Author: lenz

International Crown will be a golf event like no other in Chicago area

A sports event like no other will soon be hitting the Chicago area soon.

The UL International Crown is a women’s golf event – nothing so unusual about that – but it’s also a team competition with a global feel. Only the Ryder Cup, for men, and Solheim Cup, for women, fall into that category and the UL International Crown is much different than both of those.

Eight countries will be represented when the UL International Crown comes to the Merit Club from July 19-24. The Ryder and Solheim Cups are both two-team affairs — U.S. vs. Europe. Add six more teams and you’ve got what event director Drew Blass admits is “a different animal.’’

And that’s putting it mildly. You have to be there to fully appreciate how different the UL International Crown is.

“I love the Solheim Cup,’’ said Blass, who worked on that event when it was played to rave reviews at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove in 2009, “but the U.S. was only playing the European Union. Here each of the eight countries get their own national anthems. All the players will be in their team uniforms, with no sponsor logos.’’

The Ladies PGA needed a different event, one that underscored what an international scope its players offer at each and every tournament, and the UL International Crown fits that to a tee. The competition for places at the Merit Club actually began as soon as the first UL International Crown concluded in 2014. All the players on the LPGA Tour – as well as smaller professional circuits world-wide — had a chance to qualify.

Under this unique format all the players are awarded points off their tournament showings as individuals and those are translated into their positions in the Rolex World Rankings. Then the rankings of the top four players in each country are combined and the eight countries with the lowest total receive invitations to the UL International Crown.

That means that the big week at the Merit Club will feature 32 players representing eight countries be battling for one – highly coveted – crown.

The format does keep some top players – like world No. 1-ranked Lydia Ko of New Zealand, No. 2 Brooke Henderson of Canada and popular Norway veteran Suzann Pettersen – out of the finals. Their countries don’t have enough other top players to earn a position in the top eight in the team standings.

Blass doesn’t see the absence of a few top stars as a negative. In fact, it has some long-range benefits.

“It’s a positive, because it grows the game globally,’’ said Blass. “Look at China. I would never have guessed that China would be in this field two years ago but now it has four qualified players.’’

Two years ago it had but one, Shanshan Feng. She made a point of thanking the three young players who improved their rankings to elevate China into the finals of the UL International Crown.

Even without players like Ko, Henderson and Pettersen, the field at Merit Club will be filled with world-class players fighting for a unique honor – that being the world’s best women’s golf-playing nation.

The final eight teams have been divided into two four-team pools. The Republic of Korea had the lowest point total during the qualifying process and was accorded the No. 1 seed in Pool A. The U.S. had the second-lowest point total and received the No. 1 seed in Pool B.

Japan, Chinese Taipei and England are also in Group A and Australia, Thailand and China are in Group B. Each country will play two, four-ball matches between each of the other three countries in their pool in the first three days of competition.

Then, the top two point-earning countries from each pool and one wild card country will advance to Sunday’s series of single matches. The cumulative points from the four days of competition will determine the champion.

When the UL International Crown was played for the first time in 2014 Spain won the title. Spain, however, didn’t survive the qualifying process for this second playing of the UL International Crown.

Unlike the Solheim Cup, there will be four days of matches at the UL International Crown instead of three. There will also be a pro-am event before the matches begin at the UL International Crown. There isn’t one in the Solheim Cup format.

“We couldn’t be more excited,’’ said Kraig Kann. chief communications officer for the LPGA. “It’s an event that will have an Olympic-type field. All that we won’t have is a podium to hand out gold, silver and bronze medals.

Eagle Ridge’s courses have a new and improved look

The beauty of The General has been enhanced by maintenance improvements at Eagle Ridge.

GALENA, Illinois – Let’s make this perfectly clear. I’ve always enjoyed visiting Eagle Ridge Resort & Spa. I’ve been there many times – and for various reasons – over the last 35 years. It had been four years since my last visit, though, and this time things were different.

That’s different, as in better.

It all boils down to a series of developments starting in 2013 when Capital Crossing acquired the facility, which has long been the premier golf resort in a state that doesn’t have enough of them.

Capital Crossing brought in Texas-based Touchstone Golf to manage its 63 holes and Mount Prospect-based Bricton Group to manage the resort.

Touchstone manages courses in 10 states but Eagle Ridge is its only facility in the Midwest. The bulk of Touchstone’s 36 properties are in California (16) and Texas (7). Steve Harker, formerly with American Golf, started the company in 2005. His team now includes Mark Luthman who — as regional director of operations for Chicago-based KemperSports — was a leader in the planning, pre-opening and operations of Oregon’s Chambers Bay, site of the 2010 U.S. Amateur and 2015 U.S. Open. Luthman is Touchstone’s executive vice president and chief operating officer.

