Eagle Ridge, Illinois’ only full-fledged golf resort in Galena, is marking the 25^th anniversary of its premier course, The General, in an unusual way.  Call it a “Celebration Restoration.’’

Not only is The General one of the very best courses in the state, it’s also the most different.  No 18-holer in Illinois has the 280 feet of. elevation changes that The General has.  It’s a course that isn’t suitable for walking, but its views are unmatched.

John Schlaman was the director of golf at Eagle Ridge when The General was under construction. Schlaman, who would later direct the operation at Prairie Landing in West Chicago, is back now as head of the resort’s South Course.

“Building The General was obviously difficult,’’ recalled Schlaman.  “What I remember most was the fire in the hole. For a lot of that course we had to dynamite stuff to create different routings. We also struggled with seeding on the 17^th hole.  It’d wash out and had to had to be re-seeded.’’

That happened several times, to the dismay of its two architects, two-time U.S. Open champion Andy North and the late Roger Packard, who also worked on two of the resort’s other three courses.

Playing The General was always a memorable experience, but the course was never ideal.  The nines were flipped after Mark Klausner took over ownership of the resort in 2019 and brought in Mike Weiler as director of golf. That was a big change, and more recently Weiler has uncovered two “mystery tees.’’  They were there when North and Packard did their work but disappeared from the scorecard seven years ago.

Now, rather honor the reputation The General has built over 25 years, the Eagle Ridge leadership is focusing more on a restoration project centering on those “mystery tees.’’

“We’re not so much celebrating as we are upgrading,’’ said Weiler.

Sam Marzahl was hired as The General’s superintendent two years ago, and he’s tackled a cleanup project encompassing the “mystery tees’’ that will lengthen Nos. 6 and 8. Other tees have been added and the end result may add as many as 400 yards to the layout from the back tees.

Klausner, meanwhile, brought in Moline-based John Deere Co. for a much-needed replacement of maintenance equipment that was at least nine years old under the previous ownership.

“A three-year deal for $1 million a year,’’ said Klausner.  “They’ve been super people to work with, and they teach us how to use the new equipment.’’

Klausner has also ordered an expansion of The Highlands restaurant, the moving of the Village Store and the creation of a new, very upscale Stonedrift Spa.  It’s scheduled to open in mid-September.

The “Celebration Restoration’’ and spa opening will follow The Legends Dream Big Charity Golf Tournament, the highest profile event in resort history coming up on Aug. 10.  That celebrity-filled outing is one of the lead-ins to the following night’s Field of Dreams game between the Cubs and Cincinnati Reds in Dyersville, Ia., about an hour’s drive away.

COMING UP:  Northbrook’s Heritage Oaks, in its first season, will host two national qualifiers in the same day on Wednesday.  U.S. Senior Amateur hopefuls (among them former Blackhawks’ player and general manager Dale Tallon) will compete in the morning and the U.S. Women’s Senior Open candidates will battle in the afternoon.

Two of the biggest amateur tournaments of the year are on tap for next week. The Women’s Western Amateur begins its six-day run on Monday at Sunset Ridge, in Northfield, and the 91st Illinois State Amateur is Tuesday through Thursday at Westmoreland, in Wilmette….The Women’s Western, held annually without interruption since 1901, calls for 36 holes of qualifying for the 120 starters, then three days of match play for the 32 survivors….The State Am won’t have a defending champion.  Last year’s title went to Ethan Farnam in a playoff with Jordan Les.  Both have since turned professional.

 

Golf’s celebrity events to benefit charitable causes used to be commonplace, especially in Chicago.  In fact, Chicago had one of the first really big ones – the Chicago Baseball Cancer Charities event.

It returns to the Chicago calendar for the first time in three years on Thursday, July 14, at Twin Orchard Country Club in Long Grove, but the 51^st staging of the outing won’t be as big as it had been. The event was canceled because of pandemic concerns the last two years.

“It’s almost like starting over,’’ said Gene Hiser, who had been on the roster of both the Cubs and White Sox during his playing days. “Usually we rented both courses (Twin Orchard has two 18-holers), but we didn’t think we could pack both of them after being off for two years. If we oversell we can go back to two courses next year.’’

