The Tour Championship, which tees off on Thursday at East Lake in Atlanta, brings an end to the PGA Tour’s 2014-15 season and Zach Johnson is in an interesting position.

Only 30 players qualified for the 72-hole event that has an $8.25 prize fund and offers an additional $10 million bonus to the winner of the four-event FedEx Cup Playoffs. The winner of the bonus won’t necessarily be the same player who wins The Tour Championship. That’s where Johnson, the reigning British Open champion, figures in.

The FedEx Playoffs began in 2007 to provide the PGA Tour with a much-needed climax to its season. The point system remains confusing, however. The ranking points accumulated in the previous tournaments are reset to create more suspense for the last event.

One thing is certain: if any of the top five in the standings wins at East Lake, that player also wins the $10 million. Johnson is No. 6.

That’s not a bad position to be in. The top five are Jason Day, who won the BMW Championship at Conway Farms in Lake Forest on Sunday; Jordan Spieth, who won the Masters and U.S. Open in the first half of the season but hasn’t been as sharp lately; Rickie Fowler, winner of the Deutsche Bank Champion in the Playoffs; Henrik Stenson, winner of the FedEx Cup in 2013; and Bubba Watson.

There’s no guarantee that Sunday’s winner will come from that group, though Day is red hot. He’s won four of his last six starts and became the world’s No. 1-ranked player with his win at Conway Farms.

Johnson, meanwhile, isn’t one of the game’s much-publicized young guns – a group of twenty-somethings that includes Day, Spieth, Fowler and Rory McIlroy, most recent of the previous No. 1s. But, at 39, Johnson’s no slouch. The Iowa-based veteran is the reigning British Open champion. He also includes the 2007 Masters and Illinois’ two PGA Tour events — the 2012 John Deere Classic and the first BMW Championship at Conway two years ago – among his 12 PGA Tour victories.

Most important, he’s playing good, too. Johnson finished his last round at Conway Farms with five birdies and shot 64, the day’s lowest score. That boosted him from No. 7 to No. 6 in the FedEx standings. While he would have liked to crack the top five, Johnson has the best shot at golf’s biggest paycheck if none of the top five win at East Lake.

“I’ll take it,’’ said Johnson. “I was very frustrated (last week) because I felt like I was in a place to do some work. I figured something out with my ball-striking going into the last nine. You can just chalk up that last five holes to patience.’’

The struggle to find his swing, though, took a toll on Johnson.

“I’m spent. I’m done. I’m ready for a break more mentally than I am physically,’’ said Johnson. “Physically I’m fine. That’s why I work out. That’s why I’ve got a team of guys to get me motivated and ready to play.’’

Though he admits “mental fatigue is there,’’ Johnson’s not about to skip a chance to win $10 million. He can do it by winning at East Lake and have Day finishing no better than a tie for second. Even if he doesn’t win the tournament Johnson would have a mathematical chance of claiming the bonus by finishing second, depending on how the players ranked about him fare.

Here and there

Illinois senior Thomas Detry tied the Olympia Fields North course record with a 7-under-par 63 in the Fighting Illini Invitational, but the Illini settled for a fifth-place finish behind champion Florida State. Detry, who finished second individually in the 54-hole competition, matched a score posted by Rickie Fowler in 2007.

Dave Ryan of Taylorville became the first three-time winner of the Illinois Senior Amateur with a five-stroke win at Ravisloe, in Homewood, and Gary March took the Illinois Senior Open at McHenry Country Club.

The Illinois Super Senior Open begins its 36-hole run on Tuesday at Pine Meadow in Mundelein.

Kevin Streelman, Mark Wilson and Luke Donald all survived The Barclays, first tournament of the PGA Tour’s lucrative FedEx Cup Playoffs but this week’s challenge means much more to those Chicago-connected players.

The Barclays brought the top 125 players in the FedEx rankings after the 47 regular season tour events to New Jersey. This week’s Deutsche Bank Classic, which tees off on Friday in Boston, takes only the top 100 and the top 70 after its conclusion on Monday get to play in Chicago’s event – the BMW Championship Sept. 17-20 at Conway Farms in Lake Forest.

