lenz – Page 7 – Len Ziehm On Golf

JDC win started Harman on his way to capturing the British Open

The John Deere Classic, Illinois’ only annual PGA Tour event, is known for its first-time winners. It’s had 23 of those in its 52-year history, and Brian Harman was one of them.

Harman, who won the British Open by a whopping six-stroke margin on Sunday, made the JDC his first victory in 2014 at TPC Deere Run in downstate Silvis. He had only one other victory – – the 2017 Wells Fargo Championship in North Carolina — until his run-away win at England’s Royal Liverpool in the final major championship of 2023.

Only one of the JDC’s first-time winners, Jordan Spieth in 2017, went on to win the British and just one of the JDC’s other champions, Zach Johnson in 2015, captured a British Open title. That made Harman’s win unusual but it was even more than that.

Imagine two former JDC champions standing one-two much of the day in Sunday’s final round. Austrian Sepp Straka, who won at TPC Deere Run earlier this month, tied for second in the British with Jon Rahm, Jason Day and Tom Kim. Straka was alone in the runner-up spot until he made bogey on the final hole.

Harman and Straka both played collegiately at Georgia and are hopeful their play in the British will lead to their selection to Ryder Cup teams. Harman became a contender for the U.S. team, captained by Johnson, and Straka could be a selection the European squad captained by Luke Donald. The matches are Sept. 29-Oct. 1 in Italy.

Regardless of what happens with the Ryder Cup Harman’s life will change. Winning a major title always does that.

Now there will be fascination with his pre-shot waggles. That could be disruptive. Sergio Garcia was known for doing the same thing and the abrasive New York galleries at the 2002 U.S. Open were annoyed enough to count them when Garcia was preparing to hit a shot.

Harman’s waggles got up to 12 at the British. There were members of the world golf media willing to count them, and then chide Harman about it.

None of that mattered when the last putt dropped on Sunday, making Harman the 15^th American to win the title in the last 40 years. It’s always rare when a left-handed golfer wins a tournament, and Harman was the third to win the British. Bob Charles, in 1963, and Phil Mickelson, in 2013, were the others.

The John Deere Classic was just a starting point for Harman. He was a tourney regular from 2012 to 2021. In addition to his win he had a top-10 finish in 2017 but his last appearance was a downer.

Harman missed the cut in 2021 and opted to skip the tournament in 2022. He addressed that issue with the media earlier in the week in England. His first British appearance came off his JDC win and it was also at Royal Liverpool.

“I won the John Deere and got in at the last minute,’’ recalled Harman. “I had the 4:15 tee time on Friday and finished my round at 10:15. I made the cut and loved the golf. I was really excited because I had missed four or five cuts in a row before coming over and I couldn’t figure it out why I wasn’t playing well.’’

After his missed JDC cut in 2021 Harman decided to skip the tournament the following year and head overseas early.

“I came early for the Scottish (the Scottish Open, held the week before the British) last year, and I beat two people in the Scottish Open. I played horrible,’’ said Harman. “It was like, `Golly, I love coming over but I’m getting me teeth kicked in.’’

This year Harman initially entered the JDC, as it had dates a week earlier than in previous years, but he was a last-minute withdrawal, apparently to play the Scottish Open again with a little extra time for on-site preparation.

After a slow start to the season his game was starting to improve. He finished second at the Travelers event on the PGA Tour and followed that with top-15 finishes at both the Rocket Mortgage Classic, in Detroit, and the Scottish.

The magic carried over to the British, a win he labelled “overwhelming joy.’’

“This is the best tournament in the world, and I’m thrilled,’’ he said.

Whether the JDC will see him again remains to be seen. His change in scheduling paid big dividends on Sunday. Why change a routine that works?

This amateur golf doubleheader is not one to miss

Rarely has Illinois been treated to a golf tournament doubleheader as attractive as the one on tap for this week – and it’s all about the amateurs.

The Women’s Western Amateur has been played without interruption since 1901, and the 123^rd staging begins on Tuesday at White Eagle, in Naperville. The always popular Illinois State Amateur also tees off that day at Bloomington Country Club. This will be that tourney’s 92^nd playing.

Obviously the players will be more familiar in the State Am, to be played at Bloomington for a record ninth time, but the Women’s Western – always one of the most prestigious events in women’s golf – may have its strongest field ever. The 120 competitors represent 29 states and 15 countries.

“Our partnership with the Western Golf Association (which began in 2019) has helped us strengthen our fields,’’ said Susan Buchanan, the WWGA president, “and our local players are getting better along with the national ones. They’ve realized that they can play in a big, strong national tournament without having to travel.’’

