Author: lenz

Another of the golfing Ten Broeck family has passed on

The Ten Broeck brothers (from left) Rick, Lance and Jim made a big impact on on the Chicago golf scene. ( Betty Weinstein Photo)

Sadly another member of the golfing Ten Broeck family has passed on.

Rick Ten Broeck died at 76 on Oct. 10 after suffering complications from Parkinson’s disearse and dementia.  His younger brother Lance was 67 when he died in April, 2023, in Florida. They were two of the eight children of Willis and Eleanor Ten Broeck, both long-time members of Chicago’s Beverly Country Club .

The Ten Broeck golf saga blossomed in 1968 when older brother Jim won the Illinois State Amateur at Prestwick, in Frankfort.  Rick finished second that day, with Lance serving as his caddie.

Jim also won the club championship as a junior member at Beverly, a South Side private club that is rich in golf history. Jim and Rick played college golf at Arizona State and Lance at Texas.  Rick and Lance outdid Jim  with their golf accompllishments in succeeding years.

Rick, the father of three children, lived in Evergreen Park at the time of his death.  His father Willis was a multiple winner of the Beverly club championship, but Rick won it a whopping 18 times. He also won two Illinois Opens – in 1973 at Barrington Hills during his brief fling in the professional ranks, and in 1981 at Bon Vivant, in Bourbonnais, as a reinstated amateur.  He was also an Illinois Amateur of the Year twice and the Chicago District Golf Association’s senior player-of-the-year in 2005 and 2006.

Lance carried the family name even further golf-wise.  Like Rick he starred in the sport at Brother Rice High School.  Lance’s first big splash on the national scene came at the 1975 U.S. Open at Medinah when – as a 19-year old amateur – he made the cut and tied for 49th place. He was also an Illinois Open champion, winning at Flossmoor in 1984.

His subsequent stay in the professional ranks was a long one.  He played on the Nationwide, PGA and Champions tours and won the 1984 Magnolia Classic before it was an official PGA Tour event. (It’s now called the Sanderson Farms Championship).

Lance also was a successful caddie.  His Florida neighbor, Jesper Parnivik asked his to carry his bag in the 1999 Greater Greeensboro Open, and Parnevik won the title by two strokes over Jim Furyk. Lance continued to work as a caddie but could also get into some events as a player.  The most noteworthy of those was in the 2009 Valero Texas Open.

He was on Parnevik’s bag in that PGA Tour stop in the morning and then was told he could fill the spot of a player who had withdrawn in the afternoon.  He did it, and posted a score lower than Parnevik’s.

A celebration of Rick Ten Broeck’s life will be held from 1-5 p.m. on Oct. 27 at Beverly Country Club.

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Streelman’s 300 made cuts is proof of his consistency on the PGA Tour

 

Wheaton’s Kevin Streelman, at 45 years old, is finishing up his 17th season on the PGA Tour.  This isn’t one of his best ones, but he achieved a significant milestone at last week’s Sanderson Farms Championship in Mississippi.

Streelman made his 300th career cut on golf’s premier circuit.  There have been 9,711 golfers who have made at least one PGA Tour cut over the years, but only 203 have hit 300. Streelman did it in his 457th career start.

“It’s a career thing,’’ said Streelman, who is – at least arguably – the best player to come out of the Chicago area in at least six decades .  “It’s not just a hot week or a special year, but to do it this year is special to me and my family. It’s been a lot of work, a lot of time on the road, a lot of time away from my family. I’m just really thankful.’’

In his 17 seasons Streelman has won two tournaments, the last in 2014, and $26.7 million. This year, though, he had nine missed cuts and one withdrawal via injury in 20 starts.  His ranking in the FedEx Cup standings is down to 177th and he’s 274th in the Official World Golf Rankings.

“You don’t want to play for making cuts, because then you end up finishing near cuts.  If you’re trying to win tournaments those things take care of themselves,’’ said Streelman, “but this (hitting 300) has been a little bit of weight on my shoulders.  I don’t necessarily know why.  It’s just a number.  I know 20 years from now, no one cares.  It’s just something I’m proud of, that I’ve been able to accomplish.’’

Streelman has come a long way in his golf career.

