Author: lenz

Here’s 10 good reasons to go to the Encompass Championship

The Encompass Championship on the Champions Tour is coming to North Shore Country Club in Glenview from June 16-22. Tournament rounds are June 20-22. If you love golf you should be there. Here’s 10 good reasons why:

1, It’s Unique.

The pro golf tours are making fewer and fewer appearances in the Chicago area, and — with the BMW Championship going to Cherry Hills in Denver in September — the Encompass will be the only stop from any of the circuits in 2014 and is also set for another staging at North Shore in 2015.

2, It’s Meaningful.

The best players on the 50-and-over tour are playing 54 holes for $1.8 million in prize money with the champion receiving $270,000. Points are also on the line in the Champions Tour’s Schwab Cup competition, which could mean a big season-ending payday. This is no exhibition. That’s significant money and the competition will be intense.

3, The Players are Famous.

At least most of them are. With pro golf events it’s never a given on who will show up until the day before the tournament week, but the Champions Tour is filled with PGA stars of the past, and most will be competing at North Shore. Encompass director Mike Galeski is expecting Jay Haas, Colin Montgomerie. Jeff Sluman, Ben Crenshaw, Hale Irwin, Tom Kite, Bernhard Langer, Nick Price, Chip Beck, Corey Pavin, Kenny Perry, Rocco Mediate, Steve Elkington, Fred Funk and Mark O’Meara to show up. He’s also hopeful Fred Couples, last year’s runner; 2012 U.S. Ryder Cup captain Davis Love III and Tom Watson, his successor as the leader of America’s Ryder Cup effort, will make it as well. Even if a few top players decide to take the week off, name recognition may well be better at this Champions Tour event than at many of the PGA Tour stops.

4, It’s For a Good Cause.

The tourney will have four new charity beneficiaries this year – Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Illinois chapter; Jr. Achievement of Chicago, The First Tee of Greater Chicago and the Daniel Murphy Scholarship Fund. All are dedicated to helping youth, and the Champions Tour players will also host a Junior Clinic from 3-4 p.m. of tournament week. In addition to those organizations a Birdies for Charities program will be in effect for the first time with fans able to make pledges to charities of their choice off the number of birdies made during the competition.

5, The Price is Right.

Tickets start at $20 for grounds privileges any day, but youth17 and under will be admitted free as will military personnel, both active and retired. A book of six tickets, all good for any day of the tourney, is $90. Champions Club privileges are $250. Parking is available at Old Ochard Mall with free shuttle service to the course.

6, The Site is Special.

North Shore is one of Chicago’s oldest and most historic courses. It opened in 1924 and hosted the Western Open just four years later, Abe Espinosa winning the title. In 1933 North Shore hosted the U.S. Open, and Johnny Goodman triumphed. He’s the last amateur to win the U.S. Open. The club also welcomed the U.S. Amateurs of 1939, won by Marvin “Bud’’ Ward, and 1983, won by Jay Sigel. Prior to the Encompass the last major event held at North Shore was the 2011 Western Amateur. That event was won by Ethan Tracy. Few private clubs have hosted so many big tournaments and those that have rarely open their doors to the public. The Encompass offers one of those rare opportunities to see where so much golf history was made.

7, Viewing is Excellent.

Like most every course built before the 1950s, North Shore wasn’t designed to host big spectator events. Courses all had to be walk-able when North Shore was built because there were no golf carts. As a result, the greens and tees are relatively close together. You can easily walk a round with any player. That’s not an easy thing to do at PGA Tour events.

8, There’s a Celebrity Component.

There’ll be a tournament within a tournament during the first two days of the Encompass Championship. Each of the 81 professionals will be paired with an amateur in a 36-hole, two-man team event during the Friday and Saturday rounds. About 10 of the 81 amateur spots were reserved for celebrities and the early ones who committed to participate included Brian Urlacher, Roger Clemens, Toni Kukoc and Jeremy Roenick.

9, The Defending Champion has a Story to Tell.

Craig Stadler, better known in golf circles as The Walrus, was a surprise winner of last year’s Encompass Championship. His game was suffering before he got to North Shore – the last of his previous eight Champions Tour wins was in 2004 and he hadn’t even contended since 2007 — and it hasn’t been all that good since his victory there. Still, he was in the world golf spotlight in April when he joined son Kevin as the first father-son combination to compete in the same Masters tournament. Craig got in because he was the famous tourney’s 1982 winner. Kevin qualified as winner of a PGA Tour stop during the previous year. Kevin finished high enough to return to Augusta National next year. Craig missed the cut and has said that will be his last appearance at the Masters. Defending his Encompass title won’t be easy for the 61-year old Stadler either, but at least he appears recovered from the hip surgery and variety of other ailments that slowed him down for a six-year period.

