Author: lenz

Hensby fits right in at pro golf’s most unusual event

Mark Hensby got his golfing start in Illinois’ big tournaments and now has a select spot in a PGA Tour Champions event that may be the most unusual competition in golf. (Pat Eastman Photo)

 

CLEARWATER, Florida – When Mark Hensby was getting started in professional golf he was definitely different.

He moved from Australia to the Chicago area in 1996, devoted himself to golf and promptly won the Illinois State Amateur.  He was known to occasionally sleep in his car in the Cog Hill parking lot in those days, but his game continued to  improve.  In 1998 he won the Illinois Open and in 2004 he took the John Deere Classic, Illinois’ longstanding event on the PGA Tour.

Hensby made a good career after that, even playing on one of the Presidents Cup teams, but not without a touch of the unusual mixed in. In 2009, Hensby took a break from golf to ride 430 miles in a charity cycling event in Arizona, where he has been a long-time resident. Not many pro tour golfers would attempt something like that.

So, this week is different, but Hensby is there. The Skechers World Champions Cup, a stop on PGA Tour Champions  at Feather Sound Country Club, is the most unusual competition in professional golf.  I haven’t heard of anything like it  in my 50-plus years covering golf, and this one doesn’t have much of a history.  The first playing was at The Concession, in Bradenton, FL., in 2023.  The event wasn’t played in 2024.

Play is in sixsomes over only nine holes with three formats – six-ball, Scottish Six-somes and singles – being used. Hensby was a late addition to the select field thanks to a solid season on PGA Tour Champions.  He had five top-10 finishes and was No. 26 on the season money list in 2025.

There were two-man teams from Team USA, Team International and Team Europe competing for most of it. The teams played together in six nine-hole matches spread over Thursday and Friday.

Have you ever seen a golf tournament leaderboard like this one?

Matches weren’t played on Saturday.  Pro-ams are usually held on Wednesday — the day before the real competition begins — but this time the amateurs got to play with the pros on the day before they decided a championship. The pro-am was over 18 holes, much different than the tourney format, and the course wasn’t open to the public on pro-am day.

All Skechers World Champions Cup competitors are regulars on the 50-and-over Champions circuit. Jim Furyk (USA}, Darren Clarke (Europe) and Mike Weir (International) are the team captains. Bernhard Langer was ill and didn’t play for the Europeans in the first three matches. Hensby is on the International team based on his Australian background.

Skechers provided shoes for all the players as well as their caddies, spouses and tournament volunteers. The unusual format forced some adjustment for the players, especially Hensby. Six players teed off in each group on each hole in the team portion.

“You just pay attention and take your time,’’ said Hensby.  “It’s a little different.  Four times I walked where there were still guys to hit, so that’s definitely different.’’

Hensby was paired with Y.E. Yang, from South Korea, in the first two rounds, and they were the top point-producers in both of them. Friday turned sour for Hensby after that, as his team was the lowest point-producer in the morning session and Hensby couldn’t play in the afternoon.

“At dinner last night Mark said he might only go nine holes (on Friday),’’ said Charlie Wi, an alternate on the International squad.  “I didn’t put much into it, but today he wasn’t feeling well and said he couldn’t feel his clubs.’’

So, Wi took Hensby’s place – and that presented an odd spin.  When Hensby captured his only PGA Tour Champions victory in Texas in 2023 he defeated Wi in a playoff. Whether he’ll be back in the lineup Sunday is uncertain, but the competition is tight.

Europe leads with 109.5 points to 108 for the U.S. and 106.5 for the International team. The tourney concludes on Sunday with 12 singles  matches. TV coverage on the final day will be split between Golf Channel and ABC.

The field in the Skechers World Champions Cup consisted of only  24 players but they received a warm welcome from the spectators at Feather Sound

 

 

 

Golf is by no means everything in the St. Augustine area

If you haven’t seen the world renown Nights of Lights display in St. Augustine, you should. There’s a variety of way to see the miles of white lights — walk, car, horse-drawn carriage, trolley, boat — all the way into January.  It puts you into the holiday spirit. (Joy Sarver Photos)

 

ST. AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA – There are lots of golf travel destinations well worth visiting – even if you don’t play golf. This is Part 2 of a series on that theme.

We had intended to bring our clubs to World Golf Village for a brief visit over the Thanksgiving holidays. Those clubs got left in our garage when the weather in Florida turned unseasonably cold.

The plan was to have our Thanksgiving dinner in St. Augustine, a bustling city at that time of year.  Then we could enjoy the sights.  St. Augustine has, arguably, the best Christmas lights display in Florida. A round of golf would have been nice, too.

St. Augustine is particularly a golf hotspot in March, when the PGA Tour holds its Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass in nearby Ponte Vedra, but the playing options are always good in the area.

