Author: lenz

Malm’s 63 at Elgin bodes well for his chances in IPGA tourney

Clearly Curtis Malm is the player to watch in next week’s 91st Illinois PGA Championship on Olympia Fields Country Club’s South course.

Malm, first assistant professional at St. Charles Country Club and the IPGA’s player-of-the-year in 2012, fired a 9-under par course record 63 at Elgin Country Club on Monday in the section’s fifth stroke play event of the season.

In April he won the first of the section’s majors – the IPGA Match Play Championship at Kemper Lakes in Long Grove – for the second straight year. Malm also tied for third in the second major, last month’s Illinois Open at The Glen Club in Glenview, and is at the top of the player-of-the-year standings again.

“I haven’t played as well as I did last year as far as consistency goes,’’ said Malm, “but my game’s getting there.’’

He took on expanded duties at St. Charles this year, adding the role of membership sales director, and that has reduced Malm’s practice time. He is also lacking in knowledge of Olympia Fields’ South course. Malm hopes to get in his first round ever there on Thursday. Otherwise his first will be on Monday in the first day of the three-day championship.

Malm’s round at Elgin – his lowest ever in competition — featured seven birdies and an eagle. (He had a 62 in an informal round at Blackberry Oaks in Sugar Grove).

Other than Malm, the favorite at Olympia figures to be Illinois coach Mike Small, who won by 11 strokes the last time the event was played at the storied south suburban private club in 2010. Small has won the tourney a record nine times, but not since his runaway win at Olympia, where he is an honorary member. Steve Orrick, from Country Club of Decatur, is the defending champion. He won last year at Stonewall Orchard, in Gurnee.

FedEx Playoffs tee off

Kevin Streelman, at No. 13, is the top-ranked of six players with Illinois backgrounds in the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Playoffs, which begin on Thursday with The Barclays tourney at Liberty National in New York.

The top 125 on the season-long PGA Tour points list qualified for The Barclays, a 72-hole no-cut tournament with an $8 million purse. It’s the first of four such events, and the point winner after they’re over claims a $10 million bonus. Third stop in the series is the BMW Championship at Conway Farms in Lake Forest.

Joining Streelman among the Illinois hopefuls in The Barclays field are D.A. Points (ranked No. 25), Luke Donald (55), Luke Guthrie (72), Mark Wilson (102) and Scott Langley (124). Only the top 100 on the points list after The Barclays play in the following week’s Deutsche Bank Championship in Boston, and the top 70 after that one advance to Conway Farms.

Leader in the standings going into the playoffs is Tiger Woods, who won the FedEx Cup in its first year – 2007 – and became the only two-time champion with a victory in 2009. Last year’s winner, Brandt Snedeker, is No. 3 in the current standings behind Woods and Matt Kuchar. Phil Mickelson is No. 4, Bill Haas (FedEx Cup champion in 2011) is No. 5, U.S. Open winner Justin Rose is No. 7 and John Deere Classic champ Jordan Spieth No. 8.

NU has a super freshman coming in

Matt Fitzpatrick, who will begin his freshman year at Northwestern next month, continued a brilliant summer by winning the U.S. Amateur at Brookline, MA., on Sunday. That means his first year of college could be a wild one. By virtue of his U.S. Am win Fitzpatrick is eligible to play in the Masters, U.S. Open and British Open in addition to his college events.

Before winning the U.S. Am the 18-year-old from Sheffield, England won the British Boys title in 2012, was low amateur in this year’s British Open and runner-up in the English Amateur. His latest win elevated Fitzpatrick to the No. 1 world ranking for amateurs. He was also a shoo-in when the European Walker Cup selections were announced on Sunday.

The U.S. also made its Walker Cup selections. They featured Jordan Niebrugge, an Oklahoma State sophomore from Mequon, Wis., who won the U.S. Amateur Public Links, Wisconsin Amateur and Western Amateur titles in a three-week hot streak that preceded his first-round loss in the U.S. Am.

Playing in BMW Championship isn’t a done deal for Donald, Wilson

Luke Donald and Mark Wilson, Chicago-based PGA Tour players and members of the Western Golf Assn. board of directors, put on an exhibition this week to promote next month’s BMW Championship at Conway Farms in Lake Forest.

The nine-hole closed-to-the-public event, which included new Northwestern basketball coach Chris Collins and Bulls’ guard Kirk Heinrich, raised $45,000 for the WGA’s Evans Scholars Foundation. It also underscored the PGA players’ uncertainty about their status regarding the upcoming FedEx Cup playoffs.

