Gavin Newsham’s “Project Tiger” (left) and Alan Shipnuck’s “Rory” provide a great one-two punch for golf readers.
Two books on prominent golfers — “Tiger Project’’ by Gavin Newsham and “RORY’’ by Alan Shipnuck – came out very close together earlier this year. Both were somewhat updated when they were released, as Tiger Woods had since been involved in another auto-related catastrophe and Rory McIlroy was about to repeat as a Masters champion.
That didn’t really matter, as both books were well researched and pertinent to the golf world specifically and the much wider world of sports in general. The books ideally should be read consecutively to be fully appreciated, with Tiger going first.
I wasn’t excited when “Project Tiger’’ arrived in the mail. Another book on the brilliant golfer with serious personal issues, really?!
This one, though, was presented with a fresh perspective. Newsham’s creation (Diversion Books) detailed Woods’ upbringing and the cover promised “A searing indictment of Tiger Woods’ father.’’
That seemed a bit of a stretch to me, though the Woods had – to put it mildly — “a unique father-son relationship.’’ Earl Woods seemed to be wanting his son to be a world-changing savior even more than just a great golfer.
The early years of that project made for interesting reading, with the racial issues they faced particularly poignant. Newsham interviewed Tiger’s coaches, classmates, girlfriends and fellow competitors in describing how he was molded in those early years.
The McIlroy book made for more interesting reading, probably because the material in “Rory’’ (Avid Reader Press and Simon & Shuster) was fresher. McIlroy is the next great golf star, and Shipnuck’s biography was was both interesting and revealing.
Here was a young boy growing up in Northern Ireland with a much different parenting style than Woods. Father Gerry had grown up in public housing in Belfast. He worked as the manager of a bar who made ends meet by taking a variety of other jobs – one of which even called for cleaning toilets. Mother Rosie worked nights in a factory while Rory was growing up. Both worked to give McIlroy the opportunity to fully develop his golf skills.
As was the case with “Tiger Project’’ I take issue with a phrase on the book cover. It promised “The Heartache and Triumph of Golf’s Most Human Superstar.’’
Shipnuck went beyond golf, even providing inside looks at McIlroy’s various girlfriend issues and recounting a spicy conversation during a U.S. Open in which McIlroy took issue with the money Shipnuck would receive for writing the book.
All in all, two thought-provoking books – both in the 300-page range — on subjects that figure to merit such in depth treatment for many years to come.
This week’s two PGA Tour stops are the final warmups for the year’s second major tournament – the PGA Championship. The top stars will be at the Truist Championship at Quail Valley, in Charlotte, N.C., which tees off on Thursday.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, the runner-up in his last three tournaments, won’t be there but Cameron Young – the winner of the Cadillac Championship last week – and Rory McIlroy, winner of the Masters the last two years, will.
The PGA’s under card event, the ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic at The Dunes Club in North Carolina and also tees off on Thursday. Itis unique, though. It represents one of the few times the bulk of the Illinois-connected tour players will be playing in the same tournament.
Illinois alum Adrien Dumont de Chassart, Arlington Heights’ Doug Ghim, Northbrook’s Nick (also an Illinois alum), Wheaton’s Kevin Streelman and Northwestern alum Dylan Wu are all in the field.
Hardy and Wu have spent most of this season on the Korn Ferry Tour. Dumont de Chassart was on the developmental circuit last year but earn his PGA Tour card for 2026 after finishing in the top 20 on the Korn Ferry circuit in 2025.
Streelman, 47, has made 407 cuts and is a two-time winner on the premier circuit since earning his PGA Tour card in 2008 but surgery to repair a torn meniscus has cut into his playing time the last two years.
No doubt all would prefer to play in the Truist this week . It has a $20 million purse while only $4 million will be on the line at Myrtle Beach. That tournament, though, does have one very big name. Five-time major champion Brooks Koepka is paying the price for defecting to the LIV Tour. Though a past PGA Championship winner, he was given only alternate’s status in the Truist so opted to take a spot at Myrtle Beach rather than sit out this week.
