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…
Daily Herald Columns
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…
Bhatia spoils Berger’s bid for the Arnold Palmer title
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…
Back injury forces McIlroy to WD from Palmer tourney
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…
Is a Chicago player turnover coming on the LPGA Tour?
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…
Northwestern alum Nguyen set to make her LPGA debut
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 –…
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…
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,…
Holtz, Tour Edge join Donald as golf big newsmakers
The Ryder Cup, which ended so dramatically in New York on Sunday, ended as a great day for Northwestern alum Luke Donald. He became the first European captain to lead back-to-back victories since Tony Jacklin in 1985 and 1987. Donald’s immediate response was that he won’t be attempting a three-peat in 2027, but time will…
Medinah prepares for Presidents Cup as Ryder Cup closes in
This week it’s Bethpage Black’s turn to host the Ryder Cup. The New York public course will join Chicago’s Medinah and five other U.S. course that have been sites for the Ryder Cup as well as the U.S. Open and PGA Championship. Medinah had its turn to host the Ryder Cup in 2012, and it…