February is again show-time for Chicago golfers. The third annual Tinley Park Golf Expo begins a three-day run on Friday (FEB 7) at the Tinley Park Convention Center and the 31st Chicago Golf Show takes over the Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont on Feb. 21 for a similar three-day run.

In the meantime, though, there has been a lot going on within the Chicago golf scene even during these extraordinary winter months. Most notable is a management change at Cantigny, the well-regarded 27-hole facility in Wheaton

Northbrook-based KemperSports will take on management duties in mid-February, leading in to Cantigny 25th anniversary season. Cantigny becomes the 16th Chicago golf facility under the management of KemperSports.

The takeover triggers the start of a bus year for Cantigny. The facility will host the Illinois State Amateur for the fourth time and also welcome the Chicago Open for the second straight year.

Changes in the pro shop

Dick Wagley, named the Illinois PGA Professional of the Year in 2013, has announced his retirement at Indian Hill in Winnetka and Jay Casaletto, the head professional at Royal Melbourne in Long Grove, decided to leave the golf business.

Their departures at two of the area’s most prominent private clubs led to replacements being named at both places. Wes Warren replaces Wagley and Brad McMillan takes over at Royal Melbourne. Neither are newcomers to Chicago golf.

Warren spent the last nine seasons as head professional at North Shore Country Club in Mequon, Wis., but he was an assistant at Onwentsia in Lake Forest form 1999-2003 and Indian Hill (2004) before moving to Wisconsin.

McMillan was named director of golf at Royal Melbourne. He had been general manager at Turnberry, in Lakewood, from 2010-13.

Riverside, Evanston selected

The Western Golf Assn. has picked host clubs for two of its upcoming Junior championships. The Western Junior will be held at Riverside, in North Riverside, in 2015 and Evanston Golf Club, in Skokie, in 2018.

Flossmoor will host this year, from June 16-20, and Rich Harvest Farms, in Sugar Grove, will be the site in 2017. The WGA hasn’t named a site for the 2016 Western Junior yet.

Riverside and Evanston will host the prestigious tourney for the first time. Both were among the 11 charter members of the WGA when it was established in 1899. Only seven of the charter clubs still exist.

Remember Packard

Larry Packard, a long-time Chicago course designer and former president of the American Society of Golf Course Architects, has died in Tarpon Springs, FL. He was 101.

Packard’s Chicago creations include Palatine Hills, Lake Barrington Shores, Elgin Country Club and Silve Lake in Orland Park. His work nation-wide was highlighted by the Copperhead course at Innisbrook Resort in Florida, where he resided in recent years.

Copperhead has been a PGA Tour site, as home of the the event known in various years as the Tampa Bay Championship, Transitions Championship and – this year – the Valspar Championship. Wheaton’s Kevin Streelman won his first PGA title at the tourney last year.

Packard’s son Roger is also a course architect. His most prominent design is Cantigny, in Wheaton.

Northwestern men’s golf coach Pat Goss labeled Matt Fitzpatrick as “our most high-profile recruit since Luke Donald.’’ Unfortunately for NU, Fitzpatrick’s stay in Evanston didn’t last long.

Fitzpatrick, the reigning U.S. Amateur champion and No. 1-ranked amateur in the world, withdrew from the school on Thursday to pursue more playing opportunities as an amateur in his native England.

As U.S. Amateur titlist Fitzpatrick has invitations to this year’s Masters, U.S. Open and British Open in addition to the top amateur event world-wide. Playing a full schedule of these competitions while remaining a full-time student would have been difficult.

“Based on the opportunities I have right now from a golf perspective I feel it’s important to dedicate 100 percent of my time to the game,’’ Fitzgerald said in a statement released by NU.

Fitzgerald played in five fall tournaments for the Wildcats. He was second on the team with a 71.63 scoring average and was co-medalist at Duke’s Rod Myers Intercollegiate. He also finished third in NU’s Windon Memorial.