“For a kid who lived out of my car for five years out of college, the dream of getting out here to close to 500 starts and 300 cuts is pretty cool,’’ he said. His first made cut came at Brown Deer Park in Milwaukee in 2005.  The tournament, the Greater Milwaukee Open, has been long gone – but not in Streelman’s memory books.

He shot 65 in Monday qualifying to get into the tournament. That alone was a huge deal.

“At the time I had $20 to my name,’’ he said.  “To know that last place would be $10,000 or $12,000, that’s a life changing amount of money for a mini-tour golfer.  To make the cut I made like $25,000.  I was the richest guy in the world that night.  It allowed me to pay for Q-School and the next few months of entry fees.’’

Making cuts became less of a concern as Streelman blossomed into a solid journeyman on the PGA Tour and prize money steadily increased. Still, money was a concern.

“It’s real.  We pay our caddies a lot.  Pay for hotel fees and travel, and you’ve got to take care of all that on our own,’’ he said.  “A cold stretch with the putter or driver and all of a sudden it gets expensive.  That can weigh heavily on Friday afternoons when you’re right on the cut line.’’

Streelman got a dose of reality before the Mississippi tournament wrapped up on Sunday.  A struggling 73 in the final round dropped him 29 spots on the leaderboard into a tie for 42nd place. His paycheck was $26,200 – not bad, but it would have been about $200,000 more had he held the tie for sixth that he had after 54 holes.

 

 

Medinah goes on the clock as host club for the 2026 Presidents Cup

NOW IT’S MEDINAH’S TURN:  (From left) Jason Gore, Paul Azinger, Michaael Scimo, Vaughn Moore, Geoff Ogilvy and Joie Chitwood get the ball rolling  for the 2026 Presidents Cup. (Rory Spears Photo)

There was cause for celebration at Medinah Country Club when the last putt dropped in the Presidents Cup Sunday in Montreal.  That meant that Medinah, already rich in golf history, went on the clock for another place in golf  history.

Medinah, celebrating its centennial this year, will host the next Presidents Cup from Sept. 14-20 in 2026. When that battle between the U.S. team and an International squad concludes Medinah will be the only club in the country to have hosted a U.S. Open, a PGA Championship, a Ryder Cup and a Presidents Cup.

“We’re so excited,’’ said Joie Chitwood, executive director for the Presidents Cup in the aftermath of a members’ gathering on Wednesday night .  “With two years still to go we’re far along in our progress.  Forty-three percent of the suites available have already been sold.’’

The Presidents Cup doesn’t have the stature of Medinah’s three biggest tournaments.  The club’s last one was the Ryder Cup in 2012.  Prior to that Medinah hosted U.S. Opens in 1949, 1975 and 1990 and PGA Championship in 1999 and 2006. The Presidents Cup will also be played on Medinah’s No. 3 course, but this version has been completely renovated by OCM, an Australian firm featuring Geoff Ogilvy, the U.S. Open champion in 2006. The current No. 3 has been played almost entirely by members since its opening this year.

“Geoff’s company did a phenomenal job,’’ said Chitwood.  “It created six new holes.  It’ll be a great match play course, and it’ll still be `Mighty Medinah.’’’

Ogilvy was on hand for the members’ party as was Paul Azinger a former PGA champion and Ryder Cup captain.  He’s withdrawn his name from consideration as the U.S. captain for this Presidents Cup, though. The captain won’t be named until next spring.

The Presidents Cup has been dominated by the U.S. team, which has a 13-1-1 edge in the series and has won the last 10 meetings. There was even some talk in Montreal about the format being changed to make it more competitive or interesting.   Even going co-ed, with LPGA players taking a role in the competition on both sides, was suggested.

Chitwood, reflecting on the Americans’ 18 ½-11 ½ victory in Montreal, doesn’t see any changes coming.

“Montreal showcased some of the best golf I’ve ever seen,’’ he said. “The International players were chippy at times during the emotional back and forth those four days.  That’s all we can ask for from a team competition perspective.’’

Chitwood is finishing up a busy year.  He spent three months as interim director of what had been the Honda Classic, a PGA Tour event held in March in Florida.  It underwent a name change and is now the Cognizant Classic of the Palm Beaches.  His family lives in Florida but he also took an apartment in Chicago in June of 2023 to deal with Presidents Cup matters.