U.S. OPEN: University of Illinois alum Jackson Buchanan dominated the second of three local qualifiers, shooting a 7-under-par 64 on Monday at Illini Country Club in Springfield. Illini hosted a local Open elimination for the 45th consecutive year, and Buchanan had a six-stroke edge on runner-up Luke Gannon of downstate Monticello.
Buchanan, from Dacula, Ga., qualified for last year’s U.S. Open and missed the 36-hole cut. He’s been playing on the Korn Ferry Tour this year. The third and final Chicago area local qualifier with be at Flossmoor Country Club on May 11.
COLLEGE: The Illinois men’s team, ranked No. 12 nationally, gets its NCAA regional assignment at 1 p.m. Wednesday on The Golf Channel. Coach Mike Small’s Illini, runner-up to UCLA last weekend in the Big Ten Championship at Pumpkin Ridge, in Oregon, will be in the NCAA tourney for the 18th consecutive year.
The men’s regionals are May 18-20 at six sites, the closest being on Ohio State’s course in Columbus. The finals are May 29-June 6 at Omni LaCosta Resort, in California.
NCAA regional assignments are already set for the women’s teams. Illinois is headed for the Stanford course in California and Northwestern will play in Ann Arbor, Mich., Both those regionals begin a three-day run on May 13. The women’s finals will also be played at LaCosta, from May 22-27.
WESTERN GOLF: The Western Golf Association has selected five future sites for its Western Amateur tournament, and four of them are in the Chicago area – Knollwood (Lake Forest), 2027), Conway Farms (Lake Forest), 2029, Glen View Club (2030) and Skokie (Glencoe), 2032.
Baltimore Country Club will host in 2028. This year’s Western Am is at Chicago’s Beverly Country Club from July 27 to Aug. 1.
The Terry Redlin Art Center has three floors of the works of one of America’s most popular artists.
WATERTOWN, South Dakota – This is our latest proof that we can enjoy destinations that don’t involve golf. We hadn’t been to South Dakota since 2015 , the last time highlighted by a stop to see the iconic Mount Rushmore.
This time we made a side trip from a family gathering in Marshall, Minnesota, to check out the Terry Redlin Art Center – a 90-minute drive over the South Dakota state line to the late artist’s home town (population about 22,000).
Redlin was twice selected as America’s Most Popular Artist in the 1990s in a U.S. Art Magazine poll of the nation’s art galleries. Redlin Art Center was a gift from the late artist to his town. It contains over 160 of his original oil paintings, the best known probably being “2 am Feeding,’’ which depicts Redlin as a young father struggling to feed a new-born baby.
This painting, called “2 a.m. Feeding,” may be Terry Redlin’s best known work.
There’s a lot more to enjoy, as Redlin specialized in outdoor themes and wildlife. Redlin, who lost a leg in a motorcycle accident when he was 15, worked until 2007 when he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Redlin died in a retirement home in Watertown in 2016 at the age of 78.
The Redlin Art Center opened in 1997 and features a video presentation of the artist in which he gives insights into his creations, especially an eight-painting series entitled “An American Portrait.’’ He drew from his own memories and called it “the biggest project I’ll ever do.’’
Rural outdoor scenes and wildlife were Terry Redlin’s specialty as an artist.
Redlin had over 50 paintings in the works at the time of his death and the Art Center commemorated the 10th anniversary of his passing by sharing a collection of his unfinished works in April of 2026.
The Art Center offers self-guided tours of three floors of his art. It’s all well-displayed and is accompanied by the Redlin story that celebrates life’s simple pleasures in a place of peace and tranquility. And – a real bargain – there is no admission charge.
There’s three exclusive shops at the Center offering Redlin’s fine art prints, special gifts and unique home décor. For more information on this special place check the website redlinart.com.
Supplementing our most enjoyable visit was a lunch at The Grainery, a restaurant across the street from the Center. We requested a dish symbolic of South Dakota and came up with Tator Tot Hot Dish. It did not disappoint.
This is called Tater Tot Hot Dish. It a delicious South Dakota specialty at The Grainery Restaurant.
Last week’s first of three Illinois local qualifiers for the U.S. Open hardly went according to form.
