Category: Daily Herald Columns

Illinois prep champion tops U.S. Open local qualifier

 

Last week’s first of three Illinois local qualifiers for the U.S. Open hardly went according to form.

Evanston amateur Lester Low, the reigning Illinois high school champion,  posted the best score – a 7-under-par 65 at Stonewall Orchard, in Gurnee, and that was two strokes better than veteran tour player Andy Svoboda, the head professional at Butler National in Oak Brook.

Svoboda, who came to Butler in 2024, was the Illinois PGA’s Player of the Year the last two years.  Now 46, Svoboda qualified for five U.S. Opens and won three times on the Korn Ferry Tour.

Low, 16, shot 65-72  as a sophomore en route to winning last year’s prep title at The Den at Fox Creek in Bloomington.  Evanston was the team runner-up the last two years and Lester’s brother Kieran was also part of the team.  Kieran will be a freshman at Boston College in the fall. Both brothers were grant recipients from the U.S. Golf Association for its National Development Program.

The Stonewall Orchard local advanced four players to the final Open qualifying stage, and another amateur – Ben Patel, of North Aurora – joined Low and Svoboda in advancing. The 36-hole final stage qualifiers will be held around the country between May 18 and June 8 to determine the 156 starters in the Open proper June 18-21 at Shinnecock Hills in New York.

PGA TOUR: Arlington Heights’ Doug Ghim, partnered with Jeffrey Kang, tied for sixth in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.  It was Ghim’s best finish of the season, produced his best payday of the year ($185,250) and boosted his FedEx Cup ranking 20 positions to No. 114.

Northbrook’s Nick Hardy paired with Davis Riley to finish in a tie for 20th.  Hardy and Riley won the event in 2023. Hardy has spent this season on the Korn Ferry Tour where he made four cuts in six starts.

SENIOR PGA: Fifteen players advanced to the final qualifier for the U.S. Senior Open, to be played July 2-5 at Scioto in Ohio. Mike Carbray, of Glen Ellyn; amateur Glenn Przybylski,  Frankfort; Andy Walker, Phoenix, Ariz; and Bradley Lanning, Horotonville, WI., all shot 2-over-par 74 – the low score in a local qualifier at Kemper Lakes in Kildeer.

Roy Biancalana, of St. Charles, earned the last qualifying spot in the final qualifier at Kemper by surviving a four-man playoff involving players who posted 77s.

HERE AND THERE: Both Illinois tournaments on the Korn Ferry Tour schedule – the Memorial Health Championship, June 25-28 at Panther Creek in Springfield and the Evans Scholars Invitational  July 23-26 at The Glen Club in Glenview — will be part of the new four-event $100,000 bonus pool called Route 66 Cup. The player topping the point list after the four events will get $66,000.

The Presidents Cup has, in partnership with the George and Cindy Rusu Family Foundation, contributed $150,000 to the Midwest Shelter for Homeless Veterans. The Presidents Cup  will be played Sept. 22-27 at Medinah Country Club, and the donation  is part of a commitment to invest in local communities and build a lasting legacy for the event.

The Western Golf Association has announced a one-year agreement with Inspire 11, establishing the business and technology consulting firm as the presenting sponsor of the 124th Western Amateur at Chicago’s Beverly Country Club from July 27 to Aug. 1.

Nominations are now being accepted for the Illinois Golf Hall of Fame induction class of 2027.  Application forms are available on the Illinois PGA website.

 

Stonewall Orchard is an early host for U.S. Open local qualifiers

 

This month’s Masters was the first of the year’s four major championships and – with just a 91-player field – was the smallest of those events.  The biggest of the majors is the U.S. Open which officially started on Monday (APRIL 20) with the first of 109 local qualifiers.

Illinois will again have three such eliminations,  the first of which is April 22 at Stonewall Orchard, in Grayslake. The other two are at Illini Country Club, in Springfield, on May 4 and May 11 at Flossmoor Country Club.

Stonewall, an Arthur Hills design, previously hosted Open qualifiers in 2003, 2005, 2009 and 2015.  The course has also hosted qualifiers for the Korn Ferry Tour six times. This year’s Open elimination tees off at 8 a.m. with 78 players battling for four berths in the final qualifiers.

