Author: lenz

Winning the International Crown was huge for Team USA

It’s official. The United States is the best women’s golfing nation. The UL International Crown was created to determine that very thing, and Team USA was up to the challenge in the second playing of the event at the Merit Club.

In 2014, the event’s inaugural year, the U.S. couldn’t survive the best ball matches at Cave’s Valley in Maryland as Spain won the crown. The second staging didn’t start well, either, as Team USA lost both its opening day matches vs. England.

After that, though, the foursome of Stacy Lewis, Gerina Piller, Cristie Kerr and Lexi Thompson got better and better. They won three of their remaining four best ball matches on Friday and Saturday and came out swinging in Sunday’s concluding singles duels.

Lewis went out first, the second match of the day, and lost but one hole in dispatching Japan’s Mika Miyazato 3 and 2. That set the tone for the day.

“It was huge,’’ said Lewis. “I wanted to get a lead early and put a number up there for the girls to see. I haven’t done what I wanted in Solheim Cups on Sunday (matches against Europe, in which she had been winless), and this is not quite as much pressure. But my team pulled me out here for a reason and I’m just happy we could get two points on the board.’’

Piller was up next, against the formidable Yani Tseng of Chinese Taipei. Piller, who wasn’t on the U.S. team that was such a disappointment in Maryland, didn’t lose a hole in a 4 and 3 victory in the day’s third match.

“Yani’s a great player, and she got off to a rough start,’’ said Piller. “She’s a prior No. 1 in the world. You can’t overlook that. She’s got the game. She’s got the length. I just dug deep towards the end and had the mentality of taking no prisoners.’’

No doubt that was the right strategy, but Team USA still needed something from Kerr, the most experienced member of the foursome, and/or Thompson, the top-ranked player (No. 4 in the world) in the four-day competition.

Kerr never trailed against England’s Mel Reid, though her 4-up lead after five holes did shrink to 1-up after No. 14. Kerr then won the next two holes to close out the match and the two points awarded for that victory gave Team USA an insurmountable 13 points. Kerr was surprised when her teammates swarmed her on the green.

“I just tried to take care of my match,’’ she said. “I didn’t know that it came down to my winning.’’

It did after Thompson dropped the last U.S. singles match to Korea’s So Yeon Ryu 2 and 1. That outcome didn’t matter.

“This is huge, unbelievable for us,’’ said Lewis. “To be called the best golfing nation is so satisfying. We had zero points the first day, and we still ended up with the most. It’s just a testament to these girls and their will to want to win this thing.’’

Korea, the top-seeded team (the U.S. was No. 2) when the competition started, was second with 12 points while England and Chinese Taipei each had 11 and Japan eight. Korea was without its best player, Inbee Park. She sat out with a left thumb injury and will also bypass her title defense at this week’s Women’s British Open in hopes the injury will heal in time for next month’s Olympics in Brazil.

Even without Park, however, Korea fielded a foursome in which all members were ranked in the top 12 of the Rolex World Rankings.

Korea’s chances were also hampered by the weather. Saturday’s late afternoon storms forced two best ball matches involving Korea to be pushed back to Sunday, so the team had to be back on the course at 7 a.m. to secure its berth in the 10 singles matches. Korea finished off both early matches vs. Australia with victories but couldn’t sustain that momentum once the singles began.

Neither could Japan, which won the wild card spot in singles after eliminating Thailand and China in a rousing sudden death playoff decided by Ayaka Watanabe’s 30-foot eagle putt.

Team USA needs a big day vs. Japan to survive in International Crown

Team USA remained in last place in four-team Pool B at the UL International Crown on Friday, but there’s still hope for the home team in this global team event that determines its champion on Sunday.

Thursday’s first round of matches was a disaster, the U.S. going 0-2 against England. Friday’s second round showing against Thailand was much better. The American team of Lexi Thompson and Cristie Kerr had no trouble with Ariya Jutanugarn and Porani Chutichai, winning 4 and 3 to secure the first U.S. points of the competition.

The other U.S. team, Stacy Lewis and Gerina Piller, played well, too. They took the lead on the third hole and never trailed against Pornanong Phatlum and Jutanugarn’s sister Moriya, but Phatlum’s long birdie putt on the 17th green enabled Thailand to halve the match.

“We had a rough day, and we just got beat,’’ Thompson said of the bad start on Thursday. “We just had to come back with a positive attitude and focus on good things.’’

With two points awarded for a win and one from a tie, the U.S. has three points going in Saturday’s matches. England leads the pool with five and Thailand and Japan have four each. In the final round of best ball competition the U.S. faces Japan and England takes on Thailand.

“We knew we couldn’t lose today,’’ said Kerr, “and getting three out of four points was huge. We did what we had to do.’’

“We’ve still got some work to do tomorrow, but as a team we’re moving in the right direction,’’ said Lewis. “We’ve got to get four points, and we’ll be right where we need to be.’’

