Phil Mickelson obviously won’t be playing in this week’s KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Olympia Fields but – just as was the case at last week’s U.S. Open – he was still part of the show.

Mickelson’s participation in the Open at Erin Hills was in limbo until he formally withdrew to attend his daughter’s high school graduation in California just before the first round started at Erin Hills in Wisconsin. After the Open he was the talk of the golf world again when he announced a breakup with Jim Mackay, his caddie of 25 years.

Monday was a day for Mickelson to do some promotional work for KPMG, sponsor of the second of five major championships on the Ladies PGA Tour. The $3.5 million 72-hole championship tees off on Thursday but Mickelson gave tournament week a big sendoff when he competed with three of the top women players – defending champion Brooke Henderson, world No. 1 Lydia Ko and Stacy Lewis – in a fun exhibition that was closed to the public.

Several youth groups and Olympia members filled the bleachers as Mickelson and Henderson wound up in a duel for the title, Mickelson winning.

“It was fun a showcase for the young kids – and hopefully it’ll inspire them,’’ said Henderson amidst a throng of autograph-seekers.

Mickelson claimed he was “nervous’’ beforehand, but insisted his support for women’s golf overrode the competitive aspect of the day. Through his foundation he is making a contribution to the KPMG Future Leaders Program for the creation of college scholarships and believes the tournament will have a positive impact on women both on and off the course.

He was particularly respectful of Henderson, Ko and Lewis – three of the greatest stars in women’s golf.

“I know how good they are,’’ said Mickelson, “and it was fun to be around some of the best athletes in the world. Last year, when Brooke shot her low rounds (in winning the tournament at Sahalee in Washington) that was one of the most exciting events of the year.’’

Mickelson arrived at Olympia Fields on a Metra train from downtown Chicago to underscore an easy mode of transportation for spectators to get to the tournament.

Henderson and her cohorts will carry that message further in a day-long pro-am today that also features former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, U.S. Olympic medalist Michelle Kwan, comedian George Lopez, Chicago sports legends Brian Urlacher, Ryne Sandberg and Greg Maddux and TV personality Drew Scott.

As for the much-publicized breakup with his caddie, Mickelson admitted it was emotional. Their last round together was in the St. Jude Classic in Memphis.

“We had hoped to end at the U.S. Open, because that’s where we started in 1992,’’ said Mickelson, “but we both knew it was time. He’ll have some incredible opportunities, and I’ve cherished the last 25 years. We’ve come through highs and lows on and off the course, but I’m also looking forward to spending time with my brother.’’

Tim Mickelson will be Phil’s caddie for the rest of the year and Mickelson added one bit of new information on the caddie switch. It came with the permission of young PGA phenom Jon Rahm. Tim was Rahm’s college coach at Arizona State. He quit the ASU job to become Rahm’s manager, a job he’ll now conduct along with his caddie duties.

ERIN, Wis. – Brian Harman didn’t lose Sunday’s U.S. Open. Brooks Koepka just won it. That’s how Harman sees it.

The turning point came on Erin Hills’ back nine after Harman made bogeys at Nos. 12 and 13.

“Then I made the birdie at 14 and he birdies 14, 15 and 16,’’ said Harman. “That was kind of lights out. You’ve got to tip your cap. He went out and won the tournament on the back nine. I’ve done that before, but he did it today.’’

Koepka talked afterwards about feeling like an under-achiever until he won his first major title. Harman could identify with that.

“When I was a young junior golfer I definitely perceived myself contending in majors,’’ he said. “Not that I’m an old man by any means, but I am 30. So for me I am trying to make up for some lost time. I don’t know why, but that’s the way I feel.’’

MONEY-MAKERS: The tourney’s $12 million purse represents another big jump in recent years. In 2003 it was $6 million, in 2014 it was $9 million and in 2015 it hit $10 million.

Last year Dustin Johnson’s first-place prize was $1.8 million. Koepka earned $2,160,000 for his victory on Sunday.