Illini CC was founded in 1906 and its course was designed by Tom Bendelow.  A prolific architect, his other creations include the original No. 3 course at Medinah Country Club. Illini will host a U.S. Open local for the 45th consecutive year.

The Open is a massive annual event, and this year’s version had 10,201 entrants.  That’s one less than the record turnout set last year when the 72-hole finals were held at Oakmont, in Pennsylvania. It’s the fifth time the entries have topped 10,000.

This year’s entrants ranged in age from 13-year old Californian Niko Ameredes, a two-time finalist in the Drive, Chip & Putt competition, to 71-year old New York club professional Mike Caporale. Entries came from all 50 states and 49 foreign countries.

The 126th playing of the U.S. Open concludes June 18-21 at Shinnecock Hills, a New York layout which is similarly rich in history as Oakmont, but there will be lots of competition between now and then as the field is determined.

Entrants must either be declared professionals or amateurs with a handicap index not exceeding 0.4.  Only 51 entrants are currently exempt from full qualifying thanks to past performances. One is two-time Open winner Brooks Koepka who was the champion the last time the finals were played at Shinnecock in 2018.

Another is Brandon Holtz, a 39-year old former Illinois State basketball player who works in real estate in Bloomington, IL.  He received exemptions to both the Masters and U.S. Open after winning last year’s U.S. Mid- Amateur title.  Holtz missed the 36-hole cut at the Masters.

Most all of the others must survive qualifying events to be among the156 players who get to tee off at Shinnecock.   The local eliminations will determine who qualifies for the thirteen 36-hole final qualifiers, staged in 10 U.S. locations, England, Japan and Canada between May 18 and June 8. None of those will be played in Illinois.

HERE AND THERE: Including the three U.S. Open locals the Chicago District Golf Association will conduct 21 qualifiers for U.S. Golf Association championships this year. Next is the one for the U.S. Senior Open. It’s on April 27 at Kemper Lakes in Kildeer.

The Illinois PGA Open Series begins on April 27 at the Glen Club in Glenview.

With coach Mike Small competing in last weekend’s Senior PGA Championship in Florida his University of Illinois team concluded its regular season with a second-place finish in the Hoosier Collegiate in Indiana. An Illini player, Freddie Turnell, was the individual champion while Kansas State took the team crown. Illinois begins postseason play at the Big Ten Championships May 1-3 at Pumpkin Ridge in Oregon.  Illinois has won the title 14 times in the last 17 years.

 

 

Illini coach Mike Small takes a crack at the Senior PGA tourney

 

IN SELECT COMPANY: Illinois men’s coach Mike Small (right) was paired with two former major champions in the first round of the Senior PGA Championship.  Henrik Stenson (left) won the 2016 British Open and John Daly captured titles in both the 1991 PGA Championship and 1995 British Open. Stenson shot 72, Daly 73 and Small 79.  (Joy Sarver Photos)

BRADENTON, FL. –Playing on any PGA Tour is no easy task.  Neither is coaching at the major college level.  Very few have done both, but Mike Small continues to both coach the University of Illinois men’s team and compete on PGA Tour Champions when possible.

This week is one of those rare times when it’s possible. Small is in the field for the 86th Senior PGA Championship at the Concession Club, It teed off on Thursday while his Illini were concluding their regular season in Indiana’s Hoosier Collegiate. His assistants are coaching the team in that tournament.“They’re excited and my team needs a break from me,’’ said Small. “Our administration was fine with it.’’

Small will return as coach for the biggest events of the college season.  The Big Ten championships, which the Illini have won 13 times in his 25 seasons as head coach, are May 1-3 and NCAA tournament play begins May 18. The Illini have reached the NCAA tournament 16 of the last 17 years and won seven regional titles.

This year’s team won three tournaments and is ranked No. 10 in one national collegiate poll and No. 12 in the other.

Big John Daly and Mike Small (left) were affable playing partners in the Senior PGA Championship. Daly was allowed to ride a cart because of osteoarthritis in his right knee.

While Small has survived cuts in 15 of 34 PGA Tour events and 18 of 19 Champions Tour starts since he began coaching, he has played in the Senior PGA only once.  He missed the cut at Harbor Shores in Michigan in 2022.