We had made previous visits over the years, but never one as extensive as this one. The options extended well beyond playing golf.  Holiday festivities were starting.

We had a room booked at World Golf Village, a 36-hole resort that we had visited several times over the years. Once there we regretted we hadn’t brought the clubs along.  The weather warmed up and the courses – called King & Bear and Slammer & Squire —  looked enticing. Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer combined efforts to design the first one and the second honored legendary players Sam Snead and Gene Sarazen.

Our lodging was within the Village, at a condo at Blue-Green Vacations. It was perfectly comfortable – even without us having tee times. There was plenty to do in the historic city of St. Augustine, about 20 minutes away and it was packed with visitors.

You want a lookback at history? This fort was completed in 1695 after being  under construction for 23 years. It  protected St. Augustine’s citizens  for decades before it became a tourist attraction.

 

 

We made use of trolleys to see the sites, but heavy traffic slowed things down – and that was just as well.  Ours was supposed to be primarily a relaxing getaway – and it was. That wasn’t surprising because we had visited St. Augustine several times over the years. We were well aware that a Spaniard named Pone de Leon claimed Florida for Spain 1512. Spanish settlements needed to be built in Florida to protect the early settlers from pirates and hostile Indians.

St. Augustine became the oldest continuously occupied European settlement after Pedro Menendez came with 700 soldiers and colonists arrived.  They founded the city in 1565 as America’s first colony but had trouble keeping it.  Englishman Francis Drake burned the city to the ground in 1586 and a pirate, John Davis, battered it again in 1686.

Eventually Spain’s queen regent Mariana ordered the construction of a stone fort, and its remnants remain. Other historical features were slowly added.  So were 43 miles of white sand beaches, and those two attractions bring over 5 million visitors a year to St. Augustine.

Flager College, a well-regarded private institution, has become a landmark in St. Augustine.

After all the wars for control of the city were over Henry Flagler, co-founder of Standard Oil, visited during the winter of 1883-84.  He saw possibilities for development of the area and his projects made a major impact on the architecture and economy of the city.

Now there’s The Oldest House, a museum complex with gardens; the Villa Zorayda Museum; the largest retail shop in Florida; live pirate shows; airboat rides; boat tours; art galleries and plenty of dining and lodging options.

Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Museum, San Sebastian Winery, the Accord Civil Rights Museum, Pirate and Treasure Museum, The Jail, Potter’s Wax Museum and the old hotels and churches are all interesting.

These colorful peacocks are just one of the features of interest at the Fountain of Youth.

Our favorites were  the Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park and Flagler College. Flager has a very nice looking campus and played a big role in the civil rights movement. Fountain of Youth provided a pleasant walk through a series of educational stops.  We could have spent a whole day there.

As for the golf, it’s always an option.  Royal St. Augustine joins TPC Sawgrass and World Golf Village as fine spots for those who want to hit the links in between stops at the multitude of other attractions.

World Golf Village had been the home of the World Golf Hall of Fame, but that was closed in 2023 and relocated to Pinehurst, N.C. That changed the atmosphere at the Village, though signage to the Hall are still there.

One feature that didn’t go away was Murray Brothers Caddyshack Restaurant.  The Saint Augustine location was the first of a series of such restaurants nationwide. They were created by a group of six brothers from the Chicago area, the most famous of which is Bill – one of the stars of the iconic Caddyshack movies. World Golf Village’s Caddyshack opened in 2001 and is still going strong.

The World Golf Hall of Fame may have left World Golf Village but the Murray Brothers’ Caddyshack Restaurant is still there to kindle old memories for golfers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This ING Fall Forum wasn’t like any of its predecessors

Long-time Florida golf architect Ron Garl brought his experience from designing over 3,000 courses to the International Network of Golf Fall Forum. (Joy Sarver Photos)

 

SEBRING, FL. —  Mike  Jamison, executive director of the International Network of Golf, started holding Fall Forums at the Inn on the Lakes Hotel in 2022, ending a run of annual Spring Conferences that started at Hilton Head, S.C., in 1990. It ran through 2019 when the Sebring Raceway Hotel hosted before the pandemic shut down the event for two years.

Whether held in the fall or spring, the ING’s feature event brought  media members together with golf industry leaders in a comfortable, productive setting . This staging was different, though.

While there were the traditional two golf outings on the four-day schedule, the presentations were  loaded with information on what’s new in the golf world.  Two – by Peakvision’s Dave Feaser and Tour Edge’s David Glod and Matt Neely – were done via Zoom calls.  The others, of varying length, were done in person.  All were captivating and informative. It created a perfect blend of fun and education and concluded with a Jamison announcement on a major change in the event for 2026. More on that later.

In the meantime, here’s how the latest Fall Forum unfolded.