“I’ll have been here 3 ½ years before event. That’s how long it’ll take, given the size and scope of this event now,’’ he said. “Montreal did a fantastic job, but we want to have the biggest and best Presidents Cup in history.’’

 

Kellen, Svoboda are IPGA Winners

Jeff Kellen, of North Shore Country Club in Glenview, won the season-ending Illinois PGA Players Championship at GlenView Club this week to conclude the section’s tournament season.  Kellen, who also won the section’s final major title in 2018, was a sizzling 10-under-par 134 for 36 holes in edging  Andy Svoboda, of Butler National in Oak Brook, by two strokes.

Svoboda, however, led the season-long Bernardi point standings to earn IPGA Player-of-the-Year honors in his first season in Chicago. The inaugural Illinois PGA Team Championship, also a season-long event, concluded with a team captained by Brian Carroll, of The Hawk in St. Charles, winning the title.

Carroll’s team consisted by Frank Hohenadel, of Mistwood in Romeoville; Doug Bauman, Biltmore in Barrington; Brandon O’Kray, Onwentsia in Lake Forest; Danny Mulhearn, Glen Oak in Glen Ellyn; and B.J. Paul, of Bolingbrook.

 

Korn Ferry Finals are next on French Lick’s tournament schedule

The pro shop at French Lick’s Pete Dye Course has devoted itself to the next big attraction. (Joy Sarver Photos)

FRENCH LICK, Indiana – Add the Korn Ferry Championship  to the long resume of big golf tournaments played on the courses at French Lick Resort. Lots of new things have been going on at the southern Indiana destination, the latest being the staging of the season-ending event for the PGA Tour’s alternative circuit.

The concluding event in the four-tournament Finals be played Sept. 24 through Oct. 6 and when the last putt drops about 30 hopefuls will, in addition to their tournament paychecks, be handed their PGA Tour cards for the 2025 season.

Victoria National, after hosting a regular Korn Ferry stop from 2012-18, was the site of the circuit’s Finals from 2019-23. An ownership change at Victoria National led to French Lick being named the site through 2028.

“It’s great for us,’’ said Dave Harner, long-time director of golf at French Lick. “From all indications this will be very successful.  We have six pro-ams, and they’re practically all filled.’’

Those preliminaries will be split between the super-scenic Pete Dye Course, which will  host all four tournament rounds starting Oct. 3, and the historic Donald Ross Course. which celebrated its centennial in 2017.  It has had its share of big moments, beginning with the 1924 PGA Championship won by Walter Hagen that started that legendary player on his way to five straight wins in the event.

Director of golf Dave Harner is no stranger to tournament play coming to French Lick’s courses.

The Ross also hosted the LPGA three straight years from 1958-60, and all were won by famous players.  Louise Suggs won the first tournament and the other two went to Betsy Rawls and Mickey Wright when the event was designed as the LPGA Championship.

There was a big lull in tournament play after that as the community was known mainly as the home of basketball great Larry Bird.  The golf activity started kicking  in again  around 2010 with the renovation of the Ross course and Dye’s creation of a the dazzling course that bears his name.

French Lick gave the senior LPGA players a huge boost by creating the Legends Championship in 2013.  It grew into the LPGA Senior Championship in 2017, which was also played at French Lick. French Lick also found a place for the Senior PGA Championship in 2015, when Colin Montgomerie won the title, and the women’s Symetra (now Epson) circuits.

Also mixed in with those big professional events were three Indiana Opens, seven Big Ten collegiate championships,  a U.S. Golf Association Men’s Team Championship and a PGA Professionals National Championship.

Now the Korn Ferry begins its scheduled five-year run.

“It’s only the second of those tournaments that has a group that takes care of the detail work,’’ said Harner.  “It’s nice to have the support and knowledge that these guys have.’’

French Lick’s Pete Dye Course is the road to the PGA Tour and the climax to the Korn Ferry season.

Unlike French Lick’s other big tournaments, the Korn Ferry has fall dates.

“That shows us in a different light, when we can all enjoy the fall colors,’’ said Harner. “The temperature should be cooler, we’ll have winds that we didn’t have in the summer and the course is in great shape.’’

A new charity, Golf Gives Back, is also in place. It focuses on early childhood education and funds gained from the tournament will be spread around all of southern Indiana, as was the practice when the tournament was played at Victoria National.