“It was always played opposite the national (NCAA) championships,’’ said Small.  “This year there was a date change.’’

Small qualified for a spot in the field by finishing 25th in the PGA National Club Professional Championship.  He’ll go head-to-head with the best 50-and-over professionals beginning on Thursday at Concession, a Jack Nicklaus design that will host the event through 2028.

Illinois won the Big Ten title in 1988 when Small and Steve Stricker were the team’s stars. They stood up at each other’s weddings, then both spent time on the PGA Tour before Small turned to coaching.

Stricker, now one of the best senior tour pros, also qualified for the Senior PGA but withdrew on Sunday.

Small has won 14 Illinois PGA titles, four Illinois Opens and three Illinois Senior Opens. He also won three times in the PGA National Professional Championship and was low professional at two PGA Championships, but a few years have passed since then.  He’s 60 now and figures to be rusty in a field that includes tournament-tough stars like Stewart Cink, John Daly, Ernie Els, Padraig Harrington, Bernhard Langer, Colin Montgomerie and Vijay Singh.

Thursday’s first-round leaders were Brian Gay, Steve Allan, Bernhard Langer and Miguel Angel Jiminez.  All shot 6-under-par 66.

“I’ve been hitting balls for a week,’’  said Small, “but the first practice round (at Concession on Monday) was the first time I walked 18 holes since last summer.’’

HERE AND THERE: Countryside, in Mundelein, will host the first qualifying round for the 11th Chicago District Mid-Amateur Championship on Tuesday (APRIL 21).

KemperSports has taken over the management duties at Village Greens of Woodridge.

The CDGA has announced that the Chicago Adaptive Open, scheduled for June at Fox Bend, in Oswego, already has a full field of 84 players. Fox Bend will host through 2030 and Illinois Bone & Joint Institute will be the sponsor.

Pinseeker Media will sponsor Dave Lockhart’s Golf 360 when the long-running TV show begins broadcasting in June. Dan Roan will host.

Stewart Cink (left). with two wins and a runner-up in his last four starts, and Z;ach Johnson, in his first major on the Champions Tour, are among the crowd favorites at Concession. Cink opened with a 69 and Johnson with a 73.  Defending champion Angel Cabrera shot a whopping 81.

 

 

 

 

Masters marks the real start of the golf season

 

Next week it’s on to Augusta, Ga., for the 90th Masters tournament. (Joy Sarver Photos)

 

All the professional tours have been in full swing for several months, and so have most of the college teams.  That said, golf excitement doesn’t really kick in until next week’s 90th playing of the Masters tournament.

It’s the first of the year’s four major championships and the first time the top players from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf League finally get together again. The upstart Saudi-backed LIV circuit has yet to have Masters winner since the break from the PGA Tour five years ago.

This could be the year, though.  Scottie Scheffler, the world’s No. 1 player is struggling and LIV has 11 players in this year’s Masters field and six won the Masters back when they were PGA Tour members.  In fact, those six have combined to win nine times.  Phil Mickelson is a three-time champion and Bubba Watson has won twice. Other LIV members with Masters titles are Sergio Garcia, Dustin Johnson, Charl Schwartzel and Jon Rahm.

None of those players  may be the circuit’s best bet to win in 2026, though.  That has to be Bryson DeChambeau after his playoff win over Rahm in a rousing tournament in South Africa in the most recent LIV event.

There won’t be a player with even remote Illinois connections in the field at Augusta National unless Doug Ghim, Kevin Streelman, David Lipsky, Dylan Wu or Adrien Dumont de Chassart win this week’s PGA Tour stop – the Valero Texas Open.

ALSO ON THE SCENE:  The Masters competition is the main attraction during the week of the tournament, but it’s not the only one.  Both the Augusta National Women’s Amateur and the Drive, Chip & Putt finals are side attractions with Chicago area representation.

The 54-hole ANWA event, first played in 2019, has two Northwestern players – Californians Diana Lee and Ashley Yun – in the 72- player field.  The 54-hole event conducts its first two rounds at the nearby Champions Retreat course before the final round is played at Augusta National.

Drive, Chip & Putt has the survivors of nation-wide qualifying tournaments held in late 2025.  Four Chicago area youngsters qualified in the Upper Midwest Regional played last September at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin.

