It may seem weird, but golf’s second major championship of the year ended Sunday with Brooks Koepka’s victory in the PGA Championship after the third of the four majors was already – at least technically – well underway.

The 123rd U.S. Open proper doesn’t begin its 72-hole run until June 15-18 but that tournament annually draws a huge entry.  This year’s drew 9,693 players, and that number has to be whittled to 156 for the 72-hole finals at Los Angeles Country Club.

The elimination process started on April 17 with 109 local qualifiers held all around the U.S. as well as in Canada, Japan and England. Entering this week only one of those 18-hole sessions remained – on Monday (MAY 22) in Palmer, Alaska.  Next up are 13 sectionals, which send survivors directly to the U.S. Open.  Most will be held on June 5.

While Chicago again will be without a sectional qualifier, the Chicago District Golf Association conducted three locals and they produced some good results for local players.

In the first, at Cantigny in Wheaton, former Northern Illinois University star and 2020 Illinois Open champion Bryce Emory of Aurora was the medalist with a 68, one shot better than Park Ridge’s Tony Albano. They were among the five who advanced to sectional play and Brian Carroll, the reigning Illinois PGA player-of-the-year from The Hawk Country Club in St. Charles, was first alternate among the 84 starters.

The second was at Illini Country Club in Springfield, and the red hot University of Illinois men’s team had two of the five players to advance.  Sophomore Jackson Buchanan, the medalist with a 64, and Adrien Dumont de Chassart have a U.S. Open sectional coming up right after their college season ends with this week’s NCAA Championship in Arizona.

Luke Guthrie, an Illinois alum who has spent time on the pro tours, also was among those advancing and Wheaton’s Tee-K Kelly, a two-time Illinois State Amateur champion and 2021 Illinois Open winner, was first alternate.

The third local, at Stonewall Orchard in Grayslake, produced the best score – a 9-under-par 63 by Hinsdale’s Mac McClear, last year’s Illinois State Amateur champion and this year’ co-medalist in the Big Ten tournament while playing for Iowa.  It was also a bonanza for Northwestern, with current Wildcats James Imai and David Nyfjall advancing. Others  making it from Stonewall were Spring Grove’s Jordan Hahn and Wilmette’s Daniel Tanaka.

Some area players opted for locals outside the area.  Glen Ellyn’s Andy Pope, a long-time Korn Ferry Tour player, advanced in Palm City, FL. Pope, no longer a tour player, won the Florida Open last year and has qualified for five U.S. Opens, making the cut in two of them.

Illinois alums Bryan Baumgarten and Varun Chopra qualified in South Bend and Lexington, FL., respectively.

Only 52 players, among them reigning John Deere Classic champion J.T. Poston,  were given exemptions into the final field by the U.S. Golf Association.  The locals cut those still eligible for a spot in Los Angeles to 530 for sectional play.

ILLINI ON THE SPOT: Coach Mike Small has a solid contender for the NCAA title when the finals begin a five-day run on Friday (MAY 26). The Illini, second to Georgia in last week’s regional play in Michigan, have been as high as No. 2 in the collegiate polls.

In addition to Buchanan and Dumont De Chassart, the Illini could have had a third survivor of the U.S. Open local qualifiers. Tommy Kuhl shot 62 at Illini Country Club before realizing he had improved his lies multiple times on aerated greens. That was against the rules and led to his withdrawal.

Matthis Besard and Piercen Hunt round out the squad that Small will take to the NCAA finals. He’s particularly high on Dumont DeChassart’s future in the game.

“He has another gear, and that’s something he wants to call upon more often,’’ said Small.  “He’ll be a first-team All-American.’’

Fifth-year seniors Dumont DeChassart and Kuhl have provided the leadership all season but it’s been a team effort for the Illini.

“Matthis, Jackson and Piercen have been a huge part of the last month of the season,’’ said Small.  “They’ve all had flashes of real good play.  If we can sustain that, then we’ve got something special.’’

HERE AND THERE:  The PGA Championship was tough on the five Illinois-connected players in the field. Only Illini alums Thomas Pieters and Thomas Detry survived the 36-hole cut.  Detry, Luke Donald, Nick Hardy, Kevin Streelman and Dylan Wu are in the field for this week’s PGA Tour stop, the Charles Schwab Challenge in Texas.