Goss understood Fitzgerald’s decision. “He has an incredible future ahead of him,’’ said Goss. “We wish him nothing but the best in his career.’’

Like father, like son

Winnetka resident Dennis O’Keefe, a Western Golf Assn. board member since 1992, has been elected the WGA’s chairman. His father Jim was the WGA chairman in 1955-56.

O’Keefe, president of a Lake Forest law firm, succeeds Jim Bunch of Denver as WGA chairman. O’Keefe is a member of the Glen View Club in the Chicago area as well as three other clubs in Florida.

Based in north suburban Golf, the WGA conducts the PGA Tour’s BMW Championship, the Western Amateur and the Western Junior while raising funds for its Evans Scholarship program for college-bound caddies.

Here and there

Two new indoor teaching facilities – The Golf Academy at Terra Cotta in Crystal Lake and Catalyst Golf Performance in Lincoln Park — have opened recently.

The Illinois PGA announced its 2014 tournament schedule this week with a notable change in the site of August’s IPGA Championship. The section’s third major tourney of the season will be back at Stonewall Orchard in Grayslake instead of going to Medinah No. 1. The tourney has a three-course rotation, but Medinah No. 1 was renovated last year and it won’t return to the tourney rotation until 2015.

Chicago’s Mike Keiser has decided on the architects for his first course at Sand Valley in Wisconsin. The team of Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore will design the first 18 of Keiser’s latest project. His multi-course Bandon Dunes in Oregon has received rave reviews.

The Illinois PGA will offer free lesson programs from 5-9 p.m. this Friday and again on Jan. 17 at the White Pines Golf Dome, in Bensenville. Links & Tees, in Addison, will hold an open house from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday.

It was back to work this week for Kevin Streelman, Chicago’s lone homegrown PGA Tour player and one of the elite 70 players in the field at the BMW Championship at Conway Farms in Lake Forest.

Last week’s break in the FedEx Cup Playoffs gave Streelman a chance to get away from the rigors of the pro golf tour. He had played in tournaments four of the previous five weeks and six of the last eight.

“I didn’t touch a club for a week,’’ said Streelman. “Just rested and got my body in shape.’’

And had some fun. He went to his first Bears’ game in seven years on Sunday, accompanied by seven friends from his high school days at Wheaton Warrenville South, and then had dinner at MJ’s Steakhouse.

Born in Winfield, the 34-year old Streelman spent the first 18 years of his life living in Wheaton where he played most of his junior golf at Cantigny. When he headed off to college at Duke his parents moved to Winfield and Streelman eventually settled in Scottsdale, Ariz., but he isn’t staying anywhere near his old home town during the BMW Championship. Instead he’s staying with retired Bears’ star Brian Urlacher who lives four minutes from the Conway Farms course.

“I’ve known him for a few years and played some golf with him in the offseason,’’ said Streelman.

It might seem that Streelman, being from the Chicago suburbs, would have at least some local knowledge of Conway Farms – a private facility about to host its first PGA Tour event – but that’s not the case.

“I played a college tournament there – Northwestern’s tournament,’’ said Streelman, “but I vaguely remember it. That was at least 10 years ago. I don’t know what to expect, but we should be able to make a lot of birdies there.’’

That’s to be expected. The players remaining in the FedEx Cup Playoffs make a lot of birdies no matter where their tournaments are played. Conway will be no exception with $8 million on the line beginning on Thursday and more in the offing for the top 30 in the standings after the BMW Championship concludes on Sunday.

Streelman stands 16th in the playoff standings and has a great chance to make the 30-man field for The Tour Championship next week in Atlanta. Another $8 million purse is available there, and the winner of the FedEx Cup gets a $10 million bonus. That lucky fellow could be Streelman if he gets hot.

“I’m confident in my numbers to believe I’ll get through to the last 30,’’ said Streelman, “so I have nothing to lose. Winning in front of my home crowd would be a dream, but I’m not putting pressure on myself.’’