Patricia Kittivat of Schaumburg will be in the Girls 7-9 division with Oswego’s Lucy Wiertal in the Girls 10-11, Streamwood’s Vihaan Patel in the Boys 10-11 and Hinsdale’s Carter

Bird in the Boys 14-15. While the Masters is the main attraction, the ANWA and Drive, Chip & Putt participants will get some TV air time, too.

Brandt Snedeker was in the spotlight as a player at the recent Valspar Championship in Florida, but he’ll be more in demand in his role as U.S. captain for September’s Presidents Cup at Medinah.

DOWN THE ROAD:  This may be just the start of the Chicago golf season, but the President’s Cup climax in September has already been a topic for discussion on the PGA. Brandt Snedeker, who will captain the U.S. team in the President’s Cup matches at Medinah, shook off a slow start to this season with a strong showing in the Valspar Championship last month in Florida.

Snedeker played in the last twosome on Sunday before fading on the back nine.  His playing partner, Matt Fitzpatrick, won the title but Snedeker was still a subject of discussion.

The President’s Cup captain is frequently a contender for that same role at the next Ryder Cup, but Snedeker would have little to say about that.

“There’s no chance. Let’s not event talk crazy here.  There’s no chance, no chance,’’ he said.  The next Ryder Cup is in 2027.  That’s a long way off, but the Peresident’s Cup isn’t. Medinah will see a lot of Snedeker in the next few months.

“I’m going up there is less than a month, spend a few days and check everything out,’’ he said. “There’s lots of logistical stuff now, lots of behind-the-scenes stuff to make sure we’re ready to go. As the summer ramps up and the team takes shape we’ll do more and more.’’

 

 

 

 

 

Bhatia spoils Berger’s bid for the Arnold Palmer title

Akshay Bhatia posted a surprising, but well-deserved — victory at Bay Hill. (Joy Sarver Photos)

ORLANDO, FL. – Akshay Bhatia, a bespectacled 24-year old left-handed golfer who uses an unusual split grip for putting, won the Arnold Palmer Invitational on Sunday, but this one was more about how Daniel Berger lost it.

Berger led virtually all the way in this lucrative PGA Tour signature event that leads into two of the year’s biggest tournaments – this week’s Players Championship and next month’s Masters.

Berger is a Florida guy through and through, having grown up in Delray Beach, played college golf at Florida State and now a resident of Jupiter —  the home of many PGA Tour players.  After two years battling a serious back injury and being sidelined the last four months of 2025 with a broken finger, Berger seemed a perfect fit to complete a comeback bid at Bay Hill Club – the place made famous by Arnold Palmer.

It wasn’t meant to be, though. Berger had a four-stroke lead entering the final nine holes but wound up losing after making a three-putt bogey in the first hole of a sudden death playoff.  Bhatia’s two-putt par was good enough to end their duel.

Daniel Berger faces the end of his run at the API title after the playoff is over.

Bhatia, a California native who played in his first PGA Tour event as a 17-year old in 2019, became a circuit member in 2023 and won his third PGA Tour event on Sunday after matching Berger’s 15-under-par performance in the regulation 72 holes before the one-hole playoff. All Bhatia’s three wins came in playoffs.

Berger took his loss graciously.

“I was proud of myself, though obviously it didn’t end the way I wanted,’’ he said.  “There were a lot of things to learn from.  It was a tough battle, and a shot here or there was the difference.’’

Those big shots came from Bhatia’s clubs, especially during a stretch of four straight birdies on holes 10-14.

Playoff excitement crowded a big response from the gallery at Bay Hill.

“I went to the 10th hole very angry,’’ he said.  “That changed my momentum. I felt like Arnie’s Army was with me. I could feel the momentum. I know the magnitude of this tournament.’’

He called a 6-iron shot from 196 yards on No. 11 that set up an eagle “the best 6-iron of my life.’’

“The biggest thing was proving to  myself that I could do it,’’ he said. “This was another big step for me.  I never thought I could do this, given there was so much pressure.’’

Bhatia went to college at Wake Forest, the North Carolina school that tournament founder Arnold Palmer attended.

ARNIE IS WATCHING: The scene at Bay Hill’s No. 1 tee is evidence that Palmer’s memory lives on.