Geneva’s Sarah Arnold and New Lenox’ Grace Curran, who finished one-two in the Illinois Women’s State Amateur, are also Western contenders and Naperville’s Lisa Copeland, the runner-up as a 15-year old in last year’s Western Junior. Is also in the field.

Defending champion this week is Teglao Jeeravivitaporn of Thailand, and she’ll be trying to become the first repeat winner since Meredith Duncan in 2000-01. The 2021 champion, Marissa Wenzler, is also competing.

In its rich history the tournament has had only nine back-to-back winners, the first being Chicago’s first great woman player, Bessie Anthony, who won the first three titles in 1901-03. She was the lone three-peater, and the best known of the others to win two in a row was Hall of Famer Louise Suggs, who won in 1946-47 in the years leading into the creation of the Ladies PGA in 1950.

Past Western Am winners also include Nancy Lopez (1976), Beth Daniel (1978), Cristie Kerr (1998), Grace Park (2003), Brittany Lang (2006), Stacy Lewis (2012) and Ariya Jutanugarn (2012). Past Western competitors have won 327 times on the LPGA Tour, including 12 major titles, and made 28 Solheim Cup appearances.

While the field is stronger, the venue is also tougher than the last two playings at Park Ridge and Sunset Ridge. White Eagle was the site of LPGA tournaments from 1992-94 and also hosted two of the last three Illinois Opens. The original Arnold Palmer design was upgraded in recent years by Todd Quitno.

There will be 36 holes of stroke play qualifying on Tuesday and Wednesday with the top 32 advancing to match play. Matches will run Thursday through Saturday.

STATE AM: Hinsdale’s Mac McClear will defend his title at Bloomington and try to become the first repeat winner since Ethan Farnam. He won in 2019 and 2021, with the pandemic canceling the event in 2020. Bloomington’s Todd Mitchell was the last to win in consecutive years (2002-03).

McClear, who won last year at Westmoreland in Wilmette, also captured two of the last three Big Ten individual while playing collegiately for Iowa. Last year he beat out Illinois’ Tommy Kuhl at Westmoreland, and Kuhl won’t be on hand this week. He recently entered the professional ranks, but McClear will have one particularly tough opponent in Parker Wisdom, the home club hopeful.

Wisdom, who led Illinois Wesleyan to the Missouri Valley Conference title as a senior, tied for third in last year’s State Am.

The 132 players competing at Bloomington were determined after eight state-wide qualifying rounds in June. The full field of finalists will play 18 holes on Tuesday and Wednesday, then the field will be cut to the low 35 and ties for a 36-hole wrapup on Thursday.

Bloomington, which opened in 1896, last hosted the State Am in 2018 when Jordan Hahn was the winner. At 6,561 yards and a par 70 it’ll be the shortest course to host the event since 2008.

These non-golf Wisconsin attractions can be overwhelming

Taliesen (above) was Frank Lloyd Wright’s home and design studio for 50 years while this carousel (below) helps make nearby House on the Rock also a popular tourist attraction.

SPRING GREEN, Wisconsin – This was one of those odd stops where we stayed at a golf resort — and it looked like a pretty good one — but didn’t hit a shot. House on the Rock has 27 holes designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr., but we were there to see a couple of attractions that have intrigued us for years.

In addition to being a resort, House on the Rock proper is a complex of distinct rooms, streets, gardens and shops. It’s not an easy place to describe, but it’s been a popular tourist attraction since 1960.

Just a few miles away is Taliesin, the long-time home of legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright. These places aren’t related and have very little in common other than location. Still, people come to this town to visit both.

The one area where they are similar is in their creators. Both Wright and House on the Rock’s Alex Jordan Jr. were extremely creative guys with unique personalities.

House on the Rock is more fun than anything else. Taliesin is more historical. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1976 and spotlights the unique style that Wright was known for during his lengthy architectural career.

I got interested in Wright after reading a “historical fiction’’ book on his life, “Loving Frank,’’ several years ago. His architectural was controversial and always evolving. His lifestyle was as well.

Wright called Taliesin his home and design studio for most of 50 years. He lived for a significant portion of his career in Oak Park, IL., but Taliesin was where he did his creating. The low ceilings were the most striking from my perspective.

Taliesin is built on 800 acres with great views of the Wisconsin River and very informative tours of one-, two- and four-hours available.

Shuttles take you from the Frank Lloyd Wright Welcome Center, which was one of his creations, to Taliesen, which is just a few minutes away.