The top two teams in each pool advance to Sunday’s concluding singles matches and the third place team in each of the two pools will go to a playoff for the fifth and final spot in singles. Team USA lost in the Saturday playoff two years ago when the Crown was played for the first time in Maryland.

Team USA was the top-seeded team in the first Crown and is seeded second to Korea in this one. Korea had its troubles the first two days as well, splitting both of its matches each day. Korea, with its four players all ranked in the top 12 in the world, trails surprising Chinese Taipei by two points in Group A heading into Saturday. Taipei has six points, Korea four and Australia and China three each.

The pairings in Group A for Saturday are Korea vs. Australia and Taipei vs. China.

While the U.S. matches drew the biggest galleries on Friday, the plight of Team England was captivating as well. England didn’t qualify for the first UL International Crown and was handicapped on Friday when Charley Hull couldn’t play.

Hull became ill after leading England’s sweep of the U.S. on Thursday. In a statement released by her team Hull said she sought medical attention after an asthma attack turned into a fever before Friday’s matches. Her absence meant that her partner, Melissa Reid, had to go it alone against the strong Japan team of Haru Nomura and Mika Miyazato.

Reid battled valiantly, taking Nomura and Miyazato to the final hole before the Japan duo could claim a 1-up victory.

“I’m extremely proud of myself,’’ said Reid. “I knew it was going to be difficult playing on my own against two of the best players in the world. For me it turned out a huge positive. To get anywhere near the 18th was going to be a huge achievement, and I’m just really, really pleased I gave the team a huge chance of even a point.’’

While Reid didn’t get the point, her teammates Jodi Ewart Shadoff and Holly Clyburn managed to halve their match with Ai Suzuki and Ayaka Watanabe. The point gained in that one kept England on top of Group B. Hull’s status for Saturday’s matches is uncertain.

Hardy’s 28-under, 10-shot win is best in Illinois Amateur’s 86 years

After two near-misses Northbrook’s Nick Hardy can finally savor at State Amateur title.

No golfer in the 86-year history of the Illinois State Amateur came close to doing what Northbrook’s Nick Hardy did this week at St. Charles Country Club.

A 64-65 finish during Thursday’s concluding double round enabled Hardy to post a 260 total for the event’s 72 holes. The tournament record had been 270 by Bob Zender at Kankakee Country Club in 1971. That was the last of Zender’s three titles, and he went on to become a regular on the PGA Tour.

The best under-par score for a champion had been 13-under by Jerry Haas in 1984 at Mt. Hawley, in Peoria. Hardy was a shocking 28 under.

Only the margin of victory recorded eluded the University of Illinois junior-to-be. Rob Grube won by 11 shots at Edgewood Valley in LaGrange in 2006. Hardy was 10 better than runner-up Tee-K Kelly of Wheaton.

“I just had it going,’’ said Hardy. “It was nice to finally get the monkey off my back and get it done in this tournament.’’

Hardy lost the 2014 title to Ray Knoll, a University of Iowa golfer from Naperville, in a playoff at Cantigny, in Wheaton. Last year Hardy was one shot out of a playoff at Panther Creek, in Springfield. Kelly won that one and had hoped to claim his third State Am in four years at St. Charles.

Only Zender and another PGA Tour veteran, D.A. Points, had three wins in the State Am after it went to a stroke play format in 1963. Kelly, who concluded his collegiate career at Ohio State in June, had hoped to join Zender and Points. In the end a 71 on Tuesday killed his chances, but he was pleased with his 66-65-68 showing after that on the 6,926-yard par-72 layout.

“If someone had told me before the tournament that I’d shoot 18 under par I’d be pretty pleased,’’ said Kelly. “This is just how it goes sometimes. Somebody just brings his stuff, and you can’t beat it.’’

Kelly finished what is likely his last State Am in style. He put an 8-iron second shot from 179 yards to two feet on the par-5 finishing hole and rolled in the eagle putt to finish solo second. Moments later Hardy had a 20-footer for eagle to match Grube’s record for margin of victory, but his putt lipped out.

The low scoring wasn’t just by Hardy and Kelly. Twenty-one of the 37 finalists finished under par for the 72 holes in one of the lowest-scoring State Ams ever.

“It was a perfect storm,’’ said Kelly. “It was perfect scoring conditions. It was hot, so the ball was going far, and there wasn’t much wind all week, the fairways were in perfect shape and the greens were a little soft. Six or seven people played some of their best golf.’’

Hardy agreed.

“St. Charles is not an easy course, but a lot of players played well,’’ he said. “I had my best stuff. It was probably my best tournament, from top to bottom and then getting it done.’’

Hardy and Kelly will be back in St. Charles next week for the Illinois Open and they’ll also be in the field for the Western Amateur, to be played Aug. 1-6 at Knollwood, in Lake Forest.