The season already has been a rousing success for Streelman. He made the cut in 16 of 23 tournaments and earned $2.9 million. He also won his first PGA Tour event, the Tampa Bay Classic – a tournament that will be known as the Valspar Classic in 2014 thanks to a new sponsorship agreement.

Next year will be a big one for Streelman, regardless of what happens on the course. His wife Courtney is expecting their first child sometime in 2014.

For now, though, the BMW Championship is his main concern. His swing coach of two years, Darren May, arrived Sunday night and they’ve worked to sharpen his game for this week’s challenge. Streelman needs to climb in the FedEx standings if he’s to make a run at the $10 million bonus in Atlanta. He started the playoffs in 13th position but dropped slightly after finishing in a tie for 19th at The Barclays and a tie for 41st at the Deutsche Bank Championship – the first two playoff events.

The ranking system is complicated, but it’s possible that Streelman could climb all the way to No. 1 if he wins at Conway Farms. If he finishes fourth or better he could climb into the top five heading to Atlanta, and any player ranked that high would win the $10 million bonus by winning The Tour Championship.

The 70-man field for next week’s BMW Championship at Conway Farms in Lake Forest is finally official. It will include four players with Illinois connections, including Conway member Luke Donald.

Donald’s play has dropped off since he was the world’s No. 1-ranked player in 2011, but he will go into the BMW Championship ranked No. 54 in the FedEx Cup point standings. Also owning ranking spots high enough to get into the select field are Steve Stricker (8), Kevin Streelman (16) and D.A. Points (21).

That’s where they stood after Henrik Stenson won the second of the four $8 million playoff events on Monday – the Deutsche Bank Championship in Boston. Stricker, like Points a University of Illinois alum, was the big newsmaker there.

When this PGA Tour season started Stricker declared himself semi-retired. Wanting more family time, he planned to play only 10 events and the FedEx Playoffs weren’t in the mix. In fact, Stricker skipped The Barkleys – first event of the Playoffs – and came to Boston only because he had a chance to make the U.S. team for the season-ending Presidents Cup matches Oct. 3-6 in Dublin, Ohio.

Stricker needed a good finish in Boston to earn one of the 10 automatic berths on the U.S. team, and he got it with a second-place finish. That created another change in plans.

He had planned to go bow-hunting for elk in Colorado with some of his buddies during the BMW Championship, but that trip was rescheduled because Stricker needed to stay sharp for the Presidents Cup.

“We pushed this trip back a couple days so I could play in Chicago,’’ he said after his strong finish in Boston. “I’ll play in Chicago, but I’m not sure about Atlanta (The Tour Championship – last of the Playoff events). We’re supposed to leave on Monday after Chicago but, if I’m up there and have a chance to win or top-10 going into Atlanta I’ll probably go to Atlanta.’’

The change of heart is understandable, given the money available in the Playoffs. Each of the four events has a limited field and an $8 million purse. The 70 qualifying to play at Conway Farms will be reduced to 30 for The Tour Championship. In addition to the tournament purses $35 million in bonus money will be disbursed after the Atlanta stop ends on Sept. 22. The FedEx Cup winner gets a $10 million bonus.

Heading to Conway Farms the leader in the point race is Stenson, who moved ahead of Tiger Woods with his win in Boston. Also standing between Stricker and the big prize are Adam Scott, Matt Kuchar, Graham DeLaet, Phil Mickelson and Justin Rose. They’ll all be teeing it up in Lake Forest to continue the chase for the biggest financial reward golf has to offer.

Ticket-takers

The Western Golf Assn., which conducts the BMW Championship, has reported “brisk’’ ticket sales for the first PGA Tour event on the North Shore since the Western Open was played at Sunset Ridge in Northfield in 1972. Still, tickets in most categories are still available through either BMWChampionshipUSA.com or by calling 847-724-4600.

BMW Week starts Monday and runs through 15, with the tournament proper conducted over the last four days. One-day grounds tickets are $40 online or $55 at the gate. Practice round tickets are $10, and juniors age 16 and under will be admitted free when accompanied by an adult.

