Illinois is one of those few states to have both a PGA Tour and a LIV Tour tournament this year. The friction between the two circuits is still there, but Sepp Straka downplayed it during the John Deere Classic’s annual Champions Day in Rock Island last week. Straka will defend his title in Illinois’…
Daily Herald Columns
Illini men could contend for NCAA golf title again
Mike Small has had better teams than his current one at the University of Illinois. Several of them, including last year’s veteran squad, even came close to winning the NCAA title but couldn’t finish the job. The current Illini did make it to the NCAA finals, which begin a week-long run on Friday (MAY…
New Butler National pro could be PGA’s player to watch
Andy Svoboda, the new head professional at Butler National in Oak Brook, has made a big impression since arriving on the Chicago golf scene in March, and this week he could make an even bigger one. Svoboda is one of two Illinois PGA members to qualify for the PGA Championship, which tees off Thursday…
Gotterup is an appropriate first champion at Myrtle Beach
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – This was only fitting. The newest tournament on the PGA Tour was won by one of the circuit’s youngest players. Chris Gotterup, just 24 and barely a year removed from his last college tournament, captured the inaugural Myrtle Beach Classic at the Dunes Golf & Beach Club. He took a four-stroke…
Three golfers with Chicago ties await the PGA Championship
Next week’s PGA Championship is the second of golf’s four major tournaments of 2024, and it’ll be extremely significant from a Chicago perspective. Two present Chicago area club professionals – Andy Svoboda of Butler National and Jeff Kellen of North Shore – earned spots in the field by finishing in the top 20 at…
NU golfers show Illini aren’t invincible in the Big Ten
Illinois’ record eight-year run as the Big Ten champion in men’s golf is over. Northwestern, led by medalist Daniel Svard, was a winner by 15 strokes at Ohio’s Scioto Country Club on Sunday with the Illini second. Both schools will get their regional assignments in the NCAA tournament today on The Golf Channel’s Selection Show….
Illinois PGA adds team golf to its tournament schedule
The Illinois PGA informally opened its tournament season this week, but it won’t be long until the section’s newest feature in the schedule kicks in. Team play will make its debut on May 13 at the first stroke play event at Schaumburg Golf Club. This is real team play, not best ball or foursome…
U.S. Open qualifiers tee off next week nation-wide
The year’s major golf championship ended on Sunday, when Scottie Scheffler’s last putt dropped, giving hims his second title in three years at the Masters. Though the second of the four majors, the PGA Championship, will be played in May the third major actually begins next Monday (APRIL 22) and the Chicago area gets…
Illinois flavor is lacking in this year’s Masters
The 88th playing of the Masters tees off on Thursday, and like every other staging, it’ll trigger golf enthusiasm throughout the world. The year’s first major championship is traditionally a sign of spring. The tour players are ready for a serious test after three months of tournaments of much lesser importance. That’s just the way…
Rahm still winless on LIV Tour but remains a Masters threat
MIAMI, FL. – Last year’s Masters was the first tournament where PGA Tour players competed against those who defected to the LIV Golf League. The LIV guys got the better of that one. Four current LIV players finished one -two-three and a tie for fourth. That spoke well for the Saudi-financed circuit that…