House on the Rock, meanwhile, is a self-guided visit and has three options. The “Ultimate Experience,’’ which we chose, covers the whole place. It gave us a good four-hour walk. Two shorter tours are also available.

This landmark signage and drafting studio reflect the early days of Taliesin. (Joy Sarver Photos)

Founder Alex Jordan was the opposite of Wright, in that he was a recluse who started work on a one-man retreat in 1945. Word of the unusual things he was creating inside rock formations got out and, by 1960, Jordan decided to open it to tourists. It’s grown from there.

The “Tribute to Nostalgia’’ and “Streets of Yesterday’’ were my favorites. Meticulouusly furnished and crafted doll houses and circus displays were impressive as were two towering carousels. The Carousel Room had one carousel that had 269 animals; 20,000 lights and 182 chandeliers.

Music played throughout the three sections if you wanted to hear it. Tokens were required to play the music and animation machines, and you could cash the unused ones in for purchases in the gift shop.

We spent the whole day at the two attractions, the morning for House on the Rock and the afternoon at Taliesin. That was plenty enough time for House on the Rock but – if you are a Frank Lloyd Wright fan – you might need more.

The gift center there is filled with good reading on Wright and the Frank Lloyd Wright Trail, 200 miles of sights and sites relative to Wright’s career, can take you through nine counties in south Wisconsin. It offers dining, hiking, the arts and cultural opportunities not part of the Taliesin experience.

These stone and flower displays were a trademark throughout House on the Rock.

Changes have boosted Nick Hardy’s golf game

Nick Hardy, along with father John, had a lot to be happy about during the John Deere Classic.

Beset by wrist problems, Nick Hardy’s rookie season on the PGA Tour didn’t go too well. To retain his playing privileges for this season he had to perform well in the season-ending Korn Ferry Tour Finals – and he did that.

Since then things have changed a lot for the University of Illinois alum who grew up in Northbrook. Now 27 and a pro since 2018, Hardy has come a long, long way in his second season on golf’s premier circuit.

Since his rookie season ended Hardy has hooked up with SWAG Golf, which meant a new putter and spiffy new golf bag. He also showed a leaning toward Australia twice. He married Elizabeth, who is from Sydney and spent two seasons playing golf professionally. Now together for seven years, they met when he was in college and helping coach Mike Small’s Illini win golf tournaments.

Another Australian entered Hardy’s life as well. Gary Barter is now his coach, a replacement for long-time swing guru Brett Packee.

“I had a long relationship with Brett and learned a lot,’’ said Hardy. “Sometimes you need extra opinions on some levels of your game.’’

So, Hardy turned to Barter, who also works with Matt Jones – an Australian golfer who is playing on the LIV Tour.

The switch, in some ways, is a strange one. Hardy and Barter don’t see each other very much.

“He comes here (to the U.S.) every few months and we make it work,’’ said Hardy. “Every few months we meet face to face. Sometimes that’s a help. Maybe sometimes you get too much help. I take ownership of my game, and we’ve sprinkled in a lot of new things in the last year. But I’m very aware of certain things about golf that Brett has taught me.’’

The bottom line is that Hardy proclaims himself healthy, and the statistics show he is playing better. The winter months were difficult, as Hardy had a string of five straight missed cuts in February and March.

Then he teamed up with Davis Riley to win the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, the PGA Tour’s only team event. Unlike an individual win Hardy didn’t get an invitation to the Masters or world ranking points, but it did give him a PGA Tour exemption through 2025 and FedEx Cup points.

Since that big win Hardy has made the cut in five of seven starts. Last week he finished with a 65 and wound up tied for 21^st in the John Deere Classic. That boosted his FedEx Cup standing to No. 47, so he’s comfortably into the first event of the lucrative three-tournament postseason series and will be in the second – in August at Olympia Fields – if he can maintain that ranking.

Under new rules this season only the top 70 qualify for the playoffs and the top 50 after that one earn spots in the BMW Championship at Olympia. Only 30 go to the season-ending Tour Championship.

“I’m making strides at getting better,’’ said Hardy. “I’m happy where I am now, and I feel very blessed for the help I’ve received to get where I am in this game.’’

HERE AND THERE: The 123^rd Women’s Western Amateur tees off on Monday (JULY 17) at White Eagle in Naperville. The field of 120 includes players from 29 states and 15 countries and the competitors also include Geneva’s Sarah Arnold and New Lenox’ Grace Curran, who finished one-two in this year’s Illinois Women’s State Amateur.

Shaun McElroy is departing as head professional at North Shore Country Club, in Glenview, to take a job at Estancia in Arizona.