While the Korn Ferry’s arrival is the biggest deal, it’s not the only new thing at French Lick.

A fourth course is under construction that will eventually supplement the Pete Dye, Donald Ross and Valley Links, which is a nine-holer. The new course will have nine holes ranging from 47 to 97 yards, music will be a side attraction and lights will be available for night play.  Russ Apple, the superintendent for the Dye course, has done the bulk of the architectural work. The course’s opening is uncertain.

“We want it to be a family experience,’’ said Harner, “but a lot of guys coming off the hills (at the Dye and Ross) will want to knock it around.  It’s short but this course has some teeth, sort of a mini-Pete Dye.’’

French Lick has also added a PGA Tour player, Adam Schenk, to its staff.

“We took him on this year to sponsor him,’’ said Harner.  “He’s a real nice young man who’s from Vincennes (just a few miles away), so he’s a natural fit for us.’’

Schenk is French Lick’s first major tour player since the days of Bob Rosburg and Marilyn Smith, both stars in the 1960s and 1970s.

Only three holes are completed now, as the French Lick Resort  awaits the opening of its fourth course. The lights, though, are already up on this completed hole.  Not date for the course opening has been set.

 

 

 

LIV players love Chicago, but tour’s return in 2025 is uncertain

Chicago has had a LIV golf tournament all three years since the Saudi-backed circuit started play in 2022. Last week’s stop at Bolingbrook Golf Club produced a LIV attendance record for its tournaments held in the U.S. and the two before that at Rich Harvest Farms, in Sugar Grove, were also well received.

Still, there’s no indication the circuit will be back in 2025. If that’s the case it’d mean another sparse season for major tournament play in the Chicago area.  The PGA Tour doesn’t return until the President’s Cup at Medinah in 2026.  The LPGA and U.S. Golf Association don’t have a Chicago course on their schedules.

LIV has announced only its first four tournaments for 2025.  The season tees off Feb. 6 at a new site – Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.  Then comes Adelaide, Australia Feb. 14-16, Hong Kong March 7-9 and Singapore March 14-16. Adelaide  drew  a LIV record 94,000 at its tournament this year.

This year’s LIV schedule had 14 tournaments, seven in the U.S. The event at Bolingbrook wasn’t announced until the season was well underway. There may be a wait this time, too, as sources say LIV is interested in taking a tournament to Brickyard Crossing, a Pete Dye design that has four holes running inside the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. That may be a Midwest site that could knock Chicago off the schedule.

What is certain is that the LIV players want to be back in Chicago.

“I have a pretty good track record in Chicago, so I’m always happy to come back,’’ said Jon Rahm, who won both the LIV Individual Championship and LIV/Chicago on Sunday. His feelings are based on more than just his big week at Bolingbrook. He enjoyed his  PGA Tour stops here, too.

“I’ve played Olympia Fields twice and won once,’’ he said.  “I’ve played at Medinah and finished top-five.  I’ve played at Conway Farms and was definitely top-10 and came to Bolingbrook and won. I would encourage (LIV) to come back here. I definitely like coming here and playing golf in this city.’’

Bryson DeChambeau, whose resume includes wins in the U.S. Amateur at Olympia Fields, the John Deere Classic in downstate Silvis and last year’s LIV stop at Rich Harvest, also wants to come back.

“It’d be great.  Illinois is a fantastic state,’’ he said. “Golf courses are always fantastic and, shoot, Bolingbrook played close to a major championship test.  I’d love to see us come back here and have more of this type of golf.  I truly love it.  I feel our games are well-suited to a place like this.  Hopefully we’ll get another shot.’’

HERE AND THERE: The 38th Illinois State Senior Amateur concludes its three-day run at Itasca Country Club.

Biggest event left on the Chicago calendar is the Illinois PGA Players Championship Sept. 30-Oct. 1 at The Glen Club in Glenview.  It’ll decide who wins the IPGA Player of the Year award.

Two IPGA senior events are in October – the Match Play at Chicago’s  Ridge Country Club Oct. 7-9 and the Senior Players Championship Oct. 14-15 at Twin Orchard, in Long Grove.

Last event on the Chicago District Golf Association schedule is the Senior Amateur Four-Ball Championship Sept. 30-Oct. 3 at Ivanhoe.