Evanston amateur Lester Low, the reigning Illinois high school champion, posted the best score – a 7-under-par 65 at Stonewall Orchard, in Gurnee, and that was two strokes better than veteran tour player Andy Svoboda, the head professional at Butler National in Oak Brook.
Svoboda, who came to Butler in 2024, was the Illinois PGA’s Player of the Year the last two years. Now 46, Svoboda qualified for five U.S. Opens and won three times on the Korn Ferry Tour.
Low, 16, shot 65-72 as a sophomore en route to winning last year’s prep title at The Den at Fox Creek in Bloomington. Evanston was the team runner-up the last two years and Lester’s brother Kieran was also part of the team. Kieran will be a freshman at Boston College in the fall. Both brothers were grant recipients from the U.S. Golf Association for its National Development Program.
The Stonewall Orchard local advanced four players to the final Open qualifying stage, and another amateur – Ben Patel, of North Aurora – joined Low and Svoboda in advancing. The 36-hole final stage qualifiers will be held around the country between May 18 and June 8 to determine the 156 starters in the Open proper June 18-21 at Shinnecock Hills in New York.
PGA TOUR: Arlington Heights’ Doug Ghim, partnered with Jeffrey Kang, tied for sixth in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. It was Ghim’s best finish of the season, produced his best payday of the year ($185,250) and boosted his FedEx Cup ranking 20 positions to No. 114.
Northbrook’s Nick Hardy paired with Davis Riley to finish in a tie for 20th. Hardy and Riley won the event in 2023. Hardy has spent this season on the Korn Ferry Tour where he made four cuts in six starts.
SENIOR PGA: Fifteen players advanced to the final qualifier for the U.S. Senior Open, to be played July 2-5 at Scioto in Ohio. Mike Carbray, of Glen Ellyn; amateur Glenn Przybylski, Frankfort; Andy Walker, Phoenix, Ariz; and Bradley Lanning, Horotonville, WI., all shot 2-over-par 74 – the low score in a local qualifier at Kemper Lakes in Kildeer.
Roy Biancalana, of St. Charles, earned the last qualifying spot in the final qualifier at Kemper by surviving a four-man playoff involving players who posted 77s.
HERE AND THERE: Both Illinois tournaments on the Korn Ferry Tour schedule – the Memorial Health Championship, June 25-28 at Panther Creek in Springfield and the Evans Scholars Invitational July 23-26 at The Glen Club in Glenview — will be part of the new four-event $100,000 bonus pool called Route 66 Cup. The player topping the point list after the four events will get $66,000.
The Presidents Cup has, in partnership with the George and Cindy Rusu Family Foundation, contributed $150,000 to the Midwest Shelter for Homeless Veterans. The Presidents Cup will be played Sept. 22-27 at Medinah Country Club, and the donation is part of a commitment to invest in local communities and build a lasting legacy for the event.
The Western Golf Association has announced a one-year agreement with Inspire 11, establishing the business and technology consulting firm as the presenting sponsor of the 124th Western Amateur at Chicago’s Beverly Country Club from July 27 to Aug. 1.
Nominations are now being accepted for the Illinois Golf Hall of Fame induction class of 2027. Application forms are available on the Illinois PGA website.
This month’s Masters was the first of the year’s four major championships and – with just a 91-player field – was the smallest of those events. The biggest of the majors is the U.S. Open which officially started on Monday (APRIL 20) with the first of 109 local qualifiers.
Illinois will again have three such eliminations, the first of which is April 22 at Stonewall Orchard, in Grayslake. The other two are at Illini Country Club, in Springfield, on May 4 and May 11 at Flossmoor Country Club.
Stonewall, an Arthur Hills design, previously hosted Open qualifiers in 2003, 2005, 2009 and 2015. The course has also hosted qualifiers for the Korn Ferry Tour six times. This year’s Open elimination tees off at 8 a.m. with 78 players battling for four berths in the final qualifiers.
Illini CC was founded in 1906 and its course was designed by Tom Bendelow. A prolific architect, his other creations include the original No. 3 course at Medinah Country Club. Illini will host a U.S. Open local for the 45th consecutive year.
