Author: lenz

Yuen, Lau, Nowlin ready for Augusta National’s new women’s tourney

AUGUSTA, Georgia — Last year the biggest new event in golf was the U.S. Senior Women’s Open, which was conducted in July at the Chicago Golf Club in Wheaton. This year’s biggest new event tees off today in Augusta, Ga., with three Chicago-connected players in the international field of 72.

This one is called the Augusta National Women’s Amateur. It’s a 54-hole competition put on by the members of Augusta National Golf Club. They have staged the Masters tournament, arguably the most popular golf competition in the world, since 1934 when legendary player Bobby Jones organized the event on the course he created.

That tournament had an immediate Chicago connection as well. Horton Smith, then the head professional at Oak Park Country Club, won the first title and also won it again two years later.

In more recent years Augusta members have been pushed to do more for the good of the game and they responded. Augusta National eventually welcomed black members, then added women. In more recent years the club opened its gates the Sunday before the Masters to host the national finals of the nation-wide Drive, Chip & Putt competition.

This week Augusta National is a trend-setter again. In an effort to bolster women’s golf the club created the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur. The 72 elite players invited by the club membership start the tournament with rounds at Champions Retreat, another Augusta club, Wednesday and Thursday. The low 30 qualify for the final round, which will be played on the Augusta National layout that will again be the site of next week’s Masters.

All the players in the field players will get a closed-to-the-public practice round at Augusta National on Friday and the reward for winning the title on Saturday is substantial. Not only will the first champion assume a significant place in golf history, she will also be given a five-year exemption to play in the tournament, receive spots in this year’s U.S. Women’s Open and Women’s British Open and be welcomed at events put on by the U.S. Golf Association, PGA of America and Royal & Ancient Golf Club.

The final round of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur will be televised from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. (CDT) by NBC Sports.

Unlike next week’s Masters, the Augusta National Women’s Amateur will have a noteworthy local contingent. Topping the list is Northwestern junior Stephanie Lau, who is coming in on a hot streak. She posted a 7-under-par 209 for 54 holes to finish in a three-way tie for first place in a big college tournament – the Ping/Arizona State Invitational – last week. It pales in comparison to this week’s event, however.

“When I heard he announcement of this event I was more than excited for women’s golf,’’ said Lau. “The message that Augusta National brings to the table with its deep-rooted history is tremendous and speaks volumes to every woman golfer out there. I am so humbled and grateful to be invited and be a small part of it.’’

A mainstay on coach Emily Fletcher’s powerhouse teams of the past three years, Lau is making a big name for herself even before finishing her collegiate career. In addition to being invited to the Augusta National Women’s Amateur she also was named to the first U.S. women’s team that will compete in the Palmer Cup matches in June. For the last 23 years that event has been limited to male collegiate players.

Two other college stars will join Lau in bidding to be in the first women’s field to compete on Augusta National’s historic links. Illinois junior Tristyn Nowlin was runner-up in last year’s Illinois Womens’s Open at Mistwood in Romeoville. Nowlin, from Richmond, Ky., was beaten for that title by Hannah Kim, one of Lau’s NU teammates who was making her professional debut and would also win the Tennessee Women’s Open the following week.

Third member of the Augusta trio is Jessica Yuen, a junior at Missouri who developed her game in the elaborate teaching program at Mistwood. Yuen was invited only last week when another player withdrew because of injury. Yuen had four top-10 finishes in five starts in 2018 fall collegiate season. She also owns two of the top three single season scoring averages in Mizzou history.

On to the finals

While entries have just opened across the country for the 2020 Drive, Chip & Putt competition the best in 2018 will compete Sunday at Augusta National in the climax to that year’s competition. The finalists include four from the Chicago area – Lilian She, 9, from Buffalo Grove; Luciano Giangrossi, 9, from Evanston; Joseph Luchtenburg, 13, from West Chicago; and Joshua Pehl, 14, from Sugar Grove.