 

 

 

 

Back injury forces McIlroy to WD from Palmer tourney

Daniel Berger has owned the Arnold Palmer Invitational through 53 holes. On Sunday he will try to finish the job, though his lead is down to just two strokes. (Joy Sarver Photos)

 

ORLANDO, FL. – Rory McIlroy was feeling good about his golf game going into this week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill Club, but now the world’s No. 2-ranked golfer has to wonder.

Not only was McIlroy a surprise withdrawal from the API – one of the PGA Tour’s lucrative signature events – on Saturday but his status for two more big ones is in limbo.  The Players Championship – billed as golf’s “fifth major’’ — is next week at TPC Sawgrass in Florida, and then comes the Masters next month at Augusta National in Georgia.

McIlroy would be a strong contender in both events, assuming he’s healthy. Last year he won the Masters to complete the career Grand Slam.  He had earlier wins in the 2011 U.S. Open, 2012 and 2014 PGA Championships and 2014 British Open and was excited about his potential for more big victories before teeing off in the API.

“Obviously it’s a very important event on the PGA Tour and in my schedule,’’ said McIlroy, who played at Bay Hill every year since 2015 and won the title in 2018. He was 4-under-par in the top 10 after 36 holes this week and trailed leader Daniel Berger by nine shots until the back problems kicked in.

“While warming up in the gym in the morning  I felt a twinge in my back,’’  said McIlroy.  “As I started hitting balls on the range before my round it worsened and developed into muscle spasms in my lower back.  Unfortunately I wasn’t able to continue.’’

He withdrew from the tournament – his first WD since the 2013 Honda Classic – 30 minutes before his tee time. That left playing partner Ryan Fox of New Zealand to play by himself. Two hours after their scheduled tee time together a torrential rain hit Bay Hill, forcing a delay in play for nearly two hours.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler had a weird third round, making four bogeys in the first eight holes and then stringing four birdies (and five in six holes) on the back nine. He’s still far from contention entering Sunday’s final round after making a finishing double bogey for a par 72 on Saturday.

Alshay Bhatia has been closing in on Daniel Berger, but he’s hasn’t caught him yet.

Berger, though, is another story.  He’s in position for a wire-to-wire victory on Sunday. He owned a two-stroke lead over playing partner Akshay Bhatia when play was suspended darkness. Bhatia completed 16 holes with a finishing birdie and Berger has a 33-foot putt for eagle, that he chose to carry over until Sunday.  Both will finish their third rounds at 8 a.m. Sunday before the final round tees off.

McIlroy is the defending champion in both The Players Championship and the Masters.

“I’m really excited for those two weeks,’’ he said.  “I had seen really important signs in my game at Pebble Beach and Riviera on our West Coast Swing. My game feels in really good shape.’’

So does his mind off the course.  Earlier this week he criticized Spain’s Jon Rahm for refusing to rejoin the DP World Tour and stay with the LIV circuit instead. He also lauded Luke Donald for taking on the European captaincy in the Ryder Cup again.  Donald will be bidding to be Europe’s first captain to win three straight Ryder Cups, but McIlroy isn’t as excited about golf politics anymore.

“I was in the weeds with tour politics for a few years,’’ he admitted, “and I’m happy I’m out of it.’’

Bay Hill looked its best for this Arnold Palmer Invitational — until heavy rains hit the course.

 

 

 

 

 

Is a Chicago player turnover coming on the LPGA Tour?

GOING, AND COMING: Elizabeth Szokol(left) just announced her retirement from the LPGA Tour while Lauryn Nguyen played in her first tournament. (Joy Sarver Photos)

BELLEAIR, FL. – Elizabeth Szokol, the only player on the Ladies PGA Tour with Chicago area roots, announced her retirement on the same day that Lauryn Nguyen, the most recent  Northwestern star, concluded her debut on the premier women’s circuit.

Both missed the 36-hole cut on Friday  in The Annika driven by Gainbridge at Pelican — the official name of the last regular tournament of the season that’s hosted by legendary player Annika Sorenstam.

Szokol helped New Trier win the Illinois high school title in 2010 and won the  Illinois State Women’s Amateur in 2012 while growing up in Winnetka. She  played two seasons at Northwestern before finishing her college career at Virginia. A member at the Pelican Country Club, she wanted to wrap up her LPGA career on her home course.