The 92^nd Illinois State Amateur begins its three-day run next Tuesday (JULY 18) at Bloomington Country Club. Hinsdale’s Mac McClear, who has starred for Iowa in college golf, is the defending champion.

No 59, but Straka still wins at the John Deere Classic

Austrian Sepp Straka posted the best final round by a John Deere Classic champion.

SILVIS, IL. – Low numbers are nothing new at the John Deere Classic, and Sunday was no exception. Sepp Straka, far down the leaderboard at the start of the final round, shot 28 on the front nine at TPC Deere Run and strung four birdies on holes 11-14.

With four holes left Straka needed just one more birdie to shoot a 59. Only one other player – Paul Goydos in 2010 – hit that milestone at the JDC.

Straka’s hot round took a strange twist, however. That much-needed birdie never came. After three pars he hit an 8-iron approach shot from 180 yards into a pond left of the 18^th green.

“My only bad shot. I pulled it about seven yards left of my target,’’ said Straka.

A chip and two putts later he had a double bogey and – though Straka’s scorecard showed a 9-under-par 62 – the title was up for grabs.

The 62, matching the best round of the week, put Straka at 21-under-par 263 for his 72 holes. Third-round leader Brendon Todd and Alex Smalley, aiming for his first PGA Tour win, had six holes left and Straka’s lead was down to two strokes.

“I wasn’t thinking about a 59,’’ insisted Straka, who was born in Austria but has lived in Georgia since he was 14 years old. “As fun as it would have been to shoot a 59, I wasn’t going to change my game plan. It’s always better to win a golf tournament.’’

Straka went to the clubhouse to watch Todd and Smalley on television. Todd got within a shot at one point but, when both players failed to make par at the par-5 seventh hole, Straka had his two-stroke lead back.

He was warming up on the practice range in anticipation of a playoff when both his rivals went to the No. 18 tee. Both needed to make eagle on the finishing hole to force a playoff, and neither came close.

“It was stressful,’’ said Straka. “Thankfully the playoff didn’t happen.’’

Post round concerts by Darius Rucker and Blake Shelton near the 18th fairway swelled the galleries for the JDC’s weekend rounds. (Photos by Joy Sarver)

Straka posted the lowest final round by a JDC champion, beating Payne Stewart’s 63 in 1982. It was also Straka’s career low on the PGA Tour, and he also had a 63 in Friday’s second round.

“It was pretty awesome,’’ he said. “The key here is getting the putter hot, and mine stayed hot.’’

A reason for that came via text from his putting coach on Thursday.

“We made a little tweak in my putting setup,’’ said Straka. “The toe of my putter was sticking up a little bit. All of a sudden I got hot.’’

Straka’s second win on tour – he captured the Honda Classic in Florida in WHEN – gave him a winner’s check of $1,258,000 from a purse of $7.4 million but he had an immediate expense, too. He was staying with six other players at a home in Geneseo. Among the others was defending champion J.T. Poston. Poston picked up the tab for the group of renters, and Straka did the same.

Ironically Todd was to be in the group but his family decided to join him so he rented a hotel room.

“I’ve known Sepp since he was in college at Georgia,’’ said Todd. “He’s just a great guy, good personality, always happy for those around him.’’

With the win Straka moved up to No. 18 in the FedEx Playoff standings and No. 27 in the Official World Golf Rankings. He won in his third JDC appearance, having tied for 26^th in 2019 and missing the cut in 2021.

Poston finished tied for sixth in his title defense after leading wire-to-wire last year. He was six shots behind Straka.

Northbrook’s Nick Hardy, who shot a 65 on Sunday, was the best of Chicago connected players with a tie for 21^st. Arlington Heights’ Doug Ghim was a shot behind Hardy in a tie for 26^th and Wheaton’s Kevin Streelman, who had a second-round 63 sandwiched in between three rounds at par 71, tied for 51^st.

Arlington Heights’ Doug Ghim had to escape a bunker on his last hole Sunday to happily finish in a tie for 26th at the John Deere Classic. Ghim was 65-67 in his middle in between to 70s.

Another first-time winner in the JDC? Smalley could be the man

Alex Smalley had his game in top form in the third round of the John Deere Classic. Can he do it again and become the 24th first-time winner at Illinois’ only annual PGA Tour stop? (Joy Sarver Photos)

SILVIS, IL. – Every year a prominent story line at the John Deere Classic is who will be the next first-time winner on the PGA Tour and this year is no exception.

