A delighted Doug Ghim, flanked by caddies, caps off his 65 on Friday. (Joy Sarver Photos)
SILVIS, IL. – The John Deere Classic is known for its record number of champions who notched their first PGA Tour win here. There have been 34 of them in the tourney’s first 54 years and, on Sunday, the next one could be Doug Ghim.
Ghim grew up in Arlington Heights and had a great collegiate career at Texas. But, now 30 years old and a tour member since 2018, Ghim still hasn’t had that elusive first victory.
He has come close. He played in the last group at The Players Championship in 2022, but Justin Thomas won with Ghim finishing sixth. He tied for second in the 2024 Shriners Children’s Open and led the John Deere Classic for 36 holes last year after shooting 62 in the first round. But on the weekend he faded to a tie for 31st.
Doug Ghim, the pride of Arlington Heights, had his swing working at TPC Deere Run.
“It gets frustrating seeing guys you grew up with get that win and you wonder if it’ll ever happen to me,’’ said Ghim. “Maybe it’ll be tomorrow. If it does or not I’ll be grateful for the opportunity and I’ll learn a lot. If I perform the way I know I can I’ll have a chance.’’
Ghim certainly performed at a high level in Saturday’s third round, shooting a 6-under-par 65 that boosted him five places into solo sixth place. He’s at 14-under-par 199 for the first 54 holes. He trails co-leaders Lucas Glover and Lee Hodges by just two strokes and Ben Koles, Jackson Suber and Zac Blair – the trio tied for third – by one.
“I’m excited, especially playing one close to home,’’ said Ghim, “but it’s just golf. The more you play, the luckier you get. But we all do a good job of thinking too much.’’
Lucas Glover (left) and Lee Hodges share the JDC lead heading into Sunday’s final round.
Ghim can thinking about the players he has to beat. The main one is Glover. The 46-year old former U.S. Open champion won the JDC in 2021 and has either led solo or shared the lead in all three rounds this year.
Hodges is the only player ahead of Ghim who has a PGA Tour win. He won the 3M Open in Minnesota in 2023, going wire-to-wire to win by seven shots. Kohles, Suber and Blair will – like Ghim – be seeking their first PGA Tour win on Sunday.
The Fourth of July produced a weather change for the JDC. Friday night rain led to Saturday play going off in threesomes with rounds starting on both the first and 10th tees. Preferred lies were also allowed. Still, there wasn’t a dramatic drop in scores. Rickie Fowler did the best, shooting a 63 to tie the low round of the week.
A late afternoon thunderstorm also created a suspension in play on Friday with six players left on the course, including four atop the leaderboard. Blair was the leader at 16-under. Kohles had finished at 15-under and Glover, Suber and Hodges were on the course at that number.
Rickie Fowler shot a sizzling 8-under-par 63 in the third round to climb 45 places in the standings.
Lucas Glover won the John Deere Classic in 2021, and he might do it again. (Joy Sarver Photos)
SILVIS, IL. – In its first 54 stagings Illinois’ only annual PGA Tour stop was dominated by golf’s young guys. Twenty-four of them won their first PGA Tour event in the John Deere Classic, and that’s the most of any event on the circuit.
In this year’s 55th playing, however, things may be changing. In Thursday’s first round 46-year old Lucas Glover shot 63 on the TPC Deere Run course to grab the first round lead and 50-year old Zach Johnson was just a shot back.
Both are past JDC champions, Johnson in 2012 and Glover in 2021. Their wins weren’t flukes. Johnson’s12 PGA Tour wins include the 2007 Masters and 2015 British Open. Glover’s six career victories include the 2009 U.S. Open.
And now, with 36 holes left, both could win again. Glover stayed hot in Round 2, shooting a 65 to hit the halfway point in the tournament at 14-under 128. Lee Hodges is second, two shots back, while Johnson dropped into a tie for 11th despite another solid round.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen,’’ said Johnson, who led through most of Friday’s morning session. “I’m not in contention yet. The way look at it is, I still have 36 holes left, but I still think guys on the Champions (50-and-over) Tour can win out here.’’
Zach Johnson agonized over a missed putt on his last hole Friday. It cost him sole possession of the lead.
