By Len Ziehm
A big golf story could be in the works – and this one isn’t on the PGA Tour. It exploded on that circuit’s alternate circuit – the Korn Ferry Tour – at last week’s Evans Scholars Invitational at The Glen Club, in Glenview.
Tommy Morrison came out the winner, and – standing at 6-9 – he may be the tallest player on any of the professional tours. Morrison turned pro after playing for the University of Texas in the NCAA Championship, and his success as a touring professional has been astounding.
In four Korn Ferry starts the 21-year old finished tied for tied for 10th, then tied for fifth, then solo runner-up before his three-stroke victory at The Glen Club. His 29-under-par 255 for 72 holes was the sixth lowest in Korn Ferry history and his score in relation to par was also the sixth best.
Morrison is only the fifth player to get a win in his first season on the circuit, the last being Illinois alum Adrien Dumont de Chassart in 2025. He’s on the PGA Tour now and so are three other winners of the Evans Scholars Invitational – world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler (2019), Cameron Young (2020) and Harry Hall (2022).
Scott McGuinness, Morrison’s caddie, was also on Scheffler’s bag when he won the title.
Morrison’s win also made him the leader in a new four-tournament series for the Korn Ferry players, called the Route 66 Cup. The top three players in the series get bonus money — $66,000 for the champion, $22,500 for second place and $11,500 for third. The final event in that series is the Oct. 1-4 Compliance Solutions Championship at Patriot Golf Club, in Oklahoma. That’s a week before the season-ending Korn Ferry Tour Championship in Virginia.
“I can’t put it into words,’’ said Morrison. “The last couple weeks were crazy, and then to finish it off (with a win) was amazing.’’
What’s every bit as amazing was that Morrison wasn’t the whole show at The Glen Club. Another recent collegian, Ross Steelman, earned a share of top billing with just one swing. Steelman, who spent two years at Missouri and then two more at Georgia Tech, had a hole-in-one on a par-4. He was only the sixth player to do that in Korn Ferry event.
Steelman used his driver to put his ball in the cup from 352 yards out on the 15th hole. The only Korn Ferry player with an ace from longer range was Timmy Crawford. He holed out from 365 in 2024.
ILLINOIS WOMEN’S OPEN: Sixteen-year old Conant High School student Madeline Gutierrez, of Elk Grove, captured the title in a two-hole playoff with Haeri Lee, of Hinsdale.
Only three players bettered par in the 36-hole test at Mistwood Golf Club. Gutierrez and Lee finished at 2-under 142 and Mistwood teaching pro Nicole Jeray, a two-time winner of tourney that was first played in 1995, was a stroke back in third place.
HERE AND THERE: Trevor Immelman was named as a captain’s assistant for the International side in the Sept. 22-27 Presidents Cup at Medinah. Captain Geoff Ogilvy added Immelman to his staff. His first captain’s assistant was Camilo Villegas and Ogilvie will name two more. Immelman competed in the Presidents Cup in 2005 and 2007, and won the Masters title in 2008. Now in his third stint as captain’s assistant, Immelman was the International captain in 2022.
Four Illinois players are in the 312-player field at the 50th PGA Junior Championship, which started Tuesday and runs through Friday in Frisco, TX. Oswego’s Alli Wiertal and Long Grove’s Campbell Ray qualified in the Girls division and Northbrook’s Moon Asher and Barrington’s Sam Uutalo made it among the Boys.
The 11th Chicago District Four-Ball concludes on Wednesday (TODAY) with semifinal and championship matches at Skokie, in Glencoe.