That would be nice, given that the event has raised over $18 million for cancer research over the years thanks to the involvement of many Chicago sports stars  and philanthropic-minded golfers.

Marv Samuel, a former player with the St. Louis Browns is considered the founder of the event but he had considerable help from Billy Pierce, the White Sox’ ace left-handed pitcher, and Chicago sportswriter Jim Enright.

Hiser, a Cubs’  outfielder from 1970-76 before he was sold to the White Sox, has been involved for 48 years.  He joined the effort in the early years when Midlothian, a private club in Chicago’s South suburbs, was the host venue.  The first event made only $1,000 for charity, but was hitting between $250,000 to $300,000 annually before the two-year hiatus.

Beneficiaries this year are Northwestern Memorial Hospital, the Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Children’s Oncology Services and the One Step at a Time Camp in Wisconsin. The outing is “a project’’ of the White Sox, Cubs, Bulls, Bears, Blackhawks, Wolves and “Chicago Press Media.’’

There were lots of golf charity events after the Chicago Baseball Cancer Charities started and pro athletes from all sports loved to participate.  Hiser, in his post-baseball career, remembers playing in 42 such golf charity events one year. An outing  every Monday from April through October was his basic routine then.

“Now we’ve lost a lot of celebrities,’’ said Hiser, who had 70 on his call list at one time and now has about 45 former players.  “Some have passed away.  Others can’t play anymore.’’

Athletes from sports other than baseball were welcome in the Baseball Charities event.

“The problem is that some got greedy.  They wanted money to play,’’ said Hiser.  “We’ve never paid anybody to play.  We want to get the local Chicago residents.’’

Next week’s batch includes Randy Hundley, Ron Kittle, Carlos May, Paul Popovich, Eric Soderholm, Tim Stoddard and Buzz Capra.  There’ll be a memorabilia auction and dinner following the golf.

A MULHEARN MOMENT:  Danny Mulhearn, long-time head professional at Glen Oak in Glen Ellyn, and his son Zachary, a sophomore at St. Thomas University in Minnesota, were in the spotlight at two big Chicago area tournaments last week and both came up with runner-up finishes.

Danny was the first-round leader in the Illinois Senior Open at The Preserve at Oak Meadows, but University of Illinois men’s coach Mike Small overhauled him in the final round. Small has won the Illinois PGA Championship 13 times and the Illinois Open four times, but this was his first victory in the Illinois Senior Open.

Meanwhile, Zachary was working his way through the field in the 102^nd Chicago District Amateur at Glen Flora in Waukegan until he ran into Chicago’s Charlie Waddell in the 36-hole final.  Waddell won that one 6 and 4 for his first victory in a CDGA-sanctioned event.

“I can’t think of how many I’ve played in, going back to junior golf,’’ said Waddell, a Shoreacres member.  “I’m 37, and I’ve got grey hairs coming in and guys are probably thinking `I can run this guy over.  But I just wear them down a bit.  It can be pretty frustrating for the younger players.’’

The CDGA’s biggest event, the Illinois State Amateur, is coming up July 19-21 at Westmoreland, in Wilmette.

 

 

 

SILVIS, IL. — “Magic Happens Here’’ has been the promotional motto for the John Deere Classic the last few years, and – from a Chicago player perspective – it certainly was pertinent during Sunday’s final round.

Yes, J.T. Poston won the tournament wire-to-wire – the first to do that since David Frost in 1992.

Poston, winning for the second time in six PGA Tour seasons, was 21-under 263 in his three-shot victory, but the buzz was the loudest for the early starters.  Three of the four Chicago-connected players who survived the 36-hole cut were in the fourth, fifth and sixth twosomes to tee off at TPC Deere Run, but they were ready to make birdies.

Northwestern alum Dylan Wu, Northbrook PGA Tour rookie Nick Hardy and Wheaton veteran Kevin Streelman, though far down the leaderboard going into the final 18 holes of the $7.1 million championship, improved their status in a hurry.