The Illinois PGA conducted 10 qualifying tournaments and two sub-regionals last year and those events drew over 2,000 participants in the 7-15 age range. Sunday’s finals will be televised from 7 a.m. to noon on The Golf Channel.

Szokol has become Jeray’s successor on the LPGA Tour

Chicago area players reaching the Ladies PGA Tour are few and far between. Only Nicole Jeray made it regularly over the last three decades and this year she’s decided to focus on a teaching job at Mistwood, in Romeoville.

There will still be a local rooting interest on the premier women’s tour, however. The timing was perfect for Winnetka’s Elizabeth Szokol to have a breakthrough season on the LPGA’s Symetra Tour in 2018, and that earned her a place in the big time of women’s golf.

The Szokol story began as she was about to enter high school at New Trier. She had been an avid tennis player but knee problems contributed to her looking for another sport. She opted for golf and immediately became a key part of New Trier’s powerhouse teams. She was on the varsity all four years, and her teams finished in the top three of the Illinois prep championship each season. That included a state title in 2010.

From there it was on to Northwestern for two seasons, the second of which saw Szokol earn second-team all-Big Ten honors as well as a spot on the conference’s All Academic team. She was also the Illinois Women’s Amateur champion in 2012.

Despite all that success on the home front Szokol opted to transfer to Virginia for her junior season and she finished her collegiate career there in style, finishing as co-medalist in an NCAA regional in her senior season. She was also 20th as an individual in the NCAA finals and part of a Virginia team that finished fifth in the nation.

“Playing on the LPGA Tour was always a dream, something I wanted to do,’’ said Szokol. “I saw improvement every year, and winning the NCAA Regional my senior year was a confidence builder.’’

Good college players don’t always make it at the professional level, however. Szokol had to survive three stages of 72-hole qualifying tournaments to just earn a spot on the Symetra circuit.

The first was in Palm Springs, Calif., where 350 players competed for 80 spots in the second stage. Szokol survived that and headed to Venice, Fla., where over 200 competed for 90 places in the third and final stage. She got survived those, too, and got through her rookie pro season with only limited success.

“That first year I found out that professional golf is a lot different than it was in college,’’ she said. “The second year I had things to figure out. Mainly it was time management. I had to find a good balance between practice and playing.’’

That task was made more difficult by a major health problem. Szokol needed knee surgery to fix extensive cartilage damage and wanted to have it in December of 2017. It had to be delayed a month, however, because no donor cartilage was available. After getting the surgery in January Szokol found herself in a brace from her left ankle to her hip. She had to learn how to walk again while her Symetra rivals were gearing up for the start of another season.

Amazingly, Szokol missed only the season-opening tournament of the 2018 season in Winter Haven, Fla. She started swinging a club while that event was going on and played in the next stop in Beaumont, Tex. The breakthrough came in the third event – the IOA Invitational in Atlanta.

Closing with a 4-under-par 68 Szokol came from five shots back on a windy day to claim a one-stroke victory. To play so well so quickly after surgery was a surprise to many, but not Szokol.

“My game was there and I putted well,’’ she said. Szokol didn’t win again in 2018 but she had seven top-10 finishes and a strong third in the season-ending Symetra Tour Championship. Her $76,612 in season winnings was good for fourth place on the year’s money list, and the top 10 were awarded their LPGA Tour cards.

Though there’s a big difference between the LPGA and Symetra circuits, the momentum from last year didn’t wear off when Szokol finally got her chance in the big time. Her first two tournaments were in Australia in February. A bad second round led to her missing the 36-hole cut in her LPGA debut but she rebounded the following week by tying for 58th in the Women’s Australian Open. That enabled Szokol to claim her first LPGA check — for $3,360.

“It was definitely great to go and play,’’ she said. “I was happy to get my first two starts and now I expect to play a lot. I’m guaranteed to play in all the full-field events except the majors.’’

Her tournament schedule resumed in mid-March in Phoenix and she expects to play in six tournaments on the West Coast in March and April.

