The 20th Illinois Women’s Open may have seemed like a ho-hum affair. Emily Collins started the final round with a five-stroke lead and won by nine. It wasn’t quite that easy for the University of Oklahoma graduate, however. Collins, in her second tournament as a professional, started double bogey-bogey and her playing partner, Michigan State…
Author: lenz
Endurance will be the key to winning Western Amateur at Beverly
No tournament in golf, amateur or professional, requires as much to win as the Western Amateur. The Western Golf Assn. is conducting its annual golf marathon for the 112th time this week at Chicago’s Beverly Country Club, and Wednesday is an especially big day because it includes the largest cut of the event – from…
IWO: Hot second round gives Oklahoma golfer a 5-shot cushion
Mistwood’s recently renovated course has proven a tough challenge for the players in the 20th Illinois Women’s Open – with the exception of Emily Collins, that is. Collins, a recent University of Oklahoma graduate preparing for the LPGA qualifying school, posted a 4-under-par 68 in Tuesday’s second round to open a five-stroke lead entering Wednesday’s…
CENTRAL IOWA: Amana Colonies course rekindles good memories
Bet you never thought of Iowa as a golf destination, did you? Well, maybe you should. At least visits to two courses – Spirit Hollow in Burlington and Amana Colonies Golf Club in Middle Amana — during John Deere Classic week suggested that Iowa has plenty to offer golf-wise. The Amana Colonies layout is the…
IT ZIEHMS TO ME: Asian Watch Party was vital for International Crown’s future
The first International Crown concludes Sunday at Caves Valley, in Owings Mills, Md., but a Saturday gathering that wasn’t held anywhere near the course will have a more direct bearing on how the event plays out at Rich Harvest Farms in 2016. Jerry Rich, in the forefront during the Crown’s creation, hosted a Watch Party…
ILLINOIS OPEN: Win puts Hopfinger among the Lucky 7
Only seven players have won titles in both the Illinois State Amateur, which has been played for 84 years, and the Illinois Open, which just completed its 65th staging. Brad Hopfinger, a Lake Forest resident who attended the University of Iowa before turning pro, was the latest and he joined a selected group – David…
ILLINOIS OPEN: Another Hawkeye is in position to win
University of Iowa golfers have won three of the last five Illinois State Amateur golf titles. Now another Hawkeye is poised to claim the Illinois Open crown. Brian Bullington, a Frankfort resident who will be a senior at Iowa in the fall, coped with windy conditions at The Glen Club in Glenview on Tuesday to…
IWO celebrates its 20th anniversary with a sold-out pro-am at Mistwood
The 65th Illinois Open ends on Wednesday. Then it’s the women’s turn. The 20th anniversary staging of the Phil Kosin Illinois Women’s Open will tee off on Monday at Mistwood in Romeoville. Like the men’s tournament, the IWO is a 54-hole competition that concludes on a Wednesday, July 20. The men’s had state-wide qualifying rounds…
ILLINOIS OPEN: Davan shakes off tough finish in 2013 tourney
Monday’s first round of the 65th Illinois Open was full of surprises, the most notable of which was provided by Michael Davan. Davan, from downstate Hoopeston turned pro after playing collegiately at Indiana-Purdue Indianapolis. Starting late in the day he shot a 6-under-par 66 to take a one-stroke lead into Tuesday’s second round at The…
IT ZIEHMS TO ME: Lawsonia may be in Wisconsin, but its roots are in Chicago
GREEN LAKE, Wis. — Shame on me. This golf writer of nearly 50 years didn’t know nearly enough about the work of William Langford until playing in last week’s Langford Shield outing at The Links of Lawsonia. The course got its name from the legendary newspaperman Victor Lawson. He was the publisher of the Chicago…