The JDC has had 23 champions who won for the first time in its 51-year history. That’s an extraordinarily high number, and they range from big names like Deane Beman, D.A. Weibring, Payne Stewart, Jordan Spieth and Bryson DeChambeau to the not-so-famous like Mike Morley, Blaine McCallister, J.L. Lewis, Michael Clark II, David Gossett and Michael Kim.

The stage was set to add another first-timer to the list Saturday when Alex Smalley charged into contention with the best score of the week – a 9-under-par 62 — in the third round at TPC Deere Run.

Smalley will start Sunday’s final round one shot behind leader Brendon Todd, who shot 66 on Saturday. He stands at 16-under-par 197 after 54 holes and won’t be in the “first win’’ battle because he already has three titles on the PGA Tour. That doesn’t lessen the intensity ahead in the final 18 holes.

“You always want to be the guy being chased,’’ said Todd. “It’s just head down and made birdies. It’s going to be hard to run away and hide here.’’

Especially considering his closest pursuers. Smalley’s colleagues at one back include Denny McCarthy and Adam Schenk. They’re also hungry for that first win, but Smalley fits into the list of new champions perfectly if he can get the job done. He has special ties to the JDC.

The JDC has always been receptive to giving promising young players a chance through its issuing of sponsor’s exemptions each year. Smalley wasn’t one of those lucky ones, but he has his own story to tell.

Smalley Monday qualified for the JDC in 2021 with his mother Maria working as his caddie.

His agent landed Smalley a veteran caddie, Don Donatello, in time for the tournament that year and he tied for 47^th. That meant a $17,339 payday for a young player just out of Duke University who hadn’t earned his PGA Tour card yet.

Donatello became his regular caddie and last year they came back and did even better. Smalley tied for 16^th and earned $115,141.

Now TPC Deere Run seems the perfect place for Smalley’s first PGA Tour win after his hot round Saturday. He started birdie-eagle, shot 30 on the front nine and added four birdies on the back side.

“It was a dream start,’’ admitted Smalley. “I feel comfortable here. After my first experience here in 2021 I liked the course. I like the atmosphere, the vibes, at the tournament. I don’t know why the next first-time winner here couldn’t be me.’’

The only trouble with that is that a few other players know the JDC’s reputation for first-time winners. They feel the same way and have come tantalizingly close already this year.

McCarthy lost to Norway’s Viktor Hovland in a playoff at the Memorial. Schenk, who also used Donatello as his caddie in the past, has two runner-up finishes.

When the last putt drops the champion will get $1,258,000 from a $7.4 million purse. A spot in the British Open, coming up in two weeks at Royal Liverpool in Hoylake, England, is also on the line.

That’s particularly enticing for Smalley, who will play in next week’s Scottish Open no matter how the JDC turns out but still hopes to play in the British, the year’s last major championship.

Last year he missed a spot in the British when he made bogey on the last hole of the Scottish Open. He has a history at Hoylake, though. The 2019 Walker Cup amateur team matches were played there, and Smalley was a star for the U.S. team.

“I was 3-1 in the matches, and that was the first Walker Cup we won on foreign soil since 2007, so I certainly have good memories there,’’ said Smalley. “It was also the first time I played links golf. It would be great to go back and draw on those memories.’’

Brendon Todd took the lead in the JDC but there’s still one round to go.

Streelman posts his best round ever in the John Deere Classic

Kevin Streelman celebrates his best round ever in Illinois’ only annual PGA stop.

SILVIS, IL. – Wheaton’s Kevin Streelman has been Chicago’s best PGA Tour player for years, but this season hasn’t been one of his best. Qualifying for the FedEx Cup Playoffs was even in serious doubt when the John Deere Classic teed off this week.

Only players ranked in the top 70 in the FedEx point standings qualify for the first event of the lucrative three-tournament series that starts on Aug. 10. Streelman is No. 116 now, but still hopeful.

He should be, especially after shooting Friday’s low round – an 8-under-par 63 – in the second round of the JDC.

“My goal was always to get to 45 (years of age), then be home with my family for a few years before Champions,’’ said Streelman, who is 44 and can’t play on PGA Tour Champions until he’s 50. “But now that I feel I can shoot scores like this I’m not ready to give it up yet.’’

Streelman went from being in danger of missing the 36-hole cut to getting into a tie for 10^th place. He’s within five shots of leader Cameron Young, last year’s PGA Tour rookie-of-the-year who had a 65-64 start.

A strong weekend showing at TPC Deere Run would help Streelman’s playoff hopes significantly and – if he does crack the top 70 – there’s the fact that one of the $20 million playoff events is like a home game. The BMW Championship is back in the Chicago area, at Olympia Fields’ North Course. It tees off on Aug.17

Streelman played that course when it was used in the 2020 playoffs. The BMW hasn’t been back in the Chicago area since then.