Nobody knows the TPC Deere Run layout, site of the tournament since 2000, better than Johnson. He’s played in the tournament every year since 2002. Not only that, but he’s been on the tournament board of directors for many years and is an ambassador for John Deere Company.
“I know what I’m capable of, and what I’m not capable of,’’ he said. “This is just a great opportunity, again, to walk the grounds that I’ve adored and loved for so many years.’’
Glover was given his first start on the PGA Tour in 2002, right after playing college golf at Clemson.
“I’ve been coming here a long time,’’ he said. “I’ve always been fond of the course, the town, the community, the people. Even struggling like I have this year, you pull down the driveway where you’ve had success and it gives you a good feeling. I’ve been doing this long enough to know that one swing, one round, one week can change a lot.’’
Lucas Glover’s putting style may be unusual, but it’s been working at the John Deere Classic.
While the two vets have been the story the first two days, they know there’s trouble ahead.
Moments after Johnson made bogey on his last hole Chris Gotterup, playing in the threesome immediately behind him, pulled into a tie for the lead. This young star has already won the Myrtle Beach Classic on the PGA Tour and will defend his Irish Open title next week. Then Jackson Suber led briefly until Glover, playing in the afternoon, took charge by shooting a 5-under-par 31 on his first nine.
Two-time winner Jordan Spieth, Wheaton’s Kevin Streelman, Arlington Heights’ Doug Ghim and reigning Illinois Open champion Michael Feagles all survived the 36-hole cut. Brian Campbell, last year’s JDC winner, didn’t.
Eric Cole had the day’s best round, an unlikely 63 after shooting 76 on Thursday. He damaged his 8-iron in frustration after stand 140th in the first round and had a whole set of irons shipped to him for Round 2. The new clubs helped him gain a weekend playing spot and made him the playing coming from the farthest behind to survive in the history of the tournament.
American flags were in abundance as the golf world got ready for the Fourth of July.
SILVIS, IL. — The John Deere Classic, Illinois’ only annual PGA Tour event, tees off for the 55th time on Thursday at TPC Deere Run with eight past champions, another eight among the top 50 in the Official World Golf Rankings and two of the top-four finishers at this year’s U.S. Open.
Jordan Spieth, though, was a late entry into the 144-man field and his name may be the most eye-catching.
Spieth was only 19 and a first-time PGA Tour winner when he captured the JDC in 2013. He won it again two years later after having captured both the Masters and U.S. Open. Both JDC wins came in playoffs. Since then, however, Spieth’s only appearance in the Quad Cities was a tie for 26th in 2024.
Though now 49th in the Official World Golf Rankings Spieth’s return to the field was a boost for tournament director Andrew Lehman. He’s happy to remember the good old days.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled to have Jordan join our excellent field,’’ said Lehman. “His first victory here helped ignite his career and his second was even more thrilling. He’s a tournament legend and still an extremely popular figure in the Quad Cities.’’
The field will be a good one this year. Besides Spieth the top-50 in the OWGR include Chris Gotterup (13), Ben Griffin (18), Jacob Bridgeman (25), J.T. Poston (32), Keegan Bradley (38), Rickie Fowler (42) and Daniel Berger (50).
Poston was the JDC champion in 2022 and tied with Keith Mitchell (who is also entered here) as the co-fourth-place finishers in the U.S. Open two weeks ago. The top two finishers in last year’s JDC – winner Brian Campbell and Emilio Grillo – are also back. So are Chicago favorites Kevin Streelman, Doug Ghim and Nick Hardy and past JDC winners Zac Johnson, Michael Kim, Dylan Fritelli, Lucas Glover and Davis Thompson.
Mix in Eric Cole, Max Homa, Tony Finau and Tom Kim and the JDC has one of its strongest fields even though its dates directly followed the U.S. Open and Travelers Championship – one of the PGA Tour’s Signature events.
Campbell’s bid to retain his title didn’t look good after he missed three straight cuts and then didn’t play in the U.S. Open during a month-long stretch. Things looked a little better after he tied for 47th in the Travelers Championship on Sunday. The JDC hasn’t had a repeat champion since Steve Stricker won three in a row from 2009-2011.