RON GARL, the long-time Florida-based golf architect and ING member, has worked on over 300 courses around the world. We have long awaited the creation of a Ron Garl Golf Trail in Florida, and both courses played in this ING outing – Golf Hammock and Country Club of Sebring – were Garl designs.

A Trail must wait, but Garl provided a lowdown on his Florida courses and the many he has done internationally. The most striking part of his presentation, though, came when he addressed the state of the industry. He has some concerns, and suggestions.

“One way to grow the game would be for courses to offer free golf on Monday afternoons.  They’d be walking rounds after school is out, and the rounds would be free “only if you bring a kid. ‘’

He also suggested a different formula in purchasing season green fees.

“You don’t buy memberships,’’ he said.  “You buy tee times and you buy them for foursomes.’’

Thought-provoking?  I certainly think so.

Tour Edge founder David Glod (left) and Matt Neely, vice president of product development, operated via Zoom to provide a detailed  look on how the company designs their innovative clubs. T.E.D. Robot ((Tour Edge Development, below) is a key part of the club creation process. In fact, they just call the robot “Ted.”

TOUR EDGE’s Glod and Neely came from their headquarters in Batavia, IL., to provide a step-by-step  look at how clubs are designed and marketed. Glod especially knows the process inside and out, as he’s been doing it for over 40 years.

Some interesting sidelights:

“Yes, we’re using Artificial Intelligence in the design phases,’’ said Glod. “ You need to keep the guardrails on AI.  Otherwise you can get out of control, but  AI can take us outside the box a little more.’’

So, what’s the future of AI in golf?

“That’s a tough one,’’ said Glod. “Think about it.  A driver is extremely intricate.  It’s more for testing right now but we’re making human decisions.’’

Tour Edge has just come out with the first ball in company history.

“That was all driven by (new president) Tim Clarke, who came from Wilson,’’ said Glod. “We know our balls meet the standards, but we’re on the Champions Tour now (with most of its player ambassadors), and those guys are hard to change. We have a large presence there, but we’ve got to move on. Our next focus will be on the 30 to 50 year olds.’’

David Feaser (left) of PeakVision found an ideal model for his company’s sunglasses.

PEAKVISION started 25 years ago and owner and chief executive officer Dave Feaser and his son Nicholas bought the company in 2017. It’s based in Conway, S.C. Their present product is non-polarized sunglasses.

“That highlights everything,’’ said Feaser.  “They’re the only pair of sunglasses you don’t take off.  They provide wonderful clarity on the golf course. You can see the course like you’ve never seen it before, and they help on a cloudy day.’’

Jan Stephenson, the World Golf Hall of Famer, gave them a verbal endorsement during the Feaser’s presentation. He also says they’re good for pickleball and tennis and combat eye fatigue, but they’re not offered in prescriptions.  Cost ranges from $100 to $160.’’

Golf great Jan Stephenson has fun describing her new book to ING’s Mike Jamison.

STEPHENSON also unveiled her latest business venture. It started with discussions about a movie on her life, but she didn’t like the script.

For now she’s working with Tony Leodora on a book about her life.  Leodora has already written Chapter 25 and predicts it will be “a blockbuster….I’m stunned every day with what she had to overcome.’’

“And we didn’t have to make anything up,’’ said Stephenson, who has – among other things – recovered from breast cancer. While the book will come first she believes the movie and/or a screen play will follow.

SID MINER, a Sarasota, FL., resident, stopped by to promote the National Association of Left-Handed Golfers.

This group was founded in 1936 and its annual tournament will celebrate its 90th anniversary in 2026. That event is Sept. 22-27 in St. Paul, Minn., but the group has a full tournament schedule prior to that.  First event is the Florida State Championshp March 17-18 at Saddlebrook Resort in Wesley Chapel.

Sid Miner (left), of the Left-Handed Golfers, and Gary Lofano, of The Landings, were also key players at the ING Fall Forum.

AND FINALLY, Jamison caught the Fall Forum attendees by surprise in announcing that the Spring Conference will return in 2026.  It’ll be held June 1-3 at The Landings Golf & Athletic Club in Savannah, Ga. It has six 18-hole courses and Gary Lofano, director of marketing and communication,  welcomed the ING members on behalf of The Landings.

Jamison said there would be a limit for ING members, from 30-36, at this Spring Conference. More details will be available when ING returns to the PGA Merchandise Show at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL. From January 20-23.

Casey Hartt, (left), tourism director at Visit Sebring, and Andy Kessling (right) of the Citrus Golf Trail celebrate another ING Fall Forum with Mike Jamison.

Is a Chicago player turnover coming on the LPGA Tour?

GOING, AND COMING: Elizabeth Szokol(left) just announced her retirement from the LPGA Tour while Lauryn Nguyen played in her first tournament. (Joy Sarver Photos)

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 — the official name of the last regular tournament of the season that’s hosted by legendary player Annika Sorenstam.