As was the case at The Barclays, there’ll be a 36-hole cut in Boston. There’ll be no cut at the BMW or the series-ending Tour Championship in Atlanta. All four tournaments have an $8.25 million purse and the series winner gets an additional $10 million bonus.

So, big money is on the line for Streelman, Wilson and Donald. Streelman, who grew up in Wheaton, is in the best position going to Boston. He’s No. 65 in the FedEx standings but will most likely need to survive the cut there to stay in the top 70.

Wilson, who lives in Elmhurst, and Donald, the former Northwestern star and a Conway Farms member, need to do better than that. Both were up to the first challenge at The Barclays. Wilson and Donald tied for 24th place there. Wilson was ranked No. 114 going in and is now 85th in the standings while Donald was No. 119 going in and is now 87th.

Jordan Spieth, the Masters and U.S. Open champion who missed the cut at The Barclays, remains No. 1 on the FedEx point list while Jason Day, the PGA Championship and Barclays winner, is No. 2. British Open champion Zach Johnson, who will defend his title at the BMW Championship, is No. 11.

The Chicago-based Western Golf Assn. conducts the BMW Championship but will have another playoff event to handle before that. The WGA also conducts the Hotel Fitness Championship, first event of the four-tournament Web.com Tour Playoffs at Sycamore Hills in Fort Wayne, Ind. Its 72-hole run begins on Thursday.

Players ranked from 126-200 in the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup standings will join the top 75 from the Web.com Tour season money list at Sycamore Hills. The field there also includes an Illinois-based trio – Scott Langley, Luke Guthrie and D.A. Points.

Dilemma for International Crown

The second staging of the UL International Crown, the Ladies PGA team event coming to Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove next year, could be a bit different than the first playing in Baltimore in 2014. Spain, winner of the first Crown, isn’t qualified for the second yet.

The top eight countries on the Rolex World Ranking on April 4 will be in the next International Crown. Spain is now ranked ninth, behind – in order – Korea, the United States, Japan, Australia, Sweden, Chinese Taipei, Thailand and England. Each country will have four players, but they won’t be finalized until the rankings are announced on June 13.

Rich Harvest owner Jerry Rich hosted a one-year-out kickoff for the 2016 Crown last week. Weekly tickets for the July 19-24 event are now on sale and volunteer registration is open, both by visiting www.ULCROWN.com.

Here and there

The 93rd Illinois PGA Championship concludes its 54-hole run on Wednesday on Medinah’s No. 1 course. Mike Small, the Illinois men’s coach, is going for his third straight victory and 12th in 15 years but he’ll need a hot round after a 72-73 start left him well back in the pack – 11 strokes behind leader Jim Billiter, assistant pro at Merit Club in Libertyville. Billiter, who shot a 66 on Tuesday, is at 8-under-par 134 and owns a three-stroke lead over Matt Slowinski, the head pro at Conway Farms.

Small’s Illini team, ranked No. 1 in GolfWeek’s preseason coaches poll, opens its season at Rich Harvest in the two-day Northern Intercollegiate tourney Sept. 12-13 hosted by Northern Illinois University.

Thomas Detry, who won the 2012 NCAA title while playing for Illinois, captured the Czech Masters on the European PGA Tour last week. That boosted his world ranking 104 places, to No. 141.

Chadd Slutzky, of Deer Park, won the Illinois State Mid-Amateur title last week at Flossmoor Country Club, beating defending champion Andrew Price, of Lake Bluff, in a three-hole aggregate score playoff.

The Chicago District Golf Assn. will hold its Better Ball of Pairs Championship next Tuesday at Kemper Lakes in Long Grove.

First played in 1923, the Illinois PGA Championship has basically been The Mike Small Show since 2001. That’s when the Illinois men’s coach captured the title for the first time. He’s won the tournament 11 times in the last 14 years, but next week’s 93rd staging at Medinah’s No. 1 Course will be a little different.