John Ramsey, of Glenview, defeated Chadd Slutzky, of Deer Park, in 19 holes in last week’s battle for the Chicago District Mid-Amateur title at Merit Club, in Libertyville. Then they boarded a plane together to compete as a team in the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship at Kiawah Island, S.C. It ends on Wednesday (MAY 24).

John Schlaman is again the full-time director of golf at Eagle Ridge Resort, in Galena.

 

 

Club professionals rarely have an impact in the PGA Championship, but this week one might.  Chris French, the head professional at Aldeen — a public course operated by the Rockford Park District — is certainly playing well enough going into the event that tees off on Thursday at Oak Hill in Rochester, N.Y.

Only the top 20 club professionals in their national championship two weeks ago in New Mexico earned spots in the PGA Championship field, and French was the only Illinois qualifier.  He needed a 4-under-par 68 in the final round to finish in a tie for 17^th.

The good times didn’t stop there.  French won the Illinois Section’s first major of the season, taking the IPGA Match Play title at Bull Valley in Woodstock last week. He did it by taking two dramatic victories over players from Mistwood, in Romeoville, in his first and last matches.

Bobby Schmelter had French 2-down with two holes to play in the first round, but French won the 17^th and 18^th before closing out Schmelter on the 21^st hole. In the final French trailed Andy Mickelson, Mistwood’s director of golf, entering the back nine.  French then won four straight holes before wrapping up the title 2 and 1.

And now for the big test.

“I’m just happy to be going,’’ said French. “I don’t have too many expectations.  I’m just going to try to have fun and maybe make the cut.’’

The PGA Championship brings out the world’s best players.  Justin Thomas won last year at Southern Hills in Oklahoma, edging the now injured Will Zalatoris in a playoff.  Mito Pereira had dominated that tournament until putting his tee shot in the water at the 72^nd hole, dropping him into a tie for third. Pereira is one of 18 players on the controversial LIV Tour who are in the field at Oak Hill.

This field also has a bigger Illinois flavor than most years.  In addition to French  Northbrook PGA Tour member Nick Hardy will be in the tournament for the first time.  He qualified off his victory in April’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans.  J.T. Poston is in thanks to his win in last year’s John Deere Classic. Belgian buddies Thomas Detry and Thomas Pieters – like Hardy former University of Illinois players – earned spots off their play in Europe and Luke Donald will tee off thanks to his being Europe’s Ryder Cup captain.

MINOR BLIP FOR ILLINI: Tommy Kuhl, a fifth-year senior at Illinois, shot a course record 62 at Illini Country Club in Springfield during last week’s U.S. Open local qualifying round.  That sounds great, but it wasn’t.

Kuhl was watching a playoff involving teammate Adrien Dumont de Chassart with another Illini player, Jason Buchanan.  Buchanan mentioned how hard it was putting on aerated greens.  That made Kuhl “feel sick to my stomach.’’ He had repaired aeration marks multiple times in his record round, realized that was against the rules and immediately told the rules official. His infraction took him out of sectional qualifying for the Open.

 

Kuhl and his teammates began a more important competition on Monday (MAY 15) when they took their No. 1 seed into an NCAA regional at Eagle Eye in Michigan.  The Illini women’s team bowed out of the NCAAs in their regional last week in San Antonio, TX.

The men may be coach Mike Small’s best team yet.  Kuhl and company are ranked No. 2 nationally in the GolfWeek poll and No. 3 in the Golf Stat rankings.  The Illini have won five regional titles, the last in 2019 at Myrtle Beach, S.C., and are making their 14^th straight regional appearance.

CDGA IN OPENER

The Chicago District Golf Association also began its 110^th year of championship events on Monday with the CDGA Mid-Amateur at Merit Club in Libertyville. Like the NCAA regionals, it’ll wrap up on Wednesday.

 

Having an Illinois club professional in the PGA Championship is a rarity, but there will be one this year. Chris French of Rockford made it into the field for the year’s second major championship at Oak Hill, in Rochester, N.Y. from May 15-21.

Though he works part of the year in California and spent time on the PGA Latinoamerica Tour French has a strong Illinois background.

He was an Illlinois high school medalist in Class 1A when he attended downstate Byron High School, and he also attended Rock Valley College, in Rockford, before turning pro in 2014.

After working as an assistant at Aldeen, Rockford’s well-respected public course, from 2014-19 the 37-year old French was  named the club’s head professional in 2021.  While he’s been a frequent contender in Illinois PGA  tournaments throughout his time at Aldeen French needed three tries in the PGA Club Professional Championship before making it to the PGA Championship.