HERE AND THERE: The Women’s Western Amateur immediately follows the JDC, with a Monday (JULY 6) start at River Forest, in Elmhurst. First played in 1901, the list of past champions include Patty Berg, Louise Suggs, Brittany Lang, Stacy Lewis and Ariya Jutanugarn.
Medinah’s Daniel Stringfellow won the 106th Chicago District Amateur at North Shore, in Glenview. Last year’s runner-up, Stringfellow defeated Brody McCarthy, of Mistwood, 5 and 4, in this year’s title match.
The Concerts on the Course feature at the John Deere Classic will feature Carrie Underwood after play ends on Saturday and Old Dominion following the conclusion of the tournament on Sunday.
Illinois men’s coach Mike Small expects to have a new/old coaching sidekick next season. Justin Bardgett, who spent three years as Small’s assistant before taking a job with the PGA Tour, has accepted a position as Small’s associate head coach, subject to the approval of the school’s board of trustees at July’s board meeting.
The Illini have another winner of the NCAA’s Byron Nelson Award. Ryan Voois was named this year’s winner after former teammate Jackson Buchanan won in 2025.
One of Chicago’s most popular charity outings, the 55th annual Chicago Baseball Cancer Charities All-Star Invitational, will be played July 16 at Twin Orchard, in Long Grove.
Last week’s erf Open was a rousing success for champion Wyndham Clark, but not for Illinois-connected players. Only Adrien Dumont deChassart, who attended the University of Illinois, and Dylan Wu, a Northwestern alum, survived the 36-hole cut at Shinnecock Hills and neither was among the top 50 finishers.
Amateur competition within the Chicago area was another story. There were two spectacular performances within the area.
Campbell Ray — from Long Grove and Stevenson High School—won the Illinois girls qualifier for the Junior PGA Championship by a whopping 10 shots. She shot 69-72 at Kemper Lakes to earn the state’s lone spot in the Junior PGA Championship July 28-31 in Frisco, Texas.
Not only that, but Ray also committed to North Carolina-Asheville’s Division I program starting in the fall of 2027. Barrington’s Sam Uutala won the boys spot in the Junior PGA nationals.
Meanwhile Andrew Sciortino, an 18-year old from Brentwood, Tenn., captured the 108th Western Junior title by nine shots at Knollwood Club in Lake Forest. After posting 67-68 in the 36-hole final day his 7-under-par 277 was the lowest score since the prestigious tournament went to a 72-hole format in 1999.
Sciortino, who will begin his college career at Lipscomb, in Nashville, Tenn., joins a roster of Western Junior champions that includes Jim Furyk, Rickie Fowler and Colin Morikawa. Evanston’s Lester Low and Glen Ellyn’s Owen Conjaris were the best of the Chicago players, finishing in a tie for 16th.
ILLINOIS SR. OPEN – Illinois men’s coach Mike Small won for the fourth time in four years at Hawthorn Woods, shooting a 3-under 141 for 36 holes. Lakewood’s Doug Bauman, who climbed 25 spots on the leaderboard after his second round 68, was second and Park Ridge’s Rick Stewart and John Ehrgott of downstate Edwards, tied for third and shared low amateur honors.
The IPGA Senior Championship starts its two-day run on Monday (JUNE 29) at Flossmoor.
CDGA – The 106th Chicago District Amateur has two days of match play left at North Shore, in Glenview. The tourney began on Monday with a 36-hole session to determine 16 qualifiers for the match play portion of the event.
Quarterfinals and semifinal matches will be played today (WEDNESDAY) and the two survivors will battle for the title over 36 holes on Thursday.
JOHN DEERE CLASSIC – Illinois’ only annual PGA Tour stop is closing in. The July 2-5 event at TPC Deere Run in downstate Silvis will mark the tourney’s 55th annual playing. Brian Campbell is its defending champion, though the former Illinois star has missed the cut in his last three starts of this season.
Once again the JDC field is filled with promising young stars. Youngest is 19-year old Blades Brown, who earned special PGA Tour membership after getting four top-25 finishes in seven starts.