The 54-hole tournament, which begins on Monday, will be the first major event played on the course since Michigan architect Tom Doak’s major renovation was completed.

Not only that, but Small will be returning to the place where his eight-year winning streak in the tournament came to an end in 2011. Then-Midlothian assistant Frank Hohenadel won that year.

“I’m not going to think about losing that streak,’’ said Small, who has won the last two years. “I’m thinking about going for No. 12. I’ll think positive. I’ve played well this time of year. It’s the perfect time of the year for me to play.’’

His coaching duties do cut in to Small’s competitive possibilities but he did win the IPGA’s Dubsdread Classic on Monday, shooting a 4-under-par 68 on the course that hosted the PGA Tour’s Western Open and BMW Championship for 20 years.

The IPGA Championship has been rotated between three sites – Olympia Fields’ South Course, Stonewall Orchard in Gurnee and Medinah No. 1 – in recent years. Small won at Medinah in 2008, but the course is much different now than it was before the renovation. The club professionals got familiar with the IPGA venues, but few have played Medinah No. 1 since Doak completed his work.

That might benefit Medinah teaching pros Travis Johns and Rick Dukelow, both long-time contenders in the IPGA’s big tournaments. Johns was last year’s IPGA Player of the Year. The leader in that point race is Brian Brodell, assistant pro at Mistwood in Romeoville.

The tourney calls for 18 holes on Monday and Tuesday before the field is cut to the low 60 and ties for next Wednesday’s (SEPT 2) final round.

FedEx Cup Playoffs begin

The PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Playoffs begin Thursday for the season’s top 125 players. Wheaton’s Kevin Streelman goes in at No. 61, Elmhurst’s Mark Wilson at No. 114 and former Northwestern star Luke Donald at No. 119.

They’ll be in the field at The Barclays in New Jersey, which starts on Thursday, but only the top 100 will qualify for the second event – the Deutsche Bank Championship in Boston. Chicago’s playoff event, the BMW Championship at Conway Farms in Lake Forest from Sept. 14-20, will take only the top 70 players.

LPGA Legends return to French Lick

The Legends Championship – highlight of the season for the LPGA’s senior players (45 and over) – will return for the third time to Indiana’s French Lick Resort. It’s been reduced from 54 to 36 holes this year, with the tournament rounds on Saturday (AUG 28) and Sunday (AUG 29).

Juli Inkster, the U.S. Solheim Cup captain, will make a rare Legends Tour appearance in the 56-player field on the rugged Pete Dye Course at French Lick. Recently-named World Golf Hall of Famer Laura Davies will also be in the field as will Rosie Jones and JoAnne Carner, who will be inducted into the Legends Hall of Fame at Friday’s Gala.

Laurie Rinker will defend her title on the course that hosted the men’s Senior PGA Championship. A $300,000 prize fund will be on the line for the Legends and there will also be a separate competition for former LPGA stars who are 63 and over.

Speedgolf coming to The Glen

The Glen Club, in Glenview, will host the Speedgolf World Championship Oct. 19-20. It’s a 36-hole competition in which players are judged on both their score and the time required to play their rounds. Eri Crum, a former college teammate of Tiger Woods at Stanford, is the defending champion, having won last year at Bandon Dunes in Oregon.

Speedgolf’s premier event will have an elite division for Crum and about 30 other players as well as an amateur competition. Those interested should check out the website — speedgolfinternatinal.com.

This week’s Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, N.C., isn’t one of the bigger PGA Tour events but it’s huge for Luke Donald.

The former Northwestern star, who was once No. 1 in the Official World Golf Rankings, needs a good showing to assure himself a spot in the FedEx Cup Playoffs. The top 125 players in the season-long point race are eligible for the first of the four playoff events, The Barclays in New Jersey in two weeks. Donald’s ranking climbed from 131 to 124 with a tie for 43rd in last week’s PGA Championship.

“I want to be one of those annoying guys who just gets in to the FedEx Playoffs, has a hot week and then has a chance to win at East Lake,’’ said Donald, whose game has slowly improved after he reunited with long-time swing coach Pat Goss.