“It means the world to me to have qualified,’’ said French.  “I’ve put my life into the game, like all PGA Professionals do.  I take a ton of pride in the amount of work I’ve put into my game, and the sacrifices I make to do so.’’

The top 20 in the PGA Professional Championship get spots against the top touring pros. As second alternate in the Illinois PGA qualifier, French almost didn’t make it to this month’s PGA Professional Championship.  Ten spots were available for Illinois pros, and French advanced only after two of the top 10 withdrew.

The PGA Professional Championship was played at Santa Ana Pueblo, in New Mexico. French shot 70-75 in the first two rounds to survive the 36-hole cut and a third-round 73 was good enough to get him into the final 18.

French was sharp when it counted the most, shooting a 4-under-par 68 – the third lowest score of Round 4 – to get him a tie for 17^th.

“I felt my game was decent heading into the week, but with the poor weather we’ve had in Illinois lately it was tough to prepare,’’ he said.  “I got off to a good start in Round 1 but made some mental mistakes in Round 2, which put me in a tough spot.’’

He knew how tough it would be to get to the PGA Championship because he couldn’t crack the top 20 in his two previous PGA Professional Championships.  He tied for 29^th in 2021 after qualifying as a Southern California Section member and he missed the cut last year when he played out of the Illinois Section.

The third time was a charm as French got by the 54-hole cut after a third-round 73 and then recorded a 4-under-par 68 to get his spot at Oak Hill.

“Heading into the final round I just wanted to get some momentum early and try to get into red figures,’’ said French.  “I rolled in a few nice putts and took some chances on the par-fives.  I just tried to stay patient and take what the round gave me.’’

Now, of course, his task will be much more difficult.  The best players in the world will be in the field at Oak Hill, with Justin Thomas the defending champion.

HERE AND THERE:  French was in the field when the Illinois PGA Match Play Championship – first of the section’s four majors – began its four-day run at Bull Valley in Woodstock on Monday. Chris Nieto of Exmoor, in Highland Park, is the defending champion.

Both the women’s and men’s teams at the University of Illinois were Big 10 champions and qualified for the NCAA tournament.  The women conclude three days of regional play on Wednesday at TPC San Antonio, in Texas, and the men, ranked third in the nation, will compete in a regional at Eagle Eye, in Michigan, beginning on May 15.

Wheaton veteran Kevin Streelman had his best finish on the PGA Tour this season, a tie for 18^th in last week’s Wells Fargo Championship in North Carolina. It earned him $285,000.

 

 

 

 

 

Could this be the year that the University of Illinois men’s team finally wins the NCAA title?

Illini coach Mike Small has had some powerhouse teams but this year’s version could be his best.  The nation’s No. 3 ranked team captured the school’s eighth straight Big Ten championship (and 13^th in 14 years) on Sunday by a whopping 17 strokes at Galloway National in New Jersey.

The romp ended after only 36 holes after heavy rains forced cancelation of play with the third and final round in progress.  Illinois stood at 8-under-par 560 after the finish was made official.

“To lead by 17 shots in the second round of a tournament takes a total team effort,’’ said Small.  “To do it in just two rounds – not a three-round tournament – is a pretty big win.’’

Tommy Kuhl and Matthis Bezard tied for third in the individual competition, a shot behind co-champions McLear of Iowa and Daniel Svard of Northwestern.  McLear is the reigning Illinois State Amateur champion.

Adrien Dumont de Chassart and Jackson Buchanan of the Illini tied for fifth and Piercen Hunt completed the scoring unit in a tie for 13^th. The Illini have won 20 Big Ten titles, and this year’s came 100 years after the first, in 1923.

All that is left for the Illini is the NCAA tourney.  Regional assignments will be announced at 1 p.m. on Wednesday on The Golf Channel and play begins May 15-17.

NCAA WOMEN – Big Ten champion Illinois is the No. 9 seed in the San Antonio Regional and runner-up Northwestern is the No. 3 seed in the Palm Beach Gardens Regional, in Florida, when the NCAA tourney begins next Monday (MAY 8).  NU is the highest-seeded Big Ten team in the tournament.

The Illini and Wildcats also dominated in the league’s individual honors. Crystal Wang of Illinois was the Big Ten medalist and player-of-the-year and Northwestern’s Dianna Lee was the freshman-of-the-year.  Emily Fletcher, in her 12^th season as the NU coach, was named the Big Ten coach-of-the-year for the fifth time.