Luke Clanton, 24, and Michael Thorbjornsen, 24, tied for second in the JDC in 2024. Michael Brennan, 24, a sponsor exemption, made the cut at this year’s U.S. Open. Neil Shipley, 25, was the low amateur at the Masters and U.S. Open in 2024 and made the cut at Shinnecock Hills. South African Aldrich Potgieter, 21, almost won a PGA Tour event but lost to defending JDC champ Campbell in a playoff at the 2025 Mexico Open.
ILLINOIS OPEN: Registration has closed for the 77th annual event scheduled for Aug. 10-12 at Wynstone, in Barrington. The first of seven qualifying seasions in June 29 at Mistwood, in Romeoville, and the Last Chance qualifier is Aug. 5 at Countryside, in Mundelein.
A guy named Thomas with the initials JT could well be a contender when the 126th U.S. Open tees off on Thursday at New York’s Shinnecock Hills course.
The Chicago Adaptive Open already had a champion of that description when Jordan Thomas, a 37-year old Nashville, TN. resident, shot 70-69 in his two rounds at Fox Bend, in Oswego, to win last weekend’s third annual event for golfers with disabilities.
This Thomas (not named Justin) won his fourth straight tournament. The event, conducted by the Chicago District Golf Association and presented by the Illinois Bone & Joint Institute, drew 80 players and offered a $30,000 purse. Kim Moore, of Ft. Wayne, Ind., ruled the women’s division.
“It was, unanimously, the best adaptive open tournament aside from the U.S. Adaptive Open on our calendar,’’ said Thomas, who has impairment in both legs but still won wire-to-wire. He lost both legs in a boating accident.
There was competition in 15 different classifications based on the golfers’ disabilities and two Chicago area players were winners. Victor Postillion, of Winfield, won the category for players with leg impairment above the knee and Matt Parker, of Wauconda, won over those with impairment in both arms.
FIRST TEE: Ryan Baker has been named president and chief executive officer of the First Tee of Greater Chicago. The long-time sports and news anchor for CBS is transitioning to the nonprofit sector. He’ll conclude a 35-year career in broadcasting on June 25 and start at First Tee on July 13.
“After a rewarding broadcast media career I’m ready for the next chapter in my life,’’ said Baker. “I’m looking forward to serving the community as CEO of First Tee and I’m ready to build on the organization’s already strong foundation to change lives through the transformative power of golf.’’
Jill Sylvester, who had been the interim CEO, will become chief operating officer.
HERE AND THERE: Thursday’s starting field in the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills includes University of Illinois alums Brian Campbell, Nick Hardy and Adrien Dumont de Chassart and Northwestern alum Dylan Wu. Campbell will defend his title in next month’s John Deere Classic – Illinois’ only annual PGA Tour event.
Arlington Heights’ Doug Ghim had his best finish of this PGA Tour season (other than the Zurich Classic team event) with a tie for 15th at the Canadian Open.
The Illinois PGA defeated the CDGA’s amateur stars in the annual Radix Cup matches at Oak Park Country Club. The score was 3 ½-2 ½ in the first rain-shortened match in the event’s 64-year history. The IPGA leads the series 40-22-2.
The 108th Western Junior concludes on Thursday with a 36-hole wrapup for the top 44 and ties after 72 holes of qualifying competition at Knollwood Club, in Lake Forest.
The 106th Chicago District Amateur begins its four-day run on Monday (JUNE 22) at North Shore, in Glenview.
Don Wegrzyn has passed on. He had been both head professional and general manager during his 46-year run at Old Elm in Highland Park. A member of three golf Halls of Fame, Wegrzyn was 88.
The 55th annual Chicago Baseball Cancer Charities All-Star Invitational will be held July 16 at Twin Orchard Country Club, in Long Grove.
The Tom Fazio-designed Deer Creek was a tournament site on the International Network of Golf program.
SAVANNAH, Ga. – The International Network of Golf scheduled its Spring Forum at The Landings Golf & Athletic Club. While it was a much different venue than the ones used in the past, the decision to go to The Landings was a good one for lots of reasons.
A key word in describing The Landings is that it’s different and that should – by all means– be taken in a good way.
Maybe the best way to describe The Landings is by the numbers. They’re impressive.