The Illinois Open will be played at two St. Charles clubs, Royal Fox and Royal Hawk, from Monday through Wednesday.

Illini’s Miller survives IWO duel with Badgers’ Ferrell

Illinois’ Stephanie Miller picks up Illinois Women’s Open trophy from Greg Kosin, brother of the tourney’s late founder Phil Kosin.

The 22nd Phil Kosin Illinois Women’s Open shaped up as a two-player duel between a pair of Big Ten players before Wednesday’s final round even began.

Illinois’ Stephanie Miller and Wisconsin’ Brooke Ferrell owned a three-shot lead on the rest of the field entering the last 18 at Mistwood, in Romeoville, and they matched shots playing together through the first 14 holes of the final round with no other player mounting a challenge.

And then they reached the tee at the par-5 fifteenth hole. For all intents the competition ended there. Ferrell, trailing by just one shot, hit her first drive into water on the left. Her second went out of bounds right and Ferrell staggered in with a four-over-par nine on the hole. Miller had it easy the rest of the way.

“You learn so much more from your failures than you do from success,’’ said Ferrell. “Stephanie played so well, but I’ll learn a ton from this.’’

Miller knows about failure, too. In 2012, as a junior-to-be at Stevenson High School, she led the IWO after two rounds before stumbling badly in the final 18. Not so this time, as the Illini senior-to-be posted her third straight 69 for a 54-hole scorer of 207 and a three-stroke win over Kelly Grassel, another amateur from Chesterton, Ind.

“It wasn’t like the year I had in high school, when I played like a high schooler,’’ beamed Miller. “This gave me a good boost of confidence because there were a lot of girls I play with in college.’’

Miller, who lives in Elgin, enjoyed three straight days of sub-par golf for the first time after shaking off any rustiness caused by a nine-day break from golf to go on a family vacation to Alaska.

Ferrell, who shot 74, was a stroke behind Grassel in a tie for third with Northwestern’s Hannah Kim and two clear of the low professional among the 63 starters, Symetra Tour player Ember Schuldt of Sterling. Schuldt is an Illinois alum, so the tourney turned out a huge success for the Illini. Schuldt picked up $5,000 but the tourney was still dominated by amateurs.

Miller, who won medalist honors in the Illinois high school tournament twice before heading to Illinois, put herself in position to win with three straight birdies on holes 5-7.

After that both Miller and Ferrell endured long waits between shots as the twosome immediately in front fell two holes behind the third from the last twosome. Miller survived the delays by talking with both her father, who doubled as her caddie, and Ferrell.

“It was hard, but not the reason I lost,’’ said Ferrell. “I had the same issue the past two days. It’s one of those things that’s almost taken over the game now. The LPGA is struggling with it a lot, too, but no one ever gets penalized for it.’’

U.S. players speak out on first day of International Crown week

Finally the biggest event of this Chicago golf season has arrived. The four players on Team U.S. for the second UL International Crown were the first on the course for Tuesday’s practice rounds at the Merit Club and they admitted their task in the eight-team event that tees off on Thursday will be a difficult one.

The U.S. is seeded second to the Republic of Korea, which has all four of its players listed in the top 12 of the Rolex World Rankings. Those rankings determined both the teams and players in the match play event, so Korea would seem a shoo-in to win the title on Sunday.

“It’s a hard format to really predict who’s favored,’’ insisted a still hopeful Cristie Kerr, the veteran member of the U.S. team. “Match play is very unpredictable, but there were a lot of USA fans following us in the practice rounds, and it’s great to be the home team.’’

The U.S. was the top-seeded team in the first Crown event, staged two years ago in Maryland, but didn’t even survive the first three days of best ball competition. Korea, seeded second in 2014, did – by beating the U.S. in a playoff for the fifth and final berth in the concluding singles portion of the competition.

Neither the U.S. nor Korea did well in the first Crown, despite their lofty seedings. Spain and Sweden, countries that didn’t qualify for the second Crown, finished one-two with Korea third.

Both the U.S. and Korea have altered lineups for the second Crown. The U.S. returns Lexi Thompson, Stacy Lewis and Kerr with Gerina Piller replacing Paula Creamer. Thompson, the top-ranked player in this week’s competition, is No. 4 in the world and only Lewis (8) is also in the top 10.

Korea’s lowest-ranked player, So Yeon Ryu at No. 12, is the only returnee from its team that played in Maryland. Her new teammates are Sei Young Kim (5), Amy Yang (7) and In Gee Chun (9). Inbee Park, ranked No. 3, dropped out with a hand injury.

“What they’re doing is pretty amazing,’’ said Lewis of the Korean contingent. “To have so many players in the top 15 in the world, it’s amazing how well they play. Inbee is out, but the next option is really pretty good.’’

“It’s not a rivalry that we have with them,’’ said Kerr. “We’re just trying to keep up. They have the numbers versus us.’’