A BREEZE: Jordan Spieth was the ninth player to tee off on Sunday and the wind was at its worst, approaching 30 miles per hour. That didn’t keep Spieth from shooting a 3-under-par 69 – his best round of the tournament.

“A fantastic round of golf, given what we were dealing with to start the day,’’ he said. Conditions got easier as the day went on and Spieth left a happier man than he’d been all week.

“I struck the ball the same way I have been. I hit 17 greens, which was just awesome in these conditions,’’ he said. And then my expectations were lowered on the greens given the conditions. That was the difference. I was able to get to a few under by just accepting the fact that the putt might miss instead of having to have it perfect. Maybe a day like today is all I needed to just kind of calm down.’’

HEROES AT HOME: Steve Stricker and Jordan Niebrugge, the two Wisconsin players in the finals, finished up in style. Stricker shot 69-69 on the weekend to get to 5-under for the tournament. Making birdies on three of the last five holes, Niebrugge was 3-under on his final nine and was 1-over for the 72 holes.

Stricker hosts a Champions Tour event, the American Family Insurance Championship, at University Ridge in Madison this week while Niebrugge just learned he has a spot in the Web.com Tour’s Lincoln Land Charity Championship, at Panther Creek in Springfield, IL.

SCHEFFLERS WIN: The battle for low amateur at the U.S. Open was a two-man duel between Texans. Scottie Scheffler of Texas was 1-under-par in edging Cameron Champ of Texas A&M by one stroke. It was a team win for the Schefflers as Scottie’s sister Cali worked as his caddie.

WHAT’S THE BEEF? Andrew “Beef’’ Johnson has been popular with the galleries whenever he comes over from London to play in a tournament, but his popularity was magnified at Erin Hills.

“It’s been wicked,’’ said Johnston. “The people have been so good to me. Hopefully they’ve had fun watching me, as well, because I’ve had fun with them. I never dreamt of this. To have the support is just crazy.’’

A WIND PLAYER: Veteran Matt Kuchar took advantage of the windier conditions on Sunday to finish his U.S. Open with a 4-under-par 68.

“I was looking forward to tougher conditions, knowing that I’d have a chance to make up a lot of ground,’’ he said. “I did just that.’’

He gave Erin Hills high grades in its first year as a U.S. Open site.

“The course was great. The people were great,’’ said Kuchar. “The tournament was really well run. We’ll be leaving on a high note.’’

ERIN, Wis. – Johnny Miller, the golf analyst for NBC, was impressed by Justin Thomas’ 63 in Saturday’s third round of the U.S. Open, especially the 9-under-par aspect to it. Miller shot the first 63 in the Open 44 years ago, and his score was 8-under on a par-71 course.

“Justin Thomas is a lot like I am. He’s a streaky player,’’ Miller told The Golf Channel. “When I was in my prime it was the same way. I could get it really low.’’

As for Thomas having a better score in relation to par, Miller had some qualms.

“Taking nothing away from 9-under-par,’’ he said. “Nine-under is incredible, but it isn’t a U.S. Open course that I’m familiar with, the way it was set up.’’

Erin Hills is 11 years old and hosting its first U.S. Open. Miller shot his 63 at Oakmont, the Pennsylvania course that has hosted a record nine Opens.

STILL AROUND: No doubt Steve Stricker was snubbed by the U.S. Golf Assn. when he didn’t receive a sponsor’s invitation to the first U.S. Open in his home state. Stricker never complained, though, and he’s been rewarded.

Not only did Stricker survive a sectional qualifying round, he also survived the 36-hole cut at Erin Hills. He’s been greeted with standing ovations throughout his rounds and feels his decision to enter qualifying – despite his stature in the game — was well worth it.

“I wanted to experience our first U.S. Open (in Wisconsin) more than anything,’’ he said. “I’m glad I went through it, and I’m glad I’m here.’’