Szokol helped New Trier win the Illinois high school title in 2010 and won the  Illinois State Women’s Amateur in 2012 while growing up in Winnetka. She  played two seasons at Northwestern before finishing her college career at Virginia. A member at the Pelican Country Club, she wanted to wrap up her LPGA career on her home course.

“It’s crazy.  It’s hard to believe it’s been nine years playing (the LPGA circuit),’’ said Szokol, who teamed with Cheyenne Knight to earn her lone LPGA win at the Dow Great Lakes Invitational in Michigan in 2023.  “I’ve had a lot of lingering injuries and the travel got a bit old for me.  I just kind of missed being home.’’

Szokol was a player director on the LPGA board and ended her duties last week as well.

“I loved doing it,’’ she said. “It was amazing the last three years, just to see how the Tour has progressed and how big our purses have gotten. The LPGA has so far to go, and we’re on the right path. I was just happy to be a little part of it.’’

Szokol and Nguyen both posted 1-over-par 71s in the first round of The Annika – a score that matched the ones turned in by three-time tournament winner Nelly Korda and Lexi Thompson, a long-time LPGA mainstay.

Host Annika Sorenstam was happy to have Lauryn Nguyen (left) and Elizabeth Szokol among the key players  in her tournament field. (Pat Eastman Photo)

Nguyen helped Northwestern win  this year’s  NCAA women’s  championship and turned pro after graduating from NU. She found the transition to the sport’s next level wasn’t easy.

“It was really a big adjustment. Financially I had to grab everything out of my pocket,’’ she said.  “I didn’t have a place to stay or practice.’’

That problem was at least temporarily solved when she was given a sponsor’s exemption to The Annika.  Tournament organizers helped her line up lodging with some Pelican members and the Pelican was a great place to practice for the last month.  Nguyen  also found some sponsors, too.

“Everything I needed got taken care of, and more,’’ said Nguyen, who is now looking for a home in the area.

Nguyen gained experience in the pro-am, playing nine-holes with both Caitlin Clark, the basketball star who spurred attendance at the golf event, and Korda. The tournament invited Nguyen’s coaches and teammates at Northwestern to come to the tournament and that contingent was joined by her family, from Seattle, Wash., for the tournament rounds.

Szokol also had a big contingent supporting her in her last event.  She’s been a Tampa resident the last seven years and her husband, many members of their extended family and friends were on hand.  Justin Sheehan, her swing coach since 2019, is the director of golf at the Pelican.

Nguyen also called this year’s tournament “kind of crazy’’ but for different reasons.

“You walk into the locker room and Nelly’s locker is two doors down.   You see the people on the range.  It’s really cool being inside the ropes.  I’m still learning from them, so it’s really a cool opportunity I was given. It’s really hard to put into words.  What an event to make your debut at, and having it under Annika’s name is so, so special.’’

The LPGA debut of Lauryn Nguyen (second from right) brought out many of the Northwestern alum’s family and friends to The Annika tournament’s opening day. (Joy Sarver Photo)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Caitlin Clark can play more than just basketball — Is golf next?

Host Annika Sorenstam (left) is glad that Caitlin Clark (center) and Lauryn Nyugen are part of her golf tournament, The Annika driven by Gainbridge. (Joy Sarver Photos)

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 the college and pro level.  Now she’s doing the same in golf.

The John Deere Classic, Illinois’ only annual PGA Tour event, invited Clark to play in one of its pro-ams.  As a basketball star from nearby Iowa, she was a smash hit in the men’s event played at a course on the Illinois-Iowa border.

That appearance led to The Annika driven by Gainbridge bringing Clark to last year’s tournament. Same result there. Tournament host Annika Sorenstam was delighted when Clark returned for a day’s play before the four-day tournament proper tees off on Thursday.

Clark was the major attraction at the pro-am — but not the only one.  She played nine holes with Nelly Korda, a three-time winner of the tournament, and nine more with Lauren Nguyen, a star from Northwestern’s NCAA championship team.

This time Clark also brought friends. Two of her teammates on the Indiana Fever, Lexie Hull and Sophie Cunningham, came as celebrity guest caddies.  They shot baskets with Clark in the middle of her pro-am round. They also hit ceremonial tee shots as did NASCAR driver Carson Hocevar and Briana Scurry,  the U.S. goaltender on four World Cups and three Olympics Games teams.

Caitlin Clark is the center of attention with three-time Annika champion Nelly Korda (left) and Clark’s Indiana Fever teammates Sophie Cunningham (8) and Lexie Hull (10).

They created a buzz, but so did some golfers. Nguyen was a sponsor exemption and will make her LPGA debut this week. So will Kai Trump – an 18-year old high school senior from Florida who is the oldest granddaughter of President Donald Trump.  She’s bringing along Allan Kournikova, a long-time friend from South Florida who is the brother of tennis star Anna Kournikova, as her caddie.