At least the U.S. and Korea will understand the unique competitive format better this time. The first three days calls for best ball matches against the teams in their group. The U.S. opens against England on Thursday and also squares off with Thailand on Friday and Japan on Saturday.

Korea faces China first, then has Chinese Taipei on Friday and Australia on Saturday. Teams get two points for a match win and one for a tie, and the top five in the point standings after Saturday go into singles play on Sunday to determine the champion.

“The format was just a little difficult to understand,’’ said Thompson of the first Crown. “I felt like nobody really should have been eliminated.’’

“In this format so many teams are dangerous,’’ said Lewis. “I don’t think you can always go off the rankings in a best ball format. It’s who can make the most birdies in a day.’’

There will be plenty of those, as the Merit Club setup is much different than it was for its only other big event – the 2000 U.S. Women’s Open.

“It’s not even close to what they played for the Open,’’ said Lewis. “There’s reachable par-5s and drivable par-4s and a lot of tee options, so it’s going to make for great golf. You’re going to see a lot of birdies. You’re going to probably see a bunch of eagles on some par-5s. We’re not going to be struggling to make pars, and it’s going to look great on TV.’’

Here and there

The Illinois Women’s Open concludes on Wednesday at Mistwood, in Romeoville, and the Illinois State Amateur wraps up on Thursday at St. Charles Country Club.

Panther Creek, the Springfield course that hosted last year’s Illinois State Amateur, was easy pickings for the Web.com Tour players at their new Lincoln Land Charity Championship. Deerfield’s Vince India posted four rounds in the 60s and could do no better than a tie for 33rd, 10 shots behind champion Martin Flores who posted a 22-under-par 262 total.

Kate Lillie, of St. Charles, was a 3 and 1 winner over Penelope Tir, of Winnetka, in an all-Chicago area final at the Women’s Western Golf Association Junior championship at Blackhawk in Madison, Wis.

Dick Wagley, retired head professional at Indian Hill in Winnetka, was the only player under par at the Illinois PGA Senior Masters on Monday. He shot a 1-under-70.

Clockwise or counter-clockwise, The Loop will be an attention-grabber

The greens had to be large and versatile in Tom Doak’s creation of The Loop.

ROSCOMMON, Michigan – America’s most innovative golf course design is now open for play – at least on a limited basis.

The Loop, created by the highly imaginative Michigan architect Tom Doak, is an 18-hole course that can be played in two directions. One day it’s the Black Course – 6,704 yards from the back tees and a par 70 played in a clockwise direction. The next day it’s the Red Course, played counter-clockwise at 6,805 yards from the tips but still a par 70. Within the borders of North America there’s no course, or courses, like it.

I walked The Loop in the summer of 2015 while it was under construction. With just a few contours evident in the dirt and little grass showing, it was difficult to judge what Doak was up to. Now that I’ve played it in both directions, I know. And I like it – a lot.

While a more imaginative name seems appropriate, given the nature of the course, The Loop will take the golf world by storm in 2017 when it is fully ready for play. During our July visit only 24 players per day – either members or overnight guests staying in on-site lodging — were allowed on the course.

The halfway house was still under construction, there were no benches available for sitting and only one, very basic, rest room was on the property. Though yardage books were available, slope and rating figures for The Loop had not been determined.

Forest Dunes added two new villas this year, and two more will be available in 2017.

It was helpful for early visitors to be accompanied by a staffer, as the routes weren’t clearly defined and signage on the course was minimal. Those understandable shortcomings were being corrected, though, and the number of players allowed each day is to be increased to 48 before the summer was out.

By 2017, however, many, many more will be able to see what The Loop is all about. Some – mainly non-walkers – might not like it but most will.

To appreciate the creation a golfer has to block out two days and be prepared to walk about five miles each day. No carts are allowed, though caddies and push carts are available. Business considerations could conceivably lead to changes in that policy, but I hope it’ll always be a walking course. Allowing power carts would detract from what Doak has done.

Pot bunkers are a key ingredient in making The Loop an interesting course in both directions.

Doak had just finished up a massive renovation of the No. 1 course at Chicago’s Medinah Country Club when he started on The Loop and the staff has a Chicago influence. Brian Moore, the director of agronomy who worked closely with Doak during the construction, arrived there after three years as an assistant superintendent at Chicago Golf Club. Chad Maveus, the general manager and director of golf, grew up in the Chicago suburb of Sycamore and played collegiately at Northern Illinois before spending 13 seasons at California’s famed Pebble Beach. Maveus had no trouble adjusting to the change in lifestyle and is looking forward to an expected influx of more players thanks to The Loop’s availability.

As for Doak, he had been considering a reversible course for about 30 years and still doesn’t consider the concept to be all that new. While the concept may be revolutionary for American golfers, it’s not so much that way in Europe.

Hopefully walking will always be the only way to play a round at The Loop.