“I love that golf course and I love the renovation it had,’’ said Streelman, “but the course was really rough in that playoff year.’’

Streelman will play in next week’s Barbasol tourney in Kentucky, then take a week off before the last two regular season tournaments – the 3M Open in Minnesota and the Wyndham Championship in South Carolina. Then, even if he cracks the top 70 to get into postseason play, he needs to be in the top 50 after the first playoff event to qualify for Olympia Fields.

“I’ve had my PGA Tour card for 16 years, and I’m proud of that,’’ said Streelman, “but what you really remember are the chances that you’ve had. If I have two more rounds like this one (the 63) I should be fine.’’

Making it to this year’s playoffs is a big challenge now, but there have been other distractions this year in addition to his results in tournament play. First came the retirement of Tim Clarke, the long-time president of Wilson’s Golf Division. He is Streelman’s “dear friend, like a big brother,’’ and Streelman’s contract with the Chicago equipment manufacturer ends after this year. He’d like an extension.

Then there has been the ongoing battle between the PGA and LIV Tour. Streelman, a member of several PGA committees, has been an outspoken critic of LIV. The announcement of a “merger’’ of the two tours has left the players in the dark and the month-long leave of absence of PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan is puzzling, even though the PGA Tour announced Friday that Monahan would resume his duties on July 17.

“Honestly we don’t know much more than anybody else,’’ said Streelman. “The media articles seem accurate, but we haven’t heard from Jay, and that’s strange. I hope he’s OK, but you’d think we would have heard something by now.’’

Streelman heard something from his caddie, Mike Bestor, that triggered his great round on Friday. His par 71 in the first round was not encouraging.

“I actually hit the ball fine, but Mikey helped me with my putting last night,’’ said Streelman. “It was one of those 7 p.m. emergency sessions. He had me adjust my eye line to the left a touch, and I could see the putt line a little cleaner. I had been tilting.’’

There’s no time for “tilting’’ now. Low scores are usually commonplace at the JDC, and that’s more so the case this year. Streelman posted one of five 63s on Friday. One of the others was by Michael Thorbjornsen, and his was the lowest round ever by an amateur at the JDC.

Still, Streelman climbed 72 places on the leaderboard with his big round.

How `Swede’ it is at the John Deere Classic

A golfer from Sweden was expected to contend in the John Deere Classic this week, but it wasn’t Jonas Blixt in Thursday’s opening round.

Blixt, a 39-year old journeyman, has won three times on the PGA Tour, the last time in the 2016-17 season. He hadn’t even played in a PGA Tour since the Byron Nelson tournament in May, and hadn’t survived a 36-hole in five of his eight tournaments this season.

All that changed once he got to TPC Deere Run in downstate Silvis, IL. Blixt, an early starter playing in ideal weather conditions, made four birdies and a 43-foot eagle putt in his final eight holes to post a 9-under-par 62.

Blixt also made an eagle on the par-5 second hole. He shot 29 on TPC Deere Run’s back side and ended the day with a two-stroke lead on Grayson Murray, a player who has been similarly unspectacular the last few years. His 64 was his best round in three years.

Though their scores were great on Thursday, their games have been in decline. Blixt arrived in the Quad Cities with a No. 210 ranking in the FedEx Cup standings, with only the top 70 advancing to postseaon play, and he is No. 842 in the Official World Golf Rankings.

Murray, 29, is No. 221 in the FedEx and 225 in the OWGR. He got a big boost by winning an event on the Korn Ferry Tour a month ago.

So, what happened to turn their games around?

“I saw my swing coach back home (he lives in Jacksonville, FL., now) and, after six weeks off I just tried to put some swings on it,’’ said Blixt, who played collegiately at Florida State. “It worked out.’’

The two eagles were obviously the key.

“Those holes, if you take advantage of them, you’re really happy,’’ said Blixt. “I was happy to make those (eagles) and get going.’’

Murray was bogey-free in the afternoon until his approach to No. 18 landed in a green-side bunker. He couldn’t get up-and-down to save par but had no complaints.

“I missed a couple of birdie chances early, but stayed patient and it worked out,’’ he said. “I had such a solid back nine. I’ll take it, even with the bogey to finish. I’m in a good position going forward.’’

The question is can Blixt and Murray stay there? Time will tell.

