Doug Ghim lives in Arlington Heights but the Chicago area rarely gets a chance to see how good he is. Wednesday, though, was one of those days.

Ghim started fast and finished strong to climb into a tie for second place after two rounds of the stroke play competition at the 114th Western Amateur at Knollwood Club in Lake Forest. Posting scores of 69 and 71, he trails England’s Sam Horsfield by one stroke entering Thursday’s 36-hole session, which will decide the 16 qualifiers for the match play portion of the competition on Friday and Saturday.

The field was cut from Tuesday’s 156 starters to the low 44 and ties for Thursday’s double round. Ghim is tied with four others, among them Todd Mitchell — the 38-year old veteran from Bloomington – at the 36-hole mark. Northbrook’s Nick Hardy is also in the mix, two strokes behind Ghim.

Ghim has taken an unusual path to success. He skipped high school competition at Buffalo Grove after his freshman year, preferring instead to play in national junior tournaments. Then, rather than attend college close to home, he opted for the perennial powerhouse program at Texas.

Both Ghim and Hardy are entering their junior seasons. Hardy is at Illinois, and he has enjoyed a great summer. He won the Illinois State Amateur by 10 strokes and finished as low amateur at the Illinois Open in the last three weeks. Ghim didn’t play in either one.

“I wanted to play the State Am but was late for registration,’’ he said, “and I didn’t have time to qualify for the Illinois Open, which was a bummer. I wanted to play. I wish I could have given Nick a run for his money but I just totally forgot that I wasn’t exempt for those events. It didn’t even cross my mind that I’d have to qualify.’’

The No. 9-ranked amateur in the world, Ghim has a loftier status than Hardy, who is No. 24. They could meet in the Western Am, but both have to survive Thursday’s 36-hole session to qualify for the Sweet 16 first.

“It might seem like I’m not trying to play locally, but I love playing around here, where I can sleep in my own bed,’’ said Ghim. “It’s nice to have this big tournament, with the best players in the world, in my hometown.’’

Ghim is used to big tournaments. He played for Team USA in the Palmer Cup in England this summer and also competed in tournaments in Pittsburgh and San Francisco.

Very little golf will be played at Knollwood after the Western Am ends on Saturday. After a members event on Sunday and an outing on Monday the course will be closes to enable a re-grassing of the greens. Those surfaces are a big challenge for the field in the Western Am.

“I’ve been drawing off my experience of two years ago (when he was the Western Am medalist at Beverly Country Club in Chicago),’’ said Ghim. “The courses are similar, and the greens may be firmer than those at Beverly.’’

“They’re a lot like Beverly’s, maybe even faster,’’ chimed in Hardy. “They’re not hard to read, just hard to putt. I love how they have Knollwood in this condition and, if I can win, it’d be my biggest win ever. But we’ve still got to get to match play. Then it’s anyone’s tournament.’’

Golf has been played in the Chicago area for 124 years, and – as far as local players go — there’s never been a two-week stretch quite like the one that ended with a rousing Illinois Open victory by Elgin’s Carlos Sainz Jr. on Wednesday.

Those two weeks — in tournaments played on three courses in St. Charles that are only a few miles apart – produced record victories in both the Illinois State Amateur and Illinois Open. Those events are the biggest events annually for local players.

The epic two weeks started with Nick Hardy, a University of Illinois junior-to-be from Northbrook, devouring the field in the Illinois State Amateur with a 28-under-par performance over 72 holes at St. Charles Country Club. The State Am has been played for 86 years and Hardy’s 260 score for 72 holes erased a record that had stood for 46 years and his relation to par score eliminated a record that had been standing for 32 years.

Hardy was only part of the supporting cast on Wednesday, however. He hung on for low amateur status in the Illinois Open, edging playing partner Branden Mounce of El Paso and Kevin Flack of Belvidere by one stroke. The Open was played on two St. Charles courses, Royal Fox and Royal Hawk, and Hardy was fourth overall.

Sainz shot shot 67-65-65, with the last two rounds one off the course record in the eight Illinois Opens played at Royal Fox. Flack and Wheaton’s Tee-K Kelly, runner-up in last week’s Illinois State Amateur, also posted 65s on Wednesday but Sainz was clearly the star of this show.

He played like a PGA Tour player — which he was last year and hopes to be again – against the best professionals and amateurs who also reside in Illinois. The tourney had 638 entries and the 156 in the finals were determined after seven state-wide qualifying tournaments.

The Illinois Open, which has been played for 67 years, is contested over 54 holes. Sainz was a five-stroke winner over long-hitting Christian Heavens, a mini-tour pro from Fairview Heights near St. Louis. Like Hardy the week before, Sainz rewrote the tournament record books with his 17-under-par 197 performance. The records he erased weren’t as longstanding as those made irrelevant by Hardy. Bolingbrook’s David Cooke set the old records – 15