When in Chicago she practices at Lake Shore Country Club in Glencoe but her swing coach isn’t there. Szokol is working with Kim Lewellen, her college coach at Virginia who has since moved on to Wake Forest. Szokol also has her first agent and sponsorship agreements with Ping and Titleist.

Donald’s strong showing at Valspar provides uplifting start for local season

Luke Donald is back. Could there be a better feel-good story to mark the start of another Chicago golf season?

One of the greatest players to ever come out of the Chicago amateur ranks, Donald has gone through over two years of difficult times. A herniated disc in his back severely curtailed his play, but – if his strong showing in last week’s PGA Tour stop is any indication – Donald is finally on the comeback trail.

Donald, born and raised in England, blossomed at Northwestern. He was the NCAA champion in 1999 and – after a stunning series of successes — rose to No. 1 in the Official World Golf Rankings in 2012. He stayed there for a while, too – 40 straight weeks and 56 overall. Donald also stayed connected to the Chicago scene, as a member of Conway Farms, in Lake Forest, and a major contributor to the First Tee of Greater Chicago and the Northwestern golf program.

Pat Goss, Donald’s coach at Northwestern, has remained one of his swing instructors and the present Wildcats benefit from the practice facility Donald created at The Glen Club in Glenview. It was only in the last few months that Donald sold his Northfield home. He has also been a long-time resident of Jupiter, FL., where he can practice year-around at the Jack Nicklaus-designed Bear’s Club.

Donald’s back problems started in 2017, a year in which he endured eight straight missed cuts after a second-place finish at the RBC Heritage Classic in Hilton Head, S.C. In 2018 he made only eight tournament starts and missed the cut in six. This year he missed the cut in his first tournament, the Sony Open in Hawaii, in January and then didn’t play again until last week’s Valspar Championship in Florida.

“Backs are tricky, and there were a few things the physios I’ve been working with didn’t like. They thought if I went too hard too early that I could run into some issues,’’ said Donald. He’s playing this season on a Major Medical Extension, meaning he has 15 starts available to earn enough FedEx Cup points to retain full membership on the PGA Tour.

Donald made his second of those starta at the Valspar — the last tournament Donald won, in 2012, and the last in which he survived a 36-hole cut, 376 days earlier. With all the forced time off his world ranking had dropped to No. 919.

Last week he did much more than survive the cut, and you had to be there to fully appreciate that accomplishment. Donald tied for ninth place and was in contention to win through 10 holes of Sunday’s final round. Then a double bogey on a par-5 derailed his chances of overhauling another Englishman, Paul Casey. Casey became the first repeat champion in the tournament’s 19-year history but Donald left with an optimistic outlook.

“People go through injuries. It’s just part of our sport,’’ he said. “I’ve been pretty lucky. This is my 18th season and I only had six months off with a wrist injury. The goal for (the Valspar) was to play four rounds and feel pretty good at the end of the tournament. It had been awhile since I’d done that.’’

Donald is taking this week off, then will play in the Valero Texas Open. He’s not eligible for the Masters the week after that but will be back in the field at the Heritage Classic April 18-21. Donald has a great record there, finishing second five times and third twice.

DESK, YOU MIGHT WANT TO USE BULLETS WITH THESE ITEMS.

BITS: Arlington Heights resident Doug Ghim moved into the critical No. 25 position in the Web.com Tour standings with his 19th place finish in last week’s Chitimacha Louisiana Open. If he can stay in the top 25 through the end of the season Ghim will earn PGA Tour membership for the 2019-20 season.

Lisa Quinn, executive director of the First Tee of Greater Chicago the past seven years, has announced her resignation from the post. She will remain on the job though May 31 to assist in the transition process.

Two new directors of golf have been named at Chicago area facilities. Brian Hilko has taken over at Orchard Valley, in Aurora, and Ben Nactwey at Fox Bend, in Oswego.

Batavia-based club manufacturer Tour Edge has re-signed three-time World Long Drive champion Phillis Meti to play its EXS driver.