“It’s crazy.  It’s hard to believe it’s been nine years playing (the LPGA circuit),’’ said Szokol, who teamed with Cheyenne Knight to earn her lone LPGA win at the Dow Great Lakes Invitational in Michigan in 2023.  “I’ve had a lot of lingering injuries and the travel got a bit old for me.  I just kind of missed being home.’’

Szokol was a player director on the LPGA board and ended her duties last week as well.

“I loved doing it,’’ she said. “It was amazing the last three years, just to see how the Tour has progressed and how big our purses have gotten. The LPGA has so far to go, and we’re on the right path. I was just happy to be a little part of it.’’

Szokol and Nguyen both posted 1-over-par 71s in the first round of The Annika – a score that matched the ones turned in by three-time tournament winner Nelly Korda and Lexi Thompson, a long-time LPGA mainstay.

Host Annika Sorenstam was happy to have Lauryn Nguyen (left) and Elizabeth Szokol among the key players  in her tournament field. (Pat Eastman Photo)

Nguyen helped Northwestern win  this year’s  NCAA women’s  championship and turned pro after graduating from NU. She found the transition to the sport’s next level wasn’t easy.

“It was really a big adjustment. Financially I had to grab everything out of my pocket,’’ she said.  “I didn’t have a place to stay or practice.’’

That problem was at least temporarily solved when she was given a sponsor’s exemption to The Annika.  Tournament organizers helped her line up lodging with some Pelican members and the Pelican was a great place to practice for the last month.  Nguyen  also found some sponsors, too.

“Everything I needed got taken care of, and more,’’ said Nguyen, who is now looking for a home in the area.

Nguyen gained experience in the pro-am, playing nine-holes with both Caitlin Clark, the basketball star who spurred attendance at the golf event, and Korda. The tournament invited Nguyen’s coaches and teammates at Northwestern to come to the tournament and that contingent was joined by her family, from Seattle, Wash., for the tournament rounds.

Szokol also had a big contingent supporting her in her last event.  She’s been a Tampa resident the last seven years and her husband, many members of their extended family and friends were on hand.  Justin Sheehan, her swing coach since 2019, is the director of golf at the Pelican.

Nguyen also called this year’s tournament “kind of crazy’’ but for different reasons.

“You walk into the locker room and Nelly’s locker is two doors down.   You see the people on the range.  It’s really cool being inside the ropes.  I’m still learning from them, so it’s really a cool opportunity I was given. It’s really hard to put into words.  What an event to make your debut at, and having it under Annika’s name is so, so special.’’

The LPGA debut of Lauryn Nguyen (second from right) brought out many of the Northwestern alum’s family and friends to The Annika tournament’s opening day. (Joy Sarver Photo)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Northwestern alum Nguyen set to make her LPGA debut

Recent Northwestern star Lauryn Nguyen (left) awaits her LPGA debut with tournament host Annika Sorenstam and Winnetka tour player  Elizabeth Szokol. (Payton Walker Photo).

The legendary Patty Berg, who played out of St. Andrew’s in West Chicago, was among the original members of the Ladies PGA Tour was formed in 1950.  There have been very few LPGA players from the Chicago area since then.

Winnetka’s Elizabeth Szokol has been the only one in recent years but this week – with the circuit playing its next-to-the-last event of the 2025 season on Szokol’s home course – there could be a second player with Chicago connection arriving soon.

Lauryn Nguyen, who helped Northwestern to the NCAA championship in 2024, has been given a exemption into The Annika driven by Gainbridge at the Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, FL.  It’ll be played Nov.  13-16.

Annika Sorenstam, the tournament host, didn’t just invite Nguyen, either.  She invited the Northwestern teams of the last two years to cheer Nguyen on.

A couple other promising young players received sponsor exemptions along with Nguyen, too – Anne-Sterre den Dunnen, who will represent the Wake Forest team that won The Annika Intercollegiate in September, and Kai Trump, an 18-year old high school senior from Florida who has verbally committed to play college golf at the University of Miami.  She is the granddaughter of President Donald Trump.