There’s six golf courses, 31 tennis courts, 22 pickleball courts, eight Bocce courts, a 52,000-square foot fitness and wellness center, three outdoor swimming pools, four golf clubhouses, nine dining venues plus a food truck and a golf performance center.
With nine dining venues The Landings can always put on a good food spread. (Joy Sarver Photos)
These numbers might interest you, too.
The Landings has 7,500 total members, and over 1,100 children under 18. Ninety-two members are non-residents. The median age is between 65 and 66. There’s 1,725 golf memberships.
“We are golf centric,’’ said director of marketing Gary Lorfano noting that the club on Skidaway Island hosts a $1 million event on the Korn Ferry Tour called the Club Car Open. Last year 180,000 rounds were played on The Landings courses with women accounting for 50 percent of the play.
The tee time policy is interesting. Players sign up to play on a certain date, but club officials determine the course you play as well as the tee time. All six courses are open together only on Sundays, allowing for more time for maintenance procedures.
Water is a frequent factor on The Landings’ challenging Palmetto course.
Make no mistake, though. The Landings vision is “to be the most desirable private residential golf, athletic and social club in the Southeast.’’
“We want our club to be indispensable in our members’ lives,’’ said Steven Freund, The Landings executive director. “They must live there. It’s not a must play there. We come together because we love this game.’’
Two of The Landings courses, Marshwood and Magnolia, were designed by Arnold Palmer. Two others, Palmetto and Oakridge, had Arthur Hills and Bill Bergin are co-designers. Tom Fazio designed Deer Creek and Willard Byrd created Terrapin Point – a layout that will soon be renovated by Davis Love III.
Steven Freund, (left) executive director of The Landings, and Gary Lorfano (right), the membership, marketing and communications director, were among the speakers at the ING Spring Forum.
The Landings opened in 1972 with Branigan its original owner. Freund has been aboard for nearly 17 years and The Landings has come a long way since he arrived.
“At first we didn’t have money. We had to deal with a real leadership issue. We had to deal with organizational disfunction,’’ said Freund.
“I came from the luxury hotel world,’’ he said. “We don’t want to turn into a resort. We’re a private residential area that has touches of a resort. We’re addicted to golf.’’
After coming from Reynolds Lake Oconee, in Georgia, he’s built a staff that shares his passion for The Landings’ future.
“What we are can’t be our future, because we’ll die,’’ said Freund. “We want to be the most desirable, remarkable value for our members. Ten-fifteen years ago we were just thinking about survival. Now we’re large, and we need to be more human. Private clubs now can make a difference. They should be a reward for a life well lived.’’
The Landings has 4,350 rooftops (which means homes) and a little over 8,000 residents, plus there’s a few non-members that swell Skidaway Island’s population to about 10,000.
Full club (golf) initiation fees in 2026 are $80,000. It’s $40,000 for athletic initiation. Associate golf memberships start at $50,000 and national golf ones are $35,000.
For more information contact The Landings at www.LandingsClub.com or call 912-598-8050
International Network of Golf members turned out for the Durland Scramble at The Landings.
Northbrook’s Nick Hardy has had better seasons as a golf touring pro. The former Illinois star was a PGA Tour regular and even won a tournament – the Zurich Classic of New Orleans team event in 2023 – but he’s struggled this season on the Korn Ferry Tour.
Hardy, 30, survived the 36-hole cut in four of his six starts but his best finish was only a tie for 36th on the PGA’s alternate circuit, but good days may be returning. On Monday he qualified for the U.S. Open for the the fifth time thanks a tie for third in the final qualifier played at Springfield Country Club in Ohio.
Five berths in the 156-man finals at New York’s Shinnecock Hills in two weeks were on the line at Springfield. Hardy used that course as a road to his previous Opens and made a big splash in the tournament proper with a tie for 14th in 2022 at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass.
Hardy survived “Golf’s Longest Day’’ – when 10 final qualifiers are staged around the country — for the first time in 2015. This time he shot 65-68 to share third with PGA Tour veteran Billy Horschel and Northwestern alum Dylan Wu in the 36-hole competition. They were are 7-under-par 133. Neal Shipley, from Pittsburgh, and Zac Blair, of Orem, Utah, matched the day’s low scores at 8-under 132.