Lots of athletic star power in that group, and the Pelican Country Club course was packed so tightly that parking was a major problem in the lots around the course on pro-am day.

“It’s nice to see women’s sports is in such good hands,’’ said Sorenstam, who was a legendary golfer on the LPGA circuit.

Clark’s magic resulted in the tournament sponsors making a $22,000 donation to her foundation and Nygyen was given $5,000 to help her Washington-based DUC Foundation.

All in it, this extraordinary pro-am created a lively atmosphere that the tournament proper might find hard to match. That tone was created in large part by non-tour stars.  Korda was in the spirit, giving Clark a pair of new golf shoes that she just designed.

Clark, though downplayed her own golf skills.“I was a little messy off the tee,’’ said Clark.  “I need to take some lessons, but golf is something I love to do. It’s not my main sport, and I’m not very good at it.’’

Kai Trump, with caddie Allan Kournikova, are ready for an exciting LPGA Tour debut.

Trump also wasn’t invited strictly because of her golf skills, though she will be playing collegiately at the University of Miami.

“My dream has been to compete with the best in the world on the  LPGA Tour,’’ she said.  “ This event will be an incredible experience.’’

No, her grandfather won’t be at the tournament.

“He’s running the world right now, so he’s a little busy,’’ Kai said. “My grandpa told me to just go out and have fun.’’

She has more than six million combined followers across social media and recently founded her own apparel and lifestyle brand aimed at empowering young women in sports. Golf is just a part her lifestyle.

“Any tournament wants buzz,’’ said Sorenstam, “and we’ve had it now for a lot of different reasons.  Kai brings a lot of different people to the sport, and we want people to hear about our tournament and be a part of it.  The word is spreading, and that’s a good thing.’’

Caitlin Clark considers golf “not my main sport” but she certainly enjoys playing it.

 

 

Northwestern alum Nguyen set to make her LPGA debut

Recent Northwestern star Lauryn Nguyen (left) awaits her LPGA debut with tournament host Annika Sorenstam and Winnetka tour player  Elizabeth Szokol. (Payton Walker Photo).

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 – with the circuit playing its next-to-the-last event of the 2025 season on Szokol’s home course – there could be a second player with Chicago connection arriving soon.

Lauryn Nguyen, who helped Northwestern to the NCAA championship in 2024, has been given a exemption into The Annika driven by Gainbridge at the Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, FL.  It’ll be played Nov.  13-16.

Annika Sorenstam, the tournament host, didn’t just invite Nguyen, either.  She invited the Northwestern teams of the last two years to cheer Nguyen on.

A couple other promising young players received sponsor exemptions along with Nguyen, too – Anne-Sterre den Dunnen, who will represent the Wake Forest team that won The Annika Intercollegiate in September, and Kai Trump, an 18-year old high school senior from Florida who has verbally committed to play college golf at the University of Miami.  She is the granddaughter of President Donald Trump.

This will be a special week for the premier women’s circuit in golf.  The Pelican will be celebrating its centennial and the LPGA is wrapping up its 75th anniversary season.  It concludes with the CME Group Tour Championship a week later in Naples, FL.

Nguyen, who grew up in the Seattle area, will make her LPGA debut but before she hits her first official tee shot she’ll play with popular basketball star Caitlin Clark in Wednesday’s pro-am. Clark played in the pro-am last year drew a big following.

“This is amazing that I’ll be able to start my professional career in a pro-am with Caitlin in a tournament named in  honor of Annika,’’ said Wynne.  “I’m so excited.’’

Sorenstam and Clark have been big boosters for women’s sports and Nguyen has done the same.  She was a two-time All-American at Northwestern and had the lowest stroke average in program history – 72.4 over four years.  She received her invite to The Annika in part because of her play on the course but also for her philanthropic initiatives.  She hosts the Nguyen Junior Amateur in  Seattle and manages the Duc Foundation – a non-profit organization that aims to give scholarships to youngsters in need.

Nguyen’s last college event was the NCAA Championship victory, when coach Emily Fletcher’s Wildcats beat Stanford in the title match.

“That was magical, a real cool thing,’’ said Nguyen. “A lot of people were rooting for us as the underdog story, and we took advantage of the opportunity to make history.’’

Since then she played in the Arnold Palmer Cup and three tournaments in a developmental tour organized by Sorenstam, the LPGA’s leading career money leader with over $22 million in her 15-year Hall of Fame career.

Nguyen hopes to work her way onto the LPGA circuit.  She survived the first stage of LPGA qualifying but not the second.  That means she’ll probably play primarily on the Epson Tour in 2026.

She’ll get a good taste of the LPGA at The Pelican, however.  It’s one of the up-and-coming events with a prize fund upgraded to $3.25 million this year. Nelly Korda has won the tournament in three of the last four years and the field will be strong because of its position on the schedule as well as its $11 million purse.  The biggest winner’s prize in women’s golf — $4 million – will be on the line in that tournament.