Only this week’s Wyndham Championships in North Carolina preceded the four-tourney FedEx Playoffs – the biggest money opportunity in all of golf. Each of the four events – the BMW is the third – offers an $8 million purse and limited fields. Financial windfalls await the players who play the best at this time of the year.

Naturally, Donald and Wilson want to cash in, but need to improve their current position to do it. The top 125 on the season-long FedEx point stands get into The Barclay’s – the New York-based first playoff event that tees off on Aug. 22.

The top 100 after points are awarded in The Barclay’s qualify for the Deutsche Bank Championship in Boston, which begins on Aug. 30. The top 70 after the Deutsche Bank go to Conway Farms and the top 30 after that one play in the Tour Championship in Atlanta.

Based on the current standings Wilson will be hard-pressed to survive the first playoff event and Donald will have a challenge qualifying for the BMW Championship that will be played on his home course.

Donald, the world’s No. 1 player barely a year ago, dropped to No. 54 in the FedEx standings after missing the cut at last week’s PGA Championship. Wilson didn’t play in the PGA and is No. 95. He entered the Wyndham in hopes of boosting his playoff position.

“My game’s a work in progress at the moment,’’ said Donald. “Golf’s like that with its ups and downs. It’s been trying at times, but I’m looking forward to the Fed Ex events. Each tournament offers five times as many points (as the previous ones). There’s always a chance to make big leaps and bounds, and one great week can turn around your year.’’

The playoff format can also create volatile swings in the point standings, so Donald and Wilson could fall or climb dramatically depending on how they play beginning in two weeks.

“In the last two years I came into the playoffs in great position,’’ said Donald, who was No. 3 in the FedEx standings when he held the top world ranking. “This time I’m a little further back, so it’s a different mindset. One good tournament can shoot me up the board. I’m excited about that chance.’’

Wilson, hampered by a sore ankle, is also having a somewhat down season. He tied for ninth in his last start at the Canadian Open, though, and that was cause for optimism.

“I’ve worked through some swing thoughts,’’ he said, “and I’m rounding into form.’’

Wilson had spent much of his practice time in Chicago at Cog Hill, the Lemont facility that hosted the BMW Championship for 20 years prior to the WGA’s decision to move it to Conway this year. He’s not nearly as familiar with Conway as Donald is, but welcomes the change and thinks the 70 players who make it will, too.

“I played in the NCAA Championship there (in 1997) and have come on a regular basis,’’ said Wilson. “We play a lot of new courses every year on tour, and there’ll be a little learning curve, but our games travel.’’

Look out for Hardy

Nick Hardy, a 17-year old senior at Glenbrook North High School, shot a stunning 65 on Monday to lead the first round of the 36-hole stroke play qualifying at the U.S. Amateur in suburban Boston.

Hardy, who plans to attend the University of Illinois and recently played a practice round with Michael Jordan, shot his six-birdie opening round at Charles River Country Club. His second round was Tuesday at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass. – a former U.S. Open site that will be the venue for six days of match play beginning on Wednesday. The title match is on Sunday.

The U.S. Amateur started with 312 finalists from nation-wide qualifying tournaments. The low 64 after Tuesday’s second round of stroke play advancing qualify for the match play portion of the championship.

Did you know?

Emily Fletcher, who coached the Northwestern women’s team to its first Big Ten title and was the league’s coach-of-the-year, had her contracted extended through 2015.

Michael Smith of Twin Lakes, in Palatine, defeated Midlothian’s Frank Hohenadel in a three-hole playoff for the Illinois PGA Assistants title.

Top area amateur Blake Biddle of St. Charles has transferred from Nevada Las Vegas to Arkansas.

Goss, Mory develop unique Academy for juniors

Pat Goss and Jeff Mory, both long prominent in Chicago golf, are busy guys.

Goss is director of golf at Northwestern, head coach of the NU men’s team and the swing coach of Luke Donald. Mory is director of golf at Conway Farms, the Lake Forest course that includes Donald among its members. It will host the PGA Tour’s BMW Championship in September.

Mory’s pupils include University of Iowa golfers Vince India and Brad Hopfinger – the Illinois State Amateur champions of 2010 and 2011, respectively.

In one way or another Goss and Mory have worked together for over 20 years, and now they’re collaborating again – with a relatively new program that isn’t yet as high-profile as Goss’ NU golf program or Mory’s world-class golf club.