Actually, Donald wants to do much more than get into the lucrative postseason series. The third of the four events, the BMW Championship, will be played from Sept. 17-20 on his home course – Conway Farms in Lake Forest.

“I’d love to play at Conway Farms,’’ he said. “It got a good reception from the players (when the BMW moved there in 2013), and they’ve made some great changes since then.’’

Donald had some influence on those upgrades.

“There were a few minor changes on the course,’’ he said, “but they completely changed and much improved the practice facility.’’

If Donald maintains or improves his standings position this week he’ll get into the playoffs. Then he’ll have to play well enough at The Barclays to crack the top 100, who will be eligible for the second playoff event – the Deutsche Bank Championship in Boston. The top 70 after that event qualify to play at Conway Farms and the top 30 after that event go to The Tour Championship at East Lake in Atlanta.

All four of the no-cut tournaments have an $8.25 million purse and a $10 million payoff awaits the winner of the series, so a ton of money is on the line. Donald said he’d be at Conway — whether he qualifies or not — to participate in fund-raising efforts for the First Tee of Chicago but he’s hopeful that his improved play will continue and he’ll be among the competitors.

“We’re just trying to keep building,’’ he said. “I’ve had a string of steady rounds, lots of 2-, 3-, 4-unders. Now I’m looking for that breakout round to get me going.’’

Here and there

The LPGA Legends Championship. scheduled Aug. 29-30 in French Lick, Ind., has lost the player who shocked the field last year. Sherri Steinhauer shot a 63 – the lowest round, man or woman on the rugged Pete Dye Course – but was deprived of a chance to win the title when the final round was cancelled due to weather problems. A broken ankle will keep Steinhauer out of the field this month.

Five college stars competing in this week’s U.S. Amateur at Olympia Fields have been named to the 10-man U.S. Walker Cup team. They are Bryson DeChambeau (Southern Methodist), Beau Hossler (Texas), Lee McCoy (Georgia), Maverick McNealy (Stanford) and Hunter Stewart (Vanderbilt). The other five players on the squad will be announced after the U.S. Amateur ends on Sunday.

Ivanhoe’s Jim Sobb successfully defended his Illinois PGA Senior Championship with a playoff win over Doug Bauman of Biltmore, in Barrington. Richard Tilgham captured the Chicago District Super Senior Amateur at Schaumburg Golf Club.

They keep getting bigger. Within the last month the men’s and women’s Illinois State Amateurs have been played. Then came the men’s Illinois Open, and the Illinois Women’s Open concludes its 54-hole run on Wednesday at Mistwood, in Romeoville.

Next week’s tournament offering is even more prestigious. The 113th Western Amateur takes over Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, with the first tee shots scheduled for Tuesday following a practice day for all of the 156 competitors.

The Western Amateur, conducted by the Chicago-based Western Golf Assn., is a stepping stone to professional stardom. Its list of champions includes Jack Nicklaus, Tom Weiskopf, Lanny Wadkins, Andy North, Ben Crenshaw, Curtis Strange, Hal Sutton, Phil Mickelson, Justin Leonard and Tiger Woods.

Stamina is as much a requirement as shot-making in the Western Am. The entire field plays 18-hole rounds on the first two days of the tournament and only the low 44 and ties remain after that. They’ll play 36 holes on Thursday, Aug. 6, with the low 16 moving on to the match play portion of the event. There’ll be two rounds of matches on Friday, Aug. 7, and Saturday, Aug. 8 before the champion is crowned.

Last year the winner was Beau Hossler, a junior at the University of Texas who has already qualified for three U.S. Opens. He won his Western title at Chicago’s Beverly Country Club and got an early look at Rich Harvest while helping a U.S. team of collegiate stars defeat Europe in June’s Palmer Cup matches there.

He’ll have to beat a flock of great amateurs to repeat, among them Texas teammate Doug Ghim of Arlington Heights – last year’s Western Amateur medalist – and University of Illinois stalwarts Nick Hardy and Charlie Danielson.