“As our last event before the Tour Championship you’re either trying to make your way to that event or trying to keep your job – your LPGA Tour card for the following year,’’ said Szokol, who has a win on the circuit and has made it to the CME event in the past.  “Everyone wants to be there and playing well, so it brings in the best field.’’

 

 

Illinois Golf Hall of Fame has one of its strongest induction classes

 

The Illinois Golf Hall of Fame inducts new members every two years, and the next class of six inductees joining the select group will be honored at Friday’s ceremonies at The Glen Club, in Glenview.

While Illinois has hardly been rich in PGA Tour players, the 21st induction class has two who made it to golf’s premier circuit. Bob Zender made it after winning the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament in 1971, and he was a regular on the circuit through 1982. David Ogrin arrived in 1983 and played until 2000, then spent parts of two seasons on PGA Tour Champions.

Professional golf was a lot different during their competitive careers. Tournament purses were much smaller when Zender played, but he had 10 top-10 finishes with a tie for third in the Greater Milwaukee Open his best result.

Zender, though, made his mark even before his big splash in PGA Tour qualifying.  He was a three-time Illinois State Amateur champion and collegiate All-American while at Purdue. Then he pulled off a three-peat in the Illinois PGA Championship, winning titles in 1976-78.  Now 82, Zender also shot a 62 at Chicago’s Ridgemoor Country Club – a mark the stands alongside Ben Hogan as the course record.

Ogrin, now 67 and directing his own golf academy in Texas, made 507 PGA Tour starts and pulled off a most memorable victory.  Tiger Woods was trying to earn his PGA Tour card in the final months of the 1996 season to avoid going to Qualifying School.  Woods succeeded on that, but he couldn’t handle Ogrin in a final round duel at the Texas Open.

While Ogrin made that one his lone PGA Tour victory, he lost two other tournaments in playoffs and won two other unofficial events.  He beat Nick Faldo at the Deposit Guarantee Classic in 1987 and teamed with Ted Schultz to win the Chrysler Classic team event in 1989.

Like Zender, Ogrin was a dominant player in the Illinois ranks before hitting the big time. He won both the Illinois State Amateur and Illinois Open in 1980. He also won the Chicago District Amateur in back-to-back years (1979-80) and the Illinois high school title in 1976 before moving on to Texas A&M.

Ogrin and his sister Alicia were both Illinois State Amateur champions. They developed their golf skills primarily at Bonnie Brook Golf Club after their mother Bertha was elected to the Waukegan Park Board.

“I took full advantage of that privilege,’’ admitted Ogrin.  “I’d play 18, 27, 36 holes a day.  Then I’d also caddie a lot for my dad (Albin).  I started playing when I was 7, and I got in a lot of golf – but not supervised golf.’’

Ogrin and wife Sharon, long-time Texas residents, have three daughters and a son whose name underscores their connection to Chicago.  His name is Clark Addison and, yes, David remains a diehard Cubs’ fan.

Friday’s other inductees include Steve Skinner, the chief executive officer of Northbrook-based KemperSports, and Dan Dinelli, a third-generation golf course superintendent who has directed the operation at North Shore Country Club, in Glenview, for 36 years.

Skinner has played a pivotal role in shaping modern facility management with his portfolio including high profile work at such places as Oregon’s Bandon Dunes, Wisconsin’s Sand Valley and Florida’s Streamsong. He’s also a founder of the First Tee of Greater Chicago.

The other inductees are Horace McDougal, a pioneer for racial integration in golf, and Joe Roseman, who built the first lighted par-3 course in the Chicago area in the 1930s.

McDougal played at Northwestern, co-founded the Windy City Golf Association and played in the first Negro National Open in 1926. Roseman was an inventive force in early American golf, making contributions in course design, construction and equipment.

 

 

 

Ryder Cup site Bethpage Black has an unusual way of doing things

Lots of golf facilities have hosted the biggest PGA events, but Bethpage Black – site of the Ryder Cup has an unusual way of doing things.

The head golf professional, Justin Koff, is also the director of junior instruction at the massive five-course facility. The director of golf is Kelley Brooke whose company heads Bethpage Golf Group.

“I own the company that runs the entire operation,’’ said Brooke. “It’s the equivalent of being the head pro at a golf course.’’

It’s a big job, to be sure. Koff, as a PGA member, holds the title of head professional but Brooke oversees the pro shop operation, the driving range, sending out the carts and the instruction programs.

“And I pay rent to the State of New York in return,’’ she said.

Brooke won the contract for the Bethpage job in 2018 and is operating on a 20-year contract. She didn’t know the Ryder Cup was coming when she landed the job.