Wu shot 66 and climbed 26 places for a tie for 43rd in the standings.  Hardy did better, making two eagles en route to shooting a 64 that improved his position by a whopping 31 spots to a tie for 30th and Streelman not only shot 66 and climbed 16 spots to a tie for 41st, but he also made a hole-in-one.

And then there was Highwood hopeful Patrick Flavin, who got into the field on a sponsor’s exemption.  He’s using Monday qualifiers and what exemptions come to his way in an effort to earn PGA Tour membership.

Flavin was tied for 30th after 54 holes, drew U.S. Ryder Cup champion Zach Johnson as his final round playing partner and responded with a 66.  That put him in sixth place before a bogey on the last led to him finishing in a tie for 10th. That  finish was still good enough to put him in this week’s PGA Tour stop, the Barbasol Championship in Kentucky.

“To play great was awesome,’’ said Flavin.  “It meant a lot to me, and it was so cool to play with Zach Johnson. He’s a small guy that I can see myself in, plus he’s a John Deere legend.’’

“I felt I was in his way at times,’’ quipped Johnson, who struggled in with a 74 while preparing to play in the British Open in two weeks at St. Andrews.

Flavin laughed when he heard that.

“Your first step in making the Ryder Cup team is playing well in front of your captain,’’ deadpanned Flavin to a chorus of laughter.  He has no hopes of making Johnson’s Ryder Cup team but called his finish “a huge step’’  in his goal of reaching the Korn Ferry Finals.’’

That ride will continue a while longer.  Flavin needs to finish in the top 25 of the season-ending playoff series on the PGA’s alternate tour to get his membership on the big tour in 2022-23. Sunday’s showing was a big help, and it negated the need for him to play in Monday’s qualifier for the Barbasol.

Hardy, meanwhile, will take a well-deserved week off after playing five straight weeks, the last two producing a tie for 14^th at the U.S. Open and tie for eighth in The Travelers in Connecticut.

“I got a good rest last night, and just felt ready,’’ said Hardy, “I’ve gained confidence.  There’s no doubt I should be among the most confident players in the world right now.  I’ve been playing great golf, but I’ve got to be smart about rest.  When you’re playing against the best in the world you can’t play at 80 percent.  You’ve got to play at full bore.’’

Streelman, 43, holed a 6-iron from 187 yards on the 12^th hole.  It was his second ace on the PGA Tour and 14^th overall, the first coming when he was a 13-year old playing with his brother at the Nordic Hills course in Itasca. Streelman will join Flavin in Kentucky even though he did succeed – as the 16^th alternate two weeks ago – to land a spot in the Scottish Open.

“It was a tough call, but I would have to race to O’Hare and I don’t really have the right clothes for the trip,’’ said Streelman.

As for the champion, Poston birdied the first three holes to open a seven-stroke lead, but it was cut to one before his next birdie locked up the $1,278,000 first prize as well as his first trip to the British Open.

 

 

SILVIS, IL. – Highwood’s Patrick Flavin is taking  a precarious route to the PGA Tour, but…so far, so good.

Flavin has no status on the PGA Tour, so the only way he can get into tournaments is through Monday qualifiers or sponsor exemptions. Neither is easy.

The qualifiers usually draw about 200 players, with just four spots in the main event on the line. Sponsor exemptions are a hit and miss thing. You’ve got to know the right people, and those people get lots of applicants.

Between Monday qualifiers and sponsor exemptions Flavin has gotten into eight PGA Tour events in this 2021-22 wrap-around season, the last being this week’s John Deere Classic at TPC Deere Run.

In his first seven PGA Tour events Flavin survived the 36-hole cut in three and earned $145,165.  Most of that came in a $99,123 payday for a tie for 17^th in the Bermuda Open last fall.  The John Deere Classic, Illinois’ only annual PGA Tour event, could prove better than that by the time the $7.1 tournament ends on Sunday.

Flavin fired a 5-under-par 66 in Friday’s second round to get well under the cut number, assuring he’ll be playing on the weekend. He’s at 6-under 136 for 36 holes and trails leader J.T. Poston by nine strokes.