10, You Can Always Watch.

While North Shore is a spectator-friendly place, the event won’t be hard to follow even on the days you can’t get there. Golf Channel will provide live coverage from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. on Friday (first round), and 2-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday (second and final rounds).

Four top college stars will get PGA Tour experience at JDC

Illinois’ only PGA Tour event of 2014 has thrived by appealing to young players, and director Clair Peterson saw no reason to change that approach when he announced his sponsor exemptions for the John Deere Classic this week.

Peterson invited four of the very best college stars to battle the PGA Tour players in the 44th staging of the $4.7 million tournament July 7-13 at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, IL., on the outskirts of the Quad Cities.

Invitees included the top two players in the amateur world rankings – Stanford golfers Patrick Rodgers and Cameron Wilson – plus Oklahoma State’s Jordan Niebrugge and Iowa’s Steven Ihm. Niebrugge will defend his titles in four big events this summer – the U.S. Public Links, Western Amateur, Wisconsin State Amateur and Wisconsin State Match Play.

Rodgers is receiving his third straight JDC invite and Ihm had one last year. Wilson wouldn’t likely have been included had he not won the individual title at the NCAA Championship last week.

Jordan Spieth, who won last year’s JDC in a five-hole playoff, was a sponsor exemption in 2012 after he had completed his freshman year at the University of Texas. He lauded Peterson’s exemption approach.

“Other tournaments need to look at this event as an example,’’ he said at Monday’s media kickoff. “It’s just the opportunities that come out of this. There’s no way that I win last year without that opportunity from the year before. There’s no way that I’m able to feel comfortable on the PGA Tour so quickly without the starts I was given. This tournament does it right.’’

Spieth has done a lot right since becoming the youngest winner of a major professional tournament in 80 years at the 2013 JDC. Still shy of his 21st birthday, he made the U.S. Presidents Cup team, contended at both the Masters and Players Championship and has climbed into the world’s top 10 in the rankings.

Coming off four straight weeks of tournaments, Spieth showed he still has a winning touch at TPC Deere Run. He holed a bunker shot on the last hole of regulation play last year to get into the playoff, in which he beat defending champion Zach Johnson and Canadian David Hearn. Spieth was asked to attempt the same bunker shot at the media day, and he holed the shot again.

Stymied in the sectionals

Five players were Chicago connections were medalists as local qualifiers for the U.S. Open, but none of them survived Monday’s 10 nation-wide sectional eliminations to get into the 156-player finals scheduled for June12-15 at Pinehurst, N.C.

One who wasn’t so sharp in the locals – Brian Campbell, Illinois’ Big Ten player-of-the-year – did earn a spot at Pinehurst through a sectional in California and Mark Wilson, PGA Tour regular from Elmhurst, and Illinois alum Luke Guthrie qualified in the Columbus, Ohio, sectional. As PGA Tour players both were exempt from the local eliminations.

Two others still have an outside chance of playing at Pinehurst. Illinois alum Scott Langley, who plays on the PGA Tour, was first alternate at Memphis, Tenn., and Roselle amateur and Medinah member Dan Stringfellow was second alternate at Springfield, Ohio.

Here and there

The 53rd Radix Cup matches between top professionals from the Illinois PGA and top amateurs from the Chicago District Golf Assn., will be contested Wednesday (JUNE 4) at Oak Park Country Club. The pros lead the series 33-17-2.

General manager Janet Dobson has announced her retirement after 35 years at Kemper Lakes in Long Grove.

Top-seeded Doug Bauman, of Biltmore Country Club in Barrington, captured the Illinois PGA Senior Match Play championship at Merit Club in Libertyville.

Connie Ellett, a junior on the Northern Illinois women’s team, has been named the first recipient of the Betty Rich Award for her dedication and leadership on the course.

Don Pieper, general manager and head professional at the Merit Club in Libertyville, has been named chairman of the Illinois PGA Foundation.

The Chicago qualifier for the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links tourney will be Wednesday at Sportsman’s, in Northbrook.

First Illinois Open qualifier is Thursday at Deerfield and first Illinois State Amateur qualifier is also Thursday, at Kankakee Elks.

The Mental Health Assn. of Greater Chicago has scheduled its fund-raising outing for July 17 at Makray Memorial in Barrington.