There were only nine Illinois-connected players in Monday’s final qualifiers. Other than Hardy and Wu, only Andy Svoboda, the recently-crowned Illinois PGA Match Play champion, came close to surviving. He was the second alternate in the elimination at Purchase, N.Y.
This year’s Open had 10,201 entries, one shy of the tournament record set in 2025. Most had to survive 108 local qualifiers — 18-hole eliminations held between April 20 and May 18 — to compete on Monday. Entrants had to either be professionals or have a handicap index that didn’t exceed 0.4 to enter the U.S. Open.
ILLINOIS PGA: Vince India, a long-time Korn Ferry Tour member now working at North Shore Country Club in Glenview, won the Section’s Assistants Championship at Bryn Mawr, in Lincolnwood. He tied the course record with an opening round 10-under-par 62 and finished the 36-hole competition at 18-under 126.
“It’s nice to play competitive golf,’’ said India, a two-time winner of the Illinois Open. “The less golf I play, the more I appreciate it, and the more fun I have. It was nice to play good golf for the first time in a long time.’’
India held off Briarwood’s Matthew Rion for the title with Conway Farm’s Crimson Callahan holding off defending champion Kyle Donovan, of Oak Park, in a playoff for the third and final berth in November’s PGA Professional Assistants Championship in Florida.
ILLINOIS WOMEN’S AMATEUR: Gracie Piar, of East Alton, won the 93rd annual championship by beating Naperville’s Lisa Copeland, an incoming freshman at University of Illinois, in a three-hole playoff at Elgin Country Club.
Piar, who played collegiately at California State Northridge, was an Illinois high school champion in 2021. Her win qualified Piar for the U.S. Women’s Amateur at The Honors Course in Tennessee in August, and she plans to turn pro in September at the LPGA Qualifying School.
U.S. WOMEN’S OPEN: Addie Dobson was the only Illinois qualifier for last week’s U.S. Women’s Open. A resident of downstate Jacksonville and a senior at the University of Missouri, she missed the cut at Riviera in California.
Here’s what Pinehurst Resort’s next course looks like now. Pinehurst No. 11, under construction in the Pinehurst Sandmines area, is scheduled to open in 2027. (Joy Sarver Photos)
PINEHURST, N.C. – It seems like every time you visit the Pinehurst Resort you find something new. The resort’s leadership has never been reluctant to make improvements, but it’s gone beyond the norm this year.
With all due respect to the well-received Pinehurst No. 10 course, the most notable change this time is on the dining side. There’s two new restaurants in operation.
The restaurants are different. Wiregrass, located in the main clubhouse at the resort, is fine dining at its best. Station 21, located near No. 10 in the Pinehurst Sandmines, is more casual but definitely an interesting, fun place.
Wiregrass, with a unique farm-to-table cuisine, has been open only a month. A different farm from the area is selected each week, which leads to regularly changing menus.
Station 21, an upscale Southwestern grill, is just a few months older. Its name comes from the addition of the numbers of the two courses in the Sandmines.
Wiregrass (left) and Station 21 have greatly enhanced the dining options at Pinehurst.
The other addition, the World Golf Hall of Fame, isn’t so new. It opened on May 10, 2024, and that began its second presence in Pinehurst. The original World Golf Hall of Fame opened in Pinehurst in 1974, then was relocated to St. Augustine, FL., in 1998.
St. Augustine’s version was bigger, but the new Pinehurst Hall is more high tech. It’s a perfect fit for the area now that the United States Golf Association has its headquarters and equipment testing facilities in Pinehurst as well. More on the Hall later.
Pinehurst Resort dates back to 1895, and its walls are adorned with classic photographs reflecting golf’s most historic moments.
There’s nothing old about Pinehurst No. 10, though. It opened on April 3, 2024, in the Pinehurst Sandmines, a 900-acre off-site location from the resort in the town of Aberdeen. No. 10 was the first new design at Pinehurst since the 1990s and the building time took only 16 months.
“Tom Doak (the course architect) was anxious to finish it,’’ said Bob Farren, Pinehurst’s director of golf course and grounds management. “(The building) had an unusual timeline.’’