Two Illinois golfers have posted resounding victories in collegiate tournaments. Illinois freshman Adrien Dumont de Chassart was a six-shot winner at North Carolina’s Tar Heel Invitational and Illinois State’s Trent Wallace won the South Florida Invitational by five.

England’s Casey becomes Valspar’s first repeat champion

A pairing with world No. 1 Dustin Johnson didn’t keep Paul Casey (dark shirt) from winning again.

PALM HARBOR, Florida — It took 19 years, but the Valspar Championship now has a repeat champion. England’s Paul Casey backed up his victory in 2018 with another triumph on Sunday at Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead Course.

Valspar hasn’t been the title sponsor throughout the PGA Tour’s run at Innisbrook, but no player could win twice in a row at Coppershead until Casey, 41, did it.

In 2018 his final round 65 overhauled, among others, runner-up Tiger Woods. On Sunday a 1-over-par 72 was good enough to win.

“It feels a little different, but not any less cool,’’ said Casey, who finished at 8-under-par 276 for the 72 holes.

Casey was paired with world No. 1 Dustin Johnson in the final round, a daunting task for any player.

“I felt Dustin was the favorite, but it didn’t mean I didn’t think I could beat him,’’ said Casey. He had other challengers, the most serious of which were Louis Oosthuizen, who closed with a 69 and Jason Kokrak, who shot 71. They tied for second, one stroke behind Casey.

Casey shared the lead with Austin Cook at 6-under-par 136 after two rounds and led Johnson by one going into the final 18.

The last player to repeat as a champion at PGA Tour event was Brooks Kopeka at the 2018 U.S. Open.

Luke Donald, the 2012 champion at Innisbrook when the tourney was named the Transitions Championship, had a chance to win again. Sidelined by injury most of the last two years, Donald started the day in a tie for fourth place and quickly made his presence known with an eagle on the first hole of the final round.

Donald dropped back after that and finished in a tie for ninth. Not only was his last win on Copperhead seven years ago but the former world No. 1 made his last cut in the 2018 Valspar Championship.

Return to Innisbrook has put some spark back in Luke Donald’s game

The PGA Tour’s Florida Swing ends Sunday, but the last event has already inspired Luke Donald.

PALM HARBOR, Florida – Luke Donald has played well at the PGA Tour’s Valspar Championship before. He even won the title here in 2012 when the tournament was known as the Transitions Championship.

This week’s been different, though. Donald, the former Northwestern star, was ranked 919th in the world before the tournament teed off on Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead course on Thursday. Through 54 holes he stands at 6-under-par 207. He trails leader and defending champion Paul Casey by three strokes, second-place Dustin Johnson by two and Jason Kokrak by one going into Sunday’s final round.

Donald is tied for fourth with Scott Stallings. Once the world’s No. 1-ranked player, Donald has played only sparingly the past two years while trying to cope with back problems. Valspar, the last tournament on the PGA Tour’s four-week Florida Swing, was only his second start of 2019. The first was at the Sony Open in Hawaii in January, where he missed the 36-hole cut.

“I had pretty low expectations,’’ admitted Donald after being assured he’d made the cut on the Copperhead course. He stayed in contention with a 2-under-par 70 on Saturday when he was paired with the long-hitting Johnson.

“The goal this week is to play four rounds and feel pretty good at the end of the tournament,’’ said Donald. “It’s been a while since I’ve done that – to go out and have some fun and appreciate being out here again.’’

Now 40, Donald’s showing didn’t surprise James “Bones’’ Mackay, Phil Mickelson’s long-time caddie who is now a TV analyst for NBC and The Golf Channel.

“It’s good to have Luke back,’’ said Mackay. He’s one heck of a player and a fierce competitor. I’ve seen him play a lot of Ryder Cup golf, and he can get it done when he’s healthy.’’

The biggest galleries at the Valspar Championship are following Luke Donald again.