This will be a special week for the premier women’s circuit in golf.  The Pelican will be celebrating its centennial and the LPGA is wrapping up its 75th anniversary season.  It concludes with the CME Group Tour Championship a week later in Naples, FL.

Nguyen, who grew up in the Seattle area, will make her LPGA debut but before she hits her first official tee shot she’ll play with popular basketball star Caitlin Clark in Wednesday’s pro-am. Clark played in the pro-am last year drew a big following.

“This is amazing that I’ll be able to start my professional career in a pro-am with Caitlin in a tournament named in  honor of Annika,’’ said Wynne.  “I’m so excited.’’

Sorenstam and Clark have been big boosters for women’s sports and Nguyen has done the same.  She was a two-time All-American at Northwestern and had the lowest stroke average in program history – 72.4 over four years.  She received her invite to The Annika in part because of her play on the course but also for her philanthropic initiatives.  She hosts the Nguyen Junior Amateur in  Seattle and manages the Duc Foundation – a non-profit organization that aims to give scholarships to youngsters in need.

Nguyen’s last college event was the NCAA Championship victory, when coach Emily Fletcher’s Wildcats beat Stanford in the title match.

“That was magical, a real cool thing,’’ said Nguyen. “A lot of people were rooting for us as the underdog story, and we took advantage of the opportunity to make history.’’

Since then she played in the Arnold Palmer Cup and three tournaments in a developmental tour organized by Sorenstam, the LPGA’s leading career money leader with over $22 million in her 15-year Hall of Fame career.

Nguyen hopes to work her way onto the LPGA circuit.  She survived the first stage of LPGA qualifying but not the second.  That means she’ll probably play primarily on the Epson Tour in 2026.

She’ll get a good taste of the LPGA at The Pelican, however.  It’s one of the up-and-coming events with a prize fund upgraded to $3.25 million this year. Nelly Korda has won the tournament in three of the last four years and the field will be strong because of its position on the schedule as well as its $11 million purse.  The biggest winner’s prize in women’s golf — $4 million – will be on the line in that tournament.

“As our last event before the Tour Championship you’re either trying to make your way to that event or trying to keep your job – your LPGA Tour card for the following year,’’ said Szokol, who has a win on the circuit and has made it to the CME event in the past.  “Everyone wants to be there and playing well, so it brings in the best field.’’

 

 

Illinois Golf Hall of Fame has one of its strongest induction classes

 

The Illinois Golf Hall of Fame inducts new members every two years, and the next class of six inductees joining the select group will be honored at Friday’s ceremonies at The Glen Club, in Glenview.

While Illinois has hardly been rich in PGA Tour players, the 21st induction class has two who made it to golf’s premier circuit. Bob Zender made it after winning the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament in 1971, and he was a regular on the circuit through 1982. David Ogrin arrived in 1983 and played until 2000, then spent parts of two seasons on PGA Tour Champions.

Professional golf was a lot different during their competitive careers. Tournament purses were much smaller when Zender played, but he had 10 top-10 finishes with a tie for third in the Greater Milwaukee Open his best result.

Zender, though, made his mark even before his big splash in PGA Tour qualifying.  He was a three-time Illinois State Amateur champion and collegiate All-American while at Purdue. Then he pulled off a three-peat in the Illinois PGA Championship, winning titles in 1976-78.  Now 82, Zender also shot a 62 at Chicago’s Ridgemoor Country Club – a mark the stands alongside Ben Hogan as the course record.

Ogrin, now 67 and directing his own golf academy in Texas, made 507 PGA Tour starts and pulled off a most memorable victory.  Tiger Woods was trying to earn his PGA Tour card in the final months of the 1996 season to avoid going to Qualifying School.  Woods succeeded on that, but he couldn’t handle Ogrin in a final round duel at the Texas Open.

While Ogrin made that one his lone PGA Tour victory, he lost two other tournaments in playoffs and won two other unofficial events.  He beat Nick Faldo at the Deposit Guarantee Classic in 1987 and teamed with Ted Schultz to win the Chrysler Classic team event in 1989.

Like Zender, Ogrin was a dominant player in the Illinois ranks before hitting the big time. He won both the Illinois State Amateur and Illinois Open in 1980. He also won the Chicago District Amateur in back-to-back years (1979-80) and the Illinois high school title in 1976 before moving on to Texas A&M.

