BELLEAIR, FL. – Elizabeth Szokol, the only player on the Ladies PGA Tour with Chicago area roots, announced her retirement on the same day that Lauryn Nguyen, the most recent Northwestern star, concluded her debut on the premier women’s circuit. Both missed the 36-hole cut on Friday in The Annika driven by Gainbridge at Pelican…
Tournament Reports
Caitlin Clark can play more than just basketball — Is golf next?
BELLEAIR, FL. – There’s a chance that the pro-am at this week’s LPGA Tour event, The Annika driven by Gainbridge, will create more excitement than the 72-hole event proper and there’s one major reason for that. Her name is Caitlin Clark. As a basketball sensation Clark has brought more attention to women’s basketball at both…
Northwestern alum Nguyen set to make her LPGA debut
The legendary Patty Berg, who played out of St. Andrew’s in West Chicago, was among the original members of the Ladies PGA Tour was formed in 1950. There have been very few LPGA players from the Chicago area since then. Winnetka’s Elizabeth Szokol has been the only one in recent years but this week –…
Stinger sweep provides a climax to LIV/Chicago
It was a rare team sweep in the fourth version of the LIV/Chicago tourney Sunday at Bolingbrook Golf Club. Dean Burmester won the individual title and his Stinger unit won the team crown – and both came in one-hole sudden death playoffs. Burmester, whose only previous LIV win was at Miami last year, watched two…
LIV’s top stars are overshadowed by Burmester, Ballester
Maybe it was the weather – 91 degrees with winds gusting to 22 miles per hour. Maybe it was the gallery. Though no attendance figures were given it was most certainly the largest of the 14 rounds played by the LIV Tour in Chicago over the past four years. Whatever the reason, the leaderboard…
Niemann struggles; DJ, Mickelson shine in LIV start
For the moment, at least, there’s some suspense on who will emerge as the individual champion on the LIV Golf Tour. With five wins in the first 11 tournaments Chile’s Joaquin Niemann would seem a shoo-in for the season-long honor with just this week’s LIV/Chicago event at Bolingbrook Golf Club and next week’s event…
Another Illini win: this time it’s Feagles at the Illinois Open
Mike Small, the University of Illinois coach who has won 14 Illinois PGA titles, was bidding for a recording tying fifth Illinois Open crown on Friday. He had an uncharacteristically bad day at Kemper Lakes in Kildeer and didn’t get it, but the day wasn’t a complete downer. In July one of Small’s…
It’s Ohr by four with a round to go in the Illinois Open
Travis Johns, a teaching professional at Medinah Country Club, and Brian Ohr, who is “transitioning’’ to instruction after focusing on tournament play, were paired together in the first two rounds of the 76th Illinois Open and benefitted from it at Kemper Lakes, in Kildeer. John, 47, took the first-round lead with a 68 when Kemper…
Hovland overhauls Thomas in a duel of Masters contenders
PALM HARBOUR, FL. — The PGA Tour’s four-tournament Florida Swing concluded Sunday with Norway’s Viktor Hovland capturing the Valspar Championship on Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead Course in a duel with Justin Thomas. Ten players were within a shot of the lead entering the last nine holes, but only Hovland and Thomas – two of the PGA…
Henley wins at Bay Hill, but Bradley steals the show
ORLANDO, FL. – No, Keegan Bradley didn’t win the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill. Russell Henley did, winning a gritty battle with Collin Morikawa. Henley was the benefactor of a pair of two-shot swings on the back nine, making a birdie at the par-3 fourth and a chip-in for eagle at No….