Category: Tournament Reports

Ghim takes another shot at getting his first PGA Tour victory

A delighted Doug Ghim, flanked by caddies, caps off his 65 on Friday. (Joy Sarver Photos)

SILVIS, IL. – The John Deere Classic is known for its record number of champions who notched their first PGA Tour win here.  There have been 34 of them in the tourney’s first 54 years and, on Sunday, the next one could be Doug Ghim.

Ghim grew up in Arlington Heights and had a great collegiate career at Texas. But, now 30 years old and a tour member since 2018, Ghim still hasn’t had that elusive first victory.

He has come close. He played in the last group at The Players Championship in 2022, but  Justin Thomas won with Ghim finishing sixth.  He tied for second in the 2024 Shriners Children’s Open and led the John Deere Classic for 36 holes last year after shooting  62 in the first round.  But on the weekend he faded to a tie for 31st.

Doug Ghim, the pride of Arlington Heights, had his swing working at TPC Deere Run.

“It gets frustrating seeing guys you grew up with get that win and you wonder if it’ll ever happen to me,’’ said Ghim.  “Maybe it’ll be tomorrow.  If it does or not I’ll be grateful for the opportunity and I’ll learn a lot.  If I perform the way I know I can I’ll have a chance.’’

Ghim certainly performed at a high level in Saturday’s third round, shooting a 6-under-par 65 that boosted him five places into solo sixth place.  He’s at 14-under-par 199 for the first 54 holes. He trails co-leaders Lucas Glover and Lee Hodges by just two strokes and Ben Koles, Jackson Suber and Zac Blair – the trio tied for third – by one.

“I’m excited, especially playing one close to home,’’ said Ghim, “but it’s just golf.  The more you play, the luckier you get. But we all do a good job of thinking too much.’’

Lucas Glover (left) and Lee Hodges share the JDC lead heading into Sunday’s final round.

Ghim can thinking about the players he has to beat. The main one is Glover.  The 46-year old former U.S. Open champion won the JDC in 2021 and has either led solo or shared the lead in all three rounds this year.

Hodges is the only player ahead of Ghim who has a PGA Tour win.  He won the 3M Open in Minnesota in 2023, going wire-to-wire to win by seven shots. Kohles, Suber and Blair will – like Ghim – be seeking their first PGA Tour win on Sunday.

The Fourth of July produced a weather change for the JDC.  Friday night rain led to Saturday play going off in threesomes with rounds starting on both the first and 10th tees.  Preferred lies were also allowed. Still, there wasn’t a dramatic drop in scores.  Rickie Fowler did the best, shooting a 63 to tie the low round of the week.

A late afternoon thunderstorm also created a suspension in play on Friday with six players left on the course, including four atop the leaderboard. Blair was the leader at 16-under.  Kohles had finished at 15-under and Glover,  Suber and Hodges were on the course at that number.

Rickie Fowler shot a sizzling 8-under-par 63 in the third round to climb 45 places in the standings.

 

Veterans may finally have their day in the John Deere Classic

Lucas Glover won the John Deere Classic in 2021, and he might do it again. (Joy Sarver Photos)

 

 

 

SILVIS, IL. – In its first 54 stagings Illinois’ only annual PGA Tour stop was dominated by golf’s young guys.  Twenty-four of them won their first PGA Tour event in the John Deere Classic, and that’s the most of any event on the circuit.

In this year’s 55th playing, however, things may be changing.  In Thursday’s first round 46-year old Lucas Glover shot 63 on the TPC Deere Run course to grab the first round lead and 50-year old Zach Johnson was just a shot back.

Both are past JDC champions, Johnson in 2012 and Glover in 2021. Their wins weren’t flukes.  Johnson’s12 PGA Tour wins include the 2007 Masters and 2015 British Open. Glover’s six career victories include the 2009 U.S. Open.

And now, with 36 holes left, both could win again. Glover stayed hot in Round 2, shooting  a 65 to hit the halfway point in the tournament at 14-under 128.  Lee Hodges is second, two shots back, while Johnson dropped into a tie for 11th despite another solid round.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen,’’ said Johnson, who led through most of Friday’s morning session.  “I’m not in contention yet.  The way look at it is, I still have 36 holes left, but I still think guys on the Champions (50-and-over) Tour can win out here.’’