“It was a pretty good secret,’’ she said, “and it changed my life financially.  Now (leading into the Ryder Cup) we’re doing $35,000 a day in merchandise sales.  The Ryder Cup has put me and Bethpage on the map.’’

She was prepared for it, though.

After attending the University of Iowa on a scholarship in the 1980s she broke into golf as a driving range instructor on Staten Island in the early 1990s.

“I worked at a range that was between a dump – a landfill – and a prison,’’ she said.  “Finally, in 1993, I couldn’t take it any longer and started to build my resume.’’

She developed a variety of programs at other locations and – after 10 years – she got her first contract at Brooklyn Golf Center. Now, in addition to Bethpage, she has negotiated long-term deals at three other Long Island facilities—Montauk Downs, Merrick and Harbor Links. Merrick and Harbor Links are for 25 years and Montauk for 10. She’s hoping to add Lido to that list. It’d be a 30-year project.

“The pro shop and instruction will be huge there — $13-15 million,’’ she said.  “If I win Lido, that’ll be my last one.  I’ll ride into the sunset. I’ll be in my eighties by the time I’m done.’’

In addition to her management business Brooke has been competing on the LPGA Legends Tour but, understandably, her playing career has been put on hold for this year with the demands of the Ryder Cup taking precedence.

Koff has also been dedicated to his duties on the teaching end. His father got him started in golf when he was seven or eight years old and bought him a set of clubs for Christmas.

“On my first shot he told me to hit it at a flag, and I hit it to two feet,’’ said Koff.

That was a good start and – playing frequently at the Bethpage courses and nearby Eisenhower — he eventually got his handicap down to a plus-1, but he didn’t play college golf as a student at Clemson. He was more interested in another side of the sport that started when he volunteered to work in the First Tee program as a 14-year old.

After college he was hired as a program director at the First Tee of Nassau County and took it to new levels.

“When I started we had about 500 kids and 30-40 volunteers,’’ he said.  “In my time there it grew to 5,000 kids and 150 volunteers.’’

“We made pretty extensive growth,’’ he said.  “We made efforts to create different programs that would attract all kinds of participants. We focused on the under privileged to help them get into the game of golf.  I was more interested in watching others grow in the game rather than enjoy playing it myself.  Students are my priority.’’

At Bethpage his junior program offers something for youngsters between the ages of 5 and 17.  It has a PGA Junior League and a summer camp program.  Koff doesn’t teach only juniors, however.

“I teach everybody,’’ he said.  “My youngest student is 4, my oldest is 98. The 98-year old man can still play 18 holes and shoot under 100.  His wife plays, too, and is a little better than he is.’’

Koff’s lesson count is staggering.  He estimates that he has averaged 1,000 lessons per year for his 15 years in the business.

“My unique story is that I grew up as a public golf guy on Long Island, and now I’m teaching it at Bethpage and Eisenhower.  Those are courses I grew up on,’’ he said. “It’s like a dream come true. I like to serve the public and give them quality lessons that are as good as they would be getting at a private club.’’

The excitement of having a Ryder Cup is not lost on Brooke or Koff.

“The impact on the local economy will be phenomenal,’’ said Koff. “I know how excited New York fans are.  It’ll be an absolutely amazing event. The businesses, restaurants and hotels will all benefit from this.’’

And so will his youth players.

Twelve members of the PGA Junior League teams will be standard bearers at the Junior Ryder Cup matches and have access to the practice rounds on Thursday of competition week.

“They’re saying there’ll be 50,000 (fans) there each day,’’ said Brooke.  “The stands they’ve built on the first tee will hold thousands and thousands. For me my goal is for the Ryder Cup to help grow our instructional programs.  I think that’s why I got the contract here. I like to see junior and women’s golf growing the game.’’

 

 

 

Butler National’s Svoboda retains IPGA Player of the Year honors

 

Andy Svoboda had the reputation of being a very good player when he took the head professional’s job at Butler National in Oak Brook in 2024, and the former PGA Tour player continues to prove it.

Svoboda earned the Illinois PGA Bernardi Player of the Year honor in his first year on the job, and now he’s two-for-two. An eagle on the last hole of the last of the section’s last of four major championships wasn’t good enough for Svoboda to win the IPGA Players Championship at Biltmore, in Barrington. He finished third, behind champion Tim Streng, of the Wildcat Golf Academy, and Brian Carroll, of The Hawk in St. Charles.

The third-place finish, though, gave Svoboda enough points to edge Carroll for Player of the Year. Even with three stroke play wins and a solo second finish in the Illinois Open Svoboda needed the strong finish to overhaul Carroll in the season-long point race.

“I love to compete. I enjoy the adrenaline when you’re in the hunt because it gives me extra focus,’’ said Svoboda.  “Brian played really well, and it’s crazy when you think about the span of the season coming down to one round. I was definitely trying to win the tournament, but Player of the Year was in the back of my mind.  I’m really happy I got it done.’’