The 2013 Western Am champion, Jordan Niebrugge, is also in the field and is NCAA champion Bryson DeChambeau. Niebrugge was low amateur at the British Open earlier this month.

Seven of last year’s Sweet Sixteen at Beverly are back as are six other Palmer Cup participants.

That star-studded turnout is a delight to Jerry Rich, the Rich Harvest creator who has done more than anyone else in bringing big tournaments to Chicago in recent years.

“The caliber of talent in this field is truly remarkable,’’ said Rich. “We’re honored to host the future of professional golf.’’

Play begins at 7 a.m. off both the Nos. 1 and 10 tees next Tuesday and Wednesday. Both tees will also be used for the double round on Thursday, Aug. 6. Match play rounds will start at 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 7 and Saturday, Aug. 8. Semifinals are at 8 a.m. and the championship match at 2 p.m. on the final day. There’s no admission charge on any day of the tournament.

Qualified amateurs

Nine Illinois golfers have qualified for the U.S. Amateur, to be played Aug. 17-23 at Olympia Fields. The group is headed by recently-crowned Illinois Open champion David Cooke, who led a qualifying session at Royal Country Club of Long Grove. Also advancing to Olympia Fields from there were Ethan Farnam of Crystal Lake and Jordan Wetsch of St. Charles.

Others headed to Olympia Fields are two-time Illinois Amateur champion Todd Mitchell of Bloomington; Chicago District Amateur titlist Alex Burge, of Bloomington; Daniel Hudson, Western Springs; Andrew Price, Lake Bluff; Dan Stringfellow, Roselle; and Mack Foster, of downstate Knoxville.

Stephanie Miller, a junior at Illinois from Elgin, qualified for the U.S. Women’s Amateur, coming up Aug. 10-16 in Portland, Ore. She shot 3-under-par 68 to finish second in a qualifying session at Sportsman’s, in Northbrook.

Shawn Rennegarbe, the medalist at the rain-shortened Illinois State Women’s Amateur, also qualified. The Addieville resident who plays at Arknasas survived an elimination at Dayton, Ohio.

Here and there

Royal Fox, in St. Charles, will host the Illinois PGA Assistants Championship on Monday.

The Chicago District Golf Assn. will conduct qualifiers for the Illinois State Mid-Amateur Championship on Tuesday at Balmoral Woods in Crete, next Wednesday at Ironwood in Normal and Thursday, Aug. 5 at Palatine Hills. Finals are Aug. 25-26 at Flossmoor Country Club.

The Schaumburg Parks Foundation’s Links Technology Outing on Aug. 12 has a unique feature. Taste on the Tee will be a feature of it, with foods and beverages provided on virtually every hole.

Here’s a good indication that golf in Chicago has withstood some tough economic times.

Two well-established park district courses that had undergone costly renovations re-opened on consecutive days last week. Glenview Park’s course renovation was a $5.3 million project and another $1.2 million was spent to upgrade the clubhouse. Construction on Mount Prospect’s course renovation was reported at $7.1 million.

Glenview Park’s course dates back to 1920, and the Glenview Park District has operated it since 1955. Mount Prospect’s layout also started as a private facility in 1926 and Mount Prospect Park District has operated the course since 1961.

The Arlington Heights Park District is also renovating its Arlington Lakes course – a $2.4 million project that is projected to be completed in July, 2016. That course was closed in June. So was Oak Meadows, owned by the DuPage County Forest Preserve District. This will likely turn out more costly than any of the others, as Aurora architect Greg Martin must deal with flooding issues in addition to renovating the course. He expects only four of the current holes to remain and 1,500 trees to come down before the project is completed in the spring of 2017.

As for Glenview Park and Mount Prospect, both were in need of upgrades. Libertyville architect Rick Jacobson supervised the Glenview project and St. Charles architect David Esler directed the work at Mount Prospect. Both courses were land-locked, so lengthening of either wasn’t possible.