Stricker made the cut in 18 of his 20 U.S. Open appearances, but this was the first one since he turned 50. Next week he’ll play in the American Family Insurance Championship, a PGA Champions Tour event that tees off on Friday at University Ridge in Madison, Wis. Stricker, who lives in Madison, is the two-year old tournament’s host.

“Next week is for totally different purposes,’’ he said. “It’s about raising money for our foundation and giving back to our area and our community. That’s a totally different feel for me. This (week) is more on a playing level.’’

HOW TIMES CHANGE: Last week Stephan Jaeger was en route to winning his second Web.com Tour event in a three-week stretch in the Rust-Oleum Championship at Ivanhoe Club. On Saturday he was not only paired with two-time major champion Jordan Spieth in the U.S. Open, he beat him.

Jaeger shot 74 to hit the 54-hole stop at 2-over-par and in a tie for 51st place. Spieth shot 76 and is tied for 59th entering today’s final round.

Spieth stayed upbeat.

“I’ve been striking the ball well. It’s just been trying to figure it out on and around the greens. Once the cannon gets open I’ll start pouring them in.’’

TALE OF FOURSOMES: The U.S.. Open had four co-leaders entering Saturday’s round – Brian Harman, Brooks Koepka, Tommy Fleetwood and Paul Casey. It was the first time since 1974 at Winged Foot that four players were tied for the lead. Then the foursome was Hale Irwin, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Raymond Floyd.

GOOD DAY FOR THE JDC: Zach Johnson and Harman are both Georgia neighbors and recent winners of the John Deere Classic, the only annual PGA Tour event in Illinois. Both have also played well in this U.S. Open. Harman, in fact, is leading through 54 holes and in position to become the tourney’s first left-handed champion today.

For Johnson Saturday’s 68 was particularly good news because his play hasn’t been what he’s wanted it to be.

“Probably the best my game’s been all year,’’ said Johnson. “From a contentment standpoint this is the best I’ve felt with my golf bag all the way through.’’

Johnson switched to PXG clubs and that didn’t produce good results initially.

“I probably didn’t listen to them enough in the beginning,’’ said Johnson. “My stubbornness, my arrogance got in the way. But those individuals at PXG have really pushed me and persuaded me in the right direction over the last eight-nine months.’’

TO THE VICTOR: The champion of this year’s Open will receive $2,160,000 and the runner-up will get $1,296,000. The 66th, and last-place, finisher will receive $22,729 from a total purse of $12,000,000. All professionals who missed Friday’s 36-hole curt will receive $10,000.

ERIN, Wis. — Away from the play on the course it’s been one thing after another for the U.S. Golf Association to deal with at this 117th U.S. Open.

On Thursday it was a blimp crash a half-mile from the course. On Friday the USGA announced that E.Coli bacteria had been detected in a Hydration Station on the No. 12 hole and announced that bottled water would be delivered to all four such stations as a precautionary measure.

During Friday’s second round came an even worse development – the death of a 94-year old man from nearby Wauwatosa who had been watching the action in the grandstand near the No. 6 green on his first visit to this U.S. Open.

Rescue personnel and Washington County sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the grandstand and arrived three minutes after being called. They reported the man to be pulseless and not breathing. The unidentified subject was transferred to an on-site ambulance where he was pronounced deceased. No foul play is suspected and the death appears to be of natural causes, according the medical personnel.

GO FIGURE: Defending champion Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy and Jason Day – the top three players in the Official World Golf Rankings – all failed to survive the 36-hole cut on Friday.

Johnson and McIlroy are still shaking off injuries and Day, who was basically out of it after a first-round 79, was the most surprised.

“It’s been the best preparation going into a major in my career,’’ he said. “I did the work, looked at the golf course, made sure that I could actually play and visualize the golf course. And, I felt the most calm I have in a major in a long time. Unfortunately this just didn’t pan out.’’

NOT TO BE IGNORED: Canadian Adam Hadwin, who won the PGA Tour’s Valspar Championship in March, matched a longstanding U.S. Open record when he strung six birdies in Thursday’s first round. He had seven on the day, all after approach shots to within 15 feet.