Wisconsin’s golf boom really started at Blackwolf Run two decade ago

KOHLER, Wis. – What’s been going on in golf in Wisconsin is astonishing.

Another PGA Championship and a Ryder Cup coming to Whistling Straits. A U.S. Open on its way to Erin Hills. A Robert Trent Jones renovation of the famous Flower Hole at Sentry World. A new Mike Keiser resort, Sand Valley, with four courses to be built near Wisconsin Rapids.

That’s a ton of major development for a state with a short golf season, but the boom has been in the works for awhile.

Like, say, about 25 years.

With all due respect to the Lake Geneva resorts, Grand Geneva and Geneva National, the dramatic surge in golf development in the Badger state the last few years has roots to Herb Kohler’s decision to bring in architect Pete Dye. He designed the Blackwolf Run course at The American Club.

Elevated tee shots aren’t unusual at Blackwolf Run, and they can create some scenic challenges.

Blackwolf Run has changed a lot since the likes of Ernie Els and Greg Norman competed in the World Championships of Golf there from 1995-97. A year later the U.S. Women’s Open came to Blackwolf and produced an epic victory by Korean Se Ri Pak. That really set the stage for the influx of great Asian players on the LPGA Tour.

Then Kohler made the unusual decision to add another 18 holes at Blackwolf. Dye’s original 18 was named Best New Public Course for 1988 by Golf Digest. In expanding Kohler allowed the River and Meadow Valley nines to be put on different courses to create a 36-hole complex.

The move paid off. More championship golf came to Kohler when Whistling Straits became a reality and more came to other areas of Wisconsin once Kohler showed it could be done.

Now – before the excitement of the 2015 PGA Championship, the 2017 U.S. Open, the opening of Keiser’s next project and the opening of a reported fifth course in the Kohler area — is a good time to spend some quality time where it all began. Blackwolf Run remains one of the nation’s premier golf destinations. A trip to Kohler shouldn’t center on rounds at Whistling Straits. Blackwolf Run remains a great place to play, even if big tournaments won’t be there for awhile.

The 2012 U.S. Women’s Open was its latest venture on golf’s big stage, and the original 18 was put back together for that event. Visitors won’t get to play the original layout, but the two separate 18s are just fine. So is the historic hotel and the adjacent Carriage House Annex with its spa, and the Horse & Plow restaurant remains a hot spot.

While quality remains, this season is unique. A lot of planning will be done, as Jason Mengel has set up headquarters to direct the 2015 PGA Championship and Michael Belot has returned to his home town as both general manager of Destination Kohler and vice chairman (behind David Kohler) of the PGA Championship.

Belot had spent time away, as director of the 2006 and 2009 PGA Championships and the 2012 Ryder Cup at Medinah and considered more roles with the PGA of America before heading home. His family moved to Kohler in 1978, when he was one year old, and he lived there until going off to college in 1996. Other family members have continued to live in the Kohler area.

“I had some great opportunities with the PGA after the Ryder Cup,’’ said Belot, “but I thought this would be a perfect fit. I have two young sons and would be re-locating every few years (had he remained with the PGA). This works out well for me personally and professionally.’’

He’s got a much bigger job now, with responsibility for all lodging, the Sports Core, nine restaurants and – among many other things – the proposed new course.

Though its location — on 247 acres of Kohler-owned land near the own of Wilson, 10 miles south of Whistling Straits — has been disclosed and Dye has been on the property, further details on the project are hush-hush at the moment. Plans were submitted to the Wilson planning commissioner on May 12, and Belot says “We’re just working through the process.’’

A visit to the site suggests some holes will be on Lake Michigan, as is the case with Whistling Straits.

At least a few holes of the proposed fifth course in the Kohler area will have views like this one of Lake Michigan.

The talking for now focuses on next year’s PGA. Mengel arrived last July after working as tournament director of the 2013 Senior PGA Championship at Bellerive in St. Louis.

“That’s a very good club and a good market,’’ he said. “We set all-time new corporate records there, and the 100th PGA will be there in 2018.’’

For now, though, Mengel’s concern is 2015, when Whistling Straits will host its third PGA in 11 years. He started selling corporate hospitality last September.

“Everything went absolutely fantastic,’’ he said. “We’ve seen wonderful support. Three chalet villages were on our initial plan, and we’ve already sold out two and have just one spot left in the third. We’re already talking expansion plans, and we’re only a year into it.’’

Ticket sales for 2015 will start on Aug. 11, the day after this year’s PGA concludes at Valhalla, in Louisville, but potential buyers have to register before then to hold their place in line for those tickets.