Mount Prospect will look more different to returning golfers. Esler’s work included a re-design of the back nine — which now has five new holes — to create a much-expanded learning center. The old range had but six hitting stations. The new, double-ended range has 25 and there’s also a 15,000 square foot short-game area an 18-hole putting course that is spread over 17,000 square feet.

Glenview Park improved its clubhouse while the course renovation was in progress. Jacobson, who grew up within a mile of the course, created more movement in the fairways to improve storm-water management for both the course and the surrounding area. He also reconstructed the greens, tees and bunkers.

Both courses are instituting the cart-path-only policy for players wishing to ride during their rounds in an effort to facilitate the grow-in periods needed to complete the renovations. Both courses, however, are ideal for walkers.

Cut day at Western Am

The 156-man starting field for the 113th Western Amateur championship at Rich Harvest Farms, in Sugar Grove, will be cut drastically on Wednesday.

Only the low 44 and ties will continue in the grueling championship that concludes on Saturday. University of Texas junior Beau Hossler is the defending champion but he has a long road ahead if he’s to become the first repeat winner since Justin Leonard in 1992-93.

The Western Am requires 72 holes of match play followed by four matches before a champion is crowned. Stroke play ends with a 36-hole session on Thursday. The top 16 advance to the match play portion of the event, with two rounds of matches scheduled for Friday and the semifinals and final on Saturday. Admission and parking are free.

Here and there

The PGA Tour has given the John Deere Classic potentially difficult dates for 2016. The JDC will be played Aug. 8-14, opposite the Olympic Games in Brazil. Golf will be contested in the Olympics for the first time since 1904. The JDC has been played in July, the week before the British Open, in recent years.

Tim Streng, representing the Wildcat Golf Academy, was a five-shot winner in the Illinois PGA Assistants Championship on Monday at Royal Fox in St. Charles. He posted a 4-under-par 138 total over 36 holes to edge Andy Mickelson, of Mistwood in Romeoville, for the title.

Dave Ryan, of Taylorville, successfully defended his title in last week’s Chicago District Golf Assn. Senior Amateur at Merit Club in Libertyville. Ryan defended Lake Forest’s Craig Sopko 3 and 2 in the championship match.

The Illinois PGA Senior Championship is next Monday and Tuesday (AUG 10-11) at Whisper Creek, in Huntley.

The Western Golf Association’s premier tournament, the BMW Championship, is still nearly two months away, but the WGA showed off the improvements coming for the third tournament of the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Playoffs

Tourney site Conway Farms, in Lake Forest, underwent an extensive renovation since hosting the event in 2013 and spectators — 130,000 are expected again – should have an improved experience. Cart paths have been widened throughout the course to improve foot traffic and seating has been improved dramatically.

The size of seating around the 18th green has been doubled and there’s also expanded viewing at Nos. 1, 2, 7, 9, 11 and 17. The Beer Garden, a popular attraction two years ago, will also be doubled in size.

More than anything, though, the work done on the course has opened up vistas for better spectator viewing. Also improving the spectator experience is the establishment of an attendance limit. Vince Pellegrino, the WGA’s senior vice president, tournaments, said attendance will be limited to 27,000 per day. When the tourney was played at Conway two years ago the gallery topped 35,000 on Saturday.

The players will find a major change in the practice facility. It’s been enhanced with a 10,000 square foot putting green, a two-acres practice range and a new short game area. All 18 greens were re-grassed. several new tees were constructed and others re-shaped. New back tees resulted in the lengthening of Nos. 4 and 17.

Strategically, No. 16 – my favorite hole on the course – has two sod-wall bunkers now instead of three and they’ve been moved to the right. This, you’ll remember, was a key hole in 2013 because Jim Furyk made eagle there en route to shooting his record 59.

The tournament dates, Sept. 14-20, are a week later than they were in 2013 with players getting a week off in between the first two playoff events and the last two. The purse has increased slightly, to $8.25 million.