The Open had two previous six-birdie streaks, both at Pebble Beach. George Burns did it in 1982 and Andy Dillard in 1992.

Hadwin, who also strung six in a row at the PGA Tour’s CareerBuilder Challenge, cooled off on Friday but still was safely under the Open cut line at 2-under to qualify for weekend play.

NO REGRETS: Roberto Diaz, the Mexico golfer who got into the starting field after Phil Mickelson’s late withdrawal, saw his hopes of making the 36-hole cut disappear when he opened the second round with a 40.

Diaz was just happy to have a chance to play in his first U.S. Open, though he was in constant limbo in the days leading up to it as Mickelson’s participation loomed as a possibility.

“I thought Phil was going to come. I always did,’’ said Diaz. “I thought he was going to somehow pull it off, but I didn’t want to put my hopes up and then see my hopes go down. I prepared the whole week to play, but I was prepared to not play.’’

ANOTHER WD: Mickelson wasn’t the only notable withdrawal. England’s Danny Willett, the 2016 Masters champion, pulled out, too. He complained of a sore back after shooting 81 on Thursday.

MIXED BAG: Stephan Jaeger, who won the Web.com Tour’s Rust-Oleum Championship at Ivanhoe Club last Sunday, continued his solid play. The German’s 71-73 start qualified him for the weekend rounds at the U.S. Open for the first time.

Andy Pope, the only player with a Chicago residency connection in the 156-man field, shot 77-75 and missed the cut, marring his third straight appearance at the U.S. Open.

ERIN, Wis. – Phil Mickelson ended the suspense before first round play began in the 117rh U.S. Open. He officially withdrew from the championship, ending speculation that he might make a dramatic last minute arrival at the first tee.

Mickelson had said he would skip the Open to attend his daughter Amanda’s high school graduation in California, but his caddie Jim Mackay was on hand to scout the course this week and Mickelson was pondering the possibilities of a weather delay that might allow for his participation.

A runner-up in the Open a record six times, Mickelson had played in 23 consecutive Opens and 26 overall. His spot in the field was taken by Roberto Diaz of Mexico who hit his first tee shot as Mickelson’s replacement at 2:20 p.m.

Diaz, 30, shot 65-70 in a sectional qualifier in Summit, N.J., and was first alternate from that site. He’s playing in his first U.S. Open.

BLIMP CRASH: A commercial blimp – one not affiliated with either the U.S. Golf Assn. or the tournament broadcast, crashed in an open field a half-mile from the course four hours after play began.

First responders were quick to arrive at the scene, and the pilot was treated for unknown injuries that weren’t thought to be serious. No other people were involved in the incident, which is under investigation from local law enforcement personnel.

At least two of the players saw the blimp go down.

“My caddie made a comment on the ninth hole,’’ said Brandt Snedeker. “He said the blimp is not looking good. I guess it was nose down. I saw a puff of black smoke but didn’t know it was a blimp. Glad everybody is OK.’’

“I saw it happen,’’ said Charley Hoffman. “My caddie said `that thing blew up.’ I didn’t see it explode. I saw it fluttering down through the sky.’’

FIRST AND LAST: Wisconsin native Jordan Niebrugge had the honor of hitting the first tee shot at 6:45 a.m. He shot 1-under-par 71 while playing with former Oklahoma State teammates Talor Gooch and Kevin Dougherty.

“We played solid, all three of us,’’ said Niebrugge. “We had a lot of the OSU family and a lot of friends following us. All of us had a lot of fun.’’

The only player with Chicago connections was the last to tee off. Andy Pope, who grew up in Glen Ellyn and developed his game at Medinah, went off at 2:45 p.m. Though he has only conditional playing privileges on the Web.com Tour Pope is playing in his third straight U.S. Open.