Many clubs there play their courses backwards once a year just for fun. Others, particularly in Scotland, have been played in reverse during the winter months to spread out the wear and tear on divots. Even storied St. Andrews has been played in reverse.

To develop his reverse course in the United States Doak needed a basically flat piece of property with few trees and an owner who could think outside the box. Lew Thompson fit that to a tee.

A little history before we get back to the details of the course.

Thompson, who is in the trucking business in Arkansas, also owns The Bridges – a Jack Nicklaus design in Colorado. His only other venture into golf came in this little town of about 8,000. The Loop has become the companion course to the well-received Forest Dunes layout, which was designed by Tom Weiskopf and opened in 1998.

First assistant professional Patrick Bloom was our guide the first time around The Loop.

Forest Dunes opened as a private club in a gated community. With just six homes available, the original owner opted to sell it to the Michigan Carpenters Union Pension Fund in 2002 and Thompson stepped in to purchase the 1,325-acre property in 2011.

The Forest Dunes course was built on just 500 of those acres, so Thompson had plenty of land to consider other options and upgrades. The need for more lodging was immediately evident, and the 14-room Lake AuSable Lodge was added near the Adirondack-style clubhouse.

While Forest Dunes was consistently ranked as one of the very best courses in golf-rich Michigan, having only one layout on the property wasn’t enough to bring in enough visitors. That’s when Thompson and Doak eventually connected. Thompson wanted something that would stand alone for his second course, something very unlike Forest Dunes. Doak certainly gave it to him.

Thompson and some friends were the first to play The Loop, on June 27 of 2016. A member-guest event shortly thereafter served as an informal grand opening for what Forest Dunes is billing as its “Preview Season.’’ A more elaborate grand opening is likely in the spring of 2017.

The use of fescue gives The Loop a European flavor in many places.

To get a feel for what The Loop is like it’s first important to know what it doesn’t have. The Loop is built on 200 acres, less than half that used for the Forest Dunes layout, and water is not a factor anywhere. While there are no lakes, ponds or streams, there are 41 and bunkers and 40 grass bunkers. The greens are big and undulating; their average size is 6,500 square feet with the biggest at 8,600 and smallest at 5,000. The fairways are generous and you can play out of most of the rough areas.

Some early players felt there was a big disparity in difficulty between the Black and Red versions. One of my colleagues showed a 20-stroke difference in his scores between the layouts. That wasn’t evident in my visit. I found the Black three strokes easier than the Red, even though one round was played on an extraordinarily windy day and the other wasn’t. My partner had an 11-stroke difference but played all 36 holes with the same ball.

Clearly links style, The Loop is triggering other developments at Forest Dunes. Two villas opened in the spring and two more will be available next spring. Ninety-five beds are available for guests now and that number will increase to 125 in 2017. The addition of a par-3 course is also under consideration.

Well-known instructor Rick Smith opened a teaching facility at Forest Dunes this year and predicted that “it’ll be the most talked about golf destination in the country over the next five to 10 years.’’

There’s no arguing that.

The rough at The Loop may sometimes look intimidating but you can usually play out of it.

IPGA Senior Masters honors Koschmann, Benson

Lake Shore’s Bob Koschmann and Itasca’s Phil Benson were honored Monday at the 24th Illinois PGA Senior Masters Championship at Onwentsia Club in Lake Forest.

Bob Koschmann (left) and Phil Benson joined some select company at Onwentsia.

Koschmann is wrapping up his 40th, and final, season at Lake Shore in Glenview. He learned of an opening at Lake Shore while working as a caddie for PGA Tour player Jim Jamieson. Koschmann was hired on the spot as an assistant pro and worked there two years before taking a similar post working under legendary club pro Bill Ogden at North Shore.

With two more years of seasoning under Ogden, Koschmann was ready to begin his long stint as the head man at Lake Shore. He plans a move to Scottsdale, Ariz., after his retirement.

Benson also found happiness after settling at one private club. He entered the PGA of America’s then-new Professional Golf Management program at Ferris State after his high school graduation in 1975 and began his career at Itasca in 1979.

“I pretty much do the same thing now as I did in 1980,’’ he said. “I take are of the members, take care of the wives, take care of the kids, run the events, teach the people how to play and always listen to all their interesting stories when they come off the course. I don’t ever feel like I’m going to work when I go to work, so I guess that’s why I stayed in the field and stayed at Itasca. It’s always enjoyable to come to work.’’

Koschmann and Benson became the 47th and 48th club professionals honored at the Senior Masters event, the last 13 stagings of which were at Onwentsia. Their accomplishments were cited at a luncheon that preceded 18 holes of competition that included a pro-am. Tournament director Robert Duke gave the competitors pre-tournament instructions before sending them on to the course.

Illinois PGA pros and amateurs prepare for tournament director Robert Duke’s shotgun start.