HERE AND THERE: DJ’s Junior champion becomes one of his rivals in Valspar tourney

Dustin Johnson returned to Myrtle Beach to personally open his upgraded golf academy.

Dustin Johnson doesn’t live in Myrtle Beach, S.C., anymore but his game blossomed there when he was still an amateur, and he hasn’t forgotten those days.

Johnson keeps many of his trophies at TPC Myrtle Beach. His golf academy is also there, and it got a major upgrade in time for the fourth playing of the Dustin Johnson World Junior Championship earlier this month.

“I couldn’t be prouder of the golf school and its growth,’’ said Johnson “Golf has given me so much, and hopefully the school can play a role in the development of tomorrow’s golfers.’’

The Dustin Johnson Golf School is now the only facility in South Carolina with two Trackman machines. It also has the Swing Catalyst, which provides high speed video technology along with balance data; the K-Vest 3D Motion Analysis, which supplies instant 3D data in conjunction with the launch monitor; and the SAM PuttLab, the world’s most accurate and comprehensive putt analysis and training system.

Both Dustin Johnson and Akshay Bhatia, the 17-year old champion of Johnson’s recent World Junior tournament, will face Copperhead’s fearsome Snake Pit in this week’s Valspar Championship.

Johnson was on site to christen the new facility during his namesake tournament, which has become one of the most prestigious junior tournaments. Johnson, who has donated over $500,000 to junior golf programs, also joined Hootie and the Blowfish as inductees into the Myrtle Beach Golf Hall of Fame while he was in town but the most interesting DJ development may not come until this week.

Akshay Bhatia, who won the boy’s division of Johnson’s tournament, will play along with Johnson in the PGA Tour’s Valspar Championship – the last of four straight tournaments comprising the circuit’s Florida Swing. The Valspar tees off on Thursday on the Copperhead course at Innisbrook Resort in Tarpon Springs.

Bhatia, 17, is the No. 1-ranked junior boy in the world. The Wake Forest, N.C., resident, who plays left-handed, set a tournament record in the Dustin Johnson World Junior with a 5-under-par 211 for 54 holes. That contributed to Bhatia getting a sponsor’s exemption into his first PGA Tour event. He plans to skip college and turn professional when he turns 18 next January.

Bhatia was by no means the whole show in Johnson’s junior event. Alexa Pano, of Lake Worth, FL., ruled the girls division and became the first player – boy or girl – to win the tournament twice.

Wisconsin’s Erin Hills, site of the 2017 U.S. Open, has released a full animation preview of its new putting course. Scheduled to open on Aug. 1, the course will be lighted to permit evening play.

BITS AND PIECES: Entries are now being accepted for Myrtle Beach’s biggest event. The 36th PlayGolf Myrtle Beach World Amateur Handicap Championship will be held Aug. 26-30.

The name of the host hotel for the 29th International Network of Golf Spring Conference in Sebring, FL., has been changed from Chateau Elan to Seven Sebring Raceway Hotel. The hotel wanted to spotlight its connection to the auto track that hosts the famed 12 Hours of Sebring race. (Seven is a reference to the track’s famed hairpin turn). The golf event is May 19-24.

Dormie Network, a nationwide stable of private destination clubs, has acquired Hidden Creek in New Jersey and Victoria National in Indiana. Among its other clubs is Briggs Ranch in Texas. Victoria National and Briggs Ranch are both Web.com Tour sites.

Chicago’s KemperSports has taken over management of Thornberry Creek, the official course of the Green Bay Packers and the home of the LPGA’s Thornberry Creek Classic.

Billy Casper Golf recently held its 30th anniversary celebration at Reunion Resort in Kissimmee, FL. Billy Casper Golf operates 150 courses in 29 states.

Wisconsin’s SentryWorld has set a May 3 opening for its course, which will host the U.S. Girls Junior Championship from July 22-27.