In 2011 the two co-founded the Wildcat Golf Academy in an effort to fill a need in junior golf. Goss describes the Academy as “the first NCAA-legal sports club for golf.’’ Sports clubs are common in other sports, like volleyball and soccer, but it wasn’t so easy to get similar opportunities for golfers. Lots of paperwork needed to be done, but it was all worthwhile.

“There’s a huge demand for us to work with junior golfers,’’ said Goss, “but it was hard for me because it’s against NCAA rules to give private lessons to a high school boy. This program is NCAA approved. It’s the only program of its kind in the country.’’

Mory, an Illinois high school champion in 1982, was the Northwestern men’s coach from 1990-97. During that period he was the Big Ten coach-of-the-year in 1994. Goss was, at first, one of his NU players.

In 1992 Goss became Mory’s assistant and took over as head coach when Mory moved to Conway Farms. The Wildcats have won four Big Ten titles and 32 tournaments in Goss’ 18 seasons. His players have won seven Big Ten individual titles – Scott Rowe (1995), Jonathan Loosemore (1996), Donald (2000 and 2001), Chris Wilson (2006), Eric Chun (2009) and David Lipsky (2010).

Coinciding with their success in their other jobs, Goss and Mory broadened their scope by creating the Wildcat Golf Academy.

“We felt something was missing for junior golfers,’’ said Goss. “If they’re going to improve this is the direction to go.’’

The Wildcat Golf Academy is a year-around program. Budding golfers don’t need to head to warm weather climates in the winter. They can get what they need to grow their skills in the north suburbs. Academy members work at the Luke Donald Practice Facility at The Glen Club in Glenview in the spring, summer and fall and use either the Gleacher Golf Center, located in the landmark Patten Gymnasium, or the all-purpose Trienens Center on NU’s Evanston campus in the winter.

Patten is famous for being the site of the first NCAA basketball tournament in 1939. The Gleacher Center, which opened as part of a renovation in 1987, is historic as well. It was the first facility of its kind in college golf with its 2,000-square foot pitching and putting green and adjacent sand trap. The Trienens Center can be netted like a dome for golf and has enough room for pitch shots.

Goal of the Academy is to develop highly motivated junior golfers who have the desire to compete at the highest level locally, regionally and nationally. The same teaching principles that Goss and Mory have used on their other jobs are utilized in the Academy, but the staff is much larger than just the two co-founders.

The Academy has three levels. Sam McKenney handles the juniors, youngsters who start at age 10 and must have taken lessons before they enroll. McKenney is an assistant coach for both men’s and women’s teams at Northwestern and also a teaching professional at Knollwood Club in Lake Forest.

Goss and Mory oversee the other two levels – academy and elite — with a staff of well-qualified instructors. They include David Inglis, assistant coach of the NU men’s team; Beth Miller, assist for the NU women’s squad; Conway Farms assistants Harlan Chemers and Jamie Fischer; Dan Massello, assistant professional at Evanston Golf Club; and Daniel Gray, assistant at Skokie.

While the Academy is for “highly motivated’’ players, Goss admits “there are different levels of commitment within the group.’’

The junior level is geared for kids to learn in a fun manner. The academy is for fifth graders and up and the elite is where students work in small groups twice a week directly with Goss and Mory. Fitness training is also included, directed by Cory Puyear – Northwestern’s strength and conditioning specialist who also works with golfers on the pro tours. Participants must live within 50 miles of the Evanston.

The Wildcat Golf Academy has quadrupled in size since its first sessions but the most interesting aspect is the summer-to-winter ratio.

“The offseason (winter) is become a critical time,’’ said Goss. “We do all the things we can’t do when the players are competing. The lowest number of our participants is in the summer, the highest in the winter. That’s the opposite of most teaching programs.’’

The effectiveness of the program is showing in tournament play, particularly in the Illinois Junior Golf Assn. events. Academy members like Bennett Cotton, Chip Savarie John Kryscio, Jason Paek, Blake Yaccino and Ethan Farnam have been among the very best in those competitions.

Remember those names. Could one of them emerge as the “next Luke Donald’’ in a few years? It’ll be interesting to find out.

Registration information is available at www.wildcatgolfacademy.com.

NORTHERN MICHIGAN: Guss takes charge at Treetops’ Academy

GAYLORD, MI. — Treetops has grown into – arguably at least – Michigan’s most spectacular golf resort and one of its main features is its teaching program.