PGA TOUR – Two of Chicago’s members in golf’s premier circuit – Wheaton’s Kevin Streelman and Arlington Heights’ Doug Ghim – were in the Sanderson Farms Championship in Mississippi.  It was the first of the fall tournaments that wrap up the season.

Streelman, who missed six months of the season after having knee surgery in March, tied for 48th and Ghim, who struggled in with a 78 in the final round, fell to a tie for 55th.

KORN FERRY TOUR – Adrien Dumont de Chassart had a fast start as a professional after starring at Illinois.  He promptly earned playing privileges on the PGA’s Korn Ferry circuit, then won his first tournament and was runner-up in a playoff loss in the second.  That burst led to him moving up to the PGA Tour but he lasted for just a season.

Dumont de Chassart was back on the Korn Ferry circuit this year but he can still go low.  He had a sizzling 61-61 start in the Compliance Solutions Championship in Oklahoma last week and won the circuit’s last regular season tournament by seven shots on Sunday. He’ll bid for a return to the PGA Tour at this week’s Korn Ferry Finals in French Lick, Ind

LPGA – Winnetka’s Elizabeth Szokol, the only Chicago area player on the women’s circuit,  tied for 35th in last week’s Lotte Championship in Hawaii. That boosted her to No. 89 in the Race to the CME Globe. The top 60 in the LPGA’s season-long point race qualify for the season-ending $11 million championship Nov. 20-23 in Florida.

Szokol has six tournaments left — and one on her home course at The Pelican in Florida – to qualify for the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship.

 

 

Holtz, Tour Edge join Donald as golf big newsmakers

The Ryder Cup, which ended so dramatically in New York on Sunday, ended as a great day for Northwestern alum Luke Donald.  He became the first European captain to lead back-to-back victories since Tony Jacklin in 1985 and 1987.

Donald’s immediate response was that he won’t be attempting a three-peat in 2027, but time will tell.

Meanwhile, there were some other noteworthy fall developments from an Illinois perspective.

Brandon Holtz, a reinstated amateur from Bloomington, won the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship. The 38-year old former basketball player at Illinois State, playing in his first U.S. Golf Association national championship, defeated Jeg Coughlin, of Dublin, Ohio, 3 and 2 in the title match at Arizona’s Troon Country Club.

Tour Edge, the Batavia-based equipment manufacturer known for its contingent of star players on the PGA Tour Champions circuit, launched the first-ever golf ball in its 40-year history.  The Exotics ball will be available at retailers nationwide beginning on Oct. 28.

Mike Troy captured the Illinois PGA Senior Players Championship with a four-stroke win at Flossmoor. It was his second senior  IPGA major win, the first coming in the 2020 Senior Match Play Championship.

Taylorville’s Dave Ryan added to his dominance within the senior ranks with his fourth win in the Illinois State Senior Amateur at Bloomington Country Club.  Since his first victory in that event  when he was 55 years old Ryan – now 71 — added wins in the U.S. Senior Amateur and three in the Chicago District Senior Amateur.

HOLTZ, was a mini-tour player after his four years as a collegiate basketball player for the Redbirds. He got his amateur status back in 2024 and now works as a realtor.  He’s the second ISU athlete to win a USGA title, the first being Todd Mitchell in the 2019 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball.  Mitchell was also the U.S. Mid-Amateur runner-up 17 years ago.

After focusing on golf Holtz contended in several Illinois Opens. With his win in Arizona he now has exemptions to the 2026 and 2027 U.S. Mid Amateurs at famous courses — Merion, in Pennsylvania, and Oak Hilll, in New York.  He also can play in next year’s U.S. Open at Shinneock Hils, also in New York, and will likely get an invitation into next year’s  Masters at Augusta National.

TOUR EDGE founder and chief executive officer David Glod called his company’s entrance into the ball market “a monumental step.’’

“After four decades of relentless innovation in golf clubs and bags we’re applying the same commitment to golf balls,’’ said Glod.

“People are going to ask, ‘Why Tour Edge, and why now?’’ said Tour Edge president Tim Clarke, who long headed the golf division at Wilson.  “This creates an exciting first touchpoint for other golfers to experience our performance.’’

HERE AND THERE: Biggest event remaining on the Chicago calender is the Illinois Golf Hall of Fame induction ceremony at The Glen Club in Glenview on Oct. 17. The 21st induction class inductees are KemperSports chief executive officer Steve Skinner; Dan Dinelli, course superintendent at North Shore Country Club for 36 years;  former PGA Tour players Bob Zender and David Ogrin; Joe Roseman, who designed and constructed courses throughout the Chicago area in the 1930s; and Horace Mc Dougal, a former Northwestern golfer in 1923 who pioneered racial integration in the sport.