He got into the JDC on a sponsor’s exemption, this one offered by outgoing tournament director Clair Peterson, who will end a 20-year run on the job once the details of this staging are completed.

“Mr. Peterson have me a big high-five after my round,’’ said Flavin, one of only two players to win the Illinois State Amateur and Illinois Open in the same year.  He accomplished that feat in 2017 after a strong collegiate career at Miami of Ohio.

“I know I can get through those Monday qualifiers, but sponsor exemptions are hard to come by,’’ said Flavin.  “I wore Mr. Peterson out with emails for four years, and it was cool for him and John Deere to take a chance on me. It’s a real honor.’’

It’s more difficult to do well in a PGA Tour event if you get in via Monday qualifying instead of getting an invite. Flavin didn’t have to do it this week.  Not only did Peterson make him his first exemption, he also gave Flavin a spot in  Monday’s pro-am on the tournament course. That may have spurred his strong two-round start.

“It’s hard to put into words, but it’s incredibly huge,’’ said Flavin.  “From a preparation standpoint, it’s better if you can skip the qualifying round. Yesterday (in the first round) I made some awesome saves and today I played great, super solid.  I’m so pumped for the weekend.’’

Flavin, 26, hopes to earn enough money in his PGA Tour starts to qualify for the Korn Ferry Tour Playoffs, then use a strong showing there to earn membership on the PGA Tour for the 2022-23 season.

“I’m not 100 percent sure what I need to do,’’ said Flavin, who will continue to play in all the Monday qualifiers unless another sponsor exemption comes his way.  “I’m pretty close to being there.  Putting myself in contention here would be my next big step, but I know I belong (on the PGA Tour). It’s so cool to get this much experience at this level.’’

Peterson’s sponsor exemptions in the past included John Daly, David Duval, Jordan Spieth, Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm. The last top-10 finisher from the sponsor exemption ranks was University of Illinois alum Luke Guthrie who tied for fifth in 2012.

Flavin, in a tie for 25^th, is the best of the local players, though Kevin Streelman, Dylan Wu and Nick Hardy also survived the cut.  Defending champion Lucas Glover didn’t.

This week’s John Deere Classic, Illinois’ only annual PGA Tour event, will be the last with Clair Peterson as its tournament director.

Peterson, 69, will drop down to a player liaison’s role with Andrew Lehman, a JDC staffer for 16 years, assuming full time director’s duties after the post-tournament details from this year are completed.  The well-respected Peterson has held the job for 20 years, and the last three have been especially challenging.

In 2020 the tournament, which was planning a 50^th anniversary celebration, had to be cancelled because of pandemic concerns. In 2021 the tourney was held, and the anniversary celebrated, but with stiff restrictions. Attendance was limited to no more than 5,000.

This year the issues are a new date — albeit just a week earlier than in the past —  and a possible new rival.  The Saudi-financed LIV Tour will hold its first American tournament Thursday-Saturday in Oregon while the JDC has a Thursday-Sunday run at TPC Deere Run in downstate Silvis.

Peterson downplays the importance of the LIV Tour, which has recruited many of the PGA Tour’s top stars over the last few weeks with the promise of bigger pay days. About 45 players have signed with the LIV circuit so far including the likes of Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau – the JDC champion in 2015.

“Those 45 historically weren’t going to come here anyway,’’ said Peterson.  “Their exhibition — a three-day event with a small field (48 players) and a shotgun start — has nothing to do with what we do. What we’ve got is a Super Bowl for our community.’’

The JDC is a huge benefactor for many charities throughout the Quad Cities area of Moline and Rock Island in Illinois and Davenport and Bettendorf in Iowa.  The tournament lost players in the past because it was held the week before the British Open. That’s not a problem now, though Peterson admits concerns over losing players to the Irish Open.

“That tournament has 75 slots for PGA Tour members, so that could affect us,’’ said Peterson. “We’ll still have 156 world class players.’’

Peterson has been resourceful in building attractive fields.  The proximity to the British was mitigated when he hired a jet to take players directly to the British site the night the JDC ended.

This year his diligence in using sponsor’s exemptions of the past is helping out.  Peterson’s first invite was Zach Johnson, who received two of them before going on to win a Masters and a British Open and taking a position on the JDC board. This week’s defending champion, Lucas Glover, is also a past invitee.

Peterson has also given invites to Justin Thomas, Patrick Reed, Jon Rahm, Jordan Spieth and DeChambeau. They won’t be at the JDC this week, but   past recipients Jason Day and Webb Simpson, major championship winners who haven’t played in the Quad Cities in recent years, will. Day was invited to the JDC when he was a 17-year old.

All the Chicago-connected PGA Tour players – Kevin Streelman, Luke Donald, Doug Ghim, Nick Hardy and Dylan Wu – will be in the field. Northbrook’s Hardy has been on a roll since recovering from a wrist injury.  The PGA Tour rookie tied for 14^th in the U.S. Open and tied for eighth in the Travelers Championship in Connecticut the last two weeks.

This year’s sponsor exceptions have a local flavor. One is Highwood’s Patrick Flavin, who has survived an astounding five Monday qualifiers to get into PGA Tour events this year.  Another is Southern Illinois’ Luke Gannon, who Monday  qualified for last year’s JDC and also competed in this year’s U.S. Open.

BITS: The 102^nd Chicago District Golf Association Amateur concludes its four-day run at Glen Flora, in Waukegan, on Thursday….Antioch High School’s Donald Barnett made two holes-in-one in an Illinois Junior Golf Association tournament at Bristol Oaks, in Wisconsin….Naperville’s Lisa Copeland bowed to Jessica Mason, of Westminster, Colo., in the title match of the 95^th Women’s Western Junior at Prestwick, in Frankfort, and Mexico’s Eduardo Derbez Torres captured the 104^th boys Western Junior at Naperville Country Club.

 

 

The U.S. Open is history, and now the focus turns to what’s coming up in two weeks.  The John Deere Classic, Illinois’ only annual PGA Tour event, goes head-to-head with the first American event on the controversial LIV Tour.

This week’s PGA Tour stop is the Travelers Championship in Connecticut and all the Chicago-connected players – Nick Hardy, Kevin Streelman, Luke Donald, Doug Ghim and Dylan Wu – are in the field. They’ll probably be in the JDC as well. It runs June 30 through July 3 at TPC Deere Run in downstate Silvis.

In last year’s JDC the tourney celebrated its 50^th anniversary (be it a year late).  This year it’ll go head to head for the first three days of tournament play with the Saudi-backed  LIV stop at Pumpkin Ridge, in Oregon. Chicago will have its own LIV Tour event at Rich Harvest Farms, in Sugar Grove, from Sept. 16-18.

Jerry Rich, the owner of Rich Harvest Farms who has done wonders for amateur golf by welcoming events on his course, has been pumping up one of his rare entries into the professional competition.  His biggest such venture was hosting the 2009 Solheim Cup, a women’s team competition that proved a rousing success. He liked how the LIV Tour made its debut in London two weeks ago.

“While you can expect the same level of exciting tournament play, our event will have a unique player roster and fan experience, with some good old-fashioned Chicago flair,’’said Rich in his latest newsletter to friends of RHF. “We’ll find out who is playing closer to our tournament date, but trust me when I say you’re going to see some big names.’’

Two big ones – Bryson De Chambeau and Patrick Reed – will join the Saudi circuit at Pumpkin Ridge and more may be coming because of the prize money the new tour is offering. Still, of the 15 PGA Tour players who joined the LIV Tour and qualified for the U.S. Open, only four made the cut.

The John Deere Classic will have a four-day 72-hole run and a $7.1 million prize fund.  The Saudi events offer $25 million purses and run just 54 holes with a shotgun start each day and a team competition mixed in.

The LIV Tour purses are bigger than the U.S. Open ($17.5 million), PGA Championship and Masters (both $15 million) and The Players Championship ($20 million). That’s why players like Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson were willing to jump to the Saudi circuit. Rich expects them to be at Rich Harvest.

“Illinoisans deserve to have their socks knocked off by a spectacular golf tournament, one that encapsulates why this area is such a mecca for golf,’’ said Rich.

Tickets have been on sale for a few weeks.  They start at $70, and they’ll be complimentary for youth 15 and under, active duty military and veterans. There’ll also be discounts for first responders, medical professionals, teachers and students.

 

HERE AND THERE

The 89^th Illinois Women’s Golf Assn. state championship resulted in another matchup of defending champion Grace Curran, of New Lenox and the University of Minnesota, and Megan Furtney (St. Charles, Duke) in the final at The Grove in Long Grove.  This time Furtney won 2-up.

Frankfort’s Mark Small, 58, was the key player for the Chicago District’s Amateur team in a 10-8 victory over the best players in the Illinois PGA in the 60^th playing of the Radix Cup matches at Oak Park Country Club.  Small and partner David Keenan, of Champaign, scored the clinching points at Oak Park Country Club.  Small was making his ninth appearance for the Amateur squad but first since 1998. The Amateurs won for the first time since 2018, but the IPGA leads the series 37-21-2.

Kevin Flack, of Mauh-Nah-Tee-See in Rockford, successfully defended his title in the Illinois PGA Assistants Championship at Biltmore, in North Barrington.  Flack has won the title three times in the last four years.  Chris French, of Aldeen in Rockford, and Paul Schlimm, of Chicago Highlands in Westchester, also qualified for the Assistants national championship at PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, FL., in November

NBA star Steph Curry has created the Underrated Golf Tour for junior players and the first of its tournaments runs through Thursday at Cog Hill, in Palos Park. Prestwick Country Club, in Frankfort, is hosting the Women’s Western Junior tourney this week.  It’s the 50^th anniversary of Nancy Lopez’ win there, and Naperville Country Club is hosting the boys’ Western Junior.

Jeff Sluman, the semi-retired PGA Tour Champions player from Chicago; Crystal Lake amateur Mike Karney and Britt Pavelonis, a pro from Carbondale, will be in the U.S. Senior Open, which tees off on Thursday at Saucon Valley, in Pennsylvania.

 

The Illinois contingent in the 156-man field for this week’s U.S. Open at The Country Club, in Brookline, Mass., tripled in the last week.

Only Adrien Dumont de Chassart, the Belgium-born standout for the University of Illinois, qualified during regulation play in “Golf’s Longest Day,’’ the nation-wide 36-hole series of sectional qualifiers for the Open.

Since then, though, former Southern Illinois University player Luke Gannon, of downstate Mahomet, survived an eight-for-five playoff for the final spots in the San Francisco sectional at Olympic Club and Illinois alum Nick Hardy moved into the field after being first alternate in the Springfield, Ohio, sectional.

Hardy, a 26-year old PGA Tour rookie from Northbrook, has made a magnificent recovery from a wrist injury that had sidelined him for a month. He made a rehab start on the Korn Ferry Tour at The Glen Club three weeks ago and went to a playoff before losing the title to Harry Hall.  Then, after being first alternate – one stroke behind De Chassart – in the Springfield sectional Hardy earned first alternate status by winning a five-hole playoff that started with five players.

He returned to the PGA Tour at the last week’s Canadian Open and survived the 36-hole cut on Friday.  Late that night he received a call from a U.S. Golf Association official informing him that he had a spot in the Open field.  The next day he shot a third-round 65 in Canada that briefly put him in the tourney’s top 10. A 71 in Sunday’s final round left him in a tie for 35^th place but already looking ahead to his fifth appearance in the U.S. Open.

“I was pumped, pretty excited obviously,’’ said Hardy. “I’m really proud of the way I bounced back (in Canada) to get into the playoff.  Just to get into it, on a day I didn’t have my best finish in the last round, I easily could have quit.  But I didn’t.’’

Hardy was a 19-year old amateur when he qualified for his first U.S. Open, finishing in a tie for 52^nd at Washington’s Chambers Bay in 2015. He missed the cut in 2016 at Oakmont, in Pennsylvania, and in 2019 at California’s Pebble Beach.

The Country Club course is not a mystery to Hardy.  He played in the 2013 U.S. Amateur there when he was still in high school at Glenbrook North.

“I played well – sixth in stroke play before losing in the first round to Zac Blair on the last hole,’’ said Hardy.  “That was tough, but I was such a young player. It definitely brings back good memories.’’

He called his fiancé and his father immediately after learning he was in the field — “my dad was sleeping’’ – and then texted his family and friends.’’  A sizeable number of them will be cheering him on at The Country Club when the 72-hole event tees off on Thursday.

HERE AND THERE: The 60^th Radix Cup matches, pitting the top players from the Illinois PGA against the top amateurs from the Chicago District Golf Association, will be held Thursday (JUNE 16) at Oak Park Country Club.  The IPGA leads the series 37-20-02.

Amy Coghill, owner and manager of the 45-hole Silver Lake Country Club in Orland Park, has taken her open to the public facility off the market.  It had been listed for sale for 15 months.  The Coghill family, spanning four generations, has owned Silver Lake for over 80 years.

A July 6 Grand Opening has been set for The Lawn, a 30,000 square foot putting and chipping course that has been under construction at Deerpath, in Lake Forest.

 

 

 

 

This week’s “Longest Day in Golf’’ was an especially long one for 20 Chicago-connected players who had hopes of qualifying for the 122^nd U.S. Open.  Only one made it through Monday’s 10 sectional qualifiers.

Belgium’s Adrien Dumont de Chassart, the star of the University Illinois team, squeezed in thanks to a solid second round in the elimination at Springfield, Ohio.  De Chassart, who sparked the Illini to the Big Ten title and will return as a fifth-year senior next season, finished in a four-way tie for fifth place.  The Springfield elimination had 77 players competing for eight sports in the finals at The Country Club in Massachusetts June 16-19.

Nick Hardy, a PGA Tour rookie and Illinois alum, finished one stroke behind De Chassart in an attempt to qualify for his fourth U.S. Open. Hardy shot 65 in the first round but dropped to a 72 in the afternoon while De Chassart shot 70-66 to advance. Englishman Harry Hall, who beat Hardy in a playoff for the title at last week’s Korn Ferry Tour event at The Glen Club in Glenview, was among those advancing in a sectional at Ansley, Ga.

This year’s U.S. Open drew 8,880 entries and 871 advanced through 109 local eliminations to reach the sectional stage where 65 spots at The Country Club were on the line. Springfield drew most of the Chicago competitors but only Hardy was a serious contender.

De Chassart’s Illini teammate Tommy Kuhl of Morton, IL., was among the leaders after the morning round in Jupiter, FL, when he carded a 68.  He faded to a 76 in the afternoon, however, and tied for 20^th.

GOING COLLEGIATE:  The University of Illinois opened the Atkins Golf Club, the renamed and renovated version of Stone Creek, last week and men’s coach Mike Small announced a 36-hole collegiate tournament there as a final tuneup for next year’s Big Ten Championship.

The Illini also added a graduate student transfer in Matthis Besard, who starred at Southern Illinois as an undergraduate.  He was the Missouri Valley Conference’s Player of the Year this season and leaves SIU with school records for most rounds in the 60s and low 54-hole score (a 16-under-par 200).

Meanwhile, Justin Fetcho, one of Small’s former assistants, is returning as head coach at Southern Illinois.  He directed the Salukis from 2015-20 and took them to the NCAA tournament twice. He left for an assistant’s job at Florida State before returning to SIU.

HERE AND THERE: Dave Lockhart’s Golf360 show is back on the air with Katie Kearney as the new host.  She will team with ex-Bears’ long snapper Patrick Mannelly, who will handle interviews and features in the show’s seventh season.  Each episode with be shown at least 10 times on NBC Sports Chicago.

Cog Hill, in Palos Park, will host the first of nine nation-wide qualifiers for the Amateur Putting Tour’s national championship on June 29.  The top five finishers in the 90-player field will advance to the national finals at Pinehurst, in North Carolina, on Nov. 6.

Marcus Hrpcha, former assistant at Bob O’Link in Highland Park, is the new head professional at Ravinia Green in Riverwoods.

 

`The Longest Day in Golf’ is fast approaching for U.S. Open hopefuls.

The golf focus for this week could be on the PGA Tour’s Memorial tournament in Ohio or the U.S. Women’s Open in North Carolina.  For Chicago followers, though, it should be on Monday’s U.S. Open sectional eliminations. They will determine the last players to get into the 156-man starting field in the June 16-19 U.S. Open proper at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass, and at least 15 locals are still alive.

The qualifying procedure is complicated. There are eight sectional eliminations on Monday to determine the final berths at Brookline.  The field there has 96 players who are exempt through various categories determined by the U.S. Golf Association.  Virtually all the rest will be decided in Monday’s 36-hole sectionals, which is why that day is annually dubbed “the longest day in golf.’’

This year’s U.S. Open had 8,880 entries, and 530 advanced through the 109 local eliminations held across the country. Some players, notably Chicago products Nick Hardy and Vince India, could bypass the local qualifiers because of their world ranking points.  Both have to survive the sectional stage to play at Brookline, however.

There are 871 players in the sectional eliminations, and only about 60 will get tee times at Brookline. All the sectionals are different.  The number of entries and the USGA’s perception of the strength of field will determine how many advance at each site.

The USGA hasn’t revealed who will compete, or where, but the strongest sectional is always in Columbus, Ohio, where the non-exempt PGA Tour players generally gather a day after the Memorial concludes its 72-hole run at Muirfield Village in suburban Columbus, Ohio.

Hardy, a University of Illinois alum from Northbrook, is in his rookie season on the PGA Tour.  He showed he’s recovered from a wrist injury when he was the runner-up on Sunday in the Korn Ferry NV5 Invitational at The Glen Club, in Glenview. He needed to rest the wrist for a month after finishing in a tie for 21^st at the PGA’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans team event. The Glen Club tourney was the start of Hardy’s comeback.

“At the start of the week I didn’t even know if I could tee off on Thursday,’’ said Hardy.  “The layoff changed my perspective.  I had too many thoughts.  The layoff told me `I’m good at this game.’ Now my focus is the best I’ve ever had.’’

He’s already qualified for three U.S. Opens, finishing tied for 52^nd in 2015 at Chambers Bay and missing the cut in 2016 and 2019 before earning his PGA Tour card last year. Hardy is poised to play in the Open again.

“I’ll go to Ohio for the U.S. Open sectional, then the Canadian Open, then the Country Club,’’ he said.

India, 33 and still working for PGA membership on the Korn Ferry circuit,  is going to skip the  Korn Ferry event in Raleigh, N.C., this week to make a return to Open sectional qualifying.  He has focused on tour events in recent years, but not this time.

Otherwise Chicago-connected players in Monday’s sectionals got there through local qualifying, and 15 did it. Aurora’s Bryce Emory, a Northern Illinois alum, was low man at a local at Cantigny in Wheaton.  Tommy Kuhl, a veteran on the University of Illinois team from downstate Morton, was low man at a St. Louis sectional, and Winnetka’s Bennet Cotton shared honors at Wild Rock in Wisconsin.

Also advancing at Cantigny were Hoffman Estates’ Timothy Lim, Glen Ellyn’s Kyle Kochevar and Chicago’s Daniel Hudson – all professionals – and amateur Varun Chopra, a former Illini player.

Those coming through at the other Chicago local at Lake Shore in Glencoe were amateurs Daniel Tanaka of Wilmette, Jackson Bussell of Lincolnshire and Timmy Crawford of Arlington Heights along with pro Josh Esler of Wauconda.

Luke Gannon, of downstate Mahomet, was among the qualifiers at Illini Country Club in Springfield.

Chicago-connected tour players Kevin Streelman, Doug Ghim and Luke Donald are in the field at the Memorial and could be in the U.S. Open sectional in Columbus on Monday.  Neither are assured spots in the Open yet.