FAMILY TIME: Dru Love, 23-year old son of PGA Tour veteran Davis Love III, bettered par in his first round as a pro and his first in the U.S. Open. He shot 71 and became the third Love to play in the tournament. Davis’ father and Dru’s grandfather, Davis Love Jr., was a famous teaching professional who died in an airplane crash in 1988. He competed in six U.S. Opens.

“The course played easier than I expected,’’ said Dru Love, who used his father as his caddie. “The greens were a lot faster than I imagined they would be. I didn’t think the course was going to be this firm. I thought it would be softer with all the rain.’’

Dru, who played college golf at Alabama, is actually Davis Love IV. He goes by Dru as a shortened version of “quadruple.’’

STILL ROLLING: Stephan Jaeger had two wins in his last three tournaments on the Web.com Tour, the latter being last Sunday in the Rust-Oleum Championship at Ivanhoe Club.

In between his two Web.com wins the Germany-born Jaeger was medalist at his U.S. Open sectional qualifier, and Thursday his solid play continued at Erin Hills. He shot 71 to start his second appearance in the championship.

Stephan Jaeger took care of business on Sunday, nursing a four-stroke lead at the start of the day to nab a two-stroke win in the $600,000 Rust-Oleum Championship. Now it’s on to the U.S. Open.

The Germany-born Jaeger survived a 36-hole U.S. Open sectional qualifier on Monday before claiming the $108,000 first prize in the Web.com Tour stop at Ivanhoe Club. That boosted Jaeger into the top spot on the Web.com Tour money list and assured him a place on the PGA Tour next season.

And still bigger things are looming, starting with next week’s U.S. Open at Wisconsin’s Erin Hills.

“I can’t wait to get started next week,’’ said Jaeger. “It will be a tough week with a lot of fast, firm greens – a lot like this week, honestly. This week was probably a good preparation for next week.’’

Most of the 156 qualifiers haven’t played 11-year old Erin Hills, but Jaeger has. He competed in the 2011 U.S. Amateur there but knows the course has undergone some major changes since then.

One thing that Jaeger knows he’ll have going is momentum. He won the BMW Charity Pro-Am on the Web.com Tour three weeks ago and showed some flashes in the following week’s event prior to earning his U.S. Open berth and winning at Ivanhoe.

“Momentum’s a factor, it really is, and I’m playing better than I ever have,’’ he said.

That’s saying something because last year Jaeger made major golf history when he became the first player to shoot 58 in a PGA sanctioned tournament. He did that at a Web.com Tour event in California, but Jim Furyk received much more notoriety when he matched the score in a subsequent PGA Tour stop.

Jaeger, 28, really had only one player to beat in Sunday’s breezy final round at Ivanhoe. Ted Potter Jr., a lefthanded golfer with a PGA Tour win on his resume, played one group in front of Jaeger and got within one shot after Jaeger made bogey at the par-5 ninth.

That was no big deal to either player. Potter didn’t realize he had closed the gap that much after starting four back and Jaeger answered quickly with a 10-foot birdie putt at the par-3 eleventh. He got his lead back to what it was at the start of the day, four strokes, when his chip at the par-5 14th hit the flagstick and left him with a tap-in for birdie.

Jaeger coasted in from there, a meaningless bogey on the final hole the only blemish on his tactical play over the last four holes.

Jaeger, Potter and nine other players who competed at Ivanhoe will head for Erin Hills on Monday to begin preparations for Thursday’s start of the year’s second major championship and the first ever in the state of Wisconsin.

“I’m sure it’ll be different at the Open, but it was nice to see wind and fast, firm greens here,’’ said Potter. “That should help me some next week.’’

Like Jaeger, Potter has played in a previous U.S. Open. He competed at Merion, in Philadelphia, is 2013. Jaeger was in the field at Chambers Bay, in Washington, in 2015.

After the Erin Hills Open is history both will resume play on the Web.com Tour, though their play at Ivanhoe likely assured both places on the PGA Tour next year. Potter won the Greenbrier Classic on the premier circuit in 2012 before declining play relegated him to Web.com events.