Zach Johnson agonized over a missed putt on his last hole Friday. It cost him sole possession of the lead.

Nobody knows the TPC Deere Run layout, site of the tournament since 2000, better than Johnson. He’s played in the tournament every year since 2002. Not only that, but he’s been on the tournament board of directors for many years and is an ambassador for John Deere Company.

“I know what I’m capable of, and what I’m not capable of,’’ he said. “This is just a great opportunity, again, to walk the grounds that I’ve adored and loved for so many years.’’

Glover was given his first start on the PGA Tour in 2002, right after playing college golf at Clemson.

“I’ve been coming here a long time,’’ he said.  “I’ve always been fond of the course, the town, the community, the people. Even struggling like I have this year, you pull down the driveway where you’ve had success and it gives you a good feeling. I’ve been doing this long enough to know that one swing, one round, one week can change a lot.’’

Lucas Glover’s putting style may be unusual, but it’s been working at the John Deere Classic.

While the two vets have been the story the first two days,  they know there’s trouble ahead.

Moments after Johnson made bogey on his last hole Chris Gotterup, playing in the threesome immediately behind him, pulled into a tie for the lead. This young star has already won the Myrtle Beach Classic on the PGA Tour and will defend his Irish Open title next week. Then Jackson Suber led briefly until Glover, playing in the afternoon, took charge by shooting a 5-under-par 31 on his first nine.

Two-time winner Jordan Spieth, Wheaton’s Kevin Streelman, Arlington Heights’ Doug Ghim  and reigning Illinois Open champion Michael Feagles all survived the 36-hole cut. Brian Campbell, last year’s JDC winner, didn’t.

Eric Cole had the day’s best round, an unlikely 63 after shooting 76 on Thursday.  He damaged his 8-iron in frustration after stand 140th in the first round and had a whole set of irons shipped to him for Round 2. The new clubs helped him gain a weekend playing spot and made  him the playing coming from the farthest behind to survive in the history of the tournament.

American flags were in abundance as the golf world got ready for the Fourth of July.

 

 

 

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Fitzpatrick’s strong finish is too much for Lipsky at the Valspar

Matt Fitzpatrick, after suffering a tough loss in The Players Championship, bounced back a week later in the Valspar. (Joy Sarver Photos)

PALM HARBOR, FL. – The Valspar Championship came down to a duel between two former Northwestern golfers, though that might be a bit of a stretch.

Matt Fitzpatrick, a champion for the third time on the PGA Tour, only attended NU for one quarter in 2013.  After helping the Wildcats to two in five tournaments Fitzpatrick won that year’s U.S. Amateur and decided to turn pro in 2014. Now 31, his pro career has been highlighted by a victory in the 2022 U.S.Open

David Lipsky, meanwhile, also won two tournaments during his career at NU and was an All-American in 2011. But, now 37, he’s yet to win on the PGA Tour.  He certainly came close Sunday on the Copperhead Course, though.

The two were tied for the lead heading to the 18th tee.  Fitzpatrick, playing in the twosome in front of Lipsky, hit two good shots on the par-4 and rolled in a 13-foot birdie putt to take a one-stroke lead.  Lipsky hit his drive in the right rough but make a gutty recovery, hitting his second to the back fringe of the green.  That left him a 32-foot putt for birdie to force a playoff.  His didn’t drop.

“I was right between clubs on my second shot,’’ said Lipsky.  “I almost pulled off that shot, and I almost made the putt.’’

Almost – but that only counts in horseshoes.

Matt Fitzpatrick (left) celebrates a winning putt while David Lipsky (upper left) and Brandt Snedeker had tough days in the final round.

Fitzpatrick’s 11-under-par 273 edged Lipsky and provided the England-born star some consolation after a final hole bogey cost him the title in The Players Championship last week in the PGA Tour’s premier tournament after Fitzgerald’s mishap.

That was a tough loss for Fitzpatrick to shake off.

“It was frustrating, a weird feeling, played at another Florida course — TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra. Cameron Young got the title there’’ he said.  “I didn’t feel I did much of anything wrong on the back nine, but today I played fantastic on every shot on 17 and 18, and that made this on so special.’’