Shuttles from the nearby Metra stations are expected to relieve congestion around the course. The shuttles from the stations to the course are only two minutes. The new general parking area is in Waukegan (Waukegan and Belvidere roads), and shuttles from there will be in the 15-20 minute range.

Pellegrino announced a new event for tournament week. The Evans Scholars Cup will be contested on Monday. It’ll feature teams from 28 clubs and their head professional. Otherwise the schedule is the same as in the past except for the starting times for the first two rounds. Play will begin at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday and Friday and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

The longstanding major golf championships for Illinois’ best players will be coming fast and furious now.

First up was the 82nd, rain-shortened Illinois Women’s Amateur at Illini Country Club in Springfield. This week the state’s best men are in the same city, but at Panther Creek Country Club, to decide the winner of the 85th Illinois State Amateur conducted by the Chicago District Golf Assn.

That three-day tourney started with 138 players on Tuesday but the climax is Thursday with a 36-hole day for the low 35 and ties after Wednesday’s round.

After this week’s main event comes the men’s Illinois Open, the 54-hole finals of which will be split between Royal Melbourne in Long Grove and Hawthorn Woods Country Club from July 20-22, and the big month concludes with the Phil Kosin Illinois Women’s Open, also played at 54 holes at Mistwood in Romeoville, from July 27-29. The men’s Open will be played for the 66th time, the women’s for the 21st.

Two Big Ten stars, Iowa’s Ray Knoll and Illinois’ Nick Hardy, went four extra holes before Knoll won last year’s Illinois State Amateur at Cantigny, in Wheaton. Both are in this week’s field as is Tee-K Kelly of Wheaton, the 2013 champion who plays at Ohio State.

None could cope with Bloomington’s Alex Burge, who won the 96th Chicago District Amateur, the first big tournament for the amateurs this season. Two veterans should also be in contention at Panther Creek – Illinois Mid-Amateur champion John Ehrgott of Edwards and Taylorville’s Dave Ryan, who made the cut at last month’s U.S. Senior Open.

Ehrgott has made the cut in the last five State Ams and finished in the top 10 in three of them. Ryan, 61, is the oldest player in the field. Youngest is Varun Chopra, 15, of Champaign. Most of the starters were survivors of nine qualifying rounds held around the state from June 8-24. The low round in those eliminations was a 67, posted by Aurora’s John Wright in the first one at Fox Bend, in Oswego.

Panther Creek, a Hale Irwin design that opened in 1992, hosted the LPGA Tour’s State Farm Classic from 2007-11. It’s set up at 7.174 yards for the State Amateur.

Weather dampens Women’s Am

Shawn Rennegarbe, a University of Arkansas player from Addieville posted a 72 in the qualifying round of the Illinois Women’s Amateur and no more golf could be played at Illini Country Club.

Rain wiped out the next three days of play, when the title was to be decided in a match play format. Rennegarbe was one stroke better than Grace Kil of Arlington Heights, Jessica Yuen of Bolingbrook and Maggie Ambrose of Springfield.

Yuen is two-time Illinois high school champion for Nequa Valley. Ambrose plays out of Panther Creek, where this week’s men’s State Am will be played.

Here and there

Mistwood’s Andy Mickelson carded a 7-under-par 64 on Monday to capture the Mauh-Nah-Tee-See Classic in Rockford, the last tuneup for Illinois PGA members before next week’s expanded Illinois Open.

Brad Marek, the 2005 Illinois Amateur champion who played at Hersey High School in Arlington Heights and Indiana University, took home an $11,000 first-place check on the Dakotas Tour after shooting rounds of 62, 68 and 69. He leads that mini-tour’s money list.

John Deere Co. has agreed to sponsor the PGA Tour stop held at TPC Deere Run in downstate Silvis through 2023. The company and tour agreed to a seven-year contract extension during last week’s John Deere Classic.

Mount Prospect’s course, which has been undergoing a lengthy renovation, is scheduled to re-open on Aug. 1.

Northbrook-based KemperSports has added The Bog, in Saukville, Wis., to its management portfolio.