“The time to act is now,’’ Mengel said. Plans for the 2020 Ryder Cup underscore that. Buy a hospitality chalet now and you get the right of first refusal at the Ryder Cup five years later. Buy four Wanamaker Club tickets now, and you can bypass the ticket lottery for the Ryder Cup down the road.

Seventy-five percent of the volunteer positions have already been filled for the 2015 PGA, a testament to the good experiences many felt while working at the previous big events in the area.

Tournament director Jason Mengel is happy with the way preparations for the 2015 PGA Championship are progressing.
Mengel says this PGA won’t be quite like the others.

“The biggest difference is the commitment that Kohler Company and Pete Dye made to build our infrastructure out on the golf course. That will be the most visible difference,’’ Mengel said. “A lot of work will be done outside the ropes so we can build our infrastructure.’’

“This will be a huge difference,’’ chimed in Belot. “We’ve committed to changing the golf course. Some areas will be graded to accommodate corporate hospitality. Some of the views (from the hospitality venues) will overlook Lake Michigan. They’ll be spectacular.’’

Tweaking aside, Wisconsin still has plenty of enthusiasm for golf’s biggest events.

“It’s a great thing. It shows the love for golf in this state,’’ said Mengel, who grew up in Michigan. “We’ve seen the passion at the 2004 and 2010 PGAs. What an amazing market this is for golf.’’

Belot admits the Wisconsin golf is “truly remarkable.’’

“When you have tremendous courses like we have at Kohler people will be interested in playing them,’’ he said. “They’ll take advantage of the golf season that they do have, despite having such a short window to play.’’

The 2015 PGA is just the next step.

“Everything we’re doing is for 2015, but we’re keeping in mind the Ryder Cup,’’ said Belot. “It’ll be here before we know it.’’

This is American golf’s `other Augusta’

AUGUSTA, MI. – When you put Augusta and golf together you think of April, azaleas and the Masters tournament, right?

Well, that’d be understandable. Not all the great Augusta golf is played in Georgia, though. Check out Augusta, Michigan. Golf is pretty good there, too.

Vice president Tim Moskalic shows his eye-catching course at Yarrow Golf & Conference Resort.

This little town (population of only about 1,000) in southwest Michigan is the home of one of the premier families in the American golf industry as well as a unique resort/convention center complex that features one of that’s state’s premier courses. Put them together and you have the story of six courses just a few miles apart that create an ideal destination for group outings.

We’ll start with Yarrow Golf & Conference Resort. Its golf is good – an 18-holer designed by busy Michigan architect Ray Hearn in 2002. Hearn has either designed or worked on 25 courses in his home state (he lives in Holland, MI.) and has done quality work elsewhere. His renovations at two Chicago clubs – private Flossmoor Country Club and upscale public Mistwood – have drawn more attention lately but Yarrow is definitely one of Hearn’s best.

He gets your attention immediately with a highly-challenging 588-yard opening hole that has a bit of everything, most notably elevation changes and an undulating putting surface. Hearn wanted that to be No. 10 in his original plans, but ownership considerations eventually changed that.

Anyway, the rest of the course isn’t as intimidating and Hearn’s use of four other tee placements makes Yarrow suitable for players of all abilities. There’s lots of fun holes out there, but the layout is made for major competitions if played from the tips – 7,005 yards with a par of 72, rating of 72.4 and slope of 133.

Yarrow, though, is about more than golf. It has fine dining, 12 meeting rooms and 45 guest rooms spread over three separate buildings that make it a hub for company retreats and weddings. The staff is a friendly bunch, headed by resort vice president Tim Moskalic and general manager Toby Hilton.

In the same town of Augusta (or very close to it) is Gull Lake View Golf Club & Resort. For four decades the Scott family has owned and operated this multi-course conglomerate. There’s some prominent families in the American golf industry, starting with the Jemsek clan in Chicago, and the Scotts are right up there.

Gull Lake View has welcomed golfers for over 50 years.

Gull Lake View isn’t one place. Actually, it’s Gull Lake View Inc. and it embraces five courses owned by the Scotts. This family pioneered the golf destination business in Michigan, and that’s saying a lot since the state has over 800 public courses despite its relatively short playing season.

Golfers from outside southwest Michigan started playing Gull Lake View courses in 1963. That’s the year that Darl and Letha Scott opened the first nine holes of their first course. Darl had been a course superintendent for 21 years at Gull Lake Country Club before deciding to build a course of his own.