The Valspar event ended the four-week Florida Swing and the PGA Tour has tournaments in Texas the next two weeks before the year’s first of four major championships, the Masters in Georgia.

While the title came down to Fitzpatrick and Lipsky there were plenty of other contenders. South Korea’s Sungjae Im was in position for a rare wire-to-wire win until his game unravelled in the early holes.

Brandt Snedeker, who will captain the U.S. team in the President’s Cup at Medinah in September, was paired with Im in the final group. Unlike Im, he stayed in the thick of the battle deep into the back nine.  At 45 and coming off four missed cuts, Snedeker was tied for the lead along with England’s Jordan Smith and Marco Penge, Fitzpatrick and Lipsky with seven holes to go.

Snedeker faded to a 76 and tied for 18th. Smith would up two behind Fitzpatrick in third place and Xander Schauffele, who shot 65, grabbed a share of fourth with Im and Penge.

Matt Fitzpatrick was swamped by spectators after his clutch putt dropped on the 18th green.

 

Ghim may have let a good chance for first PGA Tour win get away

Arlington Height’s Doug Ghim fell back in the third round of the Valspar Championship but could still have his best finish of the 2026 season on Sunday. (Joy Sarver Photos)

PALM HARBOR, FL. – Doug Ghim, one of the few Chicago area players left on the PGA Tour, has yet to win in his nine pro seasons, but he seemed to have a chance midway through the Valspar Championship at the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort.

Ghim, from Arlington Heights with stints at Buffalo Grove High School and the University of Texas, was two shots behind leader Sungjae Im, of South Korea, midway through the tournament after shooting rounds of 68 and 67.

“Two straight days in the 60s out here is always good,’’ said Ghim, who had a chip-in for eagle to highlight Friday’s round.  “Mentally it’s probably the hardest one that we play all year.’’

Though he opened Saturday’s Round 3 with a birdie, the mental side apparently got to Ghim in a ragged front nine when he made a double bogey at No. 3 and bogeys at Nos. 6 and 7.  Playing in the next-to-the-last twosome to tee off, Ghim dropped down to a tie for 17th after a 75 in Saturday’s third round, but he didn’t give up with Sunday’s final round still to be played.

“Everyone’s going to struggle,’’ he said.  “Then there’s going to be guys that get on runs and hopefully we are one of those guys.’’

South Korea’s Sungjae Im is the tournament leader and David Lipsky, his Saturday playing partner, will still be chasing him again in the final round on Sunday.

Ghim, 29, needs a good tournament.  He made the cut in four of his first six this year, but his best finish was only a tie for 26th in Puerto Rico a week ago. Now he’s still chasing Im, who hit the 54-holes stop at 11-under-par 202.

Tied for second are two players with Illinois connections – sort of.  Brandt Snedeker and David Lipsky are at 9-under 204.  Snedeker, who posted a 67 in the third round, will be the U.S. captain when the Presidents Cup at Medinah climaxes the Chicago golf season in September.

Lipsky, a Northwestern alum, started the day one shot behind Im – his playing partner on Saturday. At 37 Lipsky’s no kid anymore. He won two college tournaments for NU and was an All-American for the Wildcats in 2011. Though he has four wins as a professional, none came on the PGA Tour. Still, the 15-season pro has $6.5 million in winnings on the circuit with 81 cuts made in 144 starts.

Adrien Dumont de Chassart, a more recent star at Illinois,  fired a 67 on Saturday to move into a tie for sixth. The 26-year old Belgium product has made five cuts in seven starts and finished in the top 30 four times.

Sunday’s round completes the four-tournament Florida Swing – a popular segment of events every year on the PGA Tour.  The circuit then shifts to Texas for the Texas Children’s Houston Open and Valero Texas Open.  After those two weeks comes the April 9-12 Masters – the first of the four major championships in 2026.

The stunning bunkering on the 18th hole of Innisbrook’s Copperhead Course could impact the outcome of the tournament on Sunday.

 

Bhatia spoils Berger’s bid for the Arnold Palmer title

Akshay Bhatia posted a surprising, but well-deserved — victory at Bay Hill. (Joy Sarver Photos)

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 the year’s biggest tournaments – this week’s Players Championship and next month’s Masters.