The Champions Tour’s future in Chicago will be in doubt after this week’s Encompass Championship at North Shore Country Club in Glenview. The sponsor won’t renew its three-year contract, which expires after this year’s event, and North Shore is reportedly considering a major renovation project that would likely rule out its return as host venue in 2016.

Still, the 50-and-over circuit will bring its best to Glenview for the 54-hole competition that starts on Friday. Most notably, the popular Fred Couples will return to the field after missing last year with back problems. He was runner-up to Craig Stadler when the tourney made its North Shore debut in 2013.

Also new to the field will be D.A. Weibring, who will be playing in his first tournament of the season. Weibring, limited to only five tournaments last year by back issues, played collegiately at Illinois State and has a long record of success in Illinois pro events. He won the John Deere Classic (under its previous titles) in 1979, 1991 and 1995 before designing the course on which that tournament is now held. He also captured the 1987 Western Open.

Another player with Illinois ties, though, could ready for a breakthrough this week. Jeff Sluman, who has long resided in Hinsdale, is one of only three players — defending champion Tom Lehman and Kenny Perry are the others — who have finished in the top 10 at both of the two Encompass Championships held so far. Sluman tied for third in 2013 and tied for sixth last year.

The only notable absentee is Colin Montomerie, who will be on St. Andrews, Scotland, for his induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame. Montgomerie leads the tour’s Charles Schwab Cup standings but Jeff Maggert, winner of two of this year’s major titles for senior players, will supplant him with a victory at North Shore.

His rivals include 12 players who won major titles on the PGA Tour and seven who captained either Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup teams. The 81 starters will play with amateur partners in the first two rounds; only the pros will compete on Sunday when the $270,000 first-place check from the event’s $1.8 million purse will be handed out.

Spieth, Murray headline show at JDC

Jordan Spieth, already the winner of the Masters and U.S. Open this year, will get back into tournament play at the John Deere Classic at TPC Deere Run in downstate Silvis on Thursday. That was the scene of Spieth’s first PGA Tour victory in 2013.

While Spieth will be the focal point of the 72-hole tournament that concludes on Sunday, he’ll share the spotlight in Wednesday’s pro-am with actor-comedian Bill Murray. Murray, playing with frequent pro-am partner D.A. Points, has an 8:45 a.m. tee time. Spieth will have his tuneup round in the afternoon.

Come Thursday he’ll begin his last competitive appearance before going after the third leg of golf’s Grand Slam at the British Open next week.

The JDC may have the strongest field in its history as Spieth will be joined by defending champion Brian Harman; Zach Johnson, the winner in 2012; and Steve Stricker, who scored a three-peat from 2009-11. U.S. Ryder Cup captain Davis Love III is skipping the Encompass to play in the JDC. So is Vijay Singh, who won the JDC in 2003 but hasn’t been back since finishing tied for fourth in his title defense in 2004.

Ten Broeck heads qualifiers

Lance Ten Broeck has had an interesting career in golf. He grew up in Chicago, at Beverly Country Club, and qualified for the 1975 U.S. Open at Medinah when he was still a teen-ager. He went on to earn his PGA Tour card and was a journeyman on the circuit for several years, then became a successful caddie on the circuit while working mainly for Jesper Parnevik.

Now Ten Broeck is back to competing again. On Monday he shared medalist honors in the qualifying round for the Encompass Championship. He shot a 5-under-par 67 at Deerfield golf course to share honors with Geoffrey Sisk of Marshfield, Mass. They were the best among five qualifiers for the tournament proper, which tees off on Friday.

IPGA picks Williams

Carrie Williams, the executive director of the Illinois Junior Golf Assn. the past eight years, will be Michael Miller’s replacement as executive director of the Illinois PGA. Williams revealed her hiring while announcing her resignation from the IJGA.

Miller departed the IPGA after 23 years to become executive director of the PGA’s Southwest Section. Williams was on his staff prior to moving to the IJGA. Jordan Abdel-Haq, the IJGA’s associate executive director, will take over Williams’ duties when she takes her new post on Aug. 25.