The par-4 eighth hole is the signature hole at Pinehurst No. 10. A towering 25-foot high sand dune impacts the tee shot (above) and a variety of challenges j(below) affect the shot to the green.
No. 10 will soon have some company, but Pinehurst No. 11 won’t be created so quickly. The architectural team of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw are designing this one.
“That opening will be in the spring of 2027,’’ said Farren. Both Nos. 10 and 11 have some holes built on what was The Pit – a popular course in its day, and its clubhouse is still standing.
“No. 10 exceeded our expectations, and our expectations are always high,’’ said Farren. “People love it. Nothing in our other courses compares to it. It’s on a so much bigger scale and there’s no residential pieces to it.’’
Both Nos. 10 and 11 are predominately walking courses. As is the case with the restaurants, the two layouts have their differences.
“No. 10 has a big and bold scale,’’ said Farren. “No. 11 will be quaint and intimate.’’
You can’t see the construction work being done on No. 11 from the holes on No. 10, but you can walk to it. The courses will share the same practice range and lodging is being constructed to serve both layouts.
The lodging will be aimed at attracting golf groups. Rather than a hotel Pinehurst Sandmines will have a rustic 26-room lodge, and there’ll also be an eight-bedroom cabin. Nine luxury cottages had already been built around the Pinehurst No. 8 course. They opened in 2025.
So, what’s next for Pinehurst? There’ll be renovation for Pinehurst No. 9, a Jack Nicklaus signature course that had been the old Pinehurst National until 2019. And Pinehurst No. 2 – the famous Donald Ross design that has hosted the biggest tournaments – is getting some fine-tuning done on its teeing grounds in preparation for the return of the U.S. Opens in 2029.
The Coore-Crenshaw team made dramatic changes on No. 2 for the last, very historic, U.S. Open of 2014. That marked the first time both the men’s and women’s tournaments were held on the same course in the same year.
“That was a bit of a reach,’’ admitted Farren, “and it could have been a disaster. We’re thrilled that we’ll be doing it again.’’
But, before that, Pinehurst will hosted the U.S. Women’s Amateur in 2027.
One room in the World Golf Hall of Fame at Pinehurst spotlights the Science of Golf. This exhibit depicts how a putting green is constructed.
As for the World Golf Hall of Fame, it has a more modern look than the St. Augustine version, which shared space with two unique courses – the Slammer and Squire (co-designed by Sam Snead and Gene Sarazen) and The King and the Bear (co-designed by Arnold Palmer and Nicklaus).
At Pinehurst each Hall of Famer will have their own locker where meaningful items from their personal lives and careers in the game can are displayed.
The USGA plans to bring many of its artifacts to Pinehurst that couldn’t be moved to St. Augustine. Pinehurst’s Hall will also feature different players during the course of each year. Payne Stewart is in the spotlight now through the end of 2026.
And, best of all, the upgrades won’t likely end any time soon. Could there be a Pinehurst No. 12? Stay tuned.
Gary VanSickle (left) and me (right) are regulars when International Network of Golf executive director Mike Jamison puts on his popular Spring Forums. (Joy Sarver Photos)
SAVANNAH, GA. — Spring Forums were a fixture on the yearly calendar for the International Network of Golf starting in 1991. The first three were held in Hilton Head, S.C., and that’s not far from this week’s version in Savannah, Ga.
This Spring Forum is different from all the others, though. The ING contingent gathered at the Thompson Hotel, beautifully located on the Savannah River. Welcoming events were held there on Monday, June 1, and most of the remaining activities in the three-day event are at The Landings Golf & Athletic Club, the premier private residential club in the southeastern United States. It has six clubhouses, three restaurants, five swimming pools, three tennis complexes with 31 courts and a 52,000 square foot wellness center.
And, not surprisingly, the golf facilities are top notch. There’s a 3,000 square-foot Golf Performance Center and six championship golf courses there;
Needless to say, it’s going to be a lot of fun over the next two days.
Mike Jamison, the executive director of ING, has made the Forums special. In addition to Georgia, they’ve been staged over the years in North and South Carolina, Michigan, Colorado, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Utah and Mississippi.
Innisbrook Resort, in Florida, was the site for our first appearance in 2011 and we haven’t missed one since. All bring back good memories, and this week’s will, too.