The Open is a massive annual event, and this year’s version had 10,201 entrants. That’s one less than the record turnout set last year when the 72-hole finals were held at Oakmont, in Pennsylvania. It’s the fifth time the entries have topped 10,000.
This year’s entrants ranged in age from 13-year old Californian Niko Ameredes, a two-time finalist in the Drive, Chip & Putt competition, to 71-year old New York club professional Mike Caporale. Entries came from all 50 states and 49 foreign countries.
The 126th playing of the U.S. Open concludes June 18-21 at Shinnecock Hills, a New York layout which is similarly rich in history as Oakmont, but there will be lots of competition between now and then as the field is determined.
Entrants must either be declared professionals or amateurs with a handicap index not exceeding 0.4. Only 51 entrants are currently exempt from full qualifying thanks to past performances. One is two-time Open winner Brooks Koepka who was the champion the last time the finals were played at Shinnecock in 2018.
Another is Brandon Holtz, a 39-year old former Illinois State basketball player who works in real estate in Bloomington, IL. He received exemptions to both the Masters and U.S. Open after winning last year’s U.S. Mid- Amateur title. Holtz missed the 36-hole cut at the Masters.
Most all of the others must survive qualifying events to be among the156 players who get to tee off at Shinnecock. The local eliminations will determine who qualifies for the thirteen 36-hole final qualifiers, staged in 10 U.S. locations, England, Japan and Canada between May 18 and June 8. None of those will be played in Illinois.
HERE AND THERE: Including the three U.S. Open locals the Chicago District Golf Association will conduct 21 qualifiers for U.S. Golf Association championships this year. Next is the one for the U.S. Senior Open. It’s on April 27 at Kemper Lakes in Kildeer.
The Illinois PGA Open Series begins on April 27 at the Glen Club in Glenview.
With coach Mike Small competing in last weekend’s Senior PGA Championship in Florida his University of Illinois team concluded its regular season with a second-place finish in the Hoosier Collegiate in Indiana. An Illini player, Freddie Turnell, was the individual champion while Kansas State took the team crown. Illinois begins postseason play at the Big Ten Championships May 1-3 at Pumpkin Ridge in Oregon. Illinois has won the title 14 times in the last 17 years.
IN SELECT COMPANY: Illinois men’s coach Mike Small (right) was paired with two former major champions in the first round of the Senior PGA Championship. Henrik Stenson (left) won the 2016 British Open and John Daly captured titles in both the 1991 PGA Championship and 1995 British Open. Stenson shot 72, Daly 73 and Small 79. (Joy Sarver Photos)
BRADENTON, FL. –Playing on any PGA Tour is no easy task. Neither is coaching at the major college level. Very few have done both, but Mike Small continues to both coach the University of Illinois men’s team and compete on PGA Tour Champions when possible.
This week is one of those rare times when it’s possible. Small is in the field for the 86th Senior PGA Championship at the Concession Club, It teed off on Thursday while his Illini were concluding their regular season in Indiana’s Hoosier Collegiate. His assistants are coaching the team in that tournament.“They’re excited and my team needs a break from me,’’ said Small. “Our administration was fine with it.’’
Small will return as coach for the biggest events of the college season. The Big Ten championships, which the Illini have won 13 times in his 25 seasons as head coach, are May 1-3 and NCAA tournament play begins May 18. The Illini have reached the NCAA tournament 16 of the last 17 years and won seven regional titles.
This year’s team won three tournaments and is ranked No. 10 in one national collegiate poll and No. 12 in the other.
Big John Daly and Mike Small (left) were affable playing partners in the Senior PGA Championship. Daly was allowed to ride a cart because of osteoarthritis in his right knee.
While Small has survived cuts in 15 of 34 PGA Tour events and 18 of 19 Champions Tour starts since he began coaching, he has played in the Senior PGA only once. He missed the cut at Harbor Shores in Michigan in 2022.
“It was always played opposite the national (NCAA) championships,’’ said Small. “This year there was a date change.’’
Small qualified for a spot in the field by finishing 25th in the PGA National Club Professional Championship. He’ll go head-to-head with the best 50-and-over professionals beginning on Thursday at Concession, a Jack Nicklaus design that will host the event through 2028.