Pre-tournament talk centered on another Swede, 23-year old Ludvig Aberg. He’s shown great promise since sweeping all three collegiate player-of-the-year awards in his final season at Texas Tech. He’s in his fourth PGA Tour event since turning pro and finished in the top 25 twice.

Counting his amateur days Aberg appeared in five PGA Tour events and made the cut in every one. He has been getting noticed, and the JDC gave him a special pairing in Wednesday’s pro-am. He played the front nine with the event’s celebrity, Iowa basketball star Caitlin Clark. The popular Clark swelled the galleries and impressed Aberg.

“She’s a rock star. I was just a passenger,’’ said Aberg. “It was cool.’’

Last week in Detroit he was paired for two rounds with Luke Donald, the European Ryder Cup champion. That spiked talk of Aberg possibly being a Ryder Cup selection for Europe. He called Donald “a great guy’’ but was guarded about the Ryder Cup.

“If I was asked about the Ryder Cup a few weeks ago I’d have said `no way’ because I was still in college,’’ said Aberg. “All I can do is prepare for every tournament and see where that takes me.’’

Next week it’ll take him to the Scottish Open, the last stop before the year’s final major – the British Open.

Aberg’s 68 on Thursday matched the score of defending champion J.T. Poston, who – like Blixt – started with a 62 en route to leading wire to wire last year.

Best of the Illinois contingent was Northbrook’s Nick Hardy, who is tied for 13^th after posting a 67. Doug Ghim, D.A. Points and Dylan Wu all carded 70s and Kevin Streelman is at 71.

Poston faces a tough title defense in the JDC

The John Deere Classic tees off for the 52^nd time on Thursday with a new tournament director, a pro-am with a celebrity participant whose fame comes in basketball, a pair of weekend post-round concerts featuring high-profile entertainers and a new contract with the PGA Tour that will assure the tournament stays in the Quad Cities for at least three more years. The prize money is also higher, to $7.4 million – a $300,000 increase.

What’s not new is the defending champion who brings the same good vibes that he always brought to the tournament. J.T. Poston was a wire to wire winner last year, his second win on the PGA Tour but the first was back in 2019.

“This is such a great community. I’ve said it for several years, even before winning,’’ said Poston. It just feels like home. I’m a North Carolina guy, and it matches the community where I grew up.’’

The new tournament director is Andrew Lehman, who replaced the retired Clair Peterson. The celebrity in Wednesday’s pro-am is Caitlin Clark, the star of the Iowa women’s team that was the runner-up in the NCAA tournament. The entertainers are Darius Rucker, on Saturday, and Blake Shelton, on Sunday.

When the tourney begins its 72-hole run on Thursday the focus won’t all be on Poston. The field is stronger this year, with seven players ranked in the top 50 in the Official World Golf Rankings. There were none the last two years.

Figuring to be Poston’s top challengers are Cameron Young (ranked 19^th), Russell Henley (29^th), Denny McCarthy (34^th), Sepp Straka (37^th), Chris Kirk (41^st), Nick Taylor (45^th) and Seamus Power (50^th). Poston is No. 62 in a year that saw him tie for 34^th at April’s Masters and then miss five of his last seven cuts. He took the last two weeks off to prepare for his JDC title defense.

There are also 53 of the top 100 in the FedEx Cup rankings. The top 70 qualify for the post-season playoffs as compared to 125 in previous years. Ranked high in that category are Canadian Open titlist Taylor (9), Grillo (20), McCarthy (21), Power (23), Kirk (24) and Taylor Moore (28).

The U.S. Ryder Cup champion, Zach Johnson, is also back for his 21^st consecutive playing in the JDC and he’ll also be paired with Clark in the pro-am.

Only past winner Brian Harman is notable among the late withdrawals but the most intriguing of the 156 starters is another past champion. Michael Kim won his first PGA Tour title in the 2018 JDC and set the tournament scoring record of 27 under par in the process. Then his game went sour, as he missed 19 of 20 cuts the following year. That dropped him to the Korn Ferry Tour, but Kim has since regained his PGA Tour membership. He’s yet to show the spectacular form that he did at TPC Deere Run five years ago, however.

HERE AND THERE: Jaime Fischer, a teaching professional at Conway Farms in Lake Forest, tied for seventh in last week’s rain-hampered Senior LPGA Championship in Jasper, Ind. She played the 54 holes in 1-under-par 215 and was nine strokes behind champion Angela Stanford, who will compete in this week’s U.S. Women’s Open at Caliifornia’s Pebble Beach.