There’s few more memorable tee shots than from the No. 14 tee at The General.

Bricton, a major hotel management group, is headed by president Ed Doherty – a former Evans Scholar. Touchstone and Bricton combined to form Brickstone, the firm that oversees Eagle Ridge’s total operation.

The first order of business was to address the shortcomings on the golf side. The resort’s website alludes to “renovation’’ work done on its three 18-holers – The General and the North and the South courses – as well as the nine-hole East course. That’s a bit misleading.

Renovations generally connote total revamping of a course and usually include design changes. That wasn’t needed at Eagle Ridge. All four courses were designed by one-time Chicago-based architect Roger Packard, with two-time U.S. Open champion Andy North helping out on The General – the showcase course. All four courses are blessed with the “wow factor’’ thanks largely to the elevation changes throughout the 6,800-acre property.

Reagan Davis, Eagle Ridge’s director of golf, is also a noted collector of golf memorabilia.

The North opened in 1977, the South in 1984, the East in 1991 and The General in 1997. I played in the grand opening outings at both the South and The General, so I can spot any changes in them and the East is a long-time favorite with its straight-down tee to green shot at the par-3 second hole. You don’t forget playing a hole like that one, just like you don’t forget teeing off at The General’s elevated No. 14 tee. There’s a 14-story drop to the fairway on that par-4.

Anyway, while Packard’s designs remained intact, the work done since Touchstone arrived has still been extensive.

“There wasn’t any construction on the fairways,’’ said Reagan Davis, the director of golf who came aboard in August of 2013. “Packard did a great job, but a lot of places were overgrown and a lot of the tees and landing areas were claustrophobic. The native areas were overgrown, and a lot of the trees weren’t trimmed. People would measure a round on The General by how many balls they lost.’’

The new Woodstone Restaurant now shares top billing with the course at The General.

Davis estimates that $700,000 was spent on cleaning up the courses, and I found The General and the North – the two that I played on my most recent visit — in the best condition they’ve ever been in.

“We went in and trimmed all the trees we could,’’ said Davis. “We pushed back the tee boxes and tried to make the courses like they were originally.’’

In the process playing experiences improved, especially on the super challenging General.

“It speeded up play,’’ said Davis. “We picked up 35 minutes of time (per round). On a busy day a round might have gone 5 hours 25 minutes before. Now it’s more like 4 hours 30 minutes, and rounds are rarely over 5 hours.

The General also got a new restaurant. “Spikes’’ is gone and has been replaced by WoodStones, which features a $30,000 oven that can cook a wood-fire pizza in four minutes. The restaurant is even featured on the more dramatic welcoming signs at the main entrance.

“We wanted something more for the community and not so much for the resort or the golfers,’’ said Davis. “We keep it open 10 months out of the year. It’s done well.’’

Thirty goats perform an important role in course maintenance at all the Eagle Ridge courses.

Davis’ arrival solved an immediate problem on the Eagle Ridge golf calendar. The Illinois PGA had pulled its final major tournament of the season out of the resort because it didn’t have a Class A professional. Losing its biggest tournament was not a good thing but Davis had been assistant professional at Camelback Inn and director of golf at Troon North – both upper echelon destinations in Arizona.

Thanks to his credentials – Davis is in his 25th year as a golf professional and his 20th as a PGA of America member — and enthusiasm, the Illinois PGA Players Championship returned to Eagle Ridge in 2015 after being played at Metamora Fields in 2013 and 2014. It’ll also be played at Eagle Ridge this fall and Davis sees it as back home for a much longer run.

Davis brings more to the table than that. His older brother Joe was a golf professional and that led to Davis developing connections with PGA Tour players.

Craig Perks, who once won The Players Championship, and Mike Heinen, a former champion at the Shell Houston Open, were college teammates at Southwestern Louisiana. Before playing collegiate golf Davis developed a long-time friendship with PGA Tour mainstays Jay and Lionel Hebert. That led to Davis becoming a collector of vintage clubs and other golf memorabilia, all of which is on display for those lucky enough to visit his bottom floor office at The General.

There has also been some notable additions on the golf side. Robbie Gould, a golf addict who doubles as a great kicker for the Bears, is now the resort’s golf ambassador. Gould hosted a clinic at the resort earlier in the spring and will don Eagle Ridge gear in his charity golf appearances throughout the summer.

There’s some other newcomers as well – 30 goats. They’ve been brought in to roam the steep slopes where mowing equipment can’t be used.

The Brickstone influence is evident beyond the golf side at Eagle Ridge. The lobby of the Eagle Ridge Inn has been completely renovated and upgrades have been made in the 200 homes on the property that are rented out. A room renovation, estimated to cost $2 million, is expected to begin this winter.

As for the charming little town of Galena just seven miles away, it hasn’t changed much — and that’s a good thing. The resort offers all sorts of activities beyond golf and Galena and its neighboring towns only enhance that vacation atmosphere.

Thanks to some tree trimming Lake Galena provides a great setting from the Eagle Ridge Inn.

Return to Calumet stirs more CDGA Amateur memories

The Chicago District Golf Association has conducted tournaments since 1914 and none have quite the history as its oldest one – the CDGA Amateur. The 97th playing of that tournament starts on Monday (JUNE 27) at Calumet Country Club, in Homewood.

Calumet hasn’t hosted the tournament since 1947, and the last staging there created one of the most memorable results because its champion, Frank Stranahan, continued on to tie for second in that year’s Masters.

The CDGA Amateur has an interesting history. Its first winner was the legendary life-long amateur Chick Evans. In 1935 the organization decided to issue invitations nationally and call the event the Great Lakes Amateur. That’s how Stranahan, a member of a wealthy Ohio family who competed in most of the professional tournaments as well, got into the field.

Stranahan had won the CDGA Amateur the year before at Knollwood, in Lake Forest, and pulled off the rare repeat at Calumet. That year he also won the Canadian Amateur and shared runner-up honors at the Masters with Byron Nelson, both of them edged out for the title by Jimmy Demaret.

Since Stranahan, who was also a top-ranked powerlifter and a competitor in 102 marathons, the CDGA Amateur has had but seven repeat champions in the last 68 years. The last to win back-to-back was present day tour player Joe Affrunti of Crystal Lake in 2000 and 2001.

By 1954 Stranahan opted to turn professional and a year later the CDGA reverted back to the original tournament name and limited entries to members of CDGA clubs. The field is now determined largely through area-wide qualifying rounds, four of which were held for this year’s tournament.

Low man in those four qualifiers was Mistwood’s Paul Sclimm, who shot 4-under-par 66 at Innsbruck, in Merrillville, Ind.

The finals offer a stern physical test. There’ll be 36 holes of stroke play on Monday to determine 16 qualifiers for the match play conclusion to the tournament. Two rounds of match play will be held on Tuesday (JUNE 28) with the semifinals next Wednesday (JUNE 29) and the 36-hole championship match on June 30.

Most likely contenders for the title are three promising young players – Jordan Fahel, of Mt. Hawley, in Peoria; Brendan O’Reilly, of Butterfield, in Oak Brook; and Michigan State golfer Charlie Netzel, of LaGrange. Fahel won the title in 2014. O’Reilly was the Illinois State Junior champion in 2013 and 2014 and Netzel reached the match play portion of the 2013 and 2015 CDGA Amateurs.

Veteran contenders are headed by Exmoor’s Kyle Nathan, who won the CDGA Mid-Amateur at match play this year; two-time Illinois State Amateur champion Todd Mitchell, of Bloomington; and Glen View’s Blake Johnson, the tourney runner-up in 2013 and 2014.

Chappell wins Women’s State Am

Lauren Chappell, of Charleston, defeated Northwestern-bound Louise McCulloch of Wilmette 3 and 2 in a battle of 17-years olds in the title match of last week’s 83rd Illinois Women’s State Amateur at Forest Hills, in Rockford.

McCullouch eliminated Sabrina Bonanno, of Norridge, 1-up in the semifinals while Chappell defeated Schaumburg’s Kris Yoo 2 and 1. Bonanno was the tourney medalist, shooting a 74.

Arlington Lakes to re-open

Closed for 13 months, Arlington Lakes — the Arlington Heights Park District’s 18-hole course – has scheduled a July 1 grand opening.

The original course, designed by David Gill, opened in 1979. The renovated version called for a re-routing, in which the two nines were reversed to allow for the playing of three- and six-hole loops at certain times. The number of bunkers was also reduced from 106 to 37 and nine greens were rebuilt under the direction of architect Mike Benkusky.

Arlington Lakes will be a par-68 course built on 90 acres. The renovation was a $2.4 million project that included re-modeling of the clubhouse.

Enter Golf360TV

Dave Lockhart, creator of The Golf Scene and GolfChicagoTV in previous years, will unveil a new TV show on July 3. Called Golf360TV, it’ll be carried on Comcast SportsNet Chicago

Jill Carlson will host the show, which will run four times in July, and Chris DeLira will share producer duties with Lockhart.

Donald, Streelman join two Illini for another tough U.S. Open at Oakmont

Brian Campbell, the top player on Illinois’ golf team in 2015, was on hand to help former teammates Nick Hardy and Charlie Danielson celebrate after both qualified for the U.S. Open at last week’s sectional qualifier in Ohio.

Campbell didn’t make it into this year’s Open, which tees off on Thursday at Oakmont in suburban Pittsburgh, but he knows what America’s biggest championship is all about. Last year Campbell finished as low amateur (in a tie for 27th place) when the Open was played at Chambers Bay in Oregon.

Hardy, a Northbrook resident who just completed his sophomore season at Illinois, also qualified for the finals at Chambers Bay and survived the 36-hole cut before finishing in a tie for 52nd. This week he’ll try to duplicate that feat – and finish even higher — after being the medalist in his sectional qualifier.

Campbell and Hardy both played in last week’s Rust-Oleum Championship at Ivanhoe. Rookie pro Campbell tied for ninth place while Hardy, the only amateur in the field for the Web.com Tour stop, didn’t survive the 36-hole cut. Hardy’s shortcoming aat Ivanhoe might be understandable, what with the tourney falling between the emotion-packed sectional qualifying and the U.S. Open proper.

“It was definitely a quick turn-around,’’ said Hardy. “It was hard to not look ahead to the U.S. Open, but I told myself I had to focus. I prepared fine for that tournament, but I just didn’t bring it.’’

He hopes for a better performance at Oakmont, which Hardy described as “the hardest course anyone’s ever played’’ before making the trip to Pennslyvania.

“I’ll just try to not be intimidated,’’ said Hardy. “Everyone’s got to deal with the same things.’’

Hardy and Danielson are amateurs going against the world’s best professionals, that group including defending champion Jordan Spieth and veteran Chicago area touring pros Kevin Streelman and Luke Donald. Streelman and Donald also survived sectional qualifiers.

Campbell, improving steadily as a touring pro, thinks Hardy will hold his own again though – at 20 – he’ll be one of the youngest in the field.

“To qualify two years in a row shows how special he is,’’ said Campbell. “It’s all about getting down and dirty, and that’s how we do it at Illinois. My advice to Nick Hardy would just `be who you are.’ He was a great player coming to Illinois and he’ll only get better. I’d just tell him to relax a little. He can get a little hyper and get a little crazy.’’

Hardy will retain his caddie of last year’s Open, former Glenbrook North teammate Eric Markus, for bag-toting needs at Oakmont.

Senior moments

Exmoor, in Highland Park, has been named the site for the Constellation Senior Players Championship in 2018. It’ll be the first time a Champions Tour major has been played in the Chicago area since 1997, when Olympia Fields hosted the U.S. Senior Open with Australian Graham Marsh emerging as the champion.

The Western Golf Association will add managerial duties for that event to its usual role with the BMW Championship, Western Amateur and Western Junior events. The Western Amateur was to be played at Exmoor in 2018, but it’ll now be moved to another, so far undisclosed, date.

Another senior major might be looking for a new course as well. Kitchen-
Aid, the Michigan-based sponsor of the Senior PGA Championship, has been under pressure from political activists to move the tournament from Trump National in Washington D.C. That’s the scheduled tourney site for 2017.

In the last five years the Senior PGA has been Midwest based, with three stagings at Harbor Shores in Michigan and others at Bellerive in St. Louis and French Lick in Indiana. The tourney is to return to Harbor Shores in 2018, 2020, 2022 and 2024.

Here and there

Last year the Illinois Women’s State Amateur was rained out for the first time in its 82-year history. The IWGA hope for better luck this week at Forest Hills in Rockford. The 18-hole stroke play portion was Tuesday and the low 32 advanced to the championship flight for matches that run through Friday.

The UL International Crown, the LPGA global team competition to be played at Merit Club from July 20-24, is in need of volunteers. “We had hoped to get to 800; now we’re hoping to get to 650,’’ said tournament director Drew Blass. Blass also has opening for two teams in the 32-team tourney pro-am.

The Western Golf Association Junior Championship will begin a four-day run on Monday at Red Run in Royal Oak, Mich. First held in 1914, it’s the oldest national junior tournament.

Team Thailand predicts a victory in the International Crown

Ariya and Moriya Jutanugarn tell LPGA moderator Kraig Kann which country will win the Crown.

The eight teams that will play in next months’ UL International Crown at the Merit Club were determine via the world ranks a month ago. On Monday the four players who will compete for each team were unveiled.

Players had until Sunday’s conclusion of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in Seattle to get their rankings high enough to earn spots on their national teams. There was only minor shuffling after the KPMG event. Amy Yang moved into the fourth spot for Republic of Korea and Porani Chutichai became Thailand’s fourth member.

On the team side Australia passed Chinese Taipei to claim the No. 4 seed for the Crown, which is designed to determine the best women’s golfing nation.

Korea seems a shoo-in, with its four players all ranked in the top eight in the world, but that’s not how Ariya Jutanugarn, the top player for No. 6 seed Thailand sees it. Last week in a Seattle press conference she declared that Thailand will claim the Crown and she repeated her prediction at Monday’s roster announcement at Top Golf in Wood Dale.

“Why? Because we have a great team,’’ said Jutanugarn, one of four players on hand for the announcement. She was joined by her sister Moriya, who is also on the Thailand team; England’s Melissa Reid and China’s Shanshan Feng.

Jutanugarn’s prediction drew a rousing cheer from 20 representatives of the Thailand Consulate of Chicago, who made their presence heard loud and clear throughout the announcement.

Thailand supporters turned out in force for the International Crown’s press conference.

Ariya Jutanugarn, the longest hitter on the LPGA Tour, has climbed into the game’s elite with a No. 7 world ranking. She won three straight tournaments before finishing third at Seattle on Sunday The two who beat her – world No. 1 Lydia Ko of New Zealand and Canada’s Brooke Henderson, who beat Ko in a playoff for the KPMG title – won’t be in the Crown because their countries didn’t qualify.

Neither did Spain, which won the Crown during the event’s first playing two years ago at Caves Valley in Maryland. Sweden, which was also among the eight teams at Caves Valley, also didn’t qualify this time. Instead England and China will play in the event for the first time at Merit Club.

“I’d like to thank my teammates for getting us in,’’ said Shanshan Feng, the world’s 12th-ranked player. “My ranking hasn’t changed but we five others, all around 20, who are looking forward to change. We have never played in a team event.’’

The U.S. team will be the No. 2 seed once the matches begin. The U.S. roster will have one change for the Crown debut in 2014. Gerina Piller is among the four and Paula Creamer is out. Piller joins Lexi Thompson, Stacy Lewis and Cristie Kerr on the U.S. side.

With Ko and Henderson ineligible the top-ranked player in the Crown will be Korea’s Inbee Park of Korea, who is No. 3. Thompson is No. 4.

Homa overcomes 7-stroke deficit to win Rust-Oleum title

Sunday’s final round of the $600,000 Rust-Oleum Championship figured to be a two-man battle. No one was within six strokes of front-runners Josh Teater and Dan Woltman at the start of play and Max Homa was even further back than that.

Homa, though, didn’t see such a result as a foregone conclusion. He started the final round seven strokes behind Teater and played five groups in front of the final twosome.

“But I only had to pass seven people,’’ said Homa and – with some help from Teater – Homa was able to do just that. His final round 67 at Ivanhoe Club led to a one-stroke win with Teater and John Mallinger sharing runner-up honors.

The final leaderboard for the only PGA Tour-sanctioned tournament in the Chicago area this year had Homa at 13-under-par 275. Teater (75 on Sunday) and Mallinger (69) were one stroke back and Woltman (73) two back and alone in fourth place.

Homa’s plan to secure the $108,000 first prize was to go low on the front nine, the harder side to put up a splashy number. He succeeded, chipping in for birdie at No. 9 to complete a 4-under 32. That brought him within a shot of the lead and put the pressure on Teater and Woltman.

Teater, the leader after the second and third rounds, had a three-stroke lead on Monday qualifier Woltman to start the day and it was gone after seven holes. Woltman pulled even when Teater made his second bogey at No. 7. Teater regained the lead with a 10-foot birdie putt at No. 9 and then the shootout was on with Homa very much in the picture as well.

Those three took turns sharing the lead until Homa holed a 40-foot putt for his second birdie in a row at No. 15. Teater was still his main challenger at that point but Woltman – despite back-to-back bogeys at Nos. 11 and 12 – and Mallinger, who went eight holes without a par (one eagle, three birdies, four bogeys from Nos. 8-15), stayed in the mix.

“My goal was to make (Teater) play hard those last three holes,’’ said Homa, who gave his rivals some hope when he hit his tee shot far right at the par-3 17th and made bogey. That put Homa and Teater together at the top of the leaderboard.

Teater got through Nos. 16 and 17 with pars and was in great position off the tee on the finishing hole to make a birdie for an outright win without the need for a playoff.

“I wasn’t great all day, and I just wanted to have a chance,’’ said Teater, meaning a birdie putt, but he didn’t get it. His 8-iron approach from 160 yards sailed long right and Teater couldn’t get up and down for par.

“The ball was a little below my feet (on his second shot) and I started it further right than I wanted,‘’ said Teater. “I had the right distance. It was a learning experience.’’

