Last weekend was like no other as far as Illinois golf is concerned, and Nick Hardy’s first PGA Tour win at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans was just one of the extraordinary developments. Here are the others: PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS – Mark Hensby, whose best golf came on Illinois courses years ago, notched his…
Daily Herald Columns
Nick Hardy is now a winner on the PGA Tour
Northbrook’s Nick Hardy is now a winner on the PGA Tour. He teamed up with a long-time friend, Davis Riley, to capture the Zurich Classic of New Orleans on Sunday in Avondale, La. It was the first win on golf’s premier circuit for both of them. The Zurich Classic is the only team event on…
Flavin is taking the Korn Ferry route to the PGA Tour now
Last year Highwood’s Patrick Flavin tried to make it to the PGA Tour the hard way – through the Monday qualifiers. He wasn’t successful, but he came close. Flavin finished No. 153 on the FedEx Cup standings. The top 125 earned full PGA Tour membership in the current 2022-23 season and the top 150…
Illini golfers await new tourney, assistant coach’s departure
The Masters, as always, hogged the golf spotlight as spring kicked in, but now that’s changing – especially at the University of Illinois. Mike Small’s Illini men’s team is ranked No. 5 in the nation with two regular-season tournaments remaining – this week’s Tiger Collegiate Invitational in Columbia, Mo., and then the Fighting Illini Collegiate…
What did this strange Masters prove? Not much
If ever a golf tournament merited a look-back two days after its conclusion it was this just-completed Masters. It was a strange one, to put it mildly. I’ve been to several Masters played in bad weather, but this one had a 40-degree temperature change between Thursday’s first round and Saturday’s third. Rory McIlroy, still…
Burns will win Masters, and LIV players will make an impact
When you’re a regular golf writer there’s an annual challenge. You’re obligated to pick the winner of the Masters. I’m in my 55th year writing about the sport and have made my pick – in print — every year since 1986. Getting it right isn’t easy. I’ve been right only twice – Fred Couples…
Preliminary events create early buzz for the Masters
The countdown to the year’s first major golf championship is on. The first tee shot in the 87th playing of the Masters isn’t until next week, but – with Augusta National’s membership expanding its event in recent years — the preliminaries start this week. Unless Luke Donald, Doug Ghim, Nick Hardy or Kevin Streelman…
Two-time Illinois Open champion now thrives as PGA Tour caddie
PALM HARBOR, FL. – The final round of the PGA Tour’s four-week Florida Swing was an unusual one. Taylor Moore won the Valspar Championship on Sunday, but Adam Schenk and Jordan Spieth – paired in the final group – created all the drama. It was their shortcomings on the three tough finishing holes at the…
Valspar’s Copperhead is ideal course for Chicago PGA Tour players
Life on the PGA Tour hasn’t been easy for the Chicago-connected players, but that could change this week. Luke Donald, Doug Ghim, Nick Hardy, Kevin Streelman and Dylan Wu are all in the field for the Valspar Championship, the last of the four tournaments on the circuit’s Florida Swing. With a paint company as the…
Last Honda created a career first for Northwestern alum
Dylan Wu, the former Northwestern star, won’t look back on last week’s Honda Classic because it was the event’s last-ever playing on the PGA Tour. He’ll remember it as the spot where he notched his first top-10 finish on golf’s premier circuit. Wu won three college tournaments while at NU and compiled the second-best…