 

 

 

 

Rahm’s big finish underscores his impact on the LIV Tour

Trophies, rings — and cash– highlight Jon Rahm’s big day. (Joy Sarver Photos)

The PGA Tour was reeling when the LIV Tour signed stars like Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka and Bubba Watson for its first season in 2022.  The most devastating loss came early this year, however, when Jon Rahm jumped ship for a contract worth well over $100 million.

The exact amount that convinced Rahm to make the jump is uncertain, but getting a young star of his stature gave the Saudi-backed LIV circuit a huge boost, and Rahm didn’t disappoint, either.

He wasn’t an immediate hit.  He needed 11 tournaments to get his first LIV win, but that victory in the United Kingdom set the stage for Rahm’s rousing climax to the season on Sunday at Bolingbrook Golf Club. Winning the LIV Individual Championship isn’t as impressive as winning any of golf’s four majors yet, but it was special – and unique.

Not only did Rahm, 29 and a pro golfer since 2016, pick up an $18 million bonus for winning the season-long title, he also captured the LIV/Chicago crown.  That meant another $4 million. Rahm’s rookie LIV season produced winnings of $34,754,821.

Where the two-championship day fits into the Rahm legacy is to be decided later, but it pads a record of accomplishment that includes the 2023 Masters, the 2021 U.S. Open and DP World Tour wins in 2017, 2019 and 2023.

Rahm’s only opponent for the LIV Individual title was Chile’s Joaquin Niemann.  No one else was mathematically eligible after 11 world-wide tournaments.  Niemann made birdies on two of his first three holes and battled to the end.  Still Rahm was three strokes better.

Sergio Garcia, from Spain – just like Rahm – was the main challenger for the LIV/Chicago title.  Garcia and Niemann were two shots back and still hopeful until Rahm rolled in a 10-foot birdie putt at the 17th to seal the deal.  With rounds of 69, 64 and 66 Rahm was 11 under par for the 54 holes and had a three-shot victory margin over both rivals.

Rahm also captains the Legion XIII team, and that unit made the podium – a LIV tradition for its first three finishers in the individual and team events at each tournament. Legion XIII  finished second to Bryson DeChambeau’s Crushers.  They’ll battle again in the season-ending  LIV Team Championship Sept. 20-22 in Dallas.

Winning golf tournaments was nothing knew for Rahm, but captaining a four-man team was. Though Rahm didn’t get a win for a few months, Legion XIII won in the first tournament.

“I wasn’t sure how that was going to go,’’ said Rahm, `but it wasn’t that big of an adjustment.  It’s been a lot of fun.’’

Rahm caught a flight home Sunday night to join his family.  The arrival of the Rahms third child is imminent.

With just one tournament left in the season Rahm reflected on his dramatic decision to leave the PGA Tour.

“LIV is different than any other golf tour out there, but yet it’s closer to any other sport out there,’’ he said. “I enjoyed all the places we went to this year.  It was fun.  I absolutely love being out here. It’s been a fantastic experience for me and my family.’’

It wasn’t by any means an easy season, though.  His wife Kelly experienced complications in her pregnancy that was disconcerting. His driver wasn’t working in the early part of the year, and the problem wasn’t solved until he changed shafts at mid-season.  Winning – or lack there of – was also frustrating.

Though he had 10 top-10 finishes that first win didn’t come until the season was winding down.  He got it at the United Kingdom, then one got away at  West Virginia’s Greenbrier when he lost in a playoff to Brooks Koepka.  Those two events led into the visit to Bolingbrook, a course with no big-tournament history. Rahm made only one bogey in the tournament, and none in the weekend rounds.

“During the practice rounds I thought that would be impossible,’’ he said. After that he was a clutch player.  On Sunday he not only picked up big money, he also took home two trophies and a dazzling ring.

“This season wasn’t a bumpy road, but it was a windy one,’’ he said. `I wasn’t clutch in the season, but I was here. When I decided to join LIV I felt I could make an impact. I accomplished a goal.’’

 

 

 

Rahm could be the big winner in LIV/Chicago climax

 

A 64 on Saturday has put Jon Rahm in position to win two titles on LIV Tour. (Joy Sarver Photos)


A golf tourney’s never over until the last putt drops, and that won’t happen in the LIV Individual Championship until late Sunday.