Started in 1990 by Rick Smith and Henry Young, the school thrived as the Rick Smith Golf Academy and Smith became prominent far beyond his home state as both a teacher and course designer. His success as an instructor at Treetops led to him eventually becoming a swing guru for Phil Mickelson and he now also works with PGA Tour players Rory Sabbatini, Jerry Kelly and Sang-Moon Bae – winner of this year’s Byron Nelson Classic.

Joy gets her swing fined-tuned by Jason Guss, the Michigan PGA’s Teacher-of-the-Year.

Smith remains the owner and architect for three courses – Tradition, Signature and Threetops – at Treetops North. Threetops is widely regarded as America’s best par-3 course.

Inevitably, Smith’s success in teaching and course architecture led to his spending more time away from Michigan – he’s even designing a course in China now — and that led to a revamping and renaming on the teaching side. It’s now the Rick Smith and Jason Guss Golf Academy.

The name change isn’t something superficial within Michigan golf circles. Guss’ return to Treetops – he was one of Smith’s teaching assistants for 13 years – was made to expand the Academy and he’s done that significantly. Not only does it remain as the oldest continuously-operated golf school in Michigan, it’s also the state’s only three-time honoree of America’s Top-25 Golf Schools, as determined by Golf Magazine.

As for Guss, in 2013 he was named the Michigan PGA’s Teacher of the Year. We could see why on a visit to Couples Golf School, one of his expansion projects for the Academy. It consisted of an informative, fast-moving six hours of instruction conducted in two three-hour morning sessions. Guss did the bulk of the instructing with Gary Bissell backing him up.

The first three hours were spent hitting lots of balls on the range with the focus on swing technique supplemented by video analysis. The second three hours were devoted to short game skills – half on putting and half on chipping and pitching.

Guss left Treetops to start his own Academy at the nearly Otsego Club in 2011. That was an understandable move given that he had been recognized by Golf Digest as among the nation’s Best Young Teachers in 2010 and was selected to that publication’s advisory committee on equipment analysis for its popular Hot List issue. On that project Guss has spent three-day sessions working with scientists, retailers, teachers and amateur players to determine the best products coming into the marketplace.

Under the new setup Guss leads the Academy effort as director of golf performance with Smith there strictly part-time. Young and Bissell round out the instruction staff along with Judy Mason, long-time staffer for the Treetops’ Ladies Golf School.

The view from No. 2 at Threetops creates one of the most memorable tee shots I’ve ever played.

Though offering a wide variety of teaching options, Guss is heavily involved in junior programs and one of his youngest pupils won an American Junior Golf Assn. 54-hole tournament.

The Academy, located at Treetops North, — on Wilkinson Road three miles north of Treetops proper, has indoor facilities and computer swing analysis equipment – Trackman and Tomi Putting System. We made use of it in our two-day program, but benefitted more from the unlimited golf offered as part of the package. In addition to the six hours of instruction, we had 18-hole afternoon rounds at the Tradition and Fazio Premier layouts topped off by a spin around Threetops.

Treetops North is one of the few facilities where you can play 63 holes without changing golf carts. We played 63 holes during our latest Michigan visit, but not all at Treetops. Our first round was at nearby Boyne Highlands the day before the Couples School started, and we didn’t get to play the third 18 at Treetops North. That’s the Signature course, and we expect to play it on our next visit.

Illini coach Small will try to revive his game at the PGA Championship

Playing in the PGA Championship isn’t anything new to Mike Small, the University of Illinois men’s coach who qualified for this week’s final major championship of 2013 for the ninth time.

Small, who got into the tourney by finishing in a tie for fourth at the Professional Players National Championship in June, has made the cut in three previous PGAs and was low club pro in 2007 and 2011. His chances to do it again don’t look as good when the event tees of on Thursday at Oak Hill in Rochester, N.Y., however.

“It’s weird. The last year and a half I haven’t played well,’’ said Small after finishing in a tie for 19th at the Illinois Open – an event he won four times. “The game’s hard for me now.’’

Small, who will also bid for his 10th win in the Illinois PGA Championship later this month at Olympia Fields, has had a big year away from playing. His Illini won the Big Ten title for the fifth straight year and finished second to Alabama in the NCAA Championship. He also was voted into the Illinois Golf Hall of Fame, the induction to take place on Oct. 25 at The Glen Club in Glenview. At 47 he’ll become the youngest member of the Hall.

He ascribes to the theory that his game has deteriorated as his coaching has improved and insists recent equipment changes have not been a factor in the dropoff in his play.