St. Andrews’ 90th anniversary celebration is a family affair

This is a milestone year for one of the Chicago area’s very special golf facilities. St. Andrews is turning 90 years old, and only a handful of other golf clubs – private or public — have lasted that long.

Not only that, but St. Andrews’ road to success has been done family style. None of the other historically-rich clubs can match the family longevity that’s evolved at St. Andrews.

The West Chicago club’s story begins in 1926 when architect Edward B. Dearie built the first course. Three years later a second 18-holer, then called Lakewood, was added. One (the first, called St. Andrews) was built as a private club for members, the other (Lakewood) was for daily fee players. Private clubs dominated the game in the Chicago area before that, beginning with the building of Chicago Golf Club – the nation’s first 18-hole course — in 1892.

St. Andrews’ 36-hole facility became the home base for Joe Jemsek in 1938. Born the day before Christmas in 1913, he got involved in golf as a caddie and then a parking lot attendant at Cog Hill, in Lemont, and by age 19 he was a club professional there.

Jemsek gained fame by hitting a 501-yard drive in a long-drive contest at the 1934 Chicago World’s Fair, then moved to St. Andrews in 1938 after his bosses at Cog Hill wouldn’t give him a raise. That’s when the family side of St. Andrews began.

Though he was a competitive player, Jemsek’s goal was to own a golf course and the opportunity arose when St. Andrews owner Frank Hough offered him the facility for $40,000. Using a combination of savings and a loan, Jemsek not only took over ownership of St. Andrew; he also married Hough’s daughter Alice.

Jemsek would later take over the operations – either through ownership or lease agreements — of Cog Hill, Fresh Meadows in Hillside, Pine Meadow in Mundelein and Glenwoodie in Glenwood. He also added two more courses to the 36 at Cog Hill and became most-aptly known nation-wide as “the father of public golf.’’

St. Andrews, though, was his first venture into golf ownership and management. He opened both courses to public lic.

Jemsek, his wife and two children – Frank and Marianne – resided in a home behind the first green of the St. Andrews Course and now Marianne and her husband, Jerry Hinckley, live there. Though still part-time California residents, they became active owners of St. Andrews after Jemsek’s death at age 88 in 2002.

Son Frank Jemsek, meanwhile, has long directed the operations at Cog Hill and Pine Meadow and his family members play various roles in what happens there.

St. Andrews, though, is where it all started. It was the first public course to host a U.S. Open qualifying round in 1947 and the first to offer U.S. Golf Association handicaps to its regular players. Joe Jemsek also hired the legendary woman player Patty Berg as St. Andrews head professional, and she remained on staff for almost 50 years.

Eventually the Lakewood course at St. Andrews was renamed as the Joe Jemsek Course.

Lots of golf courses have come and gone in the Chicago area since the first tee shot was hit at St. Andrews. Many big tournaments have been scheduled at private clubs or Cog Hill, but St. Andrews remains a popular place for golf beginners and diehards alike.

The Hinckleys have brought in their own upgrades. Music on the front lawn has become a Wednesday night fixture, one of many things that sets St. Andrews apart from other public facilities, and those artists move indoors – to the St. Andrews Room – come October. The driving range was expanded more recently and now has hitting bays heated for winter use.

St. Andrews, long a popular destination for weddings as well as all types of golf outings, remains an extraordinary family-oriented operation.

Oldest on the staff is 89-year old Annie Judson, Marianne Hinckley’s aunt and Joe Jemsek’s sister. She has worked at St. Andrews for 65 years in a wide variety of capacities.

Dave Erickson, the head professional and practice range manager, has been employed by Jemsek Golf since 1970 and spent the last 27 years at St. Andrews. His aunt Anabelle was office secretary for many years.

Michelle Bockrath, the pro shop manager as well as marketing and live entertainment coordinator, has been at the club for 32 years – which is still five years short of her mother Jackie Tomaso. She’s worked the Half Way House for 37 years.

When Amos Lapp retired as course superintendent his son John replaced him and, when John retired, his nephew Brian took the job. Between Amos, John and Brian the Lapps have spent 42 years at St. Andrews.

The maintenance crew includes Jaime Cabrera (39 years); Darrell Redmond and Jesus Garcia, who are both 30-year employees; Jim Smith (27 years) and Antonio Garcia (25). Joe Baker was bar manager for over 50 years and his son Jude now holds that position. Three other Bakers are veterans of the bar operation – Dave for 36 years, Courtney for 28 and Brenda for 22. Another bartender, Tom Howell, has been on board for 27 years.

Cheryl Soto, the assistant general manager, is in her 41st year with the club and head ranger Dennis Maher is in his 28th season. Starters Walt Larsen and Don Rericka are 25-year men and Nick Koukos has worked in the pro shop for 26.

Teaching pro Mike Cain has been at St. Andrews for 27 years after starting work there on the maintenance crew in his teen-age years. The maintenance gang also provided a start for Butch Hansen, who has been a starter for 22 years.