After Saturday’s second round at Bolingbrook Golf Course, however, a couple things seem likely:

Jon Rahm figures to win the $18 million bonus for his play through the 13-event regular season, which concludes with the 54-man shootout at Bolingbrook.  Only Joaquin Niemann can beat him, and he must overcome a three-shot deficit in the final round.  Rahm goes into it with 235.17 points to Niemann’s 208.20.

Rahm started the tournament with a slight lead in the standings.  Niemann passed him after shooting one stroke better in Friday’s first round and Rahm answered with a bogey-free 64 on Saturday to Niemann’s 69.

That means Rahm is in prime position to win both the LIV Individual Championship as well as the third playing of LIV/Chicago. The first two LIV/Chicago champions – Cam Smith and Bryson DeChambeau — were crowned at Rich Harvest Farms, in Sugar Grove.  Bolingbrook, hosting the biggest competition in its 22-year history, has proven to be tougher than expected.

Rahm is at 7-under-par 133 as the 36-hole leader and he has a one-shot lead over Sergio Garcia, who posted a 65 on Saturday. They’ll play together in Sunday’s final round with Brooks Koepka, the first round leader who followed his opening 62 with a 73 and is in third place.

Those three will start at No. 1 in the LIV’s shotgun format that has all players starting their rounds at the same time.  Sunday’s start is at 12:05 and Niemann will start his round off No. 1, too, but in the second group with Adrian Meronk and Ian Poulter as his partners.

This missed putt on his final hole on Saturday kept Sergio Garci from a share of the LIV/Chicago lead.

“It’s going to be a fun day, no matter what,’’ said Rahm. “It’s a weird combination – a championship within a championship.  It’d be nice to play with (Niemann) so I can see what’s going on. I’m looking forward to it, but at the end of the day it’s what we work for all year.’’

Rahm jumped from the PGA Tour to the Saudi-backed circuit at the start of this season. His departure was a huge blow to the PGA Tour, and LIV was a challenge for him.  He won only one tournament in 11 starts but was top-10 in the others. His long-awaited first win came in the United Kingdom two starts ago.  He lost to Koepka in a playoff in Greenbrier, in West Virginia, leading into the Bolingbrook stop.

Garcia and Rahm, both from Spain,  have won the Masters. Garcia, 44, did it in 2017 and Rahm, 29, in 2023.  Rahm also has a big win in Chicago, capturing the BMW Championship at Olympia Fields in 2020.  That was a pandemic year and the tournament was played with no fans in attendance.  Rahm’s win was dramatic, coming when he rolled in a 65-foot putt to beat Dustin Johnson in a playoff.

Like Rahm, Garcia has only one win on the LIV circuit. It came this year at Valderrama, the world-famous course in Spain.  Garcia, who has played all three LIV seasons, sees similaries between Valderrama and Bolingbrook.

“(Bolingbrook) isn’t playing easy,’’ said Garcia.  “It’s been a combination of a bit of wind with small, hard greens.  You have to be very precise, and I appreciate all the opportunities I get with LIV and in the majors. At my age I still feel I’ve got some game in me.’’

Only 18 of the 54 players are under par for the first 36 holes.  That impressed Rahm, who has played two rounds without making a bogey.

“I didn’t see scores being that high at all,’’ he said.  “On paper the course should be fairly easy, but the chips can be tricky. That makes it a bit complicated.’’

Saturday’s round featured a hole-in-one by England’s Tyrrell Hatton on the No. 6 hole.  LIV said attendance was “more than 15,000 and reported it was the biggest LIV crowd for a tournament at a United States venue.

The team title in the tournament will also be decided on Sunday, with the defending champion Crushers and Cleeks tied for the lead.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Koepka’s 62 overshadows Rahm-Niemann bonus battle in LIV opener

Chile’s Joaquin NIemann has wrestled the lead away from Jon Rahm in their battle for an $18 million bonus. (Joy Sarver Photos)

The bottom line story at the LIV Individual Championship is the battle between Spain’s Jon Rahm and Colombia’s Joaquin Niemann. They’re the only players mathematically eligible to win the $18 million bonus, to be awarded to the season-long champion after Sunday’s final round at Bolingbrook Golf Club.