“I need to start playing the way I coach my guys,’’ he said. “I need to take my own advice, and that’s not easy sometimes. Equipment’s not a problem. It’s me. I have a problem sustaining my concentration.’’

That’s understandable, given what goes with his success on the coaching end.

“I’ve played more social golf and done more clinics than I did before,’’ he said. “And I’ve been using myself as a test-dummy. That’s helped me become a better coach, but it is what it is. I’m not playing bad. I can still compete in PGA stuff.’’

Another revival for the Chicago Open

The last big tournament of the Chicago golf season will be a new/old one. The Illinois Junior Golf Assn. is reviving the Chicago Open, a tournament that includes Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson, Sam Snead and Luke Donald on its list of past champions.

Last held in 2001, the next Chicago Open will be held Oct. 7-9 at Cantigny in Wheaton. It’ll be contested over 54 holes and offer a $50,000 purse. There’ll be five qualifying tournaments – Sept. 3 at Brown Deer in Wisconsin, Sept. 16 at Flossmoor, Sept. 23 at Country Club of Old Vincennes in Indiana and Lake Michigan in Michigan and Sept. 26 at Makray Memorial in Barrington. Players who don’t qualify in the first four events can take a second crack at it at Makray.

“In reviving the Chicago Open our goal is to provide an opportunity for aspiring tour pros and top amateurs to compete at a high level,’’ said Marty Schiene, the IJGA president. “Playing in a competition with such a rich history can make the event that much more meaningful to the contestants.’’

Did you know?

Northwestern recruit Matt Fitzgerald finished second in the English Amateur, losing the final 4 and 3 to Callum Shinkwin. Fitzgerald, who arrives at NU as a freshman in the fall, made the cut in the British Open and has climbed to third in the World Amateur Rankings.

With Michigan-based Kitchenaid extending its sponsorship the Senior PGA Championship will remain based in the Midwest. It was held at Harbor Shores, in Benton Harbor, Mich., in 2012 and Bellerive in St. Louis this year. Harbor Shores hosts again in 2014 and will also get the Champions Tour major in 2016 and 2018. Indiana’s French Lick Resort will host in 2015.

The Illinois PGA will hold its Senior Championship next Monday and Tuesday (AUG 12-13) at Lincolnshire Country Club.

ILLINOIS WOMEN’S OPEN: Fifth Michigan golfer in six years wins the title

There were possibilities for Chicago golfers to make significant history in Friday’s final round of the 19th Illinois Women’s Open at Mistwood in Romeoville.

Berwyn’s Nicole Jeray tried to become the first professional to win event three times. Burr Ridge’s Samantha Postillion hoped to give her family a fourth IWO titles, her mother Kerry having won three times in the 1990s.

Well, Postillion led for most of the final round and Jeray made it to a playoff, but neither could overcome Elise Swartout. She became the fifth Michigan golfer in the last six years to win the premier Illinois event for women golfers.

Swartout, who played collegiately at Western Michigan and splits her residence now between Ann Arbor and Orlando, FL., shot the day’s low round – a 3-under-par 69 – and beat Jeray with a four-foot birdie putt on the second hole of their sudden death playoff. Swartout set up the winning putt with a 58-degree wedge shot from 82 yards.

In her third year as a professional Swartout picked up her first win. She’s in the Ohio Women’s Open next week, then goes to LPGA qualifying school. Swartout had struggled on the LPGA’s satellite Symetra Tour and spent this year playing in state opens and Canadian events.

“This year has gone really well,’’ she said. “Everything’s clicked. I’ve been playing real solid, and I knew I had it going. Everything was coming together except for winning.’’

She took care of that problem on Friday, putting pressure on the leaders with a starting time an hour earlier than theirs. Postillion led through 11 holes, then made bogey at No. 12 and triple bogey six at the par-3 13th. She faded to a solo fifth-place finish as the low amateur in the field.

Only Jeray, playing with Postillion in the final twosome, was up to Swartouot’s challenge after the start of play was delayed an hour by early morning rains. Her only time at the top of the leaderboard came when she holed an 18-foot birdie putt on the final hole to force the playoff.

“That was cool,’’ said Jeray, the IWO champion in 1998 and 2003. “Win or lose I was happy to get into the playoff. Of course I wanted to win it, but these young kids are fearless. (Swartout) hit it tight on the first and second holes.’’

