The weather may suggest otherwise, but the Chicago golf season is ready to tee off. January rounds in snow and frigid weather aren’t unusual in the Chicago area but the Polar Bear Open on Sunday (JAN 4) is different. It not only brings golf diehards together at St. Andrews Golf & Country Club in West…
Chicago Area Golf
Illinois PGA shortens its section championship tourney
Golf schedules at the local level aren’t usually announced until late winter or early spring but the Illinois PGA revealed two major developments in its 2025 schedule. The Illinois PGA Championship – officially the Illinois Professional Championship now – will be reduced from 54 to 36 holes next year. The tournament, scheduled for Aug….
LPGA’s T of C turned into the `Annika Show’
LAKE NONA, FL. – Annika Sorenstam didn’t win on Sunday but – as the only woman in a 50-player group of celebrities that included famous sport stars like Roger Clemens, Greg Maddux, Brian Urlacher, Jeremy Roenick, John Smoltz, Sterling Sharp and Tom Glavin, the 51-year old golf legend did just fine. No doubt she was…
Q-School is sure to bring a dramatic ending to golf’s 2019 season
The year’s biggest golf championships are over. Now comes the hard part. There’s another side to professional golf that contrasts sharply with what your see on television screen. It’s called Q-School, and it’s the main path to get to most every one of golf’s pro tours. Some lucky ones have gotten to a pro tour…
Coaching change triggers excitement for NIU men’s golf team
I hate writing season-ending columns, mainly because – for me – the golf season never ends. One season just blends into another. This time, though, there are some subjects that need to be addressed – one big one in particular. Northern Illinois University has a new men’s golf coach, and this hiring could reverberate throughout…
JDC was a success, now comes the BMW Championship at Medinah
One down, and one big one to go. And then what? We’re all about to enter a period of transition. Illinois is blessed with two PGA Tour events, but they couldn’t be more different. The John Deere Classic has had a variety of names since its founding in 1971. It’s played two hours west of…
Wilson, Tour Edge are benefitting from the success of their players
If ever there was a time for Chicago’s two major golf equipment companies to celebrate, this is it. The biggest reason was Gary Woodland’s victory in the U.S. Open. Woodland signed with Wilson less than a year ago, and player endorsements do bring attention to product lines. Wilson, long based in River Grove and now…
Is the 1-iron coming back? This Chicago company thinks so
I’ve been reluctant to write about golf equipment, feeling that should be left to experts on new technology or championship level players. Occasionally, though, I make an exception, and this is one of those times. Joe Jung, a Chicago guy, is a big reason for that. I met Jung at last month’s International Network of…
Illinois Women’s Open milestone comes with a change in format
The Illinois Women’s Open will celebrate its 25th anniversary this year, a testament to the dedication owner Jim McWethy and his staff at Mistwood Golf Club in Romeoville have made to the event. When none of the Chicago golf organizations were willing to create a big event for the area’s top women players the late…
ANWA has taken women’s golf to a new level
The inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur was staged a few days before the Masters tournament and partially on the same course the male stars played their first major championship of 2019. It turned out to be one of those rare golf competitions where the determination of the champion wasn’t the most important thing – not…