By far the biggest month of the golf season in the Midwest begins in just a few days. July offers the U.S. Women’s Open at Blackwolf Run in Wisconsin and the John Deere Classic in the Quad Cities , followed by the two state opens for Illinois golfers and the start of the Western Amateur…
Daily Herald Columns
Illinois Open site change delights defending champion Arouca
For over three decades Illinois club professionals dominated their amateur counterparts. Those days are apparently over. Last week the Chicago District Golf Association’s amateur stars beat the Illinois PGA’s best 11 ½-6 ½ in the 51st Radix Cup matches at Oak Park Country Club. That was the CDGA’s fourth win in five years in the…
Hot nine on Scarlet course got Streelman into the Open
Kevin Streelman’s golf game may be peaking at just the right time. The PGA Tour player from Winfield got into this week’s U.S. Open with an extraordinary nine holes in last week’s 36-hole sectional qualifier in Columbus. After shooting a 71 in the first 18, played at Scioto – Jack Nicklaus’ home course as a…
Mistwood shows off its new bunkers
Stacked sod-wall bunkers are an extreme rarity at Chicago courses, but they won’t be as much a mystery after owner Jim McWethy re-opens his Mistwood course in Romeoville. That’ll happen for the course’s members and permanent tee time holders on Saturday (JUNE 2). Michigan-based course architect Ray Hearn incorporated 19 such bunkers into his new…
Harrigan, Rosinia take aim at Senior PGA
This is an unusual year for big-time tournament golf in Chicago. Only September’s Ryder Cup at Medinah is on the calendar, but five other big-time events are within a short drive. The first of those is the 73rd Senior PGA Championship, one of the majors on the Champions Tour. It begins a 72-hole run on…
Sobb’s streak is over in IPGA match plays
For two years now Jim Sobb has been the man whenever the Illinois PGA holds a match play tournament. This year, though, his reign can to an abrupt halt. The Ivanhoe pro won the section’s senior match play title in 2010 and 2011, was runner-up in the regular match play in 2010 and became the…
Chien, Hopfinger lead first U.S. Open local qualifier
Monday’s rains forced the Illinois Public Links Championship to be reduced from 36 to 18 holes, but the bad weather didn’t hamper the first of two local qualifying rounds for the U.S. Open – the first significant competition of this Chicago golf season. Northwestern student Sam Chien, an amateur, and Iowa alum Brad Hopfinger, winner…
Affrunti’s return to PGA Tour will take awhile
Last Sunday’s conclusion of the PGA Tour’s Valero Texas Open created a time of reflection for Crystal Lake’s Joe Affrunti, whose last appearance on golf’s premier circuit was at that tournament in 2011. For Affrunti, a former Illinois Open champion and University of Illinois graduate, the last year has been difficult – and that’s putting…
Only minor changes coming at Cog Hill
Cog Hill is off the PGA Tour calendar for only the second time since 1991 this year, but that won’t keep owner Frank Jemsek from tweaking his Dubsdread layout that hosted both the Western Open and BMW Championship. Jemsek opened the premier course on his 72-hole Lemont complex last week with some minor changes. The…
Batavia’s Martin is one busy course architect
Batavia-based Greg Martin has been one busy golf course architect within the Chicago area of late. Three of his public course projects are about to open for the season, and at least three others are in the works. Martin handled two renovation projects last fall — the front nine at Fox Run in Elk Grove…