Date-specific daily tickets are also available in the United Fairway Club, which features indoor seating and upgraded food and beverage options behind the 15th hole. They’re priced at $75 per day for Sept. 12-13 and $85 for Sept. 14-15. Weekly badges for the United Fairway Club are $195.

Did you know?

Two local competitions will be played during BMW Championship Week. The Illinois Senior Open is Monday and Tuesday at McHenry Country Club and the Olympia Fields Fighting Illini Invitational will be staged at Olympia Fields from Sept. 13-15.

The latter will feature some of the best college teams in the nation, headed by coach Mike Small’s Illini – second in last spring’s NCAA Championship. Small himself is coming off his 10th win in the Illinois PGA Championship, which was played on Olympia’s South course last week.

Streelman, Points in good shape but Wilson out of BMW Championship

Now there’s just one FedEx Cup Playoff tourney left before the PGA Tour makes its first return to the Chicago area since 2011.

The Deutsche Bank Championship in Boston has a Friday-Monday run this week, and the low 70 in the standings after that 72-hole $8 million shootout come to Conway Farms in Lake Forest for the BMW Championship — tourney of similar duration and purse from Sept. 12-15.

Adam Scott won The Barclays on the outskirts of New York on Sunday and vaulted into second place behind Tiger Woods in the FedEx point race. Woods finished in a four-way tie for second in the first of the four playoff events.

Conway Farms is a new site for the BMW Championship, replacing Cog Hill in Lemont, and at least two players with Illinois connections won’t be there. Elmhurst’s Mark Wilson and University of Illinois alum Scott Langley qualified for 125-man field at The Barclays but didn’t play well enough to move on to the Deutsche Bank Championship.

Four other locals are still alive in the battle for the $10 million bonus that goes to the FedEx leader after the Tour Championship is played in Atlanta the week after the Conway Farms stop. Luke Donald, a Conway Farms member, and Luke Guthrie, another Illinois alum, can’t afford a letdown in Boston.

Donald tied for 41st at The Barclays and is No. 54 in the standings. A missed cut in Boston and he might not stay in the top 70. Guthrie missed the cut last week but is still at No. 81.

The Barclays was much more productive for Wheaton’s Kevin Streelman and Illinois alum D.A. Points, however. Streelman tied for 19th and moved up to No. 12 on the point list. Points, finishing with a 67 on Sunday, tied for sixth and moved up 10 spots in the standings to No. 15.

Changes coming at Olympia Fields

The 91st Illinois PGA Championship concludes Wednesday on Olympia Fields’ South course but bigger things are coming on the more famous North layout, site of four major championships — the 1928 and 2003 U.S. Opens and 1925 and 1961 PGA Championships.

Mark Mungeam, the North course architect the last 20 years, will supervise a renovation that calls for the reconstruction of all existing bunkers and the addition of five more. The ones that are being added were part of the 1938 design created by architect Willie Park Jr. but they were covered up over the years.

The bunkers will get Best (THIS IS BRAND NAME) sand, which is white and more playable than the more tradition varieties, according to Olympia head professional Brian Morrison. All the tee boxes will be given a rectangular shape that is rounded at the corners. Morrison said the renovation isn’t being done in preparation for the 2015 U.S. Amateur, which will be played on both the North and South courses as part of the club’s centennial celebration.

“We’re not required to do it (by the U.S. Golf Assn.),’’ said Morrison. “We are doing this mainly for the playability of our members.’’

Support for military veterans

The Illinois PGA Championship will again serve as the Chicago kickoff for Patriot Golf Day events. IPGA players were asked to make a voluntary donation to the charity that supports military veterans and the section will match the amount, to be determined after Wednesday’s final round.

Meanwhile, eight Chicago courses operated by Billy Casper Golf participated in last week’s World’s Largest Golf Outing, a fund-raiser for the Wounded Warrior Project. The Outing involved 826 golfers from 110 Casper-operated courses in 28 states. It raised $725,000.

Did you know?

