The PGA Tour made its last Chicago area visit in 2019 and the other national golf organizing groups have been absent longer than that. Not the upstart LIV Golf League, though.
LIV, the Saudi-backed circuit that is waging a well-publicized battle with the PGA Tour, announced Tuesday that it will be playing for a fourth straight year in the Chicago area. Rich Harvest Farms, in Sugar Grove, was the tournament site In LIV’s first two seasons. Last year the tourney moved to Bolingbrook Golf Club, and Bolingbrook will also host the next visit, on Aug. 8-10, 2025.
The Chicago stop will also kick off the first-ever Midwest swing for LIV. The following week the circuit will play at The Club at Catham Hills in Westfield, Ind., near Indianapolis. That stop will be LIV’s first visit to Indiana.
Bolingbrook’s tournament will be a bit different than last year’s. Last year’s was announced well into the season and was played as the circuit’s season Individual Championship. Spain’s Jon Rahm was the big winner, taking both that tournament and the season-long titles. Next year’s tournament will be a standards regular season stop, just like the two played at Rich Harvest.
Rahm was a three-shot winner with an 11-under-par 199 total for 54 holes this year on a layout designed by Arthur Hills and Steve Forrest.
Bolingbrook mayor Mary Alexander-Basta was delighted by Tuesday’s announcement.
“We’re excited to welcome the eyes of the golf world and LIV Golf Tour back,’’ she said. “The 2024 event was a tremendous success, and we look forward to building on that momentum to bring another world-class event to tour community.’’
LIV is far ahead of previous years in setting up its 2025 schedule. The return to Bolingbrook and first-ever visit to Indianapolis were part of an announcement that also included the circuit’s first tournament at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club in Korea and the return to Dallas, Spain and the United Kingdom for tournaments.
“LIV is growing across the globe in new and returning markets,’’ said LIV commissioner and chief executive officer Greg Norman. “We’re excited to build on the tremendous success we had last year at new venues in Chicago, Dallas and the UK, where we set new league attendance records.’’
The next season begins Feb. 6-8 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The Indianapolis stop Aug. 15-17 will be the season’s final regular season event. Chatham Hilla was the last design by the late architect Pete Dye. It’ll lead into the season-ending Individual and Team championships. Dates and sites for those events haven’t been announced.
LIV plans another 14-tournament schedule and has set dates and sites for 10 events.
HERE AND THERE: Dennis Johnsen, one of the area’s longest-standing club professionals, has announced his retirement. Johnsen spent 50 years in the golf business. The last 20 seasons were as director of golf at Pine Meadow in Mundelein, which followed a long stint at Pheasant Run in St. Charles. Johnsen was a leader in the creation of the PGA Junior League and the Illinois Super Senior Open.
Fresh Meadow, a Hillside course that opened in 1924, has closed for good. Owned by the Archdiocese of Chicago, the public course was known as Fair Lawn when it opened. Future use of the property has not been announced.
Mike Small, head coach of the University of Illinois men’s team, has signed a special recruit in Dujuan Snyman. Originally from South Africa, Snyman finished in the top four on the Australian Boys Order of Merit in each of the last four years.
“