Opening night scenes from the welcoming reception at the Thompson Savannah Hyatt.
The history of this event is of historical interest, as it’s been held at popular facilities all around the country with date adjustments needed only occasionally.
Jamison made yearly stops from 1991 to 2019. Then the pandemic caused a shutdown for three years. Jamison revived the event with a Fall Forum in 2022 with Sebring, FL., hosting that year as well as in 2024 and 2025.
Valley Forge, in Pennsylvania, was the site in 2023. The event was back in the spring that year, and now it’s a spring attraction again.
ING brings the golf industry and the sport’s media members together. The Forums include presentations from golf industry leaders as well as social rounds mixing the participants from all walks of golf life. Golf has benefitted greatly from these annual gatherings, and that’ll be the case again after the participants scatter when this one is over.
The Thompson, located on the Savannah River, is the headquarters hotel for the ING Spring Forum.
Brian Campbell was the man in the spotlight at last year’s John Deere Classic. (Joy Sarver Photos)
Brian Campbell is a month away from defending his title in the John Deere Classic, but a lot has happened to the University of Illinois alum since his playoff win over Emiliano Grillo last year at TPC Deere Run in downstate Silvis.
The win there was his first on the PGA Tour, at the 2025 Mexico Open, and it also came in a playoff. Those two victories got Campbell into two Masters tournaments, and he finished a solid tie for 24th at that first major championship of 2026. He also made the cut in the year’s second major, the PGA Championship, and is assured a spot in the third — this month’s U.S. Open on New York’s Shinnecock Hills course.
Campbell also got engaged this year and recently moved to Jacksonville, FL., all good things for the 33-year old who starred for the Illini from 2011-15.
Everthing, though, has not been going well for Campbell. He battled injuries that led to him missing four cuts and withdrawing in another tournament during a five-week stretch early in this season. His strong finish at the Masters ended that down period, and he hasn’t missed a cut since – but the injury hasn’t gone away.
“My shoulder blade is out of place and pushed forward,’’ Campbell said during a visit to the Quad Cities for a discussion on this year’s JDC. “It puts a lot of stress down my arm, so even gripping the club is an issue that I have to deal with.’’
At least it’s not the problem it once was.
“It’s come such a long way,’’ he said. “Recently it’s just about getting used to playing. It’s really hard to fix when I’m playing in tournaments, so the weeks off I have to really do what’s necessary. The weeks that it feels good I push the pedal down and practice probably too much.’’
Brian Campbell’s golf game was sharp, and that led to a celebration with fiance Kelsi McKee after he made the John Deere Classic his second victory on the PGA Tour.
The health problems have been a subject for discussion between Campbell and Mike Small, his coach at Illinois.
“There’s a lot of stuff that we talked about,’’ said Campbell, “but at the end of the day he liked to say `The hay is in the barn. You put in the work. Now it’s time to go out there and be an athlete and play.’’
It’s hard for Campbell to do that at times, but he’s qualified for every one of the PGA Tour’s signature events, where the paychecks are the biggest. The circuit is in the throes of change, though.
“They’re telling us those are going to go away,’’ he said. “No-cut events are going to go away, but it’s a good thing. We want to get back to normal tournament schedules. There’s a lot of changing, and there’s nothing I can touch on because nothing is set in stone, so we really don’t know what to expect. We’re kind of ready for anything. We trust where the tour is going and we’re just looking to be competitors out there at the end of the day.’’
While the talk of change spreads all through men’s golf, it isn’t a major topic for the JDC.
“We had a contract extension that keeps this event right here in the Quad Cities through 2030,’’ said tournament director Andrew Lehman.
This year’s tournament week is June 29 through July 5. The last four days are for the tournament rounds but there are some notable side attractions. Illinois men’s basketball coach Brad Underwood will be featured in the pro-am and Carrie Underwood gets the spotlight in the fourth year of the JDC’s Concerts on the Course series on the Fourth of July.
SILVIS, IL. – The John Deere Classic is known for its record number of champions who notched their first PGA Tour win here. There have been 34 of them in the tourney’s first 54 years and, on Sunday, the next one could be Doug Ghim.