NU is making its 13^th straight appearance in the NCAA women’s tourney and 20^th overall.  Illinois is in for the fourth straight year and 10^th overall.

LANCE TEN BROECK: One of the best golfers ever to come out of the Chicago area passed on this week in West Palm Beach, FL., after a sudden illness.  Ten Broeck, who grew up in Chicago and developed his game at Beverly Country Club, was 67.

He made the cut as a 19-year old at the 1975 U.S. Open at Medinah, made 162 cuts on the PGA Tour from 1975-2010 and was a successful caddie, mainly for Jesper Parnevik, after that.

 

HERE AND THERE:  Northbrook’s Nick Hardy was a late withdrawal from last week’s Mexico Open after teaming with Davis Riley to win the PGA Tour’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans team event.  It was the first PGA win for both players, and both will be back in action at this week’s Wells-Fargo Championship in North Carolina.

Mike Weiler has resigned as director of golf at Eagle Ridge Resort in Galena and John Schlaman, the head professional at the resort’s South Course,  has taken over on an interim basis.

Illinois stars Crystal Wang and Tommy Kuhl will be teammates on the U.S. team in the Arnold Palmer Cup matches against Team Europe June 8-10 at Laurel Valley in Pennsylvania.

The Illinois PGA Match Play Championship, first of the section’s four major tourneys, begins its four-day run on Monday at Bull Valley in Woodstock.

U.S. Open local qualifying resumes on Monday at Illini Country Club in Springfield and on Tuesday at Stonewall Orchard in Grayslake. Aurora’s Bryce Emory was the medalist at the last local qualifier, shooting a 4-under-par 68 last week at Cantigny in Wheaton.

 

 

Last weekend was like no other as far as Illinois golf is concerned, and Nick Hardy’s first PGA Tour win at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans was just one of the extraordinary developments.

Here are the others:

PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS – Mark Hensby, whose best golf came on Illinois courses years ago,  notched his first win on the 50-and-over circuit in the Invited Celebrity Classic at Las Colinas, in Texas. Hensby, 51, had only conditional status on the tour until he beat Charlie Wi on the fourth hole of a sudden death playoff on Sunday after both played the regulation 54 holes in 12-under-par 201.

Hensby was still an amateur when he left his native Australia to move to Chicago  in 1994. He won the Illinois State Amateur that year. Two years later he took the Illinois Open. In 2000 he earned membership on the PGA Tour and in 2004 he won the John Deere Classic.

After that he moved on from Illinois and his career tailed off.  In 94 PGA Tour starts between 2007 and 2022 he collected just four top-10 finishes but he fit right in when he became eligible for PGA Tour Champions.  He had two top-three finishes this year prior to his win in Texas.  He’s now third in the Charles Schwab Cup standings behind David Toms and Steve Stricker.

“Now I can set a schedule. I know what I’m going to get in now,’’ said Hensby, who earned $300,000 from the tourney’s $2 million purse.

ILLINI WOMEN – Coach Renee Slone’s team won its first Big Ten title in program history and Crystal Wang became the first Illini medalist since Slone (formerly Heiken) won the title in 1993.

Wang fired a 9-under-par 62 to match the Illini record for low round, and it was also the lowest round in tournament history.  Wang finished the 54 holes in 12-under-par 201 and was the only player to finish under par for the tournament.

The Illini finished solo second in the Big Ten in 1976, the school’s first year with a women’s golf team, and tied for second in 2018 and 2019. Wang was the fourth conference medalist from the school.  Slone was the individual champion in both 1991 and 1993.  Becky Beach (1976) and Becky Biel (1992) were also Big Ten medalists.

In winning the conference title the Illini received the league’s automatic NCAA regional birth, and they’ll find out where they will be playing when selections are announced on Wednesday.

ILLINI MEN – Coach Mike Small’s team won the first event at the recently renovated home course at Atkins Golf Club in Urbana by a whopping 26 strokes. The Fighting Illini Spring Collegiate featured nine teams with fifth-year senior Adrien Dumont de Chassart of the host team edging out Northwestern’s Daniel Svard by two strokes for medalist honors.

Dumont De Chassart notched his fourth collegiate win and had four second-place finishes since his last one at Purdue’s Boilermaker Invitational in 2022.

Small’s team, ranked No. 3 in the nation, will go after its eighth straight Big Ten title and 13^th in the last 14 years beginning on Friday at Galloway National in New Jersey. The NCAA regionals follow that.