The Western Golf Assn. will spend this week putting on the new Hotel Fitness Championship – first of four events in the Web.Com Tour Finals. The tourney begins Thursday at Sycamore Hills in Ft. Wayne, Ind.

The Chicago District Golf Assn. will conduct two of hits bigger tournaments back-to-back. The Illinois Mid-Amateur concludes its two-day run on Wednesday (AUG 28) at Flossmoor and the Illinois State Senior Amateur is on tap for Kankakee Elks on Thursday.

Clearly Curtis Malm is the player to watch in next week’s 91st Illinois PGA Championship on Olympia Fields Country Club’s South course.

Malm, first assistant professional at St. Charles Country Club and the IPGA’s player-of-the-year in 2012, fired a 9-under par course record 63 at Elgin Country Club on Monday in the section’s fifth stroke play event of the season.

In April he won the first of the section’s majors – the IPGA Match Play Championship at Kemper Lakes in Long Grove – for the second straight year. Malm also tied for third in the second major, last month’s Illinois Open at The Glen Club in Glenview, and is at the top of the player-of-the-year standings again.

“I haven’t played as well as I did last year as far as consistency goes,’’ said Malm, “but my game’s getting there.’’

He took on expanded duties at St. Charles this year, adding the role of membership sales director, and that has reduced Malm’s practice time. He is also lacking in knowledge of Olympia Fields’ South course. Malm hopes to get in his first round ever there on Thursday. Otherwise his first will be on Monday in the first day of the three-day championship.

Malm’s round at Elgin – his lowest ever in competition — featured seven birdies and an eagle. (He had a 62 in an informal round at Blackberry Oaks in Sugar Grove).

Other than Malm, the favorite at Olympia figures to be Illinois coach Mike Small, who won by 11 strokes the last time the event was played at the storied south suburban private club in 2010. Small has won the tourney a record nine times, but not since his runaway win at Olympia, where he is an honorary member. Steve Orrick, from Country Club of Decatur, is the defending champion. He won last year at Stonewall Orchard, in Gurnee.

FedEx Playoffs tee off

Kevin Streelman, at No. 13, is the top-ranked of six players with Illinois backgrounds in the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Playoffs, which begin on Thursday with The Barclays tourney at Liberty National in New York.

The top 125 on the season-long PGA Tour points list qualified for The Barclays, a 72-hole no-cut tournament with an $8 million purse. It’s the first of four such events, and the point winner after they’re over claims a $10 million bonus. Third stop in the series is the BMW Championship at Conway Farms in Lake Forest.

Joining Streelman among the Illinois hopefuls in The Barclays field are D.A. Points (ranked No. 25), Luke Donald (55), Luke Guthrie (72), Mark Wilson (102) and Scott Langley (124). Only the top 100 on the points list after The Barclays play in the following week’s Deutsche Bank Championship in Boston, and the top 70 after that one advance to Conway Farms.

Leader in the standings going into the playoffs is Tiger Woods, who won the FedEx Cup in its first year – 2007 – and became the only two-time champion with a victory in 2009. Last year’s winner, Brandt Snedeker, is No. 3 in the current standings behind Woods and Matt Kuchar. Phil Mickelson is No. 4, Bill Haas (FedEx Cup champion in 2011) is No. 5, U.S. Open winner Justin Rose is No. 7 and John Deere Classic champ Jordan Spieth No. 8.

NU has a super freshman coming in

Matt Fitzpatrick, who will begin his freshman year at Northwestern next month, continued a brilliant summer by winning the U.S. Amateur at Brookline, MA., on Sunday. That means his first year of college could be a wild one. By virtue of his U.S. Am win Fitzpatrick is eligible to play in the Masters, U.S. Open and British Open in addition to his college events.

Before winning the U.S. Am the 18-year-old from Sheffield, England won the British Boys title in 2012, was low amateur in this year’s British Open and runner-up in the English Amateur. His latest win elevated Fitzpatrick to the No. 1 world ranking for amateurs. He was also a shoo-in when the European Walker Cup selections were announced on Sunday.

