Both the PGA Tour and LIV Golf League climaxed their seasons last weekend, but –at least arguably – the biggest event of the year is coming up next month. The Ryder Cup matches are Sept. 26-28 at Bethpage Black, in New York, and that puts Northwestern alum Luke Donald in the spotlight again. Donald captained…
Author: lenz
Illinois PGA shortens its most historic championship
The Illinois PGA hasn’t been afraid to make changes to its tournaments – especially the biggest ones. First the section opened its Illinois Women’s Open to out-of-state players because, said IPGA executive director Carrie Williams, “We wanted the strongest field it could be.’’ So did the staff at long-time tourney site Mistwood Golf Club,…
Rahm improves his chances for a LIV repeat
Last week’s LIV/Chicago tourney at Bolingbrook Golf Club set the stage for this week’s LIV Individual Championship at the Club of Chatham Hills in Indianapolis. Last year Bolingbrook hosted that tournament with Jon Rahm winning. Rahm has a mathematical chance to win the top prize again after finishing tied for second at Bolingbrook. He gained…
Stinger sweep provides a climax to LIV/Chicago
It was a rare team sweep in the fourth version of the LIV/Chicago tourney Sunday at Bolingbrook Golf Club. Dean Burmester won the individual title and his Stinger unit won the team crown – and both came in one-hole sudden death playoffs. Burmester, whose only previous LIV win was at Miami last year, watched two…
LIV’s top stars are overshadowed by Burmester, Ballester
Maybe it was the weather – 91 degrees with winds gusting to 22 miles per hour. Maybe it was the gallery. Though no attendance figures were given it was most certainly the largest of the 14 rounds played by the LIV Tour in Chicago over the past four years. Whatever the reason, the leaderboard…
Niemann struggles; DJ, Mickelson shine in LIV start
For the moment, at least, there’s some suspense on who will emerge as the individual champion on the LIV Golf Tour. With five wins in the first 11 tournaments Chile’s Joaquin Niemann would seem a shoo-in for the season-long honor with just this week’s LIV/Chicago event at Bolingbrook Golf Club and next week’s event…
Another Rahm-Niemann duel at LIV/Chicago?
In 2022 – the first season for the LIV Golf League – the dominant player, by far, was Dustin Johnson. Every year since the race for that top honor has gotten tighter and the winner has changed. In 2023 it was Talor Gooch. Last year it was Spain’s Jon Rahm. And now – going…
Another Illini win: this time it’s Feagles at the Illinois Open
Mike Small, the University of Illinois coach who has won 14 Illinois PGA titles, was bidding for a recording tying fifth Illinois Open crown on Friday. He had an uncharacteristically bad day at Kemper Lakes in Kildeer and didn’t get it, but the day wasn’t a complete downer. In July one of Small’s…
It’s Ohr by four with a round to go in the Illinois Open
Travis Johns, a teaching professional at Medinah Country Club, and Brian Ohr, who is “transitioning’’ to instruction after focusing on tournament play, were paired together in the first two rounds of the 76th Illinois Open and benefitted from it at Kemper Lakes, in Kildeer. John, 47, took the first-round lead with a 68 when Kemper…
LIV Tour brings its stars back to Bolingbrook
The best golf you’ll see in the Chicago area this year begins on Friday when the LIV/Chicago tournament tees off at Bolingbrook Golf Club. LIV, in its fourth straight year with a Chicago stop, has three events remaining on its 14-tournament season. Last year only 22 of 54 bettered par at Bolingbrook in what then…