With two Web.com wins already this season, Jaeger wants to get one more before the years is out. Any three-time winner in the same year on the circuit get a “battlefield promotion,’’ meaning he automatically becomes a PGA Tour member and won’t have to wait until the following year to get into the bigger money tournaments.

With winds blowing steadily at 25 miles per hour and gusting to 35 at times Saturday didn’t figure to be a good day for scoring at the Rust-Oleum Championship. A couple players apparently didn’t get that memo, however.

Alexandre Rocha, who started the day in a tie for 52nd place, shot an 8-under-par 64 and climbed all the way up to a tie for second in the $600,000 Web.com Tour event at Ivanhoe Club.

Stephan Jaeger teed off just as Rocha was holing his final birdie putt on the 18th green, and he found a way to score, too. Posting a 68, Jaeger wound up the only player ahead of Rocha entering today’s final round.

Rocha, a 39-year old from Brazil who played collegiately at Mississippi State, had been struggling with his game. His frustrations spilled out in an interestingly worded Tweet on Friday night.

“I really need to get the good and evil voices inside my head to work in a bipartisan way so we can all achieve some success,’’ he tweeted.

After completing his hot round on Saturday he said the Tweet was just a joke, but admitted “I’ve been playing well but my mind gets in the way.’’

Not much got in the way on Saturday as Rocha hit the flagstick twice, the ball dropping for eagle on one at No. 14. He also made six birdies in getting within one stroke of the course record.

“Doing 8-under is fantastic. That’s really golfing your ball,’’ said the 28-year old Jaeger, who was born in Germany and played collegiately at Tennessee-Chattanooga.

As impressive as Rocha’s round was, Jaeger still takes a four-stroke lead into Sunday’s final 18. Rocha is tied with Andrew Landry, Jaeger’s playing partner on Saturday, and Ted Potter Jr.

Wind or no wind, Jaeger will be tough to beat. He’s the first player to shoot 58 in a PGA-sanctioned event, having gone 12-under en route to winning the Ellie May Classic at TPC Stonebrae in Hayward, Calif., last year. He had just conditional status on the Web.com Tour then. That 58 was later matched by Jim Furyk in a PGA Tour event.

Now Jaeger’s magic might be coming back. He won the BMW Charity Pro-am three weeks ago in Greenville, S.C., then opened the next tournament — the Rex Hospital Open in Raleigh, N.C. –, with a 65. He faded to a tie for 60th place in the next three rounds but bounced back in Monday’s 36-hole U.S. Open qualifier to earn a spot in next week’s major event at Wisconsin’s Erin Hills.

The good play has carried over to Ivanhoe, where Jaeger was a solid 68-67-68 in the first three rounds. His mother flew directly to Chicago from Germany after learning Jaeger had qualified for the U.S. Open. She was also on hand when he shot the record 58 and has seen all three rounds at Ivanhoe.

Saturday’s was highlighted by an eagle on the par-5 ninth, Jaeger hitting a 6-iron second shot to seven feet. His short game kept him in the lead after that, as he played the back nine in even par despite hitting only two greens in regulation. He was the only player in the last nine groups to better par in Saturday’s windy conditions.

“Weather like that made for a very, very tough round of golf,’’ he said. “It get funky out there. It’s such a grind, so tiring. I don’t think anybody’s comfortable playing in the wind. We’ve just got to learn how to play in it.’’

Thirteen-under-par was good enough to win the first Rust-Oleum Championship at Ivanhoe last year, and champion Max Homa came from seven strokes back in the final 18 holes to win. Homa’s on the PGA Tour now. He won $108,000 for his victory, and the same first prize is on the line today.

The Illinois PGA pros used to dominate their amateur counterparts in the annual Radix Cup matches at Oak Park County Club, but no more.

Though the IPGA owns a 35-19-2 overall edge the amateurs won for the 10th time in the last 18 meetings on Wednesday. The CDGA’s best took a 10-8 victory. Neither team, though, has won two in a row since 2000.