Sunday’s round ended the Web.com Tour’s first Chicago visit since a seven-year run at The Glen Club came to an end in 2008. Three players will local ties qualified for all 72 holes. Illinois alum Brian Campbell, a Web.com rookie, shot 70 and finished in a tie for ninth. Deerfield’s Vince India carded a 75 and was in a tie for 33rd and India’s former Iowa teammate Brian Bullington struggled in with an 80 to finish in a tie for 56th.

Homa, 25, was the NCAA champion on a California team that was the best in collegiate golf in 2013. He won on the Web.com Tour the following year, in the BMW Charity Pro-Am, and was a consistent player all of this campaign. He’s missed only one cut in nine starts but Sunday marked only his second victory on the circuit.

Monday qualifier challenges Teater in Rust-Oleum Championship

The $600,000 Rust-Oleum Championship is Josh Teater’s to lose on Sunday. There’s no doubt about that. But he’d better look out for his surprise playing partner.

Dan Woltman earned his spot in the final pairing at Ivanhoe Club after shooting 67 in Saturday’s third round. He stands three strokes behind Teater’s front-running 204, which is 15 under par for the 54 holes. No one else is within six shots of the leader.

Woltman, though, isn’t your ordinary challenger. He got into the 156-man starting field through Monday qualifying and Sunday will complete his first 72-hole tournament of the year. In fact, he’s played in only two events prior to this week and Saturday he didn’t even have his regular caddie for the entire round.

Wife Merissa, who quit her job to be Woltman’s full-time bag-toter this year, had a leg problem after six holes and had to relinquish caddie duties to Woltman’s father. How the caddie situation will factor into Sunday’s round remains to be seen but Woltman isn’t focusing on possible negatives.

“I’m excited to have a chance going into Sunday,’’ he said. “I’ve been playing well lately, and this is just another tournament. I’m confident in my golf game now and looking forward to the challenge.’’

“I’ve never been in his position, as a Monday qualifier, but I’ve chased it,’’ said the much more experienced Teater. “It should be fun.’’

Teater, who shot 68 in the third round, was a regular on the PGA Tour from 2010 to 2014. He got there in large part because of his victory in the Utah Championship, another Web.com Tour event, in 2009.

Spectacular shots for eagles marked his last two rounds at Ivanhoe. He put a hybrid from 220 yards to eight inches on No. 15 in the second round and holed out from 146 yards with an 8-iron at No. 12 in the third. Teater led after 54 holes in his Utah win as well, and that got him into 156 PGA Tour events in the next six years.

His play dropped off the last two, however, and he returned to the developmental circuit full-time this year in hopes of using it as a path back to the premier circuit. A victory on Sunday would go a long way to helping him achieve that and – oh, yes – a $108,000 first place check is also on the line.

Woltman, who graduated from the University of Wisconsin, played on the Web.com Tour in 2011. Wrist surgery kept him out in 2012 and 2013, however, and he returned to tournament play last year on the European Tour.

“There was an awful lot of travel. I was overseas 30 weeks,’’ he said. “I learned that there’s no place like home. We lived in Atlanta the last five years and moved back to Wisconsin two months ago.’’

He does his practicing at University Ridge, near the Wisconsin campus where he played collegiately, and Old Hickory, in his hometown of Beaver Dam. Two weeks ago, after making some swing changes, he won a tournament on the North Star Golf Tour in Minnesota, shooting his lowest score ever for 54 holes – 197.

That, coupled with his success in Monday’s qualifying round for the Rust-Oleum Championship, gave his confidence a big boost.

“If Sunday goes well I could be playing every week out here (on the Web.com Tour),’’ he said. “I’ve got Challenge status in Europe but I want to be on the PGA Tour full time, and this is the path to the PGA Tour.

Other than Woltman, Teater didn’t have many challenges on Saturday. The three local players to make the cut fell down the leaderboard. Frankfort’s Brian Bullington shot 71 and is tied for 12th. His former Iowa teammate, Deerfield’s Vince India, posted a 71 and is tied for 21st with, among others, former Illinois star Brian Campbell.

Teater finds his Web.com comfort zone at Rust-Oleum Championship

Josh Teater was a PGA Tour member from 2010 until 2014, then things changed,

After making 144 PGA starts and posting 11 top-10 finishes, he could get into only 11 tournaments on the PGA Tour last year. He wound up playing in 10 on the developmental Web.com Tour to supplement his schedule and that didn’t work so well either. In his half season on the Web.com circuit he made just one 36-hole cut.

“My focus was on the PGA Tour, and I came out here (theWeb.com) not as prepared as I probably should have been,’’ he said. “I was thinking I should have been on the PGA Tour.’’