The U.S. also made its Walker Cup selections. They featured Jordan Niebrugge, an Oklahoma State sophomore from Mequon, Wis., who won the U.S. Amateur Public Links, Wisconsin Amateur and Western Amateur titles in a three-week hot streak that preceded his first-round loss in the U.S. Am.

Luke Donald and Mark Wilson, Chicago-based PGA Tour players and members of the Western Golf Assn. board of directors, put on an exhibition this week to promote next month’s BMW Championship at Conway Farms in Lake Forest.

The nine-hole closed-to-the-public event, which included new Northwestern basketball coach Chris Collins and Bulls’ guard Kirk Heinrich, raised $45,000 for the WGA’s Evans Scholars Foundation. It also underscored the PGA players’ uncertainty about their status regarding the upcoming FedEx Cup playoffs.

Only this week’s Wyndham Championships in North Carolina preceded the four-tourney FedEx Playoffs – the biggest money opportunity in all of golf. Each of the four events – the BMW is the third – offers an $8 million purse and limited fields. Financial windfalls await the players who play the best at this time of the year.

Naturally, Donald and Wilson want to cash in, but need to improve their current position to do it. The top 125 on the season-long FedEx point stands get into The Barclay’s – the New York-based first playoff event that tees off on Aug. 22.

The top 100 after points are awarded in The Barclay’s qualify for the Deutsche Bank Championship in Boston, which begins on Aug. 30. The top 70 after the Deutsche Bank go to Conway Farms and the top 30 after that one play in the Tour Championship in Atlanta.

Based on the current standings Wilson will be hard-pressed to survive the first playoff event and Donald will have a challenge qualifying for the BMW Championship that will be played on his home course.

Donald, the world’s No. 1 player barely a year ago, dropped to No. 54 in the FedEx standings after missing the cut at last week’s PGA Championship. Wilson didn’t play in the PGA and is No. 95. He entered the Wyndham in hopes of boosting his playoff position.

“My game’s a work in progress at the moment,’’ said Donald. “Golf’s like that with its ups and downs. It’s been trying at times, but I’m looking forward to the Fed Ex events. Each tournament offers five times as many points (as the previous ones). There’s always a chance to make big leaps and bounds, and one great week can turn around your year.’’

The playoff format can also create volatile swings in the point standings, so Donald and Wilson could fall or climb dramatically depending on how they play beginning in two weeks.

“In the last two years I came into the playoffs in great position,’’ said Donald, who was No. 3 in the FedEx standings when he held the top world ranking. “This time I’m a little further back, so it’s a different mindset. One good tournament can shoot me up the board. I’m excited about that chance.’’

Wilson, hampered by a sore ankle, is also having a somewhat down season. He tied for ninth in his last start at the Canadian Open, though, and that was cause for optimism.

“I’ve worked through some swing thoughts,’’ he said, “and I’m rounding into form.’’

Wilson had spent much of his practice time in Chicago at Cog Hill, the Lemont facility that hosted the BMW Championship for 20 years prior to the WGA’s decision to move it to Conway this year. He’s not nearly as familiar with Conway as Donald is, but welcomes the change and thinks the 70 players who make it will, too.

“I played in the NCAA Championship there (in 1997) and have come on a regular basis,’’ said Wilson. “We play a lot of new courses every year on tour, and there’ll be a little learning curve, but our games travel.’’

Look out for Hardy

Nick Hardy, a 17-year old senior at Glenbrook North High School, shot a stunning 65 on Monday to lead the first round of the 36-hole stroke play qualifying at the U.S. Amateur in suburban Boston.

Hardy, who plans to attend the University of Illinois and recently played a practice round with Michael Jordan, shot his six-birdie opening round at Charles River Country Club. His second round was Tuesday at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass. – a former U.S. Open site that will be the venue for six days of match play beginning on Wednesday. The title match is on Sunday.

The U.S. Amateur started with 312 finalists from nation-wide qualifying tournaments. The low 64 after Tuesday’s second round of stroke play advancing qualify for the match play portion of the championship.

Did you know?

Emily Fletcher, who coached the Northwestern women’s team to its first Big Ten title and was the league’s coach-of-the-year, had her contracted extended through 2015.

Michael Smith of Twin Lakes, in Palatine, defeated Midlothian’s Frank Hohenadel in a three-hole playoff for the Illinois PGA Assistants title.

Top area amateur Blake Biddle of St. Charles has transferred from Nevada Las Vegas to Arkansas.

Playing in the PGA Championship isn’t anything new to Mike Small, the University of Illinois men’s coach who qualified for this week’s final major championship of 2013 for the ninth time.

Small, who got into the tourney by finishing in a tie for fourth at the Professional Players National Championship in June, has made the cut in three previous PGAs and was low club pro in 2007 and 2011. His chances to do it again don’t look as good when the event tees of on Thursday at Oak Hill in Rochester, N.Y., however.

“It’s weird. The last year and a half I haven’t played well,’’ said Small after finishing in a tie for 19th at the Illinois Open – an event he won four times. “The game’s hard for me now.’’

Small, who will also bid for his 10th win in the Illinois PGA Championship later this month at Olympia Fields, has had a big year away from playing. His Illini won the Big Ten title for the fifth straight year and finished second to Alabama in the NCAA Championship. He also was voted into the Illinois Golf Hall of Fame, the induction to take place on Oct. 25 at The Glen Club in Glenview. At 47 he’ll become the youngest member of the Hall.

He ascribes to the theory that his game has deteriorated as his coaching has improved and insists recent equipment changes have not been a factor in the dropoff in his play.

“I need to start playing the way I coach my guys,’’ he said. “I need to take my own advice, and that’s not easy sometimes. Equipment’s not a problem. It’s me. I have a problem sustaining my concentration.’’

That’s understandable, given what goes with his success on the coaching end.

“I’ve played more social golf and done more clinics than I did before,’’ he said. “And I’ve been using myself as a test-dummy. That’s helped me become a better coach, but it is what it is. I’m not playing bad. I can still compete in PGA stuff.’’

Another revival for the Chicago Open

The last big tournament of the Chicago golf season will be a new/old one. The Illinois Junior Golf Assn. is reviving the Chicago Open, a tournament that includes Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson, Sam Snead and Luke Donald on its list of past champions.

Last held in 2001, the next Chicago Open will be held Oct. 7-9 at Cantigny in Wheaton. It’ll be contested over 54 holes and offer a $50,000 purse. There’ll be five qualifying tournaments – Sept. 3 at Brown Deer in Wisconsin, Sept. 16 at Flossmoor, Sept. 23 at Country Club of Old Vincennes in Indiana and Lake Michigan in Michigan and Sept. 26 at Makray Memorial in Barrington. Players who don’t qualify in the first four events can take a second crack at it at Makray.

“In reviving the Chicago Open our goal is to provide an opportunity for aspiring tour pros and top amateurs to compete at a high level,’’ said Marty Schiene, the IJGA president. “Playing in a competition with such a rich history can make the event that much more meaningful to the contestants.’’

Did you know?

Northwestern recruit Matt Fitzgerald finished second in the English Amateur, losing the final 4 and 3 to Callum Shinkwin. Fitzgerald, who arrives at NU as a freshman in the fall, made the cut in the British Open and has climbed to third in the World Amateur Rankings.

With Michigan-based Kitchenaid extending its sponsorship the Senior PGA Championship will remain based in the Midwest. It was held at Harbor Shores, in Benton Harbor, Mich., in 2012 and Bellerive in St. Louis this year. Harbor Shores hosts again in 2014 and will also get the Champions Tour major in 2016 and 2018. Indiana’s French Lick Resort will host in 2015.

The Illinois PGA will hold its Senior Championship next Monday and Tuesday (AUG 12-13) at Lincolnshire Country Club.