The second induction class in the Illinois Junior Golf Hall of Fame will be enshrined tonight at Cantigny, in Wheaton. As was the case with last year’s first class, this one will be headed by a local golfer who went on to win multiple times on the PGA Tour. Last year it was Wheaton’s Kevin…
Author: lenz
Illini golfers — past and present — are making a big impact
The college golf season isn’t underway yet but, no matter how you slice it, the University of Illinois is already making its presence felt at a variety of levels. Over the weekend Jackson Buchanan, an Illini senior from Dacula, Ga., advanced to the semifinals of the 124th U.S. Amateur at Hazeltine in Minnesota. Another…
Ten-year plan pays off for all three Boyne resorts
BOYNE FALLS, Michigan – Having three top golf resorts is somewhat like having three children. How do you decide which one gets taken care of first? That’s a potential dilemma at Boyne Mountain, The Highlands and Bay Harbor – the three resorts that have a combined 10 golf courses and plenty of other amenities and…
Bridge walkers are flocking to Michigan’s Boyne Mountain
BOYNE FALLS, Michigan — We don’t just play golf on our travel writing trips. While visiting Boyne Mountain in Michigan this week we walked the world’s longest timber-towered suspension bridge — called Skybridge Michigan. The bridge, which has become a popular tourist attraction at the Boyne Mountain Resort, stretches 1,200 feet in length above the…
Michigan’s Saint John’s has been transformed into a `humanitarian’ resort
PLYMOUTH, Michigan – This transformation has been ongoing, and impressive. Saint John’s started as a seminary in the 1940s. Seminarians designed the first nine holes of the 27-hole Mission Hills course in the early 1970s. The seminary closed in 1988 and was dormant until 1994 when it re-opened as a retreat center for…
Mickelson is looking forward to LIV stop at Bolingbrook
The countdown is on for the last big golf tournament of the Chicago season, and Phil Mickelson is ready for it. LIV Golf/Chicago will play the first of its two season-ending championships at Bolingbrook Golf Club Sept. 13-15. The Saudi-backed circuit played regular season events at Rich Harvest Farms, in Sugar Grove, in its…
It’s celebration time at Eagle Ridge
John Schlaman was just starting his career as a golf professional when Eagle Ridge held a grand opening for its South Course. The now 63-hole Galena facility is virtually Illinois’ only golf resort, and the South’s creation took it to a new level. That came 40 years ago, and the milestone will be celebrated with…
Olympics is next chapter in Nelly Korda’s strange season
A month ago Nelly Korda was, arguably, the best story in golf. She had won six tournaments in a stretch of seven events. Scotty Scheffler was playing great on the men’s side at that time, too, but not quite at Nelly’s pace. So then what happened? The next event was the U.S. Women’s Open at…
Patterson creates the first true biography of Tiger Woods
Another book about Tiger Woods? When I heard about `Tiger, Tiger’ I wondered why. After all, it’s obvious that this once great golfer’s playing career is in obvious decline. And then I considered the author. James Patterson is not just one of the most prolific writers over at least the last few decades. He’s also…
India could become a rare three-time Illinois Open champion
Deerfield’s Vince India needed to get back into tournament-playing mode in defense of his Illinois Open title next week, and he certainly went after it with enthusiasm. India just completed a six-month suspension for betting on golf with a legal online sportsbook. That was a severe penalty, considering India was not a participant in…