Wednesday’s competition was decided in the fourth and fifth of the day’s six matches, both swept by the amateurs against two of the professionals’ strongest teams. Kyle Nathan, of Glen View Club, and Chadd Slutzky, of The Grove in Long Grove, swept Skokie’s Garrett Chaussard, who played in a U.S. Open sectional qualifier on Monday, and University of Illinois coach Mike Small, who has won the IPGA Championship a record 12 times and the Illinois Open four times.

“It was a fun day even though we didn’t play great,’’ said Chaussard, who played for Small as a student-athlete at Illinois. “They just played better and beat us.’’

The clinching points came from amateurs Charlie Netzel, of Chicago Golf Club, and Kyle Slattery, of Mauh-Nah-Tee-See in Rockford. They dominated Medinah’s Traveis Johns, a perennial contender in the IPGA events, and Hinsdale’s Matt Slowinski, a three-time IPGA Assistants player of the year before he took his present position. Johns is the reigning Illinois PGA player-of-the-year.

If any player should have received a special invitation to the first U.S. Open ever played in Wisconsin it would be Steve Stricker. He won 12 PGA Tour events including the 1997 Western Open and three straight John Deere Classics from 2009-11. He’s also the current U.S. Presidents Cup captain.

U.S. Golf Association leaders, however, didn’t think Stricker, at 50, merited that honor for next week’s 117th U.S. Open at Erin Hills in suburban Milwaukee. The snub drew criticism in golf circles, but in the end it didn’t matter. Stricker saw to that on Monday when he was medalist at a sectional qualifier at Germantown Country Club in Tennessee.

Stricker shot 67-65, and his 132 total for 36 holes was 10 under par. Though he never complained about not receiving an Open invite, he’s happy he’ll be played in the tournament for the 20th time next week.

“If means a lot,’’ he said. “Not getting an exemption was a motivational factor. Not that I deserved one, but it’s been driving me to achieve this goal. And, I’m just happy that I’m going to get to play. It’s a relief to get to play in the first one in my home state.’’

He doesn’t have much inside knowledge of Erin Hills, which opened just 11 years ago. The biggest event played there so far has been the 2011 U.S. Amateur.

“I’ve played it maybe a half-dozen times,’’ said Stricker. “I’ll be like everybody else next week – playing a few practice rounds and trying to find an extra 20 yards on my driver. It’s a big golf course.’’

Stricker beat a field that included a number of PGA Tour players preparing for this week’s St. Jude Classic in Memphis.

Monday is traditionally called “the longest day in golf’’ for good reason. All the U.S. sectionals for the Open – 10 this year — are played at 36 holes on the same day, and 902 players competed for 72 spots in the 156-man field that tees off at Erin Hills on June 15.

The Erin Hills Open started with 8,979 players and that number was whittled to 525 after 114 local qualifiers were played across the U.S. and Canada in May. As always Chicago area players were prevalent in the sectional eliminations but only one, Andy Pope, earned a place at Erin Hills on Monday.

Pope, a 33-year old who grew up in Glen Ellyn and played collegiately at Xavier, tied for second in a sectional at Canoe Brook in Summit, N.J. He’ll be heading to Erin Hills with loads of momentum. Last week he tied for 17th in the Web.com Tour’s Rex Hospital Open in North Carolina.

The top 25 in a Web.com Tour event earn places in the following week’s event, so Pope earned a played in the $600,000 Rust-Oleum Championship, which tees off on Thursday at Ivanhoe Club.

While Pope made it to the Open on Monday, several others with Chicago connections could only come close. Arlington Heights amateur Doug Ghim, who played for Texas in last week’s NCAA Championships at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, missed qualifying for Erin Hills by just one shot in a sectional at Springfield, Ohio. He tied for fifth in a sectional that offered only four spots in the Open proper and Ghim’s 69-65 effort, 6-under-par, wasn’t quite good enough.