Neither did anything special in Friday’s first round.  Rahm and Niemann, played together.  Niemann started the day three standings points behind Rahm and shot a 2-under-par 68, one better than his rival. That enabled Niemann to regain the point lead he held for most of the season until Rahm had a win and runner-up finish in the two tournaments immediately preceding the visit to Bolingbrook.

Brooks Koepka was the star of Friday’s show, shooting a course record 8-under-par 62, to climb into third place in the point race and in position to capture the last of the bonus money on the line.  The second place finisher gets $8 million and the third $4 million.

That bonus money is very much up for grabs.  Neimann has 204.95 points to Rahm’s 199.17. Koepka, who won the final individual tournament last year to get third-place bonus money, can’t catch either Rahm or Niemann. It remains a two-man show but $20 million for individual competition at Bolingbrook and $5 million for team play is still available for the rest of the 54-man field.

“This was a goal, to have a chance to win – and hopefully win,’’ said Rahm, whose wife is expecting their third child imminently. “I consider myself a seasoned veteran.  I’ve got to go and play golf and, if at some point it’s time to go, then I’m gone.  I can’t be thinking about that.’’

Jon Rahm’s bid for LIV’s big bonus will carry on for two more days at Bolingbrook.

Rahm and Niemann won’t play together in today’s second round.

“It’s always nice to play with Jon,’’ said Niemann.“I’m going to miss him. Maybe on Sunday we might get together again.’’

Niemann won two of the first three tournaments of this season and was the point leader until Rahm got hot the last month.

“The first half of the season I played amazing,’’ said Niemann. “The last part hasn’t been the best, but I feel it’s getting there.’’

All three players at the top of the individual leaderboard are team captains.  Koepka’s Smash is tied for second, Niemann’s Torque is tied for seventh and Rahm’s Legion XIII is down in 12th place.  Team play at Bolingbrook will affect the seedings for the season-ending LIV Team Championship Sept. 20-22 in Dallas.

Koepka’s 62 on Friday opened a four-stroke lead on Paul Casey in the tournament standings.  Casey is a member of the team-leading Crushers, captained by Bryson DeChambeau, the individual winner in Chicago last year.  The Crushers are trying to repeat as both Chicago and the LIV Team champions.

“A good player gets hot and they can shoot 62 pretty easy,’’ said Koepka.  “There’s a bunch of guys out here who can do that.  When it’s your day, it’s your day.’’

Koepka erased the Bolingbrook record set by Mac Meissner by one stroke.  Meissner set in it the third round of a Forme Tour event, held at Bolingbrook in 2021.  The course was set up as a par-72 when Meissner set the record.  It’s a par-70 this week.

Greg Norman (left), head of the LIV Tour, made his presence felt on the first tee of the opening round.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rahm, Niemann will battle for LIV bonus money in Bolingbrook

Money.  That’s what differentiates the LIV Tour’s third tournament in Chicago from the others in the circuit’s first three seasons.

The event that tees off on Friday at Bolingbrook Golf Club will have the standard purse for the Saudi-backed circuit — $20 in the individual competition and $5 million in the team competition. That was also the case in LIV’s first two Chicago events at Rich Harvest Farms, in Sugar Grove.

This three-day event – last of the regular season — will also decide the three players picking up bonus checks for their season-long performances. Those checks are hefty, too — $18 million for first place, $8 million for second and $4 million for third.

Only Spain’s Jon Rahm and Chile’s Joaquin Niemann are still mathematically in contention for the top prize, but five others – Tyrrell Hatton, Sergio Garcia, Louis Oosthuizen, Cameron Smith and Brooks Koepka – could claim third-place money.

Niemann, who won two of the season’s first three tournaments, held the point lead until Rahm got hot in the last two.  He won his first LIV title in the United Kingdom and had a playoff loss to Brooks Koepka in the last event at Greenbrier in West Virginia. Rahm goes into Bolingbrook with 195.17 points and Niemann with 192.20.

“I’m probably going to need to win,’’ said Rahm.  “(Niemann) is going to be up there.  I’m going to need another good week.’’

“(Rahm) has been playing great lately, so he’s probably going to do the same.  I’ve got to try to bring my A-game,’’ said Niemann.  He didn’t do it at Greeenbrier, finishing tied for 15th after three straight top-six finishes.