FINALLY — AND JUST FOR FUN — we thought this a good time to spotlight some of the most memorable golf scenes we’ve enjoyed recently. Here are some of the “Best of Joy Sarver” photos:

A chilly early morning round on the Golden Nugget course in Lake Charles, LA.
The courses on the Horseshoe Bay Resort gave us a new perspective on our first trip to Texas.
Bunkering like this underscores how tough the Nicklaus Course at Florida’s Reunion Resort is.
Weather aside, views from the Pete Dye Course at Indiana’s French Lick Resort are hard to beat.
Is there a more beautiful par-3 anywhere than No. 7 at Wisconsin’s Whistling Straits? We don’t think so.

SAGE RUN

Location: Bark River, Michigan.

Course architect: Paul Albanese.

Opened: July, 2018.

Par 72

From the tips: 7,375 yards. There are five sets of tees, beginning at 5,231 yards.

Rating: TBD. (STUART, Raters have been out but not provided info yet).

Slope: TBD.

Saturday morning green fee: Basic rate is $85 but there are a variety of options, based on groups and hotel guest status.

Caddie service: No.

Walker friendly: No.

Fairways: Low-Mow Bluegrass.

Greens: Bentgrass.

THE REVIEW

Starter: This is one of Michigan’s newest courses and it has a unique design courtesy of architect Paul Albanese, a resident of Plymouth, Mich. It complements Sweetgrass, another Albanese design, that is part of the Island Resort & Casino in Harris, Mich. Sage Run is eight miles from the Island Resort and its creation is part of an $8 million renovation of the resort.

Play because: In addition to being new to Michigan’s vast golf marketplace, Sage Run has an unusual look. Albanese made use of a huge drumlin — a big ridge that runs through the center of the 300-acre property and creates a variety of elevation changes. The holes run around, over and through the drumlin.

Takeaway: Sage Run is a most challenging layout, no matter what tees you play. It’s obviously lacking in maturity and there are plenty of loose rocks in the rough areas that can come into play. Lots of balls get lost in those areas. The clubhouse and pro shop are small but cozy in these early days of operation. Once the obvious cleanup measures are completed, however, Sage Run figures to be a nice option for golfers in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

Ratings (1 to 10 scale, 10 being highest)

Food/beverage: 6.5

Pro shop: 5.0.

Clubhouse: 4.5.

Course difficulty: 9.0

Pace of play: 6.5.

Overall score: 7.0

THE COURSE SCORECARD

Best Par 3: No. 5, 170 yards. The first short hole on the course can be very misleading. It plays severely uphill, meaning that two or three extra clubs might be needed to accommodate the listed yardage.

Best Par 4: No. 8, 298 yards. This one plays uphill, too, but it’s drivable. This is a good risk-reward hole thanks to its split fairway. A successful tee shot to the left side could lead to reaching the green. A drive to the right is safer, but then you have to contend with lots of bunkers fronting the green.

Best Par 5: No. 12, 585 yards. Another dual-fairway situation to a green that is slightly elevated. The lower fairway is wider and safer, but the approach is then over bunkers to a blind putting surface. The upper fairway is tougher to hit but could offer a less challenging approach to the green.

INFO

Website: islandresortandcasino.com.

Phone: 877-ISL-GREEN.

Facebook: @sage run golf course

Instagram: NA

Twitter: NA

Rated by: Len Ziehm

Mount Dora’s historic course thrives on its connection to the military

Mount Dora’s proud history is evident when you arrive at the first tee.

MOUNT DORA, Florida – It’s safe to say that few golfers would come to this Central Florida city primarily to play the Mount Dora Golf Club course. Mount Dora has just too many interesting shops, enticing restaurants and other attractions to lure tourists.

The Mount Dora Golf Club, though, is part of the Florida Historic Golf Trail and there’s a story to tell about all 54 courses on its path. Mount Dora has one of the most interesting, not to mention a unique, fun course to play.

After all, what’s not to like about course whose owners describe as “the longest 5,700 yards in Florida.’’

And what’s not to like about golf carts that can provide music throughout a round? The sounds of the sixties mixed in with the golf….what could be more fun than that?