Berger is a Florida guy through and through, having grown up in Delray Beach, played college golf at Florida State and now a resident of Jupiter —  the home of many PGA Tour players.  After two years battling a serious back injury and being sidelined the last four months of 2025 with a broken finger, Berger seemed a perfect fit to complete a comeback bid at Bay Hill Club – the place made famous by Arnold Palmer.

It wasn’t meant to be, though. Berger had a four-stroke lead entering the final nine holes but wound up losing after making a three-putt bogey in the first hole of a sudden death playoff.  Bhatia’s two-putt par was good enough to end their duel.

Daniel Berger faces the end of his run at the API title after the playoff is over.

Bhatia, a California native who played in his first PGA Tour event as a 17-year old in 2019, became a circuit member in 2023 and won his third PGA Tour event on Sunday after matching Berger’s 15-under-par performance in the regulation 72 holes before the one-hole playoff. All Bhatia’s three wins came in playoffs.

Berger took his loss graciously.

“I was proud of myself, though obviously it didn’t end the way I wanted,’’ he said.  “There were a lot of things to learn from.  It was a tough battle, and a shot here or there was the difference.’’

Those big shots came from Bhatia’s clubs, especially during a stretch of four straight birdies on holes 10-14.

Playoff excitement crowded a big response from the gallery at Bay Hill.

“I went to the 10th hole very angry,’’ he said.  “That changed my momentum. I felt like Arnie’s Army was with me. I could feel the momentum. I know the magnitude of this tournament.’’

He called a 6-iron shot from 196 yards on No. 11 that set up an eagle “the best 6-iron of my life.’’

“The biggest thing was proving to  myself that I could do it,’’ he said. “This was another big step for me.  I never thought I could do this, given there was so much pressure.’’

Bhatia went to college at Wake Forest, the North Carolina school that tournament founder Arnold Palmer attended.

ARNIE IS WATCHING: The scene at Bay Hill’s No. 1 tee is evidence that Palmer’s memory lives on.

 

 

 

 

Back injury forces McIlroy to WD from Palmer tourney

Daniel Berger has owned the Arnold Palmer Invitational through 53 holes. On Sunday he will try to finish the job, though his lead is down to just two strokes. (Joy Sarver Photos)

 

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 Saturday but his status for two more big ones is in limbo.  The Players Championship – billed as golf’s “fifth major’’ — is next week at TPC Sawgrass in Florida, and then comes the Masters next month at Augusta National in Georgia.

McIlroy would be a strong contender in both events, assuming he’s healthy. Last year he won the Masters to complete the career Grand Slam.  He had earlier wins in the 2011 U.S. Open, 2012 and 2014 PGA Championships and 2014 British Open and was excited about his potential for more big victories before teeing off in the API.

“Obviously it’s a very important event on the PGA Tour and in my schedule,’’ said McIlroy, who played at Bay Hill every year since 2015 and won the title in 2018. He was 4-under-par in the top 10 after 36 holes this week and trailed leader Daniel Berger by nine shots until the back problems kicked in.

“While warming up in the gym in the morning  I felt a twinge in my back,’’  said McIlroy.  “As I started hitting balls on the range before my round it worsened and developed into muscle spasms in my lower back.  Unfortunately I wasn’t able to continue.’’

He withdrew from the tournament – his first WD since the 2013 Honda Classic – 30 minutes before his tee time. That left playing partner Ryan Fox of New Zealand to play by himself. Two hours after their scheduled tee time together a torrential rain hit Bay Hill, forcing a delay in play for nearly two hours.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler had a weird third round, making four bogeys in the first eight holes and then stringing four birdies (and five in six holes) on the back nine. He’s still far from contention entering Sunday’s final round after making a finishing double bogey for a par 72 on Saturday.

Alshay Bhatia has been closing in on Daniel Berger, but he’s hasn’t caught him yet.

Berger, though, is another story.  He’s in position for a wire-to-wire victory on Sunday. He owned a two-stroke lead over playing partner Akshay Bhatia when play was suspended darkness. Bhatia completed 16 holes with a finishing birdie and Berger has a 33-foot putt for eagle, that he chose to carry over until Sunday.  Both will finish their third rounds at 8 a.m. Sunday before the final round tees off.

McIlroy is the defending champion in both The Players Championship and the Masters.