Niemann, however, is the season money leader with $14.5 million in 12 tournaments.  Rahm, who had to withdraw at Houston, has $12.7 million.

Much more is on the line than bonus money, too.  Bolinbrook is the last tournament for players to secure their positions on the LIV circuit for next season.  The top 24 get in.  Those from 25-48 fall into the Open Zone and can move around the teams.  Those from 49 or below go to the Drop Zone and are relegated  off the circuit for individual spots in tournaments in 2025.

Bolingbrook also decides the three teams that will receive first-round byes in the season-ending Team Championship Sept. 20-22 at Maridoe in Dallas.

 

 

 

Can DeChambeau’s magic work in Illinois again? We’ll see this week

 

The LIV Golf League doesn’t have a season climax to match the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Playoffs, but it does have a two-tournament wrapup to its third season, the first of which tees off Friday (SEPT. 13) at Bolingbrook Golf Club.

It’s both the climax to Chicago’s golf season and the LIV Individual Championship. Suspense might be lacking, since only Jon Rahm or Joaquin Neimann can win hefty bonus for taking the season-long point competition. No one else is mathematically eligible – not even Bryson DeChambeau. He’s no stranger to Chicago and the defending champion in LIV’s Chicago stop, having won last year at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove.

DeChambeau is down in ninth place in the individual point race but the team he captains, the Crushers, are the leaders going into LIV’s season-ending Team Championship coming up Sept. 20-23 at Maridoe in Dallas.

The Crushers, who won the Chicago stop and league team title last year, hold a narrow lead over Rahm’s Legion XIII in this year’s team standings. DeChambeau has the same three teammates – Paul Casey, Charles Howell III and Anirban Lahiri – who formed the winning team in 2023 at Rich Harvest.

DeChambeau gave the best individual performance since LIV’s founding when he finished 61-58 on the weekend to win the Greenbrier tournament last year.  This year he’s without a win but has six top-10 finishes in 12 starts.

Playing away from the Saudi-backed LIV circuit in golf’s major championships, however, he’s been quite good.  He won the U.S. Open at North Carolina’s Pinehurst, holding off Rory McIlroy in a stirring duel on the final nine holes, and finished as the runner-up to Xander Schauffele in the PGA Championship.

Those are the kinds of finishes that have made DeChambeau LIV’s most popular player, and his results on Illinois courses in recent years is rivaled only by the now retired Hale Irwin.

DeChambeau’s Illinois success extends beyond his playoff victory over teammate Lahiri last year at Rich Harvest. Shortly after winning the 2015 NCAA title for Southern Methodist he followed up by capturing the U.S. Amateur at Olympia Fields.  And, his first PGA tour win came at the 2017 John Deere Classic in downstate Silvis.

His play got only better after he joined the players exiting the PGA Tour for the more lucrative, though controversial, LIV circuit. In fact, he’s become one of LIV’s best spokesmen.

“We’ve changed the vision of the game of golf,’’ he said in the lead-up to LIV’s final two stops of this campaign.  “There is so much opportunity now moving forward than there previously was.  Golf was a bit stagnant.  There was more to be done and things weren’t necessarily done in the way that some of the players thought they could have been done.

“LIV came around, and we all saw this opportunity of team golf and being partial owners of teams and creating business value across the world. That was a big decision for me, to be part of something like that.’’

Like many LIV players, he’s broadened his interests beyond tournament play.

“What we can do with building academies, creating driving ranges, education centers,’’ he said.  “There’s just so much we can do when we bring people together to help grow this game globally.’’

David Feherty, one of the TV voices for LIV after having previously worked for The Golf Channel on PGA Tour events, said DeChambeau “has really blossomed at LIV, especially with how (he) deals with people.’’

“Just getting a little bit older,’’ said DeChambeau.  “I’m about to turn 31.  Being a little more understanding of others and understanding what the game of golf needs is a huge component for me…. LIV has been a gigantic platform for me.’’

The professional game remains in turmoil, and DeChambeau doesn’t see a quick end to that.

“The game of golf is in an interesting place right now,’’ he said. “It’s going to get figured out. I know that.  I have zero doubt it will get figured out, but it’s going to take some time.’’