The proximity of Gull Lake View’s five courses — located between the bigger cities of Kalamazoo and Battle Creek — is a big plus. The conditioning on all of them is well above average. So is the variety of the layouts, and cost-wise it’s a friendly place as well. That formula has brought back many golfers for return visits over the years. If you want to play a lot of golf on a lot of different courses in a short period of time Gull Lake View is the place for you.

There are three bases of operation for the five courses. The Gull Lake View West and East courses are equipped with Fairway Villas and the Kendall Academy of instructors is also based there.

The Stonehedge South and North layouts are three miles down the road, and Bedford Valley is off the beaten path a bit – it’s officially in Battle Creek — but still within a short drive of the others. Each has its own bit of history.

Gull Lake View West was expanded to 18 holes in 1965. The adjoining East course, rated as high as the tenth best course in Michigan at one time, was completed in 1976 and the 64 Fairway Villa condos were opened a year later. All were designed and built by members of the Scott family.

The par-70 East is on the short side (6,059 yards) but is loaded with water hazards, hilly terrain and undulating greens. West is longer (6,330 yards) with a slightly higher rating (69.8) and slope (126).

Both the Stonehedge courses are still longer and more challenging. Stonehedge South, the third of the family’s courses, was designed by Charles Scott. This very scenic layout opened in 1988.
No. 4 came via purchase that same year. The family acquired Bedford Valley, a one-time private club with a course designed by Boston architect William Mitchell in 1965. This charming layout, much different from Augusta’s other courses, is the favorite for many visitors who have tested them all. It’s the longest (7,070 yards) with the highest rating (73.5) and slope (131).

Bedford Valley is proud of its long history as a tournament site.

Mitchell may not be the most well-known course designer but his resume includes two interesting tidbits. He’s credited with coining the term “executive course’’ (though Bedford Valley certainly isn’t one of those) and he also designed Rolling Hills Country Club in Florida. The renowned movie “Caddie Shack’’ would eventually be filmed there.

Bedford Valley has been the home of the Michigan Senior Open every year since 1996 and also has hosted the Michigan Open and the NCAA Division II national championship. Locals call this “The Big Course’’ because it has huge greens, large bunkers and fairways lined with large oak trees. An 8,400-square foot clubhouse was opened in 2008.

Last of the Gull Lake View courses to open was Stonehedge North. Designed by Charles and Jon Scott, it opened in 1995 with a unique mixture of holes – six par-5s, six par-4s and six par-3s. Like the South, it has some dramatic elevation changes amidst a forest setting.

Along with the courses there’s Cranes Pond, a 250-acre private gated golf community adjacent to the Gull View West course that includes a 54-acre lake, and The Woods at Stonehedge, a 40-acre community located on the Stonehedge South course.

Five local medalists spur Chicago hopes in U.S. Open sectional play

The U.S. Golf Assn. scheduled one of its sectional qualifiers for the U.S. Open at a Chicago area course for at least four decades. That policy changed two years ago and it’s especially unfortunate this year, given the results at the 111 nation-wide local qualifiers.

Players with Chicago roots were medalists at five of those 18-hole competitions, and Deerfield’s Vince India posted the lowest number – a 10-under-par 61 – at all of the locals. The other medalists were Elgin’s Carlos Sainz Jr., like India a member of the Web.com Tour; Cog Hill teaching pro Garrett Chaussard; Northwestern star Jack Perry; and Northwestern alum David Lipsky.

They’ll take high hopes into Monday’s sectional qualifying, where berths in the Open proper at Pinehurst, N.C., from June 12-15 will be on the line.

Monday’s 10 sectionals are spread across the country and the USGA hasn’t announced complete player assignments yet. India and Sainz will likely go to one of the two eliminations in Ohio since their Web.com Tour has a stop at the Cleveland Open next week.

India and Sainz both opted for Florida sites in local qualifying, India shooting his great round at Waterlefe in Bradenton and Sainz posting 65 at Fox Hollow in Trinity. They’ll find it tough at either Ohio sectional, but more spots at Pinehurst will likely be offered there because of the strong fields.

The 36-hole elimination at Columbus will be the hardest in the country, with non-qualifiers from the PGA Tour going there the day after the Memorial tournament. Six major championship winners – Rich Beem, Trevor Immelman, Justin Leonard, Davis Love III, Vijay Singh and Mike Weir – will be competing at the Scioto and Brookside courses.

Springfield Country Club will host the other Ohio sectional with veteran tour player Billy Mayfair heading the field there.