Waitresses Susan Hansen, on board for 27 years, and Dee Albrecht, for 22, have also topped the two decade mark and bartender Tracy Page and practice center supervisor Carlos Alanis reached it recently.

And the list goes on. St. Andrews’ centennial is only 10 years away and there are sure to be plenty of long-term employees on hand for the celebration.

IWO starts a hectic stretch of area tournaments — 4 in 10 days!

Rarely have a series of big Chicago area tournaments been condensed into such a short time frame. Beginning on Monday there will be four such events crammed into a 10-day period.

First up is the 22nd Illinois Women’s Open, at Mistwood in Romeoville. The tourney’s pro-am is on Sunday and will conclude with a gala dinner in Mistwood’s new clubhouse, marking the first time the Great Hall will be in operation at the course’s showcase tournament. The three competitive rounds tee off on Monday with the field cut to the low 30 and ties after 36 holes.

Mistwood director of golf Andy Mickelson extended the entry deadline after about 50 players – 10 of them professionals – met the original signup requirement.

The tourney won’t have a defending champion, as Rockford teen-age sensation Madasyn Pettersen is focusing on the national junior tournaments instead.

“A few conflicting things drew down the size of the field,’’ said Mickelson. Perennial contender Jenna Pearson of Wheaton heads the competitors. The Symetra Tour player won the IWO as an amateur in 2006, lost the title the following year in a 10-hole playoff and then won it again as a professional in 2011.

Meanwhile, the 86th Illinois State Amateur starts its three-day run on Tuesday at St. Charles Country Club and the biggest tournament of this season – the LPGA’s UL International Crown – begins four days of competition next Thursday, July 21.

Then the 67th Illinois Open, at two St. Charles courses – Royal Fox and Royal Hawk — begins day after the Crown ends. Last of the 258 players advancing to the Illinois Open will be determined at the Last Chance Qualifier next Wednesday at The Grove, in Long Grove. It’s open to players who missed the entry deadline for the seven state-wide qualifying events, and those who didn’t advance through one of those qualifiers can also bid again for one of the last three spots in the starting field at St. Charles.

Ruffled Feathers unveils renovation

Dallas-based Arcis Golf has unveiled its $2 million renovation of Ruffled Feathers, the Lemont course boasting the only Pete Dye-designed layout in the Chicago area. Both the course and clubhouse underwent extensive upgrades. Arcis has announced it will spend $50 million in major capital improvements at its 66 public and private facilities nation-wide.

As for the Ruffled Feathers work, general manager Victor Rodarte described it as “a true revival of the entire property.’’

Arcis also operates five other Chicago area courses – Fresh Meadow, in Hillside; Mill Creek and Eagle Brook, in Geneva; Tamarack, in Naperville; and Whitetail Ridge, in Yorkville.

Lewis looks forward to Crown

Sandwiched between last week’s U.S. Women’s Open and the Olympics, the UL International Crown has plenty of competition for the women’s golf spotlight but America star Stacy Lewis is already looking forward to the second playing of the global team event.

“It was interesting to be part of the first one,’’ Lewis said during the U.S. Women’s Open in California. “Nobody knew how the format would play out as far as the team aspect. It was like the Solheim Cup on a smaller scale.’’

That’s a good thing, she said.

“There were only four of us (on the U.S. team), so we could have our families around a little more,’’ said Lewis. “It was more of a relaxing week. We could hang out as a group, and it was fun playing the other countries.’’

Here and there

Sabrina Bonanno, of Norridge, and Bing Singhsumalee, of Naperville, earned berths in the Aug. 1-7 U.S. Women’s Amateur in Springfield, Mass.. Both collegiate stars shot 1-under-par 70s and tied for fifth in the sectional qualifier at Sportsman’s, in Northbrook. Bonanno attends Arkansas-Little Rock and Singhsumalee goes to Illinois.

The Chicago golf community lost two giants from the club professional ranks last week with the passing Leon McNair and Hubby Habjan. McNair, 75, led in the development of Fox Bend, in Oswego, and Habjan, 84, was a long-time head man at Onwentsia, in Lake Forest. Both are members of the Illinois Golf Hall of Fame.

Illinois coach Mike Small, already in this week’s new Lincoln Land Championship on the Web.com Tour, will also be in the field for the U.S. Senior Open next month. He was medalist at a qualifying tournament last week in Indianapolis.

KemperSports has taken over the management of Boughton Ridge, the nine-hole executive length course that has served Bolingbrook residents for over 35 years. KemperSports will also manage its Ashbury’s restaurant.

The Illinois PGA’s senior members have a busy competitive stretch. The Thompson Cup matches against the Chicago District Golf Association’s top amateurs is Wednesday on Olympia Fields’ South course and the IPGA Senior Masters follows on Monday at Onwentsia.