Unlike her LPGA Tour events Jeray rode a cart in her rounds with her mother Bridget as only a nominal caddie. The most critical part of her week may have been a three-hour putting session with Dr. Jim Suttie, the swing guru who moved his base to Mistwood earlier in the week.

Jeray, who picked up $3,000 for finishing runner-up to the $5,000 that Swartout earned for winning, returns to the LPGA Tour at Richmond, Va., in two weeks and then has events in Canada and Portland. They’re critical career-wise for the 42-year old Jeray – the only Chicago player to make it to the LPGA circuit in the last two decades.

“I’ve got to get in the top 100 to get into the Evian (Masters),’’ she said. “I’m 111th now, but I can do it if I can putt.’’

ILLINOIS WOMEN’S OPEN: Another Jeray-Postillion duel — but with a twist

ILLINOIS WOMEN’S OPEN: Another Jeray-Postillion duel – but with a twist

The story lines couldn’t be more appropriate going into Friday’s final round of the 19th Phil Kosin Illinois Women’s Open at Mistwood in Romeoville.

Nicole Jeray, the LPGA Tour veteran from Berwyn, is poised to join amateur Kerry Postillion as the only three-time champions of Illinois’ premier women’s event. Jeray, who won in 1998 and 2003, would be the first pro to win three times. She is one stroke out of the lead entering the last 18.

The leader? Postillion’s daughter Samantha, a 21-year old amateur who plays for the University of Illinois. Kerry Postillion ruled the IWO in 1996, 1997 and 1999. She played in the tourney with Samantha several times after that but did not enter this year and won’t be on hand to see how this championship unfolds.

“She’s in Arizona now, but she’s not much of a watcher,’’ said Samantha. “She has it in her head that she might be bad luck.’’

Luck won’t likely be needed if Samantha delivers down the stretch the way she did in the second round. She rolled in a 30-foot birdie putt at No. 16, then hit an 8-iron to two feet for the birdie on the par-3 17th. She’s alone atop the leaderboard at 2-under-par 142 after 36 holes.

It won’t be just a Postillion-Jeray duel over the final 18, however. Katie Dick, an assistant pro at Bryn Mawr Country Club; Michigan State player Caroline Powers; and Schaumburg’s Kris Yoo, a senior at Wisconsin, join Jeray at one shot off the lead. Yoo had Thursday’s best round – a 70 that also was highlighted by birdies at Nos. 16 and 17.

Jeray shared the lead after Round 1 and wasn’t happy with the 73 she shot in Round 2. She’s still adjusting to a different atmosphere than what she experiences weekly on the LPGA circuit.

“I’m so out of my routine – using a cart (instead of a caddie) and the laser (electronic measuring device, not allowed on the pro tours),’’ she said. “There’s a lot more things involved for me.’’

The Mistwood course has also been set up much shorter than the ones on the LPGA Tour. It was under 6,100 yards the first two rounds but will play over 6,200 on Friday.

“I should shoot nothing because I have such short shots (approaches),’’ she said.

Jeray didn’t play in the IWO last year, the first on the course after Michigan architect Ray Hearn’s renovation was completed. The layout is much different than it was in Jeray’s last IWO appearance in 2011.

“There’s so much more there now,’’ said Jeray. “I don’t know how many times I switched clubs off the tee, and I wish I knew the greens better.’’

The 104 entries were whittled to the low 34 and ties after Thursday’s round. The survivors will begin play in twosomes at 7:30 a.m. on Friday with the leaders expected to tee off at about 10 a.m.

Opening up the field did wonders for Illinois Women’s Open

The 19th Phil Kosin Illinois Women’s Open, which tees off Wednesday at Mistwood in Romeoville, has taken a different approach from the men’s 64th Illinois Open, which had one of its most exciting stagings last week at The Glen Club in Glenview.

The men’s version, won by Antioch’s Joe Kinney in a three-hole playoff, is much bigger entry-wise with seven state-wide qualifying rounds conducted to determine the finalists. The Illinois PGA limits Illinois Open entries to state residents.

On the women’s side, the field is smaller but much more diverse. In its early years IWO founder Phil Kosin limited the field to state residents, then later expanded it to players from eight neighboring states. Mistwood owner Jim McWethy and his staff took over the IWO after Kosin’s death in 2009 and quietly accepted all players. The move paid off, as tourney entries topped 100 for the first time this year and included 43 professionals.

“That’s almost double the number of professionals we have had in the past,’’ said Dan Phillips, Mistwood’s director of golf. “Even the amateurs are basically scratch players. We’ve got the cream of the crop of amateurs, too. Word is out that this is a quality tournament.’’

Thanks to BMO’s sponsorship first prize last year went up to $5,000, and this year’s purse will be announced during the 54-hole competition that concludes on Friday. Last year’s winner, though, was Michigan amateur Samantha Troyanovich, who will defend her crown.

The new influx of pros include two-time winner Nicole Jeray and Chelsea Harris, both U.S. Women’s Open qualifiers; McKenzie Jackson, who was part of Big Break Mexico, the popular series on The Golf Channel; plus Mari Chun from Hawaii and Sarah Bradley from New Zealand.

“We have players from all across the country and beyond,’’ said Phillips. “Most every (professional) player has some kind of status on either the LPGA or Symetra tours. Opening up the entries has really made our field strong.’’

Suttie moves from Cog Hill to Mistwood

The IWO usually represents the biggest week of the season at Mistwood, but this time there was more going on that that. McWethy announced that Dr. Jim Suttie, one of the country’s best-known instructors, has joined the Mistwood teaching staff.

Suttie was the PGA of America’s national teacher-of-the-year in 2000 and Illinois PGA teacher-of-the-year three times. He ended a longstanding relationship with Cog Hill, in Lemont, to work at the new state-of-the-art Performance Center in Romeoville.

“That was the big overriding factor,’’ said Suttie. “Cog Hill has been really good for me, but I always wanted to have a place like this. I couldn’t pass it up.’’

Suttie, who had previous stints at Medinah and Green Garden, in Franfort, worked at Cog Hill from 1996-2002 and again from 2005 until moving to Mistwood. He’ll continue to work in Naples, FL., in the winter but is planning periodic teaching visits to both Mistwood and McQ’s – the McWethy-owned indoor facility in Bolingbrook.

Did you know?

Doug Ghim, of Arlington Heights, reached the semifinals of last week’s 66th U.S. Junior Championship in Truckee, Calif. He was eliminated by Scottie Scheffler, of Dallas, 6 and 4. Scheffler went on to capture the prestigious title.

Jason Mathus, a Chicago resident who attends high school at Lindbloom, will get a chance to compete at Pebble Beach with Champions Tour players thanks to his efforts with the First Tee of Greater Chicago. He was one of 80 junior players selected by a national panel of judges to participate in September’s Nature Valley First Tee Open.

There’ll be two big local championships on Monday. The Illinois PGA Assistants will determine their champion at River Forest and the Chicago District Super Senior Amateur event will be played at Royal Hawk in St. Charles.

Suttie leaves Cog Hill, will teach at Mistwood

Owner Jim McWethy has made still another enhancement to his Mistwood golf club, in Romeoville, IL.

McWethy has announced that Dr. Jim Suttie has joined the teaching staff that will work out of Mistwood’s Performance Center.

Suttie said that the chance to work in the new state-of-the-art facility led to him ending his long relationship with Cog Hill, in Lemont.

“That was the overriding factor,’’ said McWethy. “I’ve always wanted to have a place like this. I couldn’t pass it up.’’

“We’re delighted to have him,’’ said McWethy. “It fits our goal of bringing absolutely top quality in every aspect of the game.’’

“We have the best equipment, and now we have the best as far as teaching is concerned,’’ said Dan Phillips, Mistwood’s director of golf. “This will set us apart as the place to come out, take lessons and work on your game.’’

Prior to Suttie’s arrival Mistwood added John Platt, the Illinois PGA’s teacher-of-the-year, in 2012 to its staff. The arrival of Suttie and Platt follow two years of facility work at Mistwood. Michigan architect Ray Hearn supervised a course renovation, which was highlighted by the construction of 20 striking sod-wall bunkers, and the indoor-outdoor Performance Center opened this spring to rave reviews. Suttie’s presence will make that busy place even busier now.

Suttie’s teaching career was highlighted by his selection at national teacher of the year by the PGA of America in 2000, but he was a recognized and respected instructor in the Chicago area long before that. He grew up in DeKalb, IL., and learned the game at Kishwaukee Country Club, where he once covered its 18 holes in a record 63.

A Northern Illinois University graduate in 1970, Suttie moved on to Middle Tennessee University to earn his doctorate degree in biomechanics. As part of his studies there he did his thesis on “A Biomechanical Comparison between Conventional Golf Swing Technique and a Unique Kinesthetic Feed Back Technique.’’