“I’m really excited for those two weeks,’’ he said.  “I had seen really important signs in my game at Pebble Beach and Riviera on our West Coast Swing. My game feels in really good shape.’’

So does his mind off the course.  Earlier this week he criticized Spain’s Jon Rahm for refusing to rejoin the DP World Tour and stay with the LIV circuit instead. He also lauded Luke Donald for taking on the European captaincy in the Ryder Cup again.  Donald will be bidding to be Europe’s first captain to win three straight Ryder Cups, but McIlroy isn’t as excited about golf politics anymore.

“I was in the weeds with tour politics for a few years,’’ he admitted, “and I’m happy I’m out of it.’’

Bay Hill looked its best for this Arnold Palmer Invitational — until heavy rains hit the course.

 

 

 

 

 

LIV Tour won’t have a Chicago tournament in 2026

The LIV Golf Tour kicks off its fifth season this week in Saudi Arabia minus four of its mainstay players and one notable change in its 14-tournament schedule.

Chicago was the site of tournaments in the lucrative Saudi-backed circuit’s first four years, but not this time.  “No Chicago event this year,’’ a LIV spokesperson confirmed on Wednesday.  LIV had tournaments at Rich Harvest Farms, in Sugar Grove, in 2022 and 2023 and at Bolingbrook Golf Club in 2024 and 2025.

Dean Burmester and Jon Rahm were the champions the last two years at Bolingbrook after Cameron Smith and Bryson DeChambeau triumphed at Rich Harvest.   All four events were well-attended as the PGA Tour didn’t hold tournaments in Chicago in those years. The PGA Tour returns this year with the Presidents Cup team event at Medinah in September, four weeks  after LIV’s 14-tournament season is over.

LIV starts its fifth season without Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed, who are planning to return to the PGA Tour.  Phil Mickelson and Lee Westwood won’t play in LIV’s first two events, citing personal conflicts.

The LIV events will be played at 72 holes instead of the 54 in the first two years and the fields will be increased to 57 players.  New LIV competitors include Thomas Detry, a University of Illinois alum who won the PGA Tour’s event in Phoenix last year, and Michael LaSassa, the reigning NCAA individual champion.

LIV also will have its first French player (Victor Perez) and first Canadian (Richard Lee) and a limited number of World Ranking Points will be awarded in LIV events for the first time. There’ll be 11 winners of major championships and players from 20 countries on  LIV team rosters.  This week’s  opener in Saudi Arabia will be played under the lights.

The first six LIV tournaments will be played on foreign soil. First of the six scheduled in the U.S. is at Trump Doral in Miami April 4-6.

First big golf event in Chicago, though, will come before February is out.  The Chicago Golf Show, the traditional start to the Chicago season, is Feb. 27-March 1.  First conducted in 1984, the Chicago show returns to the Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont.

 

 

 

Anthony Kim earns his way back to the LIV tour

Anthony Kim had his game together in the LIV tour’s Promotions event. (Photos courtesy of Beverly and Greg Wise)

LECANTO, FL. – Anthony Kim is back on the LIV Tour in 2026, and he earned it with his clubs this time.

Kim, who had a 12-year hiatus from golf after a promising start to his professional career, finished third in LIV’s Promotion tournament at Black Diamond Ranch.  That was good enough to regain his wild card status for all the 2026 tournaments.

He had been relegated off the roster for failure to meet performance requirements after LIV officials gave him a chance to revive his career.

Many doubted the 40-year old would ever make it back, but he did in a 72-hole elimination on a Tom Fazio-designed course that started with 80 players from 24 countries. Only 22 advanced to the weekend rounds and Kim finished third among the three qualifiers.

“I wasn’t here to prove anybody wrong,’’ said Kim.  “I’m here to prove myself right.’’

He finished 66-69 on the weekend but the key moment came when he made an eight-foot birdie putt on the last green of the second round to avoid being cut from weekend play.  When that putt dropped the other players were quick to applaud his accomplishment. Not only did he get a boost from his fellow competitors, he earned  a spot necessary for him to finish his goal.

Two 35-year olds – Richard T. Lee from Canada and Bjorn Hellgren from Sweden—were the top two finishers, and Lee became the first LIV Tour qualifier from Canada. Kim was more in the spotlight at the end at the 45-hole private facility, however.