The price is right, too – even in the heart of snowbird season – and there’s a patriotic component as well.

Those who have served or are serving in the U.S. military get a price break beyond the modest $34 greens fee (cart included). Mini American flags are used for all the holes on the putting green and a well-maintained marker near the first tee declares the course “a living memorial to Mount Dora’s military troops that served in World War II and all veterans and members of the Armed Forces since.’’

A VFW hall is located next to the course and tournaments dedicated to the men and women in the Armed Forces and the veterans are held every year.

And, there’s even a bit more to it than that. The course isn’t just a tribute to military members. It was actually physically built by them. There were no well-known course architects involved in this one.

No.17 in the last, longest and most challenging of Mount Dora’s five par-3s.

Mount Dora was already a thriving community during and after World War II. It had lawn bowling, yachting, shuffleboard, swimming and tennis clubs but golfers were left out. In 1944 a group of World War II veterans who had returned from Europe or the South Pacific moved to correct that. They formed a committee and took their problem to the Mount Dora City Council.

The Council leased an 80-acre plot of land, which had foreclosed for back taxes, for use as a golf course. The lease was for 25 years, and the Council also agreed to provide $1,000 to $2,000 each year to help in the maintenance of a course and donated an unused traffic kiosk for use as the first pro shop.

Stock certificates were issued in the amount of $100 and the newly-formed Mount Dora Golf Association quickly had 90 members who voted to build a no-frills nine-holer. There is no architect of record, though some accounts mention one Cliff Deming as the leader of the servicemen who toiled through the construction process. They used a mule and bulldozer to clear land that had been covered with pine trees, and a 3,056-yard course was up and running in roughly a year’s time.

The first scorecard proclaimed it in the “Midst of Central Florida’s Wonderland of Lakes and Hills.’’ In its first years the course was frequently referred to as the Hilltop Golf Club.

This is the only water on the Mount Dora course — at No. 12, the signature hole.

The first ball was hit on Dec. 15, 1946, and it wasn’t Deming who took the first swing. That honor went to William Wadsworth, who was the lead donor for the construction of the course. He provided $50,000 for the project and was a long-time president of the Mount Dora Golf Club prior to his death in 1959.

A second nine was added in 1959 with Harold Paddock listed as the architect, and that same year the Mount Dora Women’s Golf Association was formed. In the course of the 1960s the club put in new greens, an irrigation and sprinkler system, a cart shed and maintenance building and a clubhouse. All that building culminated with the signing of a 75-year lease in 1968.

The clubhouse was expanded to its present size in 1985 but the club operated without a general manager until Doug Passen was hired in 1990. While 200 trees were planted in a busy 1978 season, almost all were lost when three hurricanes (Charlie, Francis and Jean) hit the course in 2004.

Through it all the Mount Dora Golf Club survived. Its small greens and tight fairways made for a fun round, and those back-to-back par-5s (Nos. 5 and 6) were found to be serious challenges. One plays uphill, the other downhill and the elevation changes are steep ones. There aren’t many public courses with holes like those two in Florida., but then there aren’t many with rich history that Mount Dora has either.

Mount Dora’s clubhouse has become a landmark on South Highland Street.

Illinois veterans Streelman, Points have unique pairings at Bay Hill


ORLANDO, Florida — What are the chances that the two Illinois players competing the most regularly on the PGA Tour would be paired in consecutive groups in Saturday’s third round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational?

That’s what happened when Pekin’s D.A. Points, in green shirt and paired with Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama, teed off in the twosome in front of Wheaton’s Kevin Streelman, in blue shirt and paired with Chesson Hadley.

There were some Illinois fans in the big galleries at Bay Hill, they noticed the significance of the pairings and they spent time watching both groups.

Streelman, who started the tourney 70-72, had birdies on Nos. 1 and 4 on the front side to climb the leaderboard, but wasn’t as sharp on the back nine. He finished with a 71 and goes into Sunday’s final round a 3-under-par 213 and in a tie for 23rd place. He climbed eight places off his showing in Round 3.