Prior to teaching full-time Suttie was a successful college coach, directing teams at Northwestern, Florida Gulf Coast and Eastern Kentucky. He was also in charge at Brevard, in Florida, where his prize pupil was former PGA champion and U.S. Ryder Cup captain Paul Azinger. The many PGA and LPGA players Suttie has worked with include Chicago tourists Kevin Streelman, Mark Wilson and Chip Beck.

Suttie’s Chicago area teaching stops include Medinah (1988-96), Cog Hill (1996-2002 and 2005-2013) and Green Garden, in Frankfort (2003-04).

He has also taken his teaching program on the road, with stints at Pine Needles and Southern Pines in North Carolina, Tamarisk in California and TwinEagles in Florida. He’ll continue to work at TwinEagles in the winter, but – in a departure from previous years – he’ll leave that facility in Naples to make periodic teaching visits to both Mistwood’s Performance Center and McQ’s, the McWethy-owned indoor facility in Bolingbrook.

The move won’t change his teaching clientele much, Suttie said.

“They’ve got serious technology here (at Mistwood),’’ said Suttie, “and the people who see me are real serious. They will come from everywhere. It doesn’t matter where I go, they will find me.’’

ILLINOIS OPEN: Kinney dominates playoff for first pro victory

There were lots of doubts about who would win the 64th Illinois Open during Wednesday’s final round at The Glen Club in Glenview. In fact, no one did.

Antioch’s Joe Kinney, who’s been laboring on golf’s mini-tours, clearly showed who was best in the three-man three-hole cumulative score playoff that determined the champion, however.

Kinney, 26, started the playoff with a two-putt birdie on 566-yard par-5 No. 1. He hit the green with a 251-yard hybrid second shot and lagged his first putt from 70 feet to set up a two-foot tap-in. That was the only birdie by any player in the playoff.

The par-3 17th, the second playoff hole, offered Kinney a chance for another. He put his 5-iron tee shot five feet from the cup. Though he missed his birdie putt, neither of his rivals — Dustin Korte, an amateur from downstate Metropolis, and Carlos Sainz Jr., of Elgin — could even par the hole so Kinney’s lead grew.

He was two strokes in front heading to No. 18, a 582-yard par-5. Kinney didn’t let up on the last playoff hole, keeping his first two shots on the fairway and his approach from 110 yards on the green. Two putts later he was the champion and winner of $17,500.

“Hats off to Joe,’’ said Sainz, a winner on the Canadian PGA Tour on Sunday before hurrying to Chicago. “He played the three holes in the playoff flawless. We didn’t give him much of an obstacle.’’

The trio in the playoff finished the regulation 54 holes in 5-under-par 211. In the three playoff holes Kinney used 12 strokes, Korte, 14 and Sainz 17.

“Getting the early advantage in the playoff was pretty clutch. I did the work I needed to do on the first two holes, then I could cruise in,’’ said Kinney, who returns to competition at a National Golf Assn. tournament in Hickory, N.C., next week.

Actually the three playoff participants were lucky to be playing off for the premier title for Illinois golfers. Michael Davan, of Hoopeston, blew a two-stroke lead with two holes to go. His bogey-double bogey finish kept him out of the playoff.

The double came after Davan, not knowing where he stood on the leaderboard, put his second shot in a pond at No. 18, then he three-putted. Davan insisted that going for the green over water from 256 yards with a 3-wood second shot was the right decision even though he needed just a par to win.

“That was the right play call,’’ he said. “I felt I needed to hit that shot, I just didn’t hit it solid. I’m proud that I had the guts to do it.’’

Kinney notched his first professional win with Greg Kunkle on the bag. Kunkle is the longtime caddie master at Sunset Ridge in Northfield and frequent bag-toter in the Illinois Open. Kinney’s brother Andrew works as an assistant professional at Sunset, and Kunkle has given Joe some choice caddie assignments to supplement his tournament earnings.

The Glen Club has been a friendly place for Kinney. In the rain-shortened 2007 Illinois Open Kinney played in the final group on the last day while still in college. He played in the 2011 tournament, finishing tied for 12th at Hawthorn Woods, and he tied for ninth when the event returned to The Glen last year. He opened this year’s tourney with a 65 – the best round of the tournament.

A 72 in the second round left Kinney four strokes back entering the final round, but the seven players in front of him struggled in breezy conditions.

“I had been swinging well all week,’’ said Kinney. “I felt I had a good chance after I birdied 10. I saw all the cameras (photographers) arriving, so I thought I must be close to the lead, and I didn’t miss a green the rest of the day.’’