Kim was tied with two golfers from Thailand for the coveted third spot through 10 holes, then he rolled in a 20-foot birdie putt at No. 11.  He remain solo third the rest of the way without making another birdie and making bogey on the final hole.

“I’ve worked so hard,’’ said Kim, holding his young daughter in post-tournament interviews, “and this little girl is one of the reasons why.  And my wife’s been so supportive.’’

Kim’s departure from pro golf remained somewhat of a mystery. Born in Los Angeles and a  collegiate player at Oklahoma, Kim was a quick hit after earning a spot on the PGA Tour.  He won three tournaments there and earned roster spots in the 2008 Ryder Cup and 2009 Presidents Cup.

His career deteriorated after he suffered an achilles injury in 2012,  but  more was involved in his dropping off the PGA Tour than that injury. He did somewhat address his time away from the game after the tournament was over.

“I just wanted to keep working hard, staying sober, spending time with my family and doing all the things that are the more important things in my life,’’ he said. “After I left rehab one of my goals was to be outside more and, I mean, practicing for 10 hours a day.’’

He did that in between struggling through 25 LIV tournaments.  His best finish was a tie for 25th last year in Dallas.

“I’m a completely different person than I was,’’ he said.  “I’ve been forced as a husband and a dad, and as somebody that I think people are relating to as far as struggling.  I’ve got more to do in my life than golf.’’

But golf remains a huge part.  He’ll play on both the Asian Tour’s International Series as well as the LIV circuit this year.

“This is just the first step,’’ he said.  “I’m glad I earned my spot so everybody can stop talking about that.  I’ll be back soon, and I’ll be winning golf tournaments soon.’’

The first LIV tournament of the season is Feb. 4-7 in Saudi Arabia.

Kim survives, Chase Koepka out in LIV Promotion event

One’s in, one’s out: Richard T. Lee (left), of Canada, survived another day at the LIV Golf Promotions tourney, but playing partner Chase Koepka came up a shot short. (Joy Sarver Photos)

LECANTO, FL. – Three players will earn spots on the lucrative LIV Golf tour this weekend, and they know it won’t be easy.

Promotion to the Saudi-backed circuit is demanding.  The qualifier started with 60 players from 24 countries on Thursday.  The low 20 and ties – it turned out to be 29 players – advanced to Friday’s second round where they were joined by 18 players who earned exemptions off their play on the International Series or Korean, Japan, Asian, Australasia and Sunshine tours.

Another cut followed that round, and the top 20 and ties advanced to the final 36 holes Saturday and Sunday at the Tom Fazio-designed Ranch course at the 45-hole Black Diamond facility. Jeunghun Wang, of Korea, was low on Friday with a 65.

Korean Jeunghun Wang’s 65 was the best second round in LIV’s qualifier at Black Diamond Ranch.

“For everyone out there striving for three cards it’s going to be a life-changer to be out there in LIV  Golf and performing at the highest level,’’ said Richard T. Lee, who hopes to become the first player from Canada on the circuit. He survived with a 66 on Friday and Anthony Kim, who played on the circuit last year, also kept  his hopes alive with a 69. That was the day’s cut number.

Lee just hopes to be in contention for LIV dollars, and he performed well for the first 36 holes in the Promotions event. In Round 1 he was low man by two shots after shooting a under-par 64.  In Round 2 he posted a 66. Lee played the second round paired with Chase Koepka, brother of Brooks Koepka – a five-time winner in golf’s major championships who opted to drop off the Saudi circuit for its upcoming fifth season.

Citing family reasons for his decision , Brooks was the captain of the Smash team on the LIV circuit the last four years and Chase was a member of the four-man team the first two years.  Then he encountered shoulder problems and didn’t play the last two years.  He hoped to return to the circuit through the Promotions event but came up a shot short of advancing to the weekend rounds after shooting a 70 on Friday.

Koepka rallied with birdies at Nos. 11, 12 and 13 to get to 1-under-par —  the cut number – but he made bogey on the last hole, which kept him from advancing.

Chicago was the site of LIV tournaments the last four years –the first two at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove and the last two at Bolingbrook Golf Club.  Chicago’s not on the schedule for 2026 – at least not yet.