The field at Springfield was loaded with Chicago players and among those coming up short was Illinois junior Nick Hardy, who used the Springfield sectional to advance to the 2015 and 2016 U.S. Opens. This time he came up five shots short, as did Illinois teammate Dylan Meyer and Deerfield Web.com Tour player Vince India.

Others who couldn’t earn spots in the biggest tournament in American golf on Monday included three players with Illinois roots who have won multiple times on the PGA Tour — Luke Donald, D.A. Points and Mark Wilson.

Illinois didn’t play its best golf on Monday in the final round of stroke play at the NCAA Championships. Coach Mike Small even had to talk tough to his players late in the round at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove.

“But that was exactly what we needed. We needed someone in our face,’’ said junior star Dylan Meyer, who lost out on his chance for the individual title after shooting a 77.

The bottom line is the Illini are still playing for the national championship. They go into Tuesday’s match play quarterfinals as the No. 3 seed and will play No. 6 Southern California. A win would put them against either No. 2 Oklahoma or No. 7 Baylor in the afternoon semifinals. Morning matches tee off at 7 a.m. and the afternoon matches at 1:30 p.m.

The other bracket has morning matches pitting top-seeded Vanderbilt against No. 8 Nevada Las Vegas and No. 4 Oklahoma State against No. 5 Oregon. The title match is at 2:20 p.m. on Wednesday.

Small, who has taken his last 10 teams to the NCAA tournament and guided six of the last seven into the match play climax to the event, said the 17th hole was the key to survival on Monday when 15 teams battled for the eight match play spots.

“We were leaking oil bad. Most of our players had cotton mouth. It was a stressful time,’’ said Small. “We weren’t controlling our space. I told them they had to look at this as a blessing.’’

The players responded, playing the 17th in 1-under-par. Meyer, playing in the fifth spot after going off third in the first three rounds, put some life back into his teammates with a 5-iron approach to the green and a 12-foot birdie putt.

Sophomore Edoardo Lipparelli followed with an eagle at the par-5 18th. His second shot, a 6-iron from 181 yards that he had to bend around a tree, stopped 25 feet from the cup and Lipparelli rolled in the putt to stir up the Illini faithful surrounding the green.

“It was a great experience in front of the crowd. To finish like that is pretty amazing,’’ said Lipparelli, who plans to turn pro as soon as the tournament is over.

That could be on Wednesday if the Illini win both their matches todayand reach the championship match. Last year the Illini lost to eventual champion Oregon in the semifinals when the Ducks enjoyed playing on their home turf. Now the Illini have that advantage, albeit with a young team.

Small is without a senior on this squad, but juniors Meyer (the reigning Western Amateur and Big Ten champion) and Nick Hardy (the Illinois Amateur titleist) are battle-hardened. Two freshmen – Michael Feagles and Giovanni Tadiotto – join Lipparelli in rounding out the team.

Small has had stronger teams, but he’s not afraid of the youth that this one possesses. He also had two freshmen on his 2013 team that went to the NCAA title match before losing to Alabama.

“This team is similar to that one,’’ said Small. “We were ranked 40th in the country in March that year. We weren’t very good.’’

But the Illini rallied late to have their best NCAA finish so far. This team is relatively inexperienced as well, but playing close to campus is a plus. Rich Harvest galleries have been dominated by fans dressed in orange all week.

“We try to let the players know that this is a fun thing,’’ said Small. “The fans aren’t out there to judge you, they’re out there to support you.’’

Meyer, who shook off a bout with ulcerative colitis – an inflammation of the large intestine — that hospitalized him for three days immediately before the NCAA regionals, believes he’s healthy and his teammates are ready to finish the job. He wound up tied for sixth as an individual, six strokes behind champion Braden Thornberry of Mississippi, but winning the team title was the top goal all along.

“I feel all right, and now we’re going to get that match play championship,’’ he said. “That’s what we came here to do – play solid golf and win at all cost.’’