Perry and Chaussard are both from California and have expressed desires to play in the sectional near San Francisco, where Lake Merced and the Ocean course at Olympic Club will be used. Another sectional survivor, Big Ten player-of-the-year Brian Campbell of Illinois, is also from California and expects to play there after the Illini finish their season in the NCAA tournament in Kansas. Campbell shot a 7-under-par 63 in the NCAA finals on Monday to tie the course record at Prairie Dunes in Kansas and also equal the Illini one-round record.

The Open drew a record 10,127 this year, and other locals still alive include Illinois alum and PGA touring pro Scott Langley; 2012 Illinois Open champion Max Scodro; pros Michael Schachner of Libertyville and Andrew Godfrey of Homewood; and amateurs Dan Stringfellow of Roselle, Glenn Przybylski of Frankfort and Kenneth Li of Westmont. Pyzybylski tuned up by winning the Illinois State Amateur Public Links title for the second time last week. It came 19 years after he won the event for the first time.

Of the 11 locals in sectional play only two – Langley and Chaussard – are past qualifiers for the U.S. Open finals and only two former U.S. Open champions – Ken Venturi in 1964 and Orville Moody in 1969 – won their titles after surviving both local and sectional qualifying rounds.

BMW extends sponsorship

The Western Golf Assn. has announced that BMW has extended its sponsorship of the BMW Championship through 2019. The tourney is part of the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup playoffs and will be played this September at Cherry Hills in Denver.

Last year’s BMW Championship was played at Conway Farms, in Lake Forest, and the event will return there in 2015. The tourney made its debut in 2007 at Cog Hill, in Lemont, as a replacement for the Western Open on the PGA Tour schedule.

Here and there

The Illinois PGA Senior Match Play Championship concludes its three-day run on Thursday at Merit Club in Libertyville.

U.S. Amateur champion Matt Fitzpatrick, who dropped out of Northwestern in December after only one semester of his freshman year, has announced he’ll turn pro after the U.S. Open.

Taylorville’s Dave Ryan dethroned three-time defending champion Tom Miler of Kewanee in the title match of the Chicago District Senior Amateur at Calumet Country Club. Miler had defeated Ryan in two previous title matches in the tournament.

The Northwestern women’s team finished in a tie for 15th at the NCAA finals in Tulsa, Okla.

SR. PGA: Montgomerie’s dryspell in majors is over

BENTON HARBOR, MI. – The rap on Colin Montgomerie was that he couldn’t win the big ones. That changed on Sunday at Harbor Shores.

Montgomerie finally won a major title and finally won on American soil. In his Hall of Fame career he had done neither until his four-stroke romp in the 75th Senior PGA Championship.

Playing his entire career on the European PGA Tour Montgomerie accumulated three runner-up finishes in the U.S. Open and one each in the British Open and PGA Championship. Winning a major on the Champions Tour isn’t quite the same as winning one of those, but for Montgomerie – the winner of 40 other tournaments world-wide — it’ll do.

“I’ve been coming here for 22 years for major championship golf, trying to win,’’ said Montgomerie. “It’s a relief that it’s happened. It might have a senior connotation, but it is a major championship and it’s great to be part of history.’’

Tom Watson, who has won his share of majors – eight as a PGA Tour player and five more on the Champions circuit — was Montgomerie’s closest pursuer. Both shot 65s in the final round, Watson doing it thanks to putting four twos on his scorecard. He came within one shot of shooting his age and described his effort as “one of the best rounds from tee to green that I’ve played in years.’’

“But,’’ said Watson, “it wasn’t good enough to beat Colin. He never had any luck playing the regular tour, but he came close a lot of times.’’

Watson won’t be a challenger in Montgomerie’s next tournament appearance, the Encompass Championship at North Shore Country Club next month. Busy with duties as the U.S. Ryder Cup captain, Watson ruled out his appearance in Chicago’s only pro tour stop of 2014 after Sunday’s round.

SR. PGA: Is Montgomerie on the brink of a breakthrough?

BENTON HARBOR, MI. – Scotland’s Colin Montgomerie is in the World Golf Hall of Fame, but he has yet to win a tournament in the United States. That could change Sunday when he takes a one-shot lead over Germany’s Bernhard Langer into the final round of the 75th PGA Championship at Harbor Shores.

Montgomerie and Langer will be playing together for the fourth straight day in the climax to the second major tourney of the season on the Champions Tour.

The difference in their status after 54 holes came off Montgomerie’s 30-foot downhill putt on the final hole of Saturday’s round. It gave Montgomerie a 68 and three-round total of 7-under-par 206. Langer shot 69.

Montgomerie was a Ryder Cup star for Europe and a runner-up in three U.S. Opens, one British Open and one PGA Championship. This year he opted to join the 50-and-over circuit rather than play the European PGA Tour, his home circuit throughout his pro career.

“I came here to enjoy myself,’’ said Montgomerie. “The last five years on the European Tour weren’t as enjoyable as it is here. I’m on the Champions Tour now and loving it.’’

That’ll be underscored next month when he comes back from Scotland for his next tournament — the Encompass Championship at North Shore Country Club in Glenview.

“I hear that course is lovely,’’ said Montgomerie, “and Mike Galeski, the tournament director, runs a great show. He was with Callaway when I was with them, so I look forward to playing in his tournament.’’

Montgomerie isn’t as excited about going head-to-head with the slow-moving Langer in the final round of the Senior PGA.

“I’ve known Bernhard for 30 yards, and I’ll enjoy it,’’ said Montgomerie, “but playing with Bernhard is different. You have to adjust your own pace. There’s no sense rushing with Bernhard.’’

SR. PGA: Murota, Tinning could keep a tradition going

BENTON HARBOR, MI. – Little known foreign players won the last two titles in the Senior PGA Championship, and that could happen again.

Japan’s Kiyoshi Murota shot the best score of Friday’s second, holing from off the green twice en route to a 6-under-par 65 – and is in a six-way tie for the lead at Harbor Shores. The other co-leaders included another unlikely candidate, Denmark’s Steen Tinning who shot 66. If either wins on Sunday they’d continue a trend started by England’s Roger Chapman, who won here in 2012, and Japan’s Kohki Idoki, the champion last year at Bellerive in St. Louis.

The present leaderboard, though, isn’t filled with golfing unknowns. Joining Murota and Tinning at the top are Tom Watson, Bernhard Langer, Colin Montgomerie and Bart Bryant. All hit the 36-hole stop at 4-under-par 138.

Watson, Langer and Montgomerie formed the showcase threesome of the first two rounds and traded hot stretches. Langer and Watson shots 68s on Friday and Montgomerie had 69.

“All three of us played well,’’ said Watson, “and the course played a little easier (than it did in Thursday’s first round). They had the tees up on several holes, so it was a kinder, friendlier Harbor Shores today.’’

“Tom had a great finish (tie for sixth) in the Regions Tradition and Langer’s always there,’’ said Montgomerie. “I felt if I was equal or around them after two days I would be quite happy. I was, and I am.’’

The Senior PGA, celebrating its 75th anniversary, comes a week after the Champions Tour’s first major of the season, the Regions Tradition in Alabama. Kenny Perry won there – his third major title on the 50-and-over circuit – but shot 75 Friday and barely made the cut.

Stadler ailing for his Encompass title defense

Chicago’s only pro tour stop of 2014, the Encompass Championship, is less than a month away. It’ll return to North Shore Country Club in Glenview from June 16-22, and this week’s tourney update suggests the event has some issues.

Defending champion Craig Staler visited North Shore and revealed health issues that have sidelined him for most of this year. He suffered torn cartilage in his knee in January in Hawaii and needed six weeks to recover. Then he injured his back shortly after returning to action.

Last week he pulled out of the Regions Tradition, one of the Champions Tour’s major events, after nine holes, and he won’t play in this week’s Senior PGA Championship. He’s targeting a new event in Branson, Mo., for his return, as a tune-up for his title defense at North Shore.

“I haven’t been healthy all year,’’ he said. “I hope it turns around.’’

Stadler wasn’t exactly at the top of his game when he arrived at North Shore last year, either. He hadn’t even contended in a tournament since 2007 before getting his victory.

“I had basically quit,’’ said Stadler. “I was basically in the bottom 10 every week, and I was tired of embarrassing myself. It was no fun at all, but then (swing guru) Billy Harmon re-routed everything in my swing. It was a work in progress, and it still is.’’

Stadler liked what he saw at North Shore and still does.

“Every player was amazed by the condition of the golf course,’’ he said. “All 81 of us fell in love with it immediately. Augusta (home of the Masters) is great, but (North Shore) is right with it. Its 10th fairway looks better than some of the greens we play. It’s certainly different from Butler National (Oak Brook) and Cog Hill (Lemont), where we had to grind it out in the Western Open on the PGA Tour. It’s a perfect setting for us to be here.’’

North Shore wasn’t exactly perfect on Monday, though. Temporary greens were used on two holes to allow for the putting surfaces to recover from rugged winter weather and the No. 14 hole was closed because a hawk living there has become overly aggressive with humans lately.

Tournament director Mike Galeski, however, was able to announce seven of the projected 10 celebrity participants in the two-day pro-am held concurrently with the 54-hole main event. Brian Urlacher and Toni Kukoc are returning. They’ll be joined by Northwestern men’s basketball coach Chris Collins, hockey legends Mike Eruzione and Jeremy Roenick, ex-Bear Gary Fencik and baseball great Roger Clemens.

Harbor Shores hosts Champions Tour major

Closest of the major tourneys (PGA, LPGA, Champions tours) is this week’s Senior PGA Championship at Harbor Shores in Benton Harbor, Mich.

Harbor Shores, a Jack Nicklaus design, hosted the tourney in 2012 and will also host in 2016 and 2018. Last year the event was held at Bellerive in St. Louis. The Senior PGA has had surprise winners the last two years, England’s Roger Chapman having triumphed at Harbor Shores and Japan’s Kokhi Idoki winning at Bellerive.

Idoki will defend his title beginning on Thursday. The 72-hole test runs through Sunday and immediately follows the Champions Tour’s first major of the season. Kenny Perry won his third major title in the 50-and-over circuit last Sunday when he captured the Regionals Tradition at Shoal Creek in Birmingham, Ala.

Here and there

Only two players – Hannah Pietlia of Brighton, Mich., and Elizabeth Tong, of Thornhill, Ontario — advanced to next month’s U.S. Women’s Open during Monday’s 71-player, 36-hole qualifier at Indian Hill in Winnetka. Pietlia was medalist at 4-over-par 146, two strokes better than Tong. Streamwood’s Noriko Nakazaki was the top local player, one stroke behind Tong in a tie for third.

The 13th Chicago District Senior Amateur runs through Thursday at Calumet Country Club in Homewood. Kewanee’s Tom Miler, the only player to win the tourney more than once, is going for a three-peat. He won in 2010, 2012 and 2013.

Next week’s Illinois PGA Senior Match Play Championship has been moved from Shoreacres in Lake Bluff to Merit Club in Libertyville. Its three-day run will begin next Tuesday (MAY 27).

NCAA CENTRAL REGIONAL: Illini, Campbell rule at Rich Harvest

Illinois saw its five-year reign as men’s Big Ten golf champion come to an end two weeks ago, but the Illini still have a longer run going. They qualified for the NCAA finals for the seventh straight time on Saturday by winning the Central Regional at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove.

Coach Mike Small’s team was a Cinderella story at last year’s NCAA finals, finishing fifth in the stroke play portion and second to Alabama in the match play conclusion. Small has even higher hopes for this year’s finals, at Prairie Dunes in Kansas from May 27-June 1. The event will have live TV coverage for the first time, on The Golf Channel.

The Illini celebrate their seventh straight trip to the NCAA finals.

“I like the thought of us being a Cinderella, but we’ve been a top 10 team all year,’’ said Small. “We won four times, which isn’t as many as you’d think a top-10 team would, but we had a lot of seconds and thirds.’’

The Illini, with only one senior in its top five and junior Alex Burge in the lineup for the first time this season, posted a 16-over-par 880 total to win the three-day, 13-team competition at Rich Harvest by two strokes over Alabama-Birmingham. Five teams qualified for Prairie Dunes, and Illinois also had the tourney medalist in junior Brian Campbell. The Big Ten player-of-the-year posted 5-under-par 211 for the 54 holes and was three swings better than Anthony Paolucci of Southern California, the only other player to break par.

“Our focus was on winning, not just getting into the top five,’’ said Campbell. “Winning is what it’s all about, and we’ll bring that same attitude to the NCAAs. We’re still viewed as underdogs. We’re not given a lot of credit, which I love. Then we just come out and show what we’ve got.’’

Jonathan Hauter was the only senior in the Illini lineup at Rich Harvest. Burge earned his spot by beating sophomore David Kim in a playoff after the second-place finish in the Big Ten tourney. Sophomores Charlie Danielson and Thomas Detry rounded out the team.

“We’re a self-made team — normal guys with great personalities – and our coach molds us into great players with strong minds,’’ said Campbell. The only player missing from last year’s Cinderella team was Thomas Pieters, who left school early to play on the European PGA Tour.

“We don’t have the horse (Pieters) that we had last year, but we’re more consistent,’’ said Small. “This team had a better season than last year’s team.’’

Last year’s team was the first Illini squad to win an NCAA regional, accomplishing the feat as the No. 7 seed, before its exhilarating finish in the finals. Illinois was seeded second and ranked No. 9 nationally going into the Rich Harvest event.