LIV has two tournament dates still to be filled.  One, in the spring, will be held on foreign soil and the other – in the summer – will be a U.S. stop. That’s the only possibility for Chicago to retain a place on the LIV circuit.

The rival PGA Tour hasn’t had tournaments in Chicago on a regular basis in recent years, but the Presidents Cup will be played at Medinah in September.

Chase Koepka’s bid to return to the LIV Tour ended with a missed par putt on the 18th green.

 

Hensby fits right in at pro golf’s most unusual event

Mark Hensby got his golfing start in Illinois’ big tournaments and now has a select spot in a PGA Tour Champions event that may be the most unusual competition in golf. (Pat Eastman Photo)

 

CLEARWATER, Florida – When Mark Hensby was getting started in professional golf he was definitely different.

He moved from Australia to the Chicago area in 1996, devoted himself to golf and promptly won the Illinois State Amateur.  He was known to occasionally sleep in his car in the Cog Hill parking lot in those days, but his game continued to  improve.  In 1998 he won the Illinois Open and in 2004 he took the John Deere Classic, Illinois’ longstanding event on the PGA Tour.

Hensby made a good career after that, even playing on one of the Presidents Cup teams, but not without a touch of the unusual mixed in. In 2009, Hensby took a break from golf to ride 430 miles in a charity cycling event in Arizona, where he has been a long-time resident. Not many pro tour golfers would attempt something like that.

So, this week is different, but Hensby is there. The Skechers World Champions Cup, a stop on PGA Tour Champions  at Feather Sound Country Club, is the most unusual competition in professional golf.  I haven’t heard of anything like it  in my 50-plus years covering golf, and this one doesn’t have much of a history.  The first playing was at The Concession, in Bradenton, FL., in 2023.  The event wasn’t played in 2024.

Play is in sixsomes over only nine holes with three formats – six-ball, Scottish Six-somes and singles – being used. Hensby was a late addition to the select field thanks to a solid season on PGA Tour Champions.  He had five top-10 finishes and was No. 26 on the season money list in 2025.

There were two-man teams from Team USA, Team International and Team Europe competing for most of it. The teams played together in six nine-hole matches spread over Thursday and Friday.

Have you ever seen a golf tournament leaderboard like this one?

Matches weren’t played on Saturday.  Pro-ams are usually held on Wednesday — the day before the real competition begins — but this time the amateurs got to play with the pros on the day before they decided a championship. The pro-am was over 18 holes, much different than the tourney format, and the course wasn’t open to the public on pro-am day.

All Skechers World Champions Cup competitors are regulars on the 50-and-over Champions circuit. Jim Furyk (USA}, Darren Clarke (Europe) and Mike Weir (International) are the team captains. Bernhard Langer was ill and didn’t play for the Europeans in the first three matches. Hensby is on the International team based on his Australian background.

Skechers provided shoes for all the players as well as their caddies, spouses and tournament volunteers. The unusual format forced some adjustment for the players, especially Hensby. Six players teed off in each group on each hole in the team portion.

“You just pay attention and take your time,’’ said Hensby.  “It’s a little different.  Four times I walked where there were still guys to hit, so that’s definitely different.’’

Hensby was paired with Y.E. Yang, from South Korea, in the first two rounds, and they were the top point-producers in both of them. Friday turned sour for Hensby after that, as his team was the lowest point-producer in the morning session and Hensby couldn’t play in the afternoon.

“At dinner last night Mark said he might only go nine holes (on Friday),’’ said Charlie Wi, an alternate on the International squad.  “I didn’t put much into it, but today he wasn’t feeling well and said he couldn’t feel his clubs.’’

So, Wi took Hensby’s place – and that presented an odd spin.  When Hensby captured his only PGA Tour Champions victory in Texas in 2023 he defeated Wi in a playoff. Whether he’ll be back in the lineup Sunday is uncertain, but the competition is tight.

Europe leads with 109.5 points to 108 for the U.S. and 106.5 for the International team. The tourney concludes on Sunday with 12 singles  matches. TV coverage on the final day will be split between Golf Channel and ABC.

The field in the Skechers World Champions Cup consisted of only  24 players but they received a warm welcome from the spectators at Feather Sound