So, this year has been different – and not exactly by Teater’s choice, but he’s trying to make the best of it.

“It’s a blessing to know I’m not getting into any PGA tournaments,’’ he said Friday after charging into the lead in the Web.com’s Rust-Oleum Championship at Ivanhoe Club. “I have no status there. This is my home, where my focus is now. Last year I was always on the bubble, wondering where should I play?’’

Getting into Web.com events hasn’t been a problem for the 37-year old Kentuckian, but he didn’t exactly light up the circuit until he got to Ivanhoe. Last week’s tie for 11th finish in the Dominican Republic was Teater’s best in 10 tournaments and the Rust-Oleum promises to be even better based on his play over the first 36 holes. He got off to a 66-67 start and his 133 – 11 under par – is one better than Spain’s Gonzalo Fdez-Castano. Austin Cook, the leader after Round 1, shot 71 to drop into a tie for fourth – three strokes off the lead.

Clearly Teater is getting more comfortable on the developmental tour, which now provides a path directly to the PGA Tour. A top 25 finish on the money list will move Teater back to the premier circuit in 2017.

“This whole season I’ve got to put my foot down or I’ll get run over,’’ he said. “In one way it’s a blessing to get out here, meet some new guys and get tested by the young ones.’’

One great shot gave Teater the momentum he needed on Friday. Starting the day one shot behind leader Austin Cook, Teater came charging on his second nine in Round 2. The big shot came with a hybrid from 220 yards at No. 14. His ball stopped eight inches from the cup on the par-5, leaving him a tap-in for eagle.

Buoyed by that good fortune, Teater made birdie at Not. 15 to tie Fdez-Castano for the lead and then claimed solo possession of the top spot with a six-foot birdie on the par-3 17th.

Friday was cut day and only one of the four sponsor’s exemptions will play on the weekend. Deerfield’s Vince India, who played on the Web.com Tour last year but didn’t retain his card, is in a tie for 21st place – seven shots behind Teater.

Brian Bullington, a Frankfort resident who – like India – play collegiately at Iowa, and Brian Campbell, the former Illinois star now in his rookie pro season, are tied for 12th. They’re five strokes off the pace.

HERE AND THERE: Opening of The Loop is a big deal at Forest Dunes

The construction signage was interesting. Now golfers are about to play Forest Dunes’ new course.

The countdown is on for the opening of one of the most talked-about American courses in years.

Forest Dunes, in Roscommon, Mich., has long featured one of the most popular 18-holers in the Midwest – a Tom Weiskopf design consistently ranked among the best public layouts in the state.

Now the Weiskopf design will have one (or two, depending on how you look at it) partner course beginning on June 27. That’s when architect Tom Doak unveils The Loop – an innovative reversible design.

The Loop uses the same 18 greens and fairways. When it’s played in the clock-wise direction it’s the Black course. When it’s played counter-clockwise it’s the Red course. I walked it last summer when it was under construction and found the concept fascinating but difficult to comprehend.

“Everyone’s over-thinking it,’’ Forest Dunes general manager Todd Campbell said then. Once the course is in operation the “over-thinking’’ should be over.

Not only will Forest Dunes be adding a new course(s), but it has also made a dramatic addition to its teaching side. The Rick Smith Golf Academy has moved there. Smith, a world-renowned swing guru who has worked with many of the game’s top stars, and his long-time associate Henry Young made the move to Forest Dunes.

“It’ll be the most talked about golf destination in the country over the next five-10 years,’’ Smith predicted.

Crosby, Haynie to join Legends’ Hall

Indiana’s French Lick Resort will welcome the fourth induction class into its LPGA Legends Hall of Fame during Legends Championship festivities Aug. 18-21. The new inductees will be Elaine Crosby and Sandra Haynie.

French Lick established the Hall when it created the Legends Championship, and its members are honored in an exhibit at the West Baden Springs Hotel. Previous inductees were Jan Stephenson and Kathy Whitworth in 2013, Nancy Lopez and Jane Blalock in 2014 and Joanne Carner and Rosie Jones in 2015.

Prior to her induction Crosby will host the 16th Wendy’s Classic Pro-Am on Aug. 15 at Country Club of Jackson in Michigan.

Nicklaus Nine is a milestone

Jack Nicklaus started designing courses in 1969 and he’s now created 400 of them, the latest being a special one that just opening near Tacoma, Wash.

This one is called the Nicklaus Nine and it doubled the size of the unique course designed specifically for facilitating the rehabilitation of wounded and disabled veterans. Nicklaus donated his services on the project, which is part of American Lake Veterans Golf Club.

