook would host a press conference on Tuesday.  Could this finally make it official?  We’ll let you know soon.