Bernard Langer notched his 46^th win on PGA Tour Champions at the U.S. Senior Open in Wisconsin on Sunday, breaking a record set by Hale Irwin. Langer’s accomplishment provided another big boost for Batavia’s Tour Edge club manufacturer which had the foresight to sign Langer as an ambassador. At 65 Langer’s achievement is impressive, but he revealed afterwards that his health isn’t. “I’m very human,’’ he said. “I’ve got two bad knees and it hurts bending down and staying down. Reading putts is very hard because I figure I’m bending down 200 times a day when I play 18 holes. That’s a lot of bending down.’’

Geneva’s Sarah Arnold and New Lenox’ Grace Curran, the finalists in the Illinois Women’s State Amateur two weeks ago, survived the qualifier for the U.S. Women’s Amateur at Indian Hill, in Winnetka, but DeKalb’s Emma Carpenter was the medalist there with a 1-under-par 70. The finals are Aug. 7-13 at California’s Bel-Air Country Club.

Barrington’s Robert Beaubien was the winner of the 103^rd Chicago District Amateur at Lake Shore, in Glencoe. The Biltmore member and fifth-year senior at Illinois Wesleyan, beat Lake Forest’s Danny Fisher 6 and 5 in the title match. Fisher plays out of Lake Bluff Golf Club.

Stanford beats Johnson — and weather — to win Senior LPGA

England’s Trish Johnson was the focal point of the Senior LPGA Championship, as she chased her third title in six years at Sultan’s Run. She didn’t win, however. (Joy Sarver Photos)

JASPER, Indiana – The Senior LPGA Championship, only six years old, is the youngest of golf’s designated major tournaments. It was first played at French Lick’s Pete Dye Course in 2017 and England’s Trish Johnson was the winner.

This year’s tourney was played only 20 miles away, at Sultan’s Run Golf Club, and Johnson was in position to win for the third time — but she didn’t. A triple bogey-bogey finish by Johnson handed the title to Texan Angela Stanford, who reached the tourney’s 45-year old age requirement only seven months ago.

That wasn’t the only strange happening at the event, either. The weather almost trumped the competition, and it was touch-and-go whether the event would finish on time.

Not only could no one in the 72-player field finish the first 18 holes on Thursday’s opening day, but two threesomes couldn’t even tee off. The day-long rains were that bad, making a marathon second day inevitable.

Angela Stanford celebrates her firs title in the Senior LPGA Championship. (Mike May Photo)

Rain couldn’t dampen Round 2, but some players had to play 36 holes. That long day ended with Johnson, shooting the day’s low round of 66, opening a three-stroke lead over defending champion Karrie Webb and Becky Morgan with Stanford five strokes back in her first Senior LPGA appearance.

Bad weather was in the forecast for Saturday’s final round, and players were to begin play at 7:30 a.m. with threesomes starting off both the Nos. 1 and 10 tees to get the round in as quickly as possible.

Even that strategy didn’t work, and it wasn’t even close. The first tee shots weren’t hit until 1 p.m. Though the Sultan’s Run course held up well despite the heavy deluge of rain the cart path only rule was put into effect. That slowed up play, and late in the afternoon tournament officials were warned that more bad weather – including tornado threats – was on the way.

Australian Karrie Webb finished third in her Senior LPGA title defense.

Johnson had a four-stroke lead, though, so hopes of a finish before darkness or more storms set in were high.

And then Johnson hit a bad tee shot off at No. 17. That led to a triple bogey. Stanford, playing a group in front, made birdie at 18 and the four-shot swing left them both at 10-under-par. A Johnson birdie on the finishing hole would still give her the win but a par would force a playoff and more golf in – to put it mildly – questionable weather.

Johnson couldn’t shake off the nightmare at the 17^th. She hit another bad tee shot on the 18^th and had a 12-foot putt for birdie that would have led to extra holes. For better or worse, the putt missed. Stanford was the champion and the weather issues were then of minimal importance. (They would have been a factor, as storms and strong winds emerged as darkness was setting in).

The end result was that Stanford was $60,000 richer after claiming the biggest prize from a $400,000 purse. The low round of the tournament – a 65 – got her the win, which will go together with the seven she captured on the LPGA Tour. Stanford then hurried off to California for this week’s U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach.

“I’m leaving with more confidence than when I came here, that’s for sure,’’ she said. “I just figured some things out and got my mind right this week. I’ve had some confidence issues lately.’’

Now confidence issues might be Johnson’s problem.

“My game was great for about 16 holes, then I ended triple bogey-bogey to finish,’’ she said. “There’s not much more you can say, really. It was just a horrible finish. It was very disappointing, literally throwing the tournament away, but life goes on. There are worse things.’’

Author: lenz