Illinois won the Big Ten title in 1988 when Small and Steve Stricker were the team’s stars. They stood up at each other’s weddings, then both spent time on the PGA Tour before Small turned to coaching.
Stricker, now one of the best senior tour pros, also qualified for the Senior PGA but withdrew on Sunday.
Small has won 14 Illinois PGA titles, four Illinois Opens and three Illinois Senior Opens. He also won three times in the PGA National Professional Championship and was low professional at two PGA Championships, but a few years have passed since then. He’s 60 now and figures to be rusty in a field that includes tournament-tough stars like Stewart Cink, John Daly, Ernie Els, Padraig Harrington, Bernhard Langer, Colin Montgomerie and Vijay Singh.
Thursday’s first-round leaders were Brian Gay, Steve Allan, Bernhard Langer and Miguel Angel Jiminez. All shot 6-under-par 66.
“I’ve been hitting balls for a week,’’ said Small, “but the first practice round (at Concession on Monday) was the first time I walked 18 holes since last summer.’’
HERE AND THERE: Countryside, in Mundelein, will host the first qualifying round for the 11th Chicago District Mid-Amateur Championship on Tuesday (APRIL 21).
KemperSports has taken over the management duties at Village Greens of Woodridge.
The CDGA has announced that the Chicago Adaptive Open, scheduled for June at Fox Bend, in Oswego, already has a full field of 84 players. Fox Bend will host through 2030 and Illinois Bone & Joint Institute will be the sponsor.
Pinseeker Media will sponsor Dave Lockhart’s Golf 360 when the long-running TV show begins broadcasting in June. Dan Roan will host.
Stewart Cink (left). with two wins and a runner-up in his last four starts, and Z;ach Johnson, in his first major on the Champions Tour, are among the crowd favorites at Concession. Cink opened with a 69 and Johnson with a 73. Defending champion Angel Cabrera shot a whopping 81.
Bryson DeChambeau has been a big hit in Illinois. After winning the U.S. Amateur at Olympia Fields he notched a PGA Tour win at the John Deere Classic in 2017 (left) and another in LIV Golf/Chicago at Rich Harvest Farms in 2023 (right). After U.S. Open wins in 2020 and 2024 he’s ready to win this week’s Masters. (Joy Sarver Photos)
The Masters starts its 90th anniversary staging on Thursday. This major championship in Augusta, Ga., always gets world-wide attention, but this one may not get as much as most of the others – and for good reasons.
Tiger Woods won’t be playing. Neither will Phil Mickelson. It’s the first time since 1994 that both of those popular stars will miss the Masters, Woods because of a recent auto accident and Mickelson because of a“serious medical issue’’ that has limited his competition to only one event of the five played on the LIV Golf Tour this season. Woods has won the Masters five times, Mickelson has three titles, and both will be missed.
Another factor is that Scottie Scheffler, a two-time champion and the game’s No. 1-ranked player, has had an uncharacteristically slow start to this season. He had seemed distracted, which could be unstandable given that his wife was pregnant. Scheffler announced the birth of their second son, Remy, on Sunday though the birth was on March 27. Scheffler missed the last three weeks of tournaments on the PGA Tour and may be rusty.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is coming off a three-week layoff and he didn’t finish in the top-20 in his two starts in March at the Arnold Palmer Invitational (T24) and The Players (T22).
And then there’s Rory McIlroy, whose win in the 2025 Masters completed his dramatic completion of golf’s Grand Slam. His start to the 2026 season was not ideal. He’s made only four starts and one of those was a withdrawal at the Arnold Palmer Invitational when he developed a sore back. McIlroy’s last start was at The Players and he could do no better than a tie for 46th when that tourney ended on March 15.
That leaves quite a few top stars in limbo, so this staging can’t possibly come close to the first one I covered in person. The 1986 staging is marking the 40th anniversary of what may be the most memorable Masters. Jack Nicklaus won his record sixth title at the age of 46, making him the oldest winner in tournament history.
Somebody will win the 90th Masters on Sunday, however. It’s an annual rite of spring to pick the champion and I’ve done it three times – Fred Couples in 1992, Scheffler in 2022 and McIlroy last year.