No kidding

Nearly 50 of the courses in Myrtle Beach, S.C., are participating in a Kids Play Free program that allows those 16 and under to play free when accompanied by a paying adult. It’s been one of the game’s most effective grow the game initiatives and participating courses include some of Myrtle Beach’s best. That group includes Glen Dornock, Grande Dunes, King’s North, River’s Edge and Tidewater.

Purdue course ready to re-open

The Bierk Boilermaker Golf Complex, in West Lafayette, Ind., is about to open its first course again. Pete Dye handled a renovation of the layout on which Jack Nicklaus won his lone NCAA individual title in 1961. Following the renovation the layout has been renamed the Ackerman-Allen Course. It will have a formal opening on June 21.

Ackerman-Allen will become part of the Pete Dye Golf Trail, along with its partner course Kampen.

Big shot possibilities

Old Kinderhook, in Camdenton, Mo., is conducting the “$1,000,000 Shot’’ throughout this summer. For $5 players can enter on the par-3 third hole. Hit the green and they win a sleeve of balls.

Those qualifiers can return on Sept. 2 for the chance to win the big prize in a $1 million shootout.

Housing boom

The grand opening of the Enclave neighborhood at Harbor Shores, in Michigan, was held on Friday and will continue through Sunday. The Enclose is the sixth neighborhood to open at Harbor Shores in six years. It borders the No. 6 fairway of the Nicklaus-designed course that is the frequent host of the Senior PGA Championship.

Cooks make a great team in first round of Rust-Oleum Championship

Austin Cook is 11 under par in two rounds when wife Chris is his caddie.

Austin Cook may have come the farthest in the shortest amount of time to play in the Rust-Oleum Championship, but it paid off in Thursday’s first round.

Cook completed in the Web.com Tour’s stop in the Dominican Republic on Sunday. Then came a three-plus hour flight to Memphis with a longer-than-expected layover in Atlanta. Then Cook and wife Chris took to driving, first to their home in Jonesboro, Ark., and on to Ivanhoe Club.

Chris shared the driving and then was Cook’s caddie on Thursday when he shot a 7-under-par 65 to claim the lead in the $600,000 tournament that ends on Sunday. It was only the second time they’ve had the player-caddie relationship going but it won’t be the last.

“In two rounds with her I’m 11-under-par,’’ said Cook, who called on Chris for the first time at Dallas last year when his regular caddie overslept.

The Cooks arrived in time to participate in the Chicago District Golf Association’s Play with the Pro Day at Hawthorn Woods on Wednesday and Austin had his only tuneup at Ivanhoe in Wednesday’s pro-am. That didn’t hold him back in Thursday’s first round, however.

He made a big climb up the leaderboard with an 18-foot eagle putt at No 15 and claimed solo possession of the lead with a 15-foot birdie putt on the finishing hole. That putt left Sebastian Munoz, in the first group to tee off, and late starter Josh Teater relegated to second-place status. Both shot 66s.

Munoz’ early start meant he didn’t experience much of the rain that hampered play most of the day. It didn’t fall on Munoz until after he’d played 11 holes. The wind picked up at that time as well, making scoring conditions difficult for the rest of the field.

“You’ve got to take advantage of that, plus the greens were pure and putter great,’’ said Munoz. He withstood a challenge from Daniel Mazziotta who was 8-under through 17 holes before making a quadruple bogey nine on his last hole.

Teater, who had missed nine cuts in his previous 10 tournaments, joined Munoz at the top of the leaderboard later in the day and they stayed there until Cook’s strong finish.

Cook had six top-25 finishes in seven starts on the PGA Tour last year but his play tailed off in the playoffs and at the fall qualifying school.

“I definitely felt a lot of pressure,’’ he admitted, “and I let it get to my head. At the beginning of this year I’d get mad. I’ve been working on not doing that.’’

Munoz was playing great early in the season when Cook was struggling. Munoz became the first player from Colombia ever to win on the Web.com circuit in February after getting into a tournament in his hometown of Bogota on a sponsor’s exemption. That accomplishment gave him his playing privileges and he’s now in the top 25 on the money list. If he stays there he’ll advance to the PGA Tour next season.

Strong finishes in the next four tournaments could also give Munoz, a former North Texas State golfer, a spot for Colomia in the Olympic games in Brazil in August.

“My first goal is to finish as high as I can in the money order to get into the top 25,’’ he said, “but I really want to go to the Olympics. That would mean a lot. This week could be very big for me. I’m trying not to think about it. I just want to play my best.’’

Shot of the day on Thursday was a hole-in-one by Bryan Bigley at No. 17, a hole that was playing at 207 yards.