Points didn’t fare as well. He had a shaky front side making double bogey at No. 3 and bogeys at Nos. 8 and 9. That skid was offset by only one birdie, at No. 4. He did have two birdies on the back side, which more than offset his lone bogey. Points posted a 74, hit the 54-hole stop at 1-over–par 217 and is in a tie for 52nd. Among the players he’s tied with is the veteran Zach Johnson, who ballooned to a 76 in the third round.

England’s Matthew Fitzpatrick, who spent a semester at Northwestern before deciding the opportunities he had for winning a U.S. Amateur necessitated his turning pro early, shot 67 on Saturday and took a one-shot lead over defending champion Rory McIlroy going into the final round. Sixteen players are within four shots of the lead with. Fitzpatrick standing at 9-under-par for the tournament.

Points made his tournament a success with one swing in the first round. He holed out a 6-iron from 203 yards at No. 7 for a hole-in-one. There have been only three aces on that hole in the 40-year history of the tournament and two came this year. Spain’s Francesco Molinari had one before Points holed out.

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ST. LUCIE TRAIL

Location: Port St. Lucie, Florida

Architect: Jim Fazio

Opened: 1988

Par: 72.

Yards/Rating/Slope: 6,901/73.4/142 from the tips; Tournament 6.470/71.0/139; Standard 5,946/69.8/126; Combo 5,778/69.1/124; Middle 5,608/68.2/120; Forward 5,012/65.4/115

Saturday morning green fee: $49 is top fee in December (Rates will increase for winter of 2019).

Caddie Service: No

Walker friendly: No, but GolfBoards are available.

Fairways: Bermuda.

Greens: Bermuda.

THE REVIEW

For starters: This course, now in the throes of a massive reorganization, was the start of the PGA of America’s PGA Golf Club – the winter home of the PGA of America’s 29,000 members. Originally it was a private layout called PGA West Country Club, then was renamed PGA Country Club. It remained private as three resort courses were added to the PGA complex. In 2014 the PGA dropped the private designation and changed the name to St. Lucie Trail. The course was sold to CGI Investments, which also owns The Evergreen Club in Palm City (15 minutes away) in 2017.

Play because…: St. Lucie Trail is shorter, but tighter, than the three PGA Golf Club courses on the opposite side of Interstate 95. St. Lucie Trail was frequently used for tournaments while under PGA ownership and remains a challenging test since the ownership change.

Takeaway: The ownership change has affected this place, as different parties now operate the tennis courts, swimming pool and restaurant. The course, though, is one of the oldest and most challenging in the Port St. Lucie area. Whether it will regain its place as a frequent tournament venue is uncertain.

THE COURSE:

Best Par-5: (550 yards from tips/535/473/460/460/415). The longest hole on the course is a good one to finish on with the clubhouse in the background. While many finishers are risk/reward holes the one should be played conservatively with hazards right and left all the way to the putting surface.

Best Par-4 : No. 6, 418 yards from the tips/409/370/355/355/316. This one presents the most demanding tee shot on the course and it is the No. 1 handicap hole. Drives hit left will like wind up in a pond and the uphill T-boned-shaped green is tough to hit.

Best Par-3: (No. 17, 184 yards fom the tips/154/140//140/123/111): A very pretty hole, with water leading up to the green. Any tee shot left of the green will likely wind up in a hazard and the right side of the green is protected by some severe slopes. A most memorable hole given demanding look from the tee.

THE RATINGS (1 to 10 scale, 10 being the highest)

Food/beverage: 8.

Pro shop: 7.

Clubhouse: 9.

Difficulty: 9.

Pace of play: 7.

Overall: 8.2

INFORMATION

Phone: 772-340-1444.

Website: www.stlucietrail.com

Facebook: @ St Lucie Trail Golf Club

Twitter: NA

Instagram: #stlucietrailgolfclub

Rated by: Len Ziehm