Ogrin and his sister Alicia were both Illinois State Amateur champions. They developed their golf skills primarily at Bonnie Brook Golf Club after their mother Bertha was elected to the Waukegan Park Board.

“I took full advantage of that privilege,’’ admitted Ogrin.  “I’d play 18, 27, 36 holes a day.  Then I’d also caddie a lot for my dad (Albin).  I started playing when I was 7, and I got in a lot of golf – but not supervised golf.’’

Ogrin and wife Sharon, long-time Texas residents, have three daughters and a son whose name underscores their connection to Chicago.  His name is Clark Addison and, yes, David remains a diehard Cubs’ fan.

Friday’s other inductees include Steve Skinner, the chief executive officer of Northbrook-based KemperSports, and Dan Dinelli, a third-generation golf course superintendent who has directed the operation at North Shore Country Club, in Glenview, for 36 years.

Skinner has played a pivotal role in shaping modern facility management with his portfolio including high profile work at such places as Oregon’s Bandon Dunes, Wisconsin’s Sand Valley and Florida’s Streamsong. He’s also a founder of the First Tee of Greater Chicago.

The other inductees are Horace McDougal, a pioneer for racial integration in golf, and Joe Roseman, who built the first lighted par-3 course in the Chicago area in the 1930s.

McDougal played at Northwestern, co-founded the Windy City Golf Association and played in the first Negro National Open in 1926. Roseman was an inventive force in early American golf, making contributions in course design, construction and equipment.

 

 

 

Butler National’s Svoboda retains IPGA Player of the Year honors

 

Andy Svoboda had the reputation of being a very good player when he took the head professional’s job at Butler National in Oak Brook in 2024, and the former PGA Tour player continues to prove it.

Svoboda earned the Illinois PGA Bernardi Player of the Year honor in his first year on the job, and now he’s two-for-two. An eagle on the last hole of the last of the section’s last of four major championships wasn’t good enough for Svoboda to win the IPGA Players Championship at Biltmore, in Barrington. He finished third, behind champion Tim Streng, of the Wildcat Golf Academy, and Brian Carroll, of The Hawk in St. Charles.

The third-place finish, though, gave Svoboda enough points to edge Carroll for Player of the Year. Even with three stroke play wins and a solo second finish in the Illinois Open Svoboda needed the strong finish to overhaul Carroll in the season-long point race.

“I love to compete. I enjoy the adrenaline when you’re in the hunt because it gives me extra focus,’’ said Svoboda.  “Brian played really well, and it’s crazy when you think about the span of the season coming down to one round. I was definitely trying to win the tournament, but Player of the Year was in the back of my mind.  I’m really happy I got it done.’’

PGA TOUR – Two of Chicago’s members in golf’s premier circuit – Wheaton’s Kevin Streelman and Arlington Heights’ Doug Ghim – were in the Sanderson Farms Championship in Mississippi.  It was the first of the fall tournaments that wrap up the season.

Streelman, who missed six months of the season after having knee surgery in March, tied for 48th and Ghim, who struggled in with a 78 in the final round, fell to a tie for 55th.

KORN FERRY TOUR – Adrien Dumont de Chassart had a fast start as a professional after starring at Illinois.  He promptly earned playing privileges on the PGA’s Korn Ferry circuit, then won his first tournament and was runner-up in a playoff loss in the second.  That burst led to him moving up to the PGA Tour but he lasted for just a season.

Dumont de Chassart was back on the Korn Ferry circuit this year but he can still go low.  He had a sizzling 61-61 start in the Compliance Solutions Championship in Oklahoma last week and won the circuit’s last regular season tournament by seven shots on Sunday. He’ll bid for a return to the PGA Tour at this week’s Korn Ferry Finals in French Lick, Ind

LPGA – Winnetka’s Elizabeth Szokol, the only Chicago area player on the women’s circuit,  tied for 35th in last week’s Lotte Championship in Hawaii. That boosted her to No. 89 in the Race to the CME Globe. The top 60 in the LPGA’s season-long point race qualify for the season-ending $11 million championship Nov. 20-23 in Florida.

Szokol has six tournaments left — and one on her home course at The Pelican in Florida – to qualify for the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship.