Here’s a good indication that golf in Chicago has withstood some tough economic times.

Two well-established park district courses that had undergone costly renovations re-opened on consecutive days last week. Glenview Park’s course renovation was a $5.3 million project and another $1.2 million was spent to upgrade the clubhouse. Construction on Mount Prospect’s course renovation was reported at $7.1 million.

Glenview Park’s course dates back to 1920, and the Glenview Park District has operated it since 1955. Mount Prospect’s layout also started as a private facility in 1926 and Mount Prospect Park District has operated the course since 1961.

The Arlington Heights Park District is also renovating its Arlington Lakes course – a $2.4 million project that is projected to be completed in July, 2016. That course was closed in June. So was Oak Meadows, owned by the DuPage County Forest Preserve District. This will likely turn out more costly than any of the others, as Aurora architect Greg Martin must deal with flooding issues in addition to renovating the course. He expects only four of the current holes to remain and 1,500 trees to come down before the project is completed in the spring of 2017.

As for Glenview Park and Mount Prospect, both were in need of upgrades. Libertyville architect Rick Jacobson supervised the Glenview project and St. Charles architect David Esler directed the work at Mount Prospect. Both courses were land-locked, so lengthening of either wasn’t possible.

Mount Prospect will look more different to returning golfers. Esler’s work included a re-design of the back nine — which now has five new holes — to create a much-expanded learning center. The old range had but six hitting stations. The new, double-ended range has 25 and there’s also a 15,000 square foot short-game area an 18-hole putting course that is spread over 17,000 square feet.

Glenview Park improved its clubhouse while the course renovation was in progress. Jacobson, who grew up within a mile of the course, created more movement in the fairways to improve storm-water management for both the course and the surrounding area. He also reconstructed the greens, tees and bunkers.

Both courses are instituting the cart-path-only policy for players wishing to ride during their rounds in an effort to facilitate the grow-in periods needed to complete the renovations. Both courses, however, are ideal for walkers.

Cut day at Western Am

The 156-man starting field for the 113th Western Amateur championship at Rich Harvest Farms, in Sugar Grove, will be cut drastically on Wednesday.

Only the low 44 and ties will continue in the grueling championship that concludes on Saturday. University of Texas junior Beau Hossler is the defending champion but he has a long road ahead if he’s to become the first repeat winner since Justin Leonard in 1992-93.

The Western Am requires 72 holes of match play followed by four matches before a champion is crowned. Stroke play ends with a 36-hole session on Thursday. The top 16 advance to the match play portion of the event, with two rounds of matches scheduled for Friday and the semifinals and final on Saturday. Admission and parking are free.

Here and there

The PGA Tour has given the John Deere Classic potentially difficult dates for 2016. The JDC will be played Aug. 8-14, opposite the Olympic Games in Brazil. Golf will be contested in the Olympics for the first time since 1904. The JDC has been played in July, the week before the British Open, in recent years.

Tim Streng, representing the Wildcat Golf Academy, was a five-shot winner in the Illinois PGA Assistants Championship on Monday at Royal Fox in St. Charles. He posted a 4-under-par 138 total over 36 holes to edge Andy Mickelson, of Mistwood in Romeoville, for the title.

Dave Ryan, of Taylorville, successfully defended his title in last week’s Chicago District Golf Assn. Senior Amateur at Merit Club in Libertyville. Ryan defended Lake Forest’s Craig Sopko 3 and 2 in the championship match.

The Illinois PGA Senior Championship is next Monday and Tuesday (AUG 10-11) at Whisper Creek, in Huntley.

The Western Golf Association’s premier tournament, the BMW Championship, is still nearly two months away, but the WGA showed off the improvements coming for the third tournament of the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Playoffs

Tourney site Conway Farms, in Lake Forest, underwent an extensive renovation since hosting the event in 2013 and spectators — 130,000 are expected again – should have an improved experience. Cart paths have been widened throughout the course to improve foot traffic and seating has been improved dramatically.

The size of seating around the 18th green has been doubled and there’s also expanded viewing at Nos. 1, 2, 7, 9, 11 and 17. The Beer Garden, a popular attraction two years ago, will also be doubled in size.

More than anything, though, the work done on the course has opened up vistas for better spectator viewing. Also improving the spectator experience is the establishment of an attendance limit. Vince Pellegrino, the WGA’s senior vice president, tournaments, said attendance will be limited to 27,000 per day. When the tourney was played at Conway two years ago the gallery topped 35,000 on Saturday.

The players will find a major change in the practice facility. It’s been enhanced with a 10,000 square foot putting green, a two-acres practice range and a new short game area. All 18 greens were re-grassed. several new tees were constructed and others re-shaped. New back tees resulted in the lengthening of Nos. 4 and 17.

Strategically, No. 16 – my favorite hole on the course – has two sod-wall bunkers now instead of three and they’ve been moved to the right. This, you’ll remember, was a key hole in 2013 because Jim Furyk made eagle there en route to shooting his record 59.

The tournament dates, Sept. 14-20, are a week later than they were in 2013 with players getting a week off in between the first two playoff events and the last two. The purse has increased slightly, to $8.25 million.

Shuttles from the nearby Metra stations are expected to relieve congestion around the course. The shuttles from the stations to the course are only two minutes. The new general parking area is in Waukegan (Waukegan and Belvidere roads), and shuttles from there will be in the 15-20 minute range.

Pellegrino announced a new event for tournament week. The Evans Scholars Cup will be contested on Monday. It’ll feature teams from 28 clubs and their head professional. Otherwise the schedule is the same as in the past except for the starting times for the first two rounds. Play will begin at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday and Friday and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

The longstanding major golf championships for Illinois’ best players will be coming fast and furious now.

First up was the 82nd, rain-shortened Illinois Women’s Amateur at Illini Country Club in Springfield. This week the state’s best men are in the same city, but at Panther Creek Country Club, to decide the winner of the 85th Illinois State Amateur conducted by the Chicago District Golf Assn.

That three-day tourney started with 138 players on Tuesday but the climax is Thursday with a 36-hole day for the low 35 and ties after Wednesday’s round.

After this week’s main event comes the men’s Illinois Open, the 54-hole finals of which will be split between Royal Melbourne in Long Grove and Hawthorn Woods Country Club from July 20-22, and the big month concludes with the Phil Kosin Illinois Women’s Open, also played at 54 holes at Mistwood in Romeoville, from July 27-29. The men’s Open will be played for the 66th time, the women’s for the 21st.

Two Big Ten stars, Iowa’s Ray Knoll and Illinois’ Nick Hardy, went four extra holes before Knoll won last year’s Illinois State Amateur at Cantigny, in Wheaton. Both are in this week’s field as is Tee-K Kelly of Wheaton, the 2013 champion who plays at Ohio State.

None could cope with Bloomington’s Alex Burge, who won the 96th Chicago District Amateur, the first big tournament for the amateurs this season. Two veterans should also be in contention at Panther Creek – Illinois Mid-Amateur champion John Ehrgott of Edwards and Taylorville’s Dave Ryan, who made the cut at last month’s U.S. Senior Open.

Ehrgott has made the cut in the last five State Ams and finished in the top 10 in three of them. Ryan, 61, is the oldest player in the field. Youngest is Varun Chopra, 15, of Champaign. Most of the starters were survivors of nine qualifying rounds held around the state from June 8-24. The low round in those eliminations was a 67, posted by Aurora’s John Wright in the first one at Fox Bend, in Oswego.

Panther Creek, a Hale Irwin design that opened in 1992, hosted the LPGA Tour’s State Farm Classic from 2007-11. It’s set up at 7.174 yards for the State Amateur.

Weather dampens Women’s Am

Shawn Rennegarbe, a University of Arkansas player from Addieville posted a 72 in the qualifying round of the Illinois Women’s Amateur and no more golf could be played at Illini Country Club.

Rain wiped out the next three days of play, when the title was to be decided in a match play format. Rennegarbe was one stroke better than Grace Kil of Arlington Heights, Jessica Yuen of Bolingbrook and Maggie Ambrose of Springfield.

Yuen is two-time Illinois high school champion for Nequa Valley. Ambrose plays out of Panther Creek, where this week’s men’s State Am will be played.

Here and there

Mistwood’s Andy Mickelson carded a 7-under-par 64 on Monday to capture the Mauh-Nah-Tee-See Classic in Rockford, the last tuneup for Illinois PGA members before next week’s expanded Illinois Open.

Brad Marek, the 2005 Illinois Amateur champion who played at Hersey High School in Arlington Heights and Indiana University, took home an $11,000 first-place check on the Dakotas Tour after shooting rounds of 62, 68 and 69. He leads that mini-tour’s money list.

John Deere Co. has agreed to sponsor the PGA Tour stop held at TPC Deere Run in downstate Silvis through 2023. The company and tour agreed to a seven-year contract extension during last week’s John Deere Classic.

Mount Prospect’s course, which has been undergoing a lengthy renovation, is scheduled to re-open on Aug. 1.

Northbrook-based KemperSports has added The Bog, in Saukville, Wis., to its management portfolio.

The Champions Tour’s future in Chicago will be in doubt after this week’s Encompass Championship at North Shore Country Club in Glenview. The sponsor won’t renew its three-year contract, which expires after this year’s event, and North Shore is reportedly considering a major renovation project that would likely rule out its return as host venue in 2016.

Still, the 50-and-over circuit will bring its best to Glenview for the 54-hole competition that starts on Friday. Most notably, the popular Fred Couples will return to the field after missing last year with back problems. He was runner-up to Craig Stadler when the tourney made its North Shore debut in 2013.

Also new to the field will be D.A. Weibring, who will be playing in his first tournament of the season. Weibring, limited to only five tournaments last year by back issues, played collegiately at Illinois State and has a long record of success in Illinois pro events. He won the John Deere Classic (under its previous titles) in 1979, 1991 and 1995 before designing the course on which that tournament is now held. He also captured the 1987 Western Open.

Another player with Illinois ties, though, could ready for a breakthrough this week. Jeff Sluman, who has long resided in Hinsdale, is one of only three players — defending champion Tom Lehman and Kenny Perry are the others — who have finished in the top 10 at both of the two Encompass Championships held so far. Sluman tied for third in 2013 and tied for sixth last year.

The only notable absentee is Colin Montomerie, who will be on St. Andrews, Scotland, for his induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame. Montgomerie leads the tour’s Charles Schwab Cup standings but Jeff Maggert, winner of two of this year’s major titles for senior players, will supplant him with a victory at North Shore.

His rivals include 12 players who won major titles on the PGA Tour and seven who captained either Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup teams. The 81 starters will play with amateur partners in the first two rounds; only the pros will compete on Sunday when the $270,000 first-place check from the event’s $1.8 million purse will be handed out.

Spieth, Murray headline show at JDC

Jordan Spieth, already the winner of the Masters and U.S. Open this year, will get back into tournament play at the John Deere Classic at TPC Deere Run in downstate Silvis on Thursday. That was the scene of Spieth’s first PGA Tour victory in 2013.

While Spieth will be the focal point of the 72-hole tournament that concludes on Sunday, he’ll share the spotlight in Wednesday’s pro-am with actor-comedian Bill Murray. Murray, playing with frequent pro-am partner D.A. Points, has an 8:45 a.m. tee time. Spieth will have his tuneup round in the afternoon.

Come Thursday he’ll begin his last competitive appearance before going after the third leg of golf’s Grand Slam at the British Open next week.

The JDC may have the strongest field in its history as Spieth will be joined by defending champion Brian Harman; Zach Johnson, the winner in 2012; and Steve Stricker, who scored a three-peat from 2009-11. U.S. Ryder Cup captain Davis Love III is skipping the Encompass to play in the JDC. So is Vijay Singh, who won the JDC in 2003 but hasn’t been back since finishing tied for fourth in his title defense in 2004.

Ten Broeck heads qualifiers

Lance Ten Broeck has had an interesting career in golf. He grew up in Chicago, at Beverly Country Club, and qualified for the 1975 U.S. Open at Medinah when he was still a teen-ager. He went on to earn his PGA Tour card and was a journeyman on the circuit for several years, then became a successful caddie on the circuit while working mainly for Jesper Parnevik.

Now Ten Broeck is back to competing again. On Monday he shared medalist honors in the qualifying round for the Encompass Championship. He shot a 5-under-par 67 at Deerfield golf course to share honors with Geoffrey Sisk of Marshfield, Mass. They were the best among five qualifiers for the tournament proper, which tees off on Friday.

IPGA picks Williams

Carrie Williams, the executive director of the Illinois Junior Golf Assn. the past eight years, will be Michael Miller’s replacement as executive director of the Illinois PGA. Williams revealed her hiring while announcing her resignation from the IJGA.

Miller departed the IPGA after 23 years to become executive director of the PGA’s Southwest Section. Williams was on his staff prior to moving to the IJGA. Jordan Abdel-Haq, the IJGA’s associate executive director, will take over Williams’ duties when she takes her new post on Aug. 25.

Luke Donald and Mark Wilson have long been the prime players with Chicago ties competing on the PGA Tour, and they were in the middle of some behind-the-scenes drama last weekend at the Travelers Championship in Hartford, Ct.

Neither were qualified for the British Open, which is coming up in two weeks at St. Andrews in Scotland, and four places in the year’s third major were on the line at Hartford. Donald, the former Northwestern star who spent 56 weeks as the world’s No. 1-ranked golfer before Rory McIlroy took over in 2012, needed to finish in the top 12 and be among the top four players at Hartford who were not otherwise qualified for the British to earn his spot in this year’s field.

After rounds of 68, 68, 67 and 66 Donald stood in a tie for seventh place overall – but four players not qualified for the British were still on the course. One of them was Wilson, who established a home in Elmhurst several years ago.

A bogey on the last hole had Donald fearing he’d be left out, but Wilson also made bogey on the last hole. In the end Donald, though five strokes behind champion Bubba Watson, landed in a tie for seventh with Bo Van Pelt and Wilson. Among those finishing ahead of them were Brian Harman, who will defend his John Deere Classic title next week; Graham DeLaet and Carl Petterson.

Those three got the first three British Open spots offered at Hartford and Donald got the fourth and final one thanks to having a higher world ranking (68) than either Van Pelt (248) or Wilson (441).

“The Claret Jug brings up a lot of great memories, watching the Open as a kid and obviously some memories playing it as a professional,’’ said Donald. “It’s the major I’d love to win the most, coming from the U.K.’’

Now he’ll get another chance with his game on the upswing again. Donald had two top-five finishes in the British since 2009 and tied for 11th the last time it was played at St. Andrews in 2010. He’ll next play at the Scottish Open, the European PGA Tour stop opposite the John Deere Classic.

Bill Murray in JDC Pro-Am

Actor/ comedian Bill Murray, the best pro-am attraction on the PGA Tour, will play in the John Deere Classic’s Wednesday Pro-Am on July 8. He’ll be paired with D.A. Points, a former University of Illinois golfer from Pekin.

Points and Murray were the sensation of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, which was formerly the Bing Crosby Pro-Am in California. They won the team title in the two-man event and Points captured the individual crown.

Murray, who grew up in Wilmette and was a caddie at Indian Hill Club, starred in the movie hit CaddieShack – a role that triggered his popularity in the entertainment world.

Illini star Campbell turns pro

Brian Campbell won’t be a factor in the Western Amateur, U.S. Amateur or Walker Cup matches this year. A stalwart on Illinois’ team that won the stroke play portion of the NCAA tournament, Campbell has opted to turn professional. He’ll make his pro debut at the John Deere Classic thanks to a sponsor’s exemption.

One of his Illini teammates, redshirt senior Alex Burge, captured the 96th Chicago District Amateur title last week at Knollwood in Lake Forest. Burge did it by beating Medinah’s Tee-K Kelly, an Ohio State player who won the Illinois State Amateur in 2013.

Burge, from Bloomington, became the first golfer to become both medalist and champion at the CDGA Amateur since Joe Affrunti in 2001. Affrunti also attended Illinois and posted his CDGA sweep at Knollwood.

Maggert is coming to Encompass

Jeff Maggert, who won the U.S. Senior Open on Sunday and won another Champions Tour major at the Regions Tradition earlier in the year, will be in the field at the Encompass Championship at North Shore in Glenview beginning July 10. Other recent commitments include Hale Irwin and Steve Elkington, and former Bears’ center Patrick Mannelly will compete in the two-day, two-man team competition.

Pre-qualifying for the Encompass Championship will be Thursday and the final qualifying round is Monday at Deerfield golf course.

Here and there

The last day for public play at Oak Meadows in Addison is Monday. Then the course will be closed for nearly two years as Aurora architect Greg Martin conducts a massive renovation project.

Olympia Fields is looking for volunteers to help in the staging of the U.S. Amateur next month.

Ruth Lake, in Hinsdale, will host a qualifier for the U.S. Amateur on Monday and the Illinois PGA will conducts its 40th Junior Championship on Monday at Mauh-Nah-Tee- See in Rockford.

One of Chicago’s longest-standing private clubs, Glen Flora in Waukegan, is up for sale. Links Capital Advisors have announced a $2.75 million asking price for the club, which was built in 1911.

Why change a good thing? Jordan Spieth wants to keep his bid for golf’s Grand Slam going. That’s why he was quick to nix a possible schedule change after his victory in the U.S. Open.

Spieth, who has won the Masters and U.S. Open already, will make his last competitive tuneup for next month’s British Open – the third leg of the Grand Slam – in the John Deere Classic July 9-12 at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, IL., on the outskirt of the Quad Cities.

The British Open is the following week at St. Andrews in Scotland. Spieth could head to Europe early and pick up a hefty appearance fee by playing in the Scottish Open, which is opposite the JDC, but he’s not planning on doing that. Spieth had long since committed to play in the JDC, but he was asked again now that so much history will be on the line.

“I plan to go (to Scotland) on a charter, the way I’ve done the last two years after the John Deere,’’ said Spieth. “So I won’t be there as early as I was for (the U.S. Open at Chambers Bay in Washington), but that’s the same time I got in for the Masters. I don’t think I have to be in early this year. I got in late Sunday night to Augusta.’’

That April week he made the Masters his first victory in a major championship. He’ll have the same preparation time for the British, since the JDC offers non-stop jet service to British qualifiers a few hours after the last putt drops at TPC Deere Run.

Spieth is the youngest U.S. Open champion since Bobby Jones in 1923 and the youngest to win two career majors in the same year since Gene Sarazen in 1922. He’s also just the sixth golfer – behind Craig Wood, Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods — to win the Masters and U.S. Open in the same year.

Preparing for the Masters at the JDC isn’t unusual since JDC director Clair Peterson arranged for convenient jet travel across the pond. Spieth, who won his first PGA Tour event at the JDC in 2013, is one of about 20 British-eligible players expected compete at TPC Deere Run this year. Louis Oosthuizen, the British winner in 2004, even prepared for his title defense by playing in the JDC the week before.

Spieth should come to this year’s JDC well rested. He’s skipping the next two PGA Tour stops – this week’s Travelers Championship in Connecticut and next week’s Greenbrier Classic in West Virginia.

No golfer has won the modern Grand Slam (Woods held all four titles at one time but over two years). Spieth isn’t ruling it out.

“It’s in the realm of possibility,’’ he said. “(Chambers Bay) was somewhat of a British-style golf course, so are the next two majors. I’ve proven to myself that I can win on a British-style golf course now. Now I take it to the truest British-style course in the world. I’m just excited for the opportunity.’’

JDC touch at Encompass

Unfortunate scheduling has the JDC playing opposite Chicago’s Champions Tour event, the Encompass Championship July 10-12 at North Shore in Glenview, this year. Still, six former JDC champions – D.A. Weibring, David Frost, Scott Hoch, Dan Forsman, Mark Wiebe and Joey Sindelar – are in the Encompass field.

New to the Encompass tourney this year are two-time U.S. Open winner Lee Janzen and former Masters champion Ian Woosnam. Janzen and Woosnam are among eight players competing at North Shore who have already won tournaments on the Champions Tour this season.

Here and there

The 82nd playing of the Illinois Women’s Amateur started on Tuesday with an 18-hole qualifying round to determine flight participants. Match play runs Wednesday through Sunday at Illini Country Club in Springfield.

The 96th Chicago District Amateur concludes its four-day run at Knollwood, in Lake Forest, on Thursday.

Chun An Yu, who moved from Taiwan to Clermont, FL., in January, won the 98th Western Junior at Riverside Golf Club. He triumphed in the first playoff for the title since the tourney switched from match play to stroke play in 1999. Daniel Hudson of Western Springs, who tied for third, was the top Chicago player in the competition.

The last two of the seven qualifying rounds for next month’s Illinois Open are Thursday at Willow Crest in Oak Brook and Monday at Elgin Country Club.

Just 10 months ago Northbrook’s Nick Hardy was shaking off a loss in the final of the Illinois State Amateur and getting ready for his freshman year at the University of Illinois. This week, at 19, he’s playing in the 115th U.S. Open at Washington’s Chambers Bay course.

Hardy won’t be the youngest player in the year’s second major championship. That honor goes to Cole Hammer, a 15-year old high school freshman from Houston. Hammer is the third-youngest player ever to tee off in the Open but Hardy is more battled-hardened.

He blossomed as a freshman for coach Mike Small’s Illini, sharing the Big Ten individual title in May and helping his team finish on top of the leaderboard in the stroke play portion of the NCAA tournament. Small put Hardy in the crucial No. 5 position for the match play portion, and he came through with the victory needed to get the Illini through to the semifinals.

His team’s season ended there, but Hardy wasn’t done. He – along with senior teammate Brian Campbell – survived last week’s sectional qualifying for the Open.

“It’s been a pretty crazy month,’’ said Hardy, after participating in an Illinois Junior Golf Assn. clinic at Valley Lo in Glenview. “I’ve gotten better just being in the positions I have. I’ve learned a lot about myself and a lot about competition. I’ve really grown a lot. I was ready for this.’’

The U.S. Open is, of course, a different animal than playing with the college guys. The best players in the world are at Chambers Bay.

“I’m going to treat it like any other event and not focus on the things around me,’’ said Hardy. “I’ll just try to control what I can control. My goal is to be low amateur, but I’ll be trying to win like everybody else. I’ll focus on the first tee shot, and go from there.’’

That first tee shot comes on Thursday. His practice partners at Chambers Bay included Campbell, who also qualified last year, and PGA Tour veteran D.A. Points, an Illinois alum.

“I’m real excited. I hope this will be one of many (Opens). It not only gives me a chance to try to beat the best players in the world, but also learn from them.’’

This year’s Open had 9,882 entrants from 75 countries, and 156 will tee off at Chambers Bay. Fifty-eight earned their spots in 12 sectional qualifying tournaments. Hardy additionally had to survive an 18-hole local qualifier to play in the sectional.

Only two Open champions – Ken Venturi in 1964 and Orville Moody in 1969 – came through both local and sectional eliminations to win the title. In last year’s Open at Pinehurst, N.C., 25 of the 156 starters were survivors of both eliminations and five of them made the 36-hole cut.

They’ll be there, too

This is an extraordinary U.S. Open from a Chicago area standpoint. Other sectional qualifiers include former world No. 1 Luke Donald, who has played in every Open since 2005; Points, a three-time Illinois State Amateur champion; Glen Ellyn’s Andy Pope, a Web.com Tour player who was the Illinois Junior Golf Assn. Boys Player of the Year in 2001; and Hoopeston’s Michael Davan, who was the Chicago District Amateur champion in 2012.

Davan, like Hardy, qualified for the Open in a sectional at Springfield, Ohio. Davan was the medalist there, shooting 65-67 for the 36 holes. Davan, a 26-year old pro, has been playing on golf’s many mini-tours. Until the sectional he had been one frustrated golfer, missing seven Web.com Tour events as well as the PGA Tour’s John Deere Classic by one shot in qualifying tournaments.

“I knew my game was getting close,’’ he said. “I’ve never won a mini-tour event, but I had a chance a few weeks ago and stumbled down the stretch. It’s nice to finally break through and do something like this.’’

In addition to the unusual large contingent of local players the tourney has another Chicago connection. Chambers Bay is managed by Northbrook-based KemperSports.

Here and there

Illinois’ Campbell is one of four sponsor invites for next month’s John Deere Classic. Others are college stars Bryson DeChambeau of Southern Methodist and Lee McCoy of Georgia, both U.S. Open qualifiers, and former No. 1-ranked amateur Patrick Rodgers. Rodgers is getting his fourth sponsor invite to the JDC.

Three winners of major championships – Larry Nelson, Hal Sutton and Lee Janzen – have entered next month’s Encompass Championship at North Shore in Glenview. So has D.A. Weibring, a champion at both Illinois PGA events (former Western Open and JDC). Twenty-three of the top 30 on the Champions Tour money list have committed to play in the tournament.

KemperSports will host the Chambers Bay Challenge at all its member courses during the U.S. Open. Players making a hole-in-one can receive a trip to Chambers, where they’ll get a shot at $1 million on the No. 17 hole.

Jerry Rich has become the most ambitious golf tournament promoter in Chicago, there’s no doubt about that.

The owner of Rich Harvest Farms, Rich has provided a steady diet of top-level competition at his sparkling Sugar Grove layout ever since the LPGA’s Solheim Cup was contested there in 2009.

This year, though, Rich has outdone himself. He’s hosting two big events, the first of which is this week’s Palmer Cup matches between the top college players from the United States and Europe. The Western Golf Association’s Western Amateur arrives Aug. 3-9 and at least one player will be prominent in both.

Beau Hossler, a 20-year old junior at the University of Texas, earned a berth on the U.S. team in the Palmer Cup by virtue of the event’s point standings and he is also the defending champion in the 113th Western Amateur, having won last year at Chicago’s Beverly Country Club.

Hossler looks on the chance to play Rich Harvest twice in competition as a highlight of his summer.

“I’ve heard it’s incredible,’’ said Hossler, “and I’ll get some preparation for the Western there as well.’’

The Palmer Cup, organized by the legendary Arnold Palmer in 1997 at his Bay Hill club in Florida, has been contested at various sites in both the U.S. and Europe. The Europeans won 18 ½-11 ½ last year at Walton Heath in England, but the U.S. leads the series 9-8-1.

Hossler is one of six Palmer Cup players in the top 10 of the World Amateur Golf Ranking. The Palmer Cup starts his summer season, which also includes the California Amateur, Southern California Amateur, Porter Cup, Western and U.S. Amateur. He believes he’s a better player than he was when he won at Beverly.

“I’ve really improved my ball-striking as a whole,’’ he said. “I’ve gotten a lot better with the driver, and I need to work on my full wedge game. It was a bit off my last semester (at Texas).’’
The European team will be headed by Spain’s Jon Rahm, the No. 1-ranked amateur and a student at Arizona State. One of his teammates will be Belgium’s Thomas Detry, who sparked Illinois to the semifinals of the match play portion of the NCAA tournament last week. Detry tied for third in the individual NCAA standings and will play in the Palmer Cup for the second straight year. He was 3-1 in his matches for Europe last summer.

Georgia Tech’s Bruce Heppler will coach the 12-player U.S. team that also includes Georgia’s Lee McCoy, Stanford’s Maverick McNealy, Vanderbilt’s Hunter Stewart, Alabama’s Robby Shelton and Florida State’s Jack Maguire off the event point standings. Jean Van De Velde will coach the European side.

Opening ceremonies will be held at 6 p.m. on Thursday. Foursome matches start at 7:30 a.m. on Friday and four ball matches at 1:30 p.m. Singles matches begin at 8:30 a.m. on both Friday and Saturday. There is no admission charge.

Donald heads U.S. Open qualifiers

Luke Donald, once the world’s No. 1-ranked golfer, survived Monday’s sectional qualify day for the U.S. Open on one of his home courses — Bear Trap in Florida. He’ll lead six Illinois golfers into next week’s Open at Chambers Bay in Washington.

Donald, with former Northwestern coach Pat Goss as his caddie, shared medalist honors at Bear Trap with Glen Ellyn’s Andy Pope, a Web.com Tour player. Three present or past University of Illinois golfers also qualified. Nick Hardy, the freshman from Northbrook, and senior Brian Campbell – both members of this year’s NCAA semifinalist team – advanced as did alum D.A. Points.

Also headed to Chambers Bay is Michael Davan, the 2012 Chicago District Amateur champion from Hoopeston. He was low man at the Springfield, Ohio, sectional.

Here and there

Kemper Lakes is welcoming big tournaments again following the completion of a three-year bunker renovation conducted by Libertyville architect Rick Jacobson. The Kildeer club hosted the 1989 PGA Championship, six Champions Tour events, four Grand Slams of Golf, the U.S. Women’s Amateur and the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship before becoming a private facility in 2007. General manager John Hosteland has announced the `Restore the Roar’ initiative in hopes of bringing big events back.

Northwestern has awarded Emily Fletcher, three-time Big Ten coach-of-the-year, a contract extension. Her Wildcats won the Big Ten title this season and finished 10th in the NCAA tournament.

Illinois men’s coach Mike Small, who took his Illini to the NCAA tournament for the eighth straight year, was named one of six winners of the Dave Williams National Coach of the Year award.

The Chicago-based Women’s Western Golf Assn. will hold its 115th Amateur championship at Nashville Golf & Athletic Club in Brentwood, Tenn., beginning on Monday (JUNE 15). Nine Illinois players are entered in the six-day event including Naperville’s Bing Singhsumalee and Crystal Lake’s Lexie Harkins, the Illinois Women’s Amateur titlists of the last two years.

The Illinois PGA hosts an Illinois Open qualifier at Turnberry in Lakewood on Thursday and will hold the second of six stroke play events at Blackberry Oaks in Bristol next Monday.

The Chicago District Golf Assn. will conduct Illinois State Amateur qualifiers at the University of Illinois course in Savoy and Kankakee Elks on Wednesday, PrairieView in Byron and Effingham Country Club on Thursday and Lake Bluff next Monday.

A great season came to an end for the University of Illinois men’s team on Tuesday as the Illini were eliminated by Southern California in the semifinals of the NCAA tournament at Concession Club in Bradenton, Fla.

The Illini were Big Ten champions, won their NCAA regional tournament and were the top team in the stroke play portion of the NCAA finals, meaning Illinois was the top-seeded team in the eight-team match play finals. USC will meet Louisiana State for the NCAA championship on Wednesday.

Illinois’ players are far from done competing, however. Four of coach Mike Small’s five players survived the 18-hole local qualifying rounds for the U.S. Open. Brian Campbell, Thomas Detry, Charlie Danielson and freshman Nick Hardy will compete on Monday for berths in the U.S. Open proper.

As challenging as the NCAA finals have been for those collegians, the U.S. Open sectionals will be even more pressure-packed. Over 9,000 entered the Open, which will be played at Chambers Bay, a Washington club operated by Chicago-based KemperSports, from June 18-21. The field was whittled dramatically at the local eliminations, two of which were held in the Chicago area, but the real tension comes in the sectionals.

Most of the 156-man starting field at Chambers Bay will be filled through Monday’s 36-hole eliminations on what has long been dubbed “the Longest Day in Golf.’’

The Illini players be tested against much more than college competition, regardless of which sectional they compete in. Plenty of established players will be trying to qualify for the Open on Monday. Former world No. 1 Luke Donald, for instance, hopes to survive a sectional at Bears Club, a Florida facility of which he is a member.

Kevin Streelman, D.A. Points and Steve Stricker are in the usually loaded field in Columbus, Ohio, because they’ll be in the area to play in the PGA Tour’s Memorial tournament. Davis Love III, Justin Leonard, Vijay Singh, Ben Curtis and Stewart Cink – all winners of major championships – also need to survive sectionals to get to this U.S. Open.

Defending JDC champ lauds Spieth

Brian Harman visited TPC Deere Run in downstate Silvis this week to prepare for his title defense in next month’s John Deere Classic. When he returns for the July 9-12 tourney the spotlight will shift to Masters champion Jordan Spieth, but that doesn’t bother the lesser known Harman.

“(Spieth) is extremely popular,’’ said Harman, who is also in the U.S. Opens sectional shootouts on Monday.. “He makes every putt he looks at, and he’s great for the game because he cares about (the PGA) Tour. He’s not out chasing a bunch of appearance fees all over the world.’’

Other top players have done that during JDC week in past years, since the tourney falls the week before the British Open. Another who remains loyal to the JDC winner Stricker, a three-time winner. He’ll play in this year’s tourney, but made other news on Monday at the same time Harman was addressing the Quad Cities media.

Stricker will host the American Family Insurance Championship, a new event on the Champions Tour, in 2016 even though he can’t play in the June 22-26 event at University Ridge in Madison, Wis.. Stricker won’t turn 50, a requirement for Champions Tour players, until 2017 but he will play in two pro-ams during the new tourney’s championship week.

Here and there

The stars of the Illinois PGA will bid for their third straight victory over the best amateurs in the Chicago District Golf Association on Wednesday (TODAY) in the 54th Radix Cup matches at Oak Park Country Club in River Forest. The IPGA leads the series 34-17-2. First of six two-man team matches tees off at 12:30 p.m.

Doug Bauman, head professional at Biltmore in Barrington, repeated as champion of the IPGA PGA Senior Match Play tournament with a 1-up victory over Ivanhoe’s Jim Sobb at Shoreacres in Lake Bluff.

Arlington Lakes closes for a year-long renovation after the Arlington Amateur concludes on Sunday.

The first of nine state-wide qualifying rounds for the Illinois State Amateur championship wil be played at Fox Bend in Oswego on Monday (JUNE 8). Finals are July 14-16 at Panther Creek in Springfield.

Two Illinois amateurs, Taylorville’s Dave Ryan and Inverness’ Mike Rice, lost out to Sonny Skinner of Sylvester, Ga., for the last of two qualifying berths for the U.S. Senior Open in a sudden death playoff. Chien Soon Lu of Pomona, Calif., shot 69 at Barrington Hills to earn medalist honors by three strokes.

Last week’s Senior PGA Championship in French Lick, Ind., was a big deal, but hardly a season-ender for the best 50-and-over players. Now they’ll compete much closer to home.

Barrington Hills hosts a sectional qualifier for the 36th U.S. Senior Open on Wednesday, and Gary Hallberg will head the field. Though he’s long been a Colorado resident, Hallberg grew up in Barrington before enjoying a successful career as a touring pro.

He’s one of the few players to have victories on the Web.com, PGA and Champions Tours and he qualified for all four rounds at French Lick, finishing in a tie for 58th place that earned him $5,058. Though he now plays a limited tournament schedule Hallberg, 58, has made the cut in all five of his starts this season.

Getting through Senior Open qualifying, though, will be a tough task. As was the case in last week’s U.S. Women’s Open sectional, there’ll only be two spots in the finals offered at Barrington Hills and 82 players are scheduled to compete.

The Chicago sectional is one of 34 held nation-wide to whittle the field from 2,445 entries. Seventy-nine of those entrants are exempt from sectional qualifying, among them Senior PGA winner Colin Montgomerie, Hinsdale Champions Tour regular Jeff Sluman and Tom Lehman, who will defend his title at the Encompass Championship at North Shore in Glenview in July. The Senior Open finals are June 25-28 at Del Paso in Sacramento, Calif.

A present-day Barrington golfer, Doug Bauman, will spend the week making a title defense in the Illinois PGA Senior Match Play Championship at Shoreacres in Lake Bluff. Bauman, the long-time head professional at Biltmore in Barrington, won his first title in the tournament at Merit Club in Libertyville last year.

The IPGA Senior Match Play started on Tuesday and will conclude on Thursday when semifinal matches are scheduled to tee off at 8 a.m. and the championship match at 11 a.m.

A milestone win for Ehrgott

John Ehrgott, from Edwards near Peoria, captured the first Chicago District Golf Association Mid-Amateur Championship conducted in a match play format last week. It had been a flighted tournament the previous 12 years.

Ehrgott cruised past Michael Natale of Indian Head Park 5 and 4 in the title match at Bowes Creek in Elgin. The win also made Ehrgott the first player to notch victories in both the Chicago District and Illinois State Mid-Amateur events.

In addition to the Senior Open sectional the CDGA will conducts its first qualifiers for the Chicago District Amateur this week. Eliminations will be held at both White Eagle in Naperville and Pontiac Elks on Thursday.

Here and there

The Arnold Palmer Cup will remain a men’s only match play battle between the U.S. and Europe when the competition is conducted at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove from June 12-14, but organizers have announced a change in format for 2018. Then an International side will replace the Europeans and both teams will include women players.

The NCAA Division I women’s tourney is winding down at Concession Club in Bradenton, Fl., and the men begin their six-day competition there on Friday with Illinois among the top contenders.

Elgin’s Carlos Sainz Jr. took a break from the PGA Tour to try to qualify for the U.S. Open at Iowa’s Harvester course. He shot 74 and is second alternate from that site to get into the sectional eliminations.

Golf Channel Academy is now in operation at Cog Hill in Lemont. Cog is one of 57 inaugural locations participating in the launch of the teaching program.

The Chicago Sky has scheduled its first charity tournament for June 15 at Wilmette. It’ll be a four-player scramble that will include a Beat the Pro closest-to-the-pin contest featuring LPGA veteran Nicole Jeray.

Arlington Lakes has announced a June 7 closing. That’s the last of the two-day Arlington Amateur and architect Mike Benkusky will then begin renovation work. The course is expected to re-open in June, 2016. Oak Meadows, in Addison, will close on July 6, setting the stage for a renovation supervised by architect Greg Martin that will likely be completed in the spring of 2017.

Jonathon Parsons has been named general manager at Schaumburg Golf Club.