HERE AND THERE: Both Nick Hardy and Davis Riley took home $1,242,700 for winning the Zurich Classic on Sunday.  The total purse was $8.6 million….Brett Barcel has retired as director of golf at Mount Prospect. He’s been on the staff there since 1994.  Jeff Langguth, moving up from head professional, replaces Barcel as director of golf….The Bill “Soup’’ Campbell Open For Prostate Cancer has been scheduled for June 2 at Hilldale, in Hoffman Estates.  The event honors the late former relief pitcher who spent 14 seasons in the major leagues including 1982-83 with the Cubs.

 

 

 

Northbrook’s Nick Hardy is now a winner on the PGA Tour. He teamed up with a long-time friend, Davis Riley, to capture the Zurich Classic of New Orleans on Sunday in Avondale, La.  It was the first win on golf’s premier circuit for both of them.

The Zurich Classic is the only team event on the PGA Tour schedule, but the champions receive exempt status on the circuit for two years.  That’s especially important for Hardy, who had been using a medical exemption to get into some tournaments.

Last year, on the fourth hole of the final round of the Zurich Classic, Hardy suffered a wrist injury that put him out of action for a month in his rookie PGA season.  He had to have a strong finish in the season-ending Korn Ferry Tour playoff series to retain his PGA Tour card for this year.

The pairing with Riley was a spur of the moment thing, but it worked out big-time.

Hardy, who starred at the University of Illinois before turning pro, had planned to partner with another Thomas Detry, another Illini alum.

“Detry got asked by the Ryder Cup captain (Luke Donald) to play with Victor Perez, so the Illini pairing was vanished after that,’’ said Hardy. “A couple or three weeks ago we (Hardy and Riley) texted each other, and we got hooked up then.’’

The two had known each other since being paired in an American Junior Golf Assn. event when Hardy was 14 years old. Hardy is 27 and Davis, who played collegiately at Alabama, is 26.

Hardy became the first Illinois player to win on the PGA Tour since Wheaton’s Kevin Streelman was the Travelers champion at Hartford, Ct., in 2014.

“Once Nick texted me and was looking for a partner I was excited,’’ said Riley. “He’s a good buddy of mine and obviously a real good player.  It was a perfect match. We have very similar games. We’re both solid ball strikers.’’

Hardy, who turned pro in 2018, was making his 51^st PGA Tour start in the Zurich Classic. He had made 29 of his first 50 cuts and earned $1,688,360 before he and Riley split the $1,242,700 first-place check in the Zurich Classic.

In this wrap-around season, prior to the big win, Hardy had four top-25 finishes, his best being a tie for fifth in the Sanderson Farms tournament in October. He had missed the cut in six of his last eight starts before everything came together in the Zurich Classic.

“I’ve been hitting the ball great all year,’’ said Hardy. “Finally, to get some momentum going into this format with Davis, seeing the ball go in, it’s definitely been nice.  The only difference is a little momentum here and there.  That’s really all it takes.’’

The Zurich format calls for best ball scoring in the first and third rounds and alternate shot in the second and fourth.  The Hardy-Riley team posted a tournament record 30-under-par 258 score for the 72 holes and won by two strokes over the Canadian pairing of Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin.

While Hardy contributed significantly throughout the four days Riley made the key shots on Sunday on back nine par-3s.  His tee shot at No. 14 stopped within inches of the cup, leaving Hardy a tap-in for birdie, and Riley holed a putt from off the green for another deuce at No. 17.

They became the 20^th and 21^st first-time PGA Tour winners at the Zurich Classic, which dates back to 1970. The only PGA Tour event with more first-time champions is the John Deere Classic, Illinois’ only annual PGA Tour stop. The JDC has 23 in 51 years.

Both Hardy and Riley will play in this week’s Mexican Open, where world No. 1 Jon Rahm, winner of the Masters three weeks ago, is the defending champion.

 

 

 

Last year Highwood’s Patrick Flavin tried to make it to the PGA Tour the hard way – through the Monday qualifiers.  He wasn’t successful, but he came close.

Flavin finished No. 153 on the FedEx Cup standings.  The top 125 earned full PGA Tour membership in the current 2022-23 season and the top 150 got conditional status. Flavin had a consolation prize.  By finishing in the top 200 he earned a place in the Korn Ferry Tour Finals, and that assured him full status on the PGA’s alternate tour for this season.

So, this week Flavin is playing in LeCom Suncoast Classic — the FedEx stop in Lakewood Ranch, FL. — instead of the PGA Tour’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans.  He has no complaints, though.

“I took a chance last year, and it paid off,’’  said Flavin. “I’ve seen a ton of improvement in my game.  I very much appreciate playing on the Korn Ferry, but I’d like to get back to having my practice rounds with Nick Hardy (PGA Tour regular from Northbrook) again.’’

Flavin, 27, has played in seven Korn Ferry events this season and made the cut in four, his best finishes being a tie for 14^th in Panama in February and a tie for 21^st last week at the Veritex Championship in Texas.

“Relative to last year, it was more stressful playing in all those Monday qualifiers,’’ he said.  “This year I plan to play the whole Korn Ferry season.’’

His role on that circuit isn’t just as a player, either.  Flavin was voted onto the 12-member Korn Ferry Player Advisory Committee and is getting an up close look at the complicated inner workings of both his and the PGA Tour, which is now getting competition from the Saudi-backed LIV Tour.

“It’s a crazy time in golf, and the PGA is a massive entity,’’ said Flavin,  “but golf has never been in a better place. We’ve had purse increases that have trickled down to the Korn Ferry Tour.’’

He’s hoping to steer those purse increases down to two circuits he played on previously – the Canadian and Latinoamerica tours.

For now, though, his primary focus is getting to the PGA Tour full-time.  The opportunities he had last year aren’t available now, thanks to a series of changes made by the PGA Tour to combat the LIV Tour arrival.

“Now the only way (to get to the PGA Tour) is through the Korn Ferry Tour,’’ said Flavin. While the Chicago area had several members of that circuit in recent years, only Flavin and Deerfield’s Vince India have full-time membership now.

NO. 3 ILLINI HOST TOURNEY: The University of Illinois men’s team, now up to No. 3 in the national collegiate rankings, hosts its first tournament in the Champaign-Urbana area since the 2010 season beginning on Saturday.

A field of nine teams will battle over 36 holes starting a 7:30 a.m. on Saturday with the final 18 teeing off at 8 a.m. on Sunday at the 7,538-yard par-71 Atkins Golf Club. In addition to the host Illini the field includes Ball State, Eastern Michigan, Indiana, Loyola Marymount, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska and Northwestern.

PGA TEAMWORK: No PGA Tour event is like this week’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans.  It’s a two-man team event and most Illinois-connected players will compete.  Here are those in the 80-team field:

Hardy will play with Davis Riley, D.A. Points with Jimmy Walker, Luke Donald with Eduoardo Molinari and Doug Ghim with Kramer Hickok.

HERE AND THERE: The first competitions on the Chicago District Golf Association calendar are next Monday (APRIL 24) –a U.S. Open local qualifier at Cantigny in Wheaton and a CDGA Mid-Amateur qualifier at Maple Meadows in Wood Dale. There’s another Mid-Am qualifier the next day at Sunset Valley in Highland Park….The first Illinois PGA event of the season – last week’s Pro-Pro-Pro at Mistwood — was postponed because of bad weather. It was rescheduled for May 1.

 

 

 

The Masters, as always, hogged the golf spotlight as spring kicked in, but now that’s changing – especially at the University of Illinois.

Mike Small’s Illini men’s team is ranked No. 5 in the nation with two regular-season tournaments remaining – this week’s Tiger Collegiate Invitational in Columbia, Mo., and then the Fighting Illini Collegiate April 22-23 – the first tournament Small’s team has hosted in the Champaign-Urbana area since the 2011-12 season. That event will be played at the newly-renovated Atkins Golf Club.

After that comes the Big Ten and NCAA championships.  The Illini will be strong contenders in both but the climax to the season will lead into the departure of Justin Bardgett, Small’s assistant coach the last four years. He has accepted a position as director of collegiate relations with the PGA Tour and will depart after the Illini season is over.

“The decision to leave Illinois was very difficult, but ultimately this opportunity couldn’t be passed on for my family and me,’’ said Bardgett.  “But first I’m excited to close out our strong season by chasing championship with our guys.’’

“His talents will surely be missed,’’ said Small,  “but I know Justin will continue to do great things in his new career path with PGA Tour University.’’

COURSE OPENINGS: Many area courses, impacted by changing weather conditions, make last-minute decisions on their spring openings.  A handful, though, have announced their openings already and Nickol Knoll, Arlington Heights’ fun nine-hole par-3, will open on Saturday (APRIL 15).

Facilities that have already announced their openings are Mistwood, in Romeoville; Arlington Lakes, Mount Prospect, Heritage Oaks, Settler’s Hill (Batavia), and Ravisoe (Homewood).

PGA HOPE: KemperSports and the Illinois PGA Foundation have partnered on a series of free six-week clinics that will begin in May and conclude in October. Instructors will be trained in adaptive golf and military cultural competency.  The title for the nation-wide program stands for “Helping Our Patriots Everywhere.’’

The Kemper/IPGA series starts May 24 at Harborside International, Chicago.  Other starting dats are May 25 at Winnetka Golf Club, June 7 at Bolingbrook, June 20 at Cantigny in Wheaton and Aug. 31 at Deerpath in Lake Forest.

In addition to announcing the opening of registration for PGA Hope, the IPGA is ready to open its tournament season.  First event is on Monday, the Pro-Pro-Pro Scramble at Mistwood.

HERE AND THERE: Dave Lockhart’s Golf 360 TV show, hosted by Katie Kearney and featuring former Bears’ long snapper Patrick Mannelly, is scheduled to begin on June 4. It’ll be carried on NBC Sports Chicago with first one coming from Klein Creek in Winfield.  Each monthly episode with aire eight-10 times over a 30-day period.

The Masters’ conclusion triggers the return of Chicago-connect players to the PGA Tour.  Luke Donald, Doug Ghim, Nick Hardy and Kevin Streelman are in the field for this week’s RBC Heritage Classic in Hilton Head, S.C.  Donald, Europe’s Ryder Cup captain, needed a sponsor’s exemption to get in the field this time but Donald has had great success over the years in the event, finishing as the runner-up four times and in third place twice.

The Chicago District Golf Association opens its tournament season on Monday, April 24 with a U.S. Open local qualifier at Cantigny and at CDGA Mid-Amateur qualifier at Maple Meadows in Wood Dale. The social calendar tees off on May 2 with the CDGA/Kemper Two-Person Scramble at The Glen Club, in Glenview.

Tickets have just gone on sale for the John Deere Classic, Illinois’ only annual PGA Tour stop.  It’ll be played July 5-9 at TPC Deere Run in Silvis.

A new PGA Superstore location has just opened in Orland Park.

 

 

 

 

 

 

If ever a golf tournament merited a look-back two days after its conclusion it was this just-completed Masters. It was a strange one, to put it mildly.

I’ve been to several Masters played in bad weather, but this one had a 40-degree temperature change between Thursday’s first round and Saturday’s third. Rory McIlroy, still in search of a career Grand Slam, didn’t come close to making the 36-hole cut and an amateur finished in the top 20 for the first time in 18 years. (Sam Bennett is a fifth-year senior at Texas A&M who will play in a few PGA Tour events after his college season is over.)

Those are interesting tidbits, but the overriding issue of this Masters was the presence of LIV Tour players. That was the elephant in the room throughout.  Thankfully there was little public bickering between LIV players and their detractors on the PGA Tour and DP World (European) Tour.

What did it all prove, though? Not much, really.

The best player did win, though it’s strange how Jon Rahm did it.  Rahm opened the tournament with a four-putt double bogey, trailed Brooks Koepka well into the final round but still won by four shots.

Rahm’s a PGA Tour guy, but showings by the LIV group weren’t too shabby.  Eighteen of the 88 in the field were LIV players, and 12 made the cut. Koepka and Phil Mickelson tied for second and another, Patrick Reed, tied for fourth.

Mickelson, who had only one top-10 in the LIV Tour’s first 10 tournaments, looked much thinner than in his pre-LIV days but shot 65 in the final round at Augusta National – the best round by a player over 50 years old in Masters history. Afterwards he called it a good week for the players on the fledgling Saudi-backed circuit.

“We’re all grateful that we were able to play and compete here,’’ he said, “and it’s tremendous for this tournament to have all the best player in the world.’’

The Masters wouldn’t have had nearly as strong a field had the club members opted to follow the PGA Tour’s lead and ban the LIV contingent.

Koepka, who was in charge of the tournament until the back nine on Sunday, played into the hands of LIV detractors who have criticized the circuit for its 54-hole tournaments.  The two other big circuits play 72-holers. While the Masters was in progress Koepka, who had five tournaments in 2023 (three on the LIV circuit and two others) in advance of the Masters, called himself tournament-ready.  Not so afterwards.