The Schaumburg Park District’s ninth annual Links Technology Cup has been scheduled for Aug. 10 at Schaumburg Golf Club. It includes a Taste on the Tee showcase of food and beverages on most every hole. Proceeds benefit the district’s recreation scholarship program.

International Crown will have its place in women’s golf history here

The Merit Club’s first tee is where the excitement of the International Crown will begin.

The Chicago area was at the forefront of women’s golf long before the creation of the Ladies Professional Golf Association in 1950. The arrival of the UL International Crown this month at the Merit Club is just the latest of the big women’s
events staged in this neck of the woods.

Granted, the UL International Crown will be the most unique. Its format – 32 players representing eight countries competing to decide the best women’s golf-playing nation in the world – assures that.

The Crown is something new and different. The competition has been played only once before, two years ago at Caves Valley in Maryland with Spain winning. The LPGA needed friendly, enthusiastic environments to introduce its most innovative competition and bringing it to the Chicago area this year and Korea in 2018 fit that requirement to a tee. The Chicago area knows about women’s golf because it has been welcoming such big competitions for well over 100 years.

One of the very first great American players was a Chicago woman, Bessie Anthony. She won the first three national championship put on by the top organization of that era – the Women’s Western Golf Association – in 1901, 1902 and 1903. All three were played on Chicago area courses as was the 1903 U.S. Women’s Amateur. Anthony won that one, too, at Chicago Golf Club.

Another Chicago woman. Elaine Rosenthal, won the Women’s Western Amateur three times between 1915 and 1925 and that tournament – one of the two biggest for women until the LPGA was founded – was played at Chicago courses 12 times in the next 24 years leading into the LPGA’s debut season.

The first U.S. Women’s Open champion in 1946 was Patty Berg, who represented St. Andrews Golf Club in West Chicago for over 50 years. She was also one of the 13 founders of the LPGA.

The first LPGA season consisted of only six tournaments and one, called the Chicago Weathervane, was played at Skycrest Country Club (now Twin Orchard in Long Grove) with Louise Suggs winning.

The U.S. Women’s Open would come to the Chicago area three more times – victories by Sandra Hayne in 1974 and Pat Bradley in 1981 at LaGrange Country Club and by Australian Karrie Webb in 2000 at the Merit Club. That was the first big event at the private facility and the only one until the UL International Crown tees off.

Carol Mann, a World Golf Hall of Famer who grew up in Olympia Fields, also was a U.S. Women’s Open champion in 1965 – a year after she won the Women’s Western Open, a tournament that’s no longer held. The Women’s Western Open was considered a major championship during its run from 1930 to 1967 and was played on Chicago courses 13 times.

The LPGA has made other inroads in the Chicago area for 54-hole tournaments. Betty Burfeindt won the Child & Family Services Open at Midlane, in Wadsworth, in 1973. The LPGA returned for a three-year run of events with the Chicago Sun-Times as title sponsor from 1991 to 1993. Martha Nause won the first with a spectacular birdie-birdie-eagle finish at Oak Brook Golf Club, holing out from the fairway on her last shot. Dottie Mochrie (now Pepper) and Cindy Schreyer were the other champions of that event.

From 2002 to 2004 the Kellogg Keebler Classic was played at Stonebridge Country Club in Aurora and it had some high profile champions – Webb in 2002 and Annika Sorenstam the other two years.

The last time the LPGA came to town was in 2009 for the very well received Solheim Cup – a team event in which the U.S. defeated Europe at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove. This UL International Crown was also to be played at Rich Harvest, but officials at both the LPGA and the club mutually agreed to a parting of the ways last year and Merit Club owner Bert Getz stepped in to bring the LPGA stars back to his course.

Drew Blass, the Crown director, also was on staff for the Solheim Cup at Rich Harvest.

“I love both places,’’ said Blass. “Every golf club has its positives. Rich Harvest Farms has a lot of great things – all the parking is on site and there’s more acres available — but Merit Club is closer and tighter, so spectators can see more matches. I love the Merit Club. It has the ability to host multiple championships, and I love it that we’re the one to open the gates again. This is a gem that needs to get its name back on the map.’’

Rich Harvest owner Jerry Rich has not commented on the decision to move the event which he helped found away from his club – the most active facility for tournament play in the Chicago area in recent years.

“This (playing at the Merit Club) is better off for everybody,’’ said Blass. “Rich Harvest Farms has the NCAA Championship next year, and they’ve been having a lot of (big tournaments). We were just another event for them.’’

The Merit Club, though, is a good fit for both the exciting new event and the club, which includes legendary Chicago athletes Michael Jordan and Brian Urlacher among its members. One of Merit Club’s assistant professionals, Jim Billiter, is also among the elite playing members of the Illinois PGA. He won two of the section’s four major tournaments — the IPGA Match Play and IPGA Championship – in 2015.