Scott McCarron may be a battled-hardened mainstay on PGA Tour Champions, but he anticipates a unique feeling when he opens play in the Constellation Senior Players Championship at Exmoor Country Club in Highland Park. “It’ll be the first time I’ve defended a title in a major,’’ said McCarron, looking ahead to the July 12-15 tournament…
Author: lenz
Flavin reaches Western Am Sweet 16 in his farewell to amateur golf
Patrick Flavin’s amateur career is going to end with a bang after all. He earned a coveted place in the Sweet 16 of the 116th Western Amateur on Thursday at Sunset Ridge Country Club in Northfield and his professional debut at next week’s Illinois Open looks much more promising than it did a week ago….
Western Am, Illinois Open are a good one-two punch for Chicago golfers
Brace yourself. This is the last big crush of tournaments in a Chicago golf season filled with bunched-up scheduling. The 116th Western Amateur teed off on Tuesday at Sunset Ridge, in Northfield. It’ll end with the championship match on Saturday afternoon, and then the 69th Illinois Open finals begin a three-day run on Monday at…
Western Amateur presents a big step up in competition for Chicago stars
Imagine an Illinois amateur golfer shooting a 61 in a state-wide tournament and not winning. That’s what happened to Jordan Hahn at last year’s Illinois State Amateur. Hahn claimed the course record at Calumet Country Club, but he finished one stroke behind Patrick Flavin. Hahn got even last week, winning the 88th playing of the…
Aldeen’s French enjoys his reign as king of Illinois PGA Assistants
There are plenty of good players among the assistant professionals in the Illinois IPGA. That’s why Chris French’s domination of the 2017 Assistants Player of the Year race is so impressive. French, one of two assistants under director of golf operations Duncan Geddes at Aldeen Golf Club in Rockford, accumulated 3,139.9 points in last year’s…
Ex-NU star Hannah Kim makes IWO her first professional victory
Two years ago Hannah Kim tied for third in the Phil Kosin Illinois Women’s Open. Last year she was the runner-up. So, guess what the former Northwestern standout did to climax the 24th playing of the IWO on Wednesday at Mistwood, in Romeoville? Kim, the stalwart of coach Emily Fletcher’s powerhouse Wildcat teams of the…
Patrick Flavin is Mr. Golf in Illinois for the next few weeks
The star of last year’s Chicago golf season is about to strike again. While University of Illinois friends Nick Hardy and Dylan Meyer opted to turn pro as soon as the NCAA tournament ended in June, Highwoods’ Patrick Flavin decided to wait a while. Now it’s his turn to take the spotlight. Last year Flavin,…
Singh gets his first Champions major title in a playoff
PGA Tour Champions had become a showcase for Bernhard Langer the last few years, especially at its Constellation Senior Players Championship. That’s no longer the case. At 60 Langer isn’t the dominant player he once was, and Sunday he wasn’t up to the task with another chance to win one of the circuit’s most prestigious…
Small fades, but still picks up his biggest tourney paycheck
Illinois men’s coach Mike Small, who started the day tied for fifth, was no threat for the title in Sunday’s final round of the Constellation Senior Players Championship at Exmoor, but there was a bright side. Small picked up his biggest check on either the PGA Tour or PGA Tour champions. He earned $67,200 for…
Can Langer continue his domination in Senior Players tourney?
If ever there was a player who could dominate a tournament it’d be Bernhard Langer at the Constellation Senior Players Championship. The 60-year old German star won the tournament in 2014, 2015 and 2016 and finished second to Scott McCarron last year. Langer will try to get back on the winning side when the 36th…