This one figures to be a battle of the hottest current players on both men’s tours – Bryson DeChambeau of the LIV circuit and Matt Fitzpatrick on the PGA Tour side. DeChambeau won his last two LIV starts and Fitzpatrick had a runner-up finish, then a win in the Valspar Championship. Neither played last week, and neither has won a Masters.
I’m making DeChambeau my choice this week. His best finishes in the Masters were in the last two years – a tie for sixth in 2024 and a tie for fifth last year.
A couple others rate an outside chance – England’s Tommy Fleetwood, who earned his first PGA Tour win at last year’s Tour Championship on a Georgia course (East Lake), and J.J. Spaun, who won last year’s U.S. Open with a 64-foot putt on the final green at Oakmont. Spaun also captured last Sunday’s Valero Texas Open so has some good momentum going in his favor.
LOCAL HOPEFUL: While no Illinois-connected PGA Tour players qualified for this year’s Masters, the field will include Brandon Holtz. The former Illinois State basketball player, now 39, works in real estate in Bloomington. After contending in several Illinois Opens Holtz qualified for the Masters by winning the U.S. Mid-Amateur title last September in Arizona. Jeff Holtz, Brandon’s now 65-year old father, was his bag-toter in the U.S. Mid-Amateur win and will also be on the bag at Augusta National.
BITS: Two Chicago area qualifiers did well in the Drive Chip & Putt finals, an annual prelude to the Masters. Patricia Kittivat, of Schaumburg, finished second in the Girls 7-9 category and Hinsdale’s Carter Bird tied for third in the Boys 14-15.
Northwestern’s Diana Lee tied for 19th in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, another pre-Masters attraction. She was 2-under-par for that tourney’s 54-holes and was even par in the final round – the only one of the three played on the Augusta National course.
Andrew Langan, of Winnetka, is the new chairman of the Western Golf Association. He’s been a member of the WGA’s board of directors since 2016.
It’s time to stray away from golf and revive Book Report duties.
The strange-looking face on his page is that of James Creighton. His picture isn’t sharp because cameras weren’t of the same quality in 1860 as they are these days.Gilbert wrote a recently-published book, “Death in the Strike Zone,’’ to make the case that Creighton was “America’s first baseball hero.’’
Creighton was the star pitcher for the Brooklyn Excelsiors, and it’s a good thing that Gilbert brought his story to light because no one else has told it. No question Creighton was a great player. In his playing career he was called “unhittable.’’ He had a blazing fastball in addition to – according to Gilbert – was the first pitcher to throw a curveball.
He stood only 5-7 and weighed 150 pounds. Gilbert claims that Creighton “changed baseball more than Babe Ruth did.’’ Like Ruth, he excelled as both a pitcher and a hitter. Creighton, however, isn’t in the Hall of Fame and never played a game of professional baseball. He pitched baseball’s first shutout and his youth teams beat the best of the adult teams. Not only that, but Creighton was a star in cricket, too.
So, how could Creighton be so good? His playing career was a short one. He pitched against the best players in his era at the age of 14 and died from a rare illness in 1862 at age 21.
I was as skeptical as most of you probably are when Gilbert called him “baseball’s first phenom.’’ He probably was, though, and there’s a good reason why.
The game he played wasn’t baseball – at least not the baseball as we now know it. Pitchers threw underhanded in Creighton’s day. Balls and strikes weren’t called. Hurlers wanted batters to make contact with their pitches. Balls could be caught on one bounce for an out. All fielders played barehanded. So did catchers, who also didn’t have facemasks, shin guards or padding of any kind.
The Excelsiors’ main rivals were called the Knickerbockers, Atlantics, Eckfords, Esculapians and Niagaras. Most were from New York and all were considered amateur teams. That didn’t change much until 1876 with the formation of what is now the National League.
“Death in the Strike Zone’’ is really more about the baseball scene before the Civil War ended the games for a few years. Gilbert’s book is thoroughly researched with much more than just the feats of Creighton. There needed to be a starting point for baseball, and the pre-Civil War era was it. Gilbert provided a fascinating account on what it was like back then.