“LIV doesn’t prepare us for the majors,’’ he said.  “My body is used to playing three rounds.’’

Oh, well….

What happens next in this ongoing saga that has become such a negative distraction to tournament golf?  It’s anybody’s guess but Thomas Pieters, the former University of Illinois star from Belgium, wanted his parents at this Masters.  He qualified through being in the top 50 in the Official World Golf Rankings at the end of 2022.  Now he’s a LIV player and gets short-changed in the rankings because 54-hole tournaments aren’t recognized.

“I took my parents because this could be my last one,’’ said Pieters who tied for 48^th on Sunday.  “I’m just being realistic.  I don’t know what will happen.  Time will tell.’’

What we do know is that LIV players will be eligible for the last three major tournaments – next month’s PGA Championship, the U.S. Open in June and the British Open in July.  They’ll also be available for Chicago viewing when the circuit returns to Rich Harvest Farms in September.

 

 

 

When you’re a regular golf writer there’s an annual challenge.  You’re obligated to pick the winner of the Masters.

I’m in my 55^th year writing about the sport and have made my pick – in print — every year since 1986. Getting it right isn’t easy.  I’ve been right only twice – Fred Couples in 1992 and Scottie Scheffler last year.

A very well-known national columnist told me that was “a gutty pick’’  after Scheffler went wire-to-wire. I see a lot of the Florida tournaments, though, and I was very comfortable with Scheffler.  He had dominated the first three months of the last PGA Tour season.

This year’s prognosticating is completely different.  For the record my pick is Sam Burns.  Like Scheffler last year, he is playing well at just the right time.  Three weeks ago he was going after his third straight win in the Valspar Championship, the last event on the annual Florida Swing.

Three-peats are rare on the PGA Tour, and Burns didn’t get this one. He hung tough, though, shooting a final round 67 at the respected Copperhead course to climb 19 spots into sixth place.

A week later he won the WCT Dell Technologies Match Play Championship in Texas. Five days of matches is a good test for determining who is best ready to play, and Burns did it by beating Scheffler in the semifinals and needing only 13 holes to capture the final. Now, after a week’s rest, he’ll go after the 87^th Masters.

Not that I need any advice from others on making Masters picks, but it was interesting to hear two-time U.S. Open champion turned TV analyst Curtis Strange’s assessment last week.

“We know how good a player this guy has been, but now all of a sudden he comes into the Masters in great form,’’ Strange offered on a conference call set up by ESPN.  “I look at players, their talent level, of course, but what’s their current form.’’

There’s another significant factor in studying the field this year. The year’s first major championship always lives up to its claim of being “a tournament like no other,’’ and this year it’s even more so.  The LIV factor can’t be downplayed this week.

Eighteen LIV Tour players are in the Masters field.  Six are past champions.  Those six have won a combined nine titles at Augusta National.  Phil Mickelson has won three, but has done little in his two seasons with the fledgling new circuit that has had only 10 tournaments. Same with Bubba Watson, who won two Masters.

Charl Schwartzel, Sergio Garcia, Patrick Reed and Dustin Johnson are also past Masters champions who jumped from the PGA Tour to the Saudi-backed LIV circuit.  Barred from competing on the PGA Tour, they haven’t played much tournament golf since making the switch. Whether that’ll matter this week is to be determined.

Much to the credit of Augusta National members, LIV membership wasn’t a factor in issuing Masters invitations.  They wanted their usually strong field, and that wouldn’t have been possible without hitting the LIV ranks.  Once Augusta made its decision the U.S. Open, PGA Championship and British Open organizers followed suit.

The LIV golfers who seem the most likely to challenge this week are not former champions.  Australian Cam Smith won the last major title, the British Open, last July.  He’s been a top-10 finisher in four Masters, including the last three. The champion at last year’s LIV event at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Smith was the Masters runner-up in 2020 and tied for third last year.

And then there’s Brooks Koepka, winner of four major titles.  He became the first two-time winner on the LIV circuit last week in Orlando, shooting 65-65-68 at Orange County National.

“I’m finally healthy, and able to play some good golf,’’ said Koepka.  “That showed my capabilities of what I can do when I’m healthy.  Going into next week, that’s what you want to see.  And that course was a good test for Augusta.  The greens speeds were pretty fast, similar to Augusta, and they had some good slopes.’’

Koepka doesn’t think the contentiousness that has developed between PGA and LIV players will be a problem at the Masters, but the two main anti-LIV spokesmen – Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy – will be there. So, stay tuned.