Next week it’s on to Augusta, Ga., for the 90th Masters tournament. (Joy Sarver Photos)
All the professional tours have been in full swing for several months, and so have most of the college teams. That said, golf excitement doesn’t really kick in until next week’s 90th playing of the Masters tournament.
It’s the first of the year’s four major championships and the first time the top players from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf League finally get together again. The upstart Saudi-backed LIV circuit has yet to have Masters winner since the break from the PGA Tour five years ago.
This could be the year, though. Scottie Scheffler, the world’s No. 1 player is struggling and LIV has 11 players in this year’s Masters field and six won the Masters back when they were PGA Tour members. In fact, those six have combined to win nine times. Phil Mickelson is a three-time champion and Bubba Watson has won twice. Other LIV members with Masters titles are Sergio Garcia, Dustin Johnson, Charl Schwartzel and Jon Rahm.
None of those players may be the circuit’s best bet to win in 2026, though. That has to be Bryson DeChambeau after his playoff win over Rahm in a rousing tournament in South Africa in the most recent LIV event.
There won’t be a player with even remote Illinois connections in the field at Augusta National unless Doug Ghim, Kevin Streelman, David Lipsky, Dylan Wu or Adrien Dumont de Chassart win this week’s PGA Tour stop – the Valero Texas Open.
ALSO ON THE SCENE: The Masters competition is the main attraction during the week of the tournament, but it’s not the only one. Both the Augusta National Women’s Amateur and the Drive, Chip & Putt finals are side attractions with Chicago area representation.
The 54-hole ANWA event, first played in 2019, has two Northwestern players – Californians Diana Lee and Ashley Yun – in the 72- player field. The 54-hole event conducts its first two rounds at the nearby Champions Retreat course before the final round is played at Augusta National.
Drive, Chip & Putt has the survivors of nation-wide qualifying tournaments held in late 2025. Four Chicago area youngsters qualified in the Upper Midwest Regional played last September at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin.
Patricia Kittivat of Schaumburg will be in the Girls 7-9 division with Oswego’s Lucy Wiertal in the Girls 10-11, Streamwood’s Vihaan Patel in the Boys 10-11 and Hinsdale’s Carter
Bird in the Boys 14-15. While the Masters is the main attraction, the ANWA and Drive, Chip & Putt participants will get some TV air time, too.
Brandt Snedeker was in the spotlight as a player at the recent Valspar Championship in Florida, but he’ll be more in demand in his role as U.S. captain for September’s Presidents Cup at Medinah.
DOWN THE ROAD: This may be just the start of the Chicago golf season, but the President’s Cup climax in September has already been a topic for discussion on the PGA. Brandt Snedeker, who will captain the U.S. team in the President’s Cup matches at Medinah, shook off a slow start to this season with a strong showing in the Valspar Championship last month in Florida.
Snedeker played in the last twosome on Sunday before fading on the back nine. His playing partner, Matt Fitzpatrick, won the title but Snedeker was still a subject of discussion.
The President’s Cup captain is frequently a contender for that same role at the next Ryder Cup, but Snedeker would have little to say about that.
“There’s no chance. Let’s not event talk crazy here. There’s no chance, no chance,’’ he said. The next Ryder Cup is in 2027. That’s a long way off, but the Peresident’s Cup isn’t. Medinah will see a lot of Snedeker in the next few months.
“I’m going up there is less than a month, spend a few days and check everything out,’’ he said. “There’s lots of logistical stuff now, lots of behind-the-scenes stuff to make sure we’re ready to go. As the summer ramps up and the team takes shape we’ll do more and more.’’
General manager Blair Kline shows Dunedin’s original design by Donald Ross. (Joy Sarver Photos)
DUNEDIN, FL. – Course renovations are commonplace in golf, but the one recently completed at Dunedin Golf Club was far from the ordinary. You don’t just tinker around with one of Donald Ross’ original designs – and this one is even much more than one of those.
Ross did his work creating the course in 1927. Kris Spence, a Ross specialist, guided the $6 million renovation of the municipal course just north of Tampa in 2024.
The Scotland-born Ross was a fine player, having finished in the top 10 in four U.S. Opens and one British Open in his heyday as a competitor through 1910. After that he focused on course architecture. He’s credited with designing about 300 courses from scratch and was involved in the re-design of about 200 others in the U.S. and Canada before his death at age 75 in 1948.
From its beginning Dunedin was considered one of Ross’ best – even by the architect himself. A 1928 newspaper clipping in the club archives has Ross quoted as telling a New York businessman that “the Dunedin Isles (its original name) 18-hole course is my masterpiece.’’
Golf historians will debate that, but few of his courses have the historical significance that Dunedin does.
Deep. challenging bunkers are part of architect Kris Spence’s renovation plans at Dunedin.
In 1944 the course was leased by the PGA of America and its headquarters were moved from downtown Chicago to Dunedin. The course, then dubbed PGA National, hosted 18 Senior PGA Championships. The first PGA teaching academy was held there, and the first PGA Merchandise Show was staged in the Dunedin parking lot in 1954. During those years Dunedin players included legends like Bobby Jones, Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Louis Suggs, Babe Didrickson Zaharias and Byron Nelson.
The PGA of America left Dunedin in 1962, moved to Palm Beach Gardens, FL., and made PGA National the course name of the layout there.
Through it all the course underwent several renovations that gradually changed it from the layout that Ross had created. It remained one of Florida’s top municipal courses and getting added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2014 preserved its legacy.
That didn’t change the fact that the old course needed revitalizing, however, and that’s when the City of Dunedin brought in Spence for the latest renovation that was designed to return the course to its roots. Spence had to literally uncover its past.
Dunedin’s clubhouse took on a stunning “golden age”’ look of the 1950s as part of the renovation.
“The most pleasant surprise was that I could see the old greens extending out beneath those renovations,’’ said Spence. “They had never been destroyed – just buried. We were able to excavate, expose and restore them exactly as Ross designed them.’’
More significantly, Spence transformed the bunkering to modernize the historic layout.
Don and Grace Goodall, club members who created a comprehensive history of the facility, suggested Ross would have questioned that:
“If Ross saw the course a few decades later he would probably have said, `What did you do with my bunkers?’’
That’s a fair question. Ross’ original design had 114 bunkers. During the time the PGA operated the course that number dropped to 47. Now the course has 86. That’s more a reflection of the changes made to golf in general over the years than it is a criticism of Ross’ layout.
Tall trees abound at Dunedin, and many survived the extensive latest renovation of the course.
“If Ross saw how far the ball goes today and how fast the greens are I don’t think he’d design exactly the same course,’’ said Blair Kline, Dunedin’s general manager of golf operations. “Now we have the course that we believe he would have designed. The routing is original, but we adjusted a few bunkers for modern distances and recaptured all the original pin placements.’’
Dunedin is also designated as “Tree City USA,” which made it difficult to remove certain trees. That was another component of Spence’s renovation effort.
What we found on our first-ever visit to Dunedin was a most playable layout with big, sweeping greens and deep, challenging bunkers. The long gulley that ran through the 13th green made for a memorable putting experience.
All the holes have names, and Crossing Curlew is our favorite. Curlew is a road near the course and a distinctive water tower is located on it. This somewhat controversial hole is a sporty dogleg left par-5. It’s a strategic hole with the placement of the drive critical and a second shot over thick vegetation that seemed more demanding than it actually is.
Striking bunkers were a key component of Kris Spence’s renovation plan. (Dunedin Golf Club Photo)
Kline calls the renovation “an overwhelming success.’’
“People are going out of their way to come here and play it,’’ he said. From that respect it’s helping to put Dunedin in front of people who may not be aware of this community and how great it is.’’
The par-72 course tops out at 6,766 yards from the back tees and is 4,593 from the shortest markers. Fees for 18 holes range from $85 to $130. Check dunedingolfclub.com for more information.
The back of Dunedin’s clubhouse is a good place for watching players finish their rounds.
Two books on prominent golfers — “Tiger Project’’ by Gavin Newsham and “RORY’’ by Alan Shipnuck – came out very close together earlier this year. Both were somewhat updated when they were released, as Tiger Woods had since been involved in another auto-related catastrophe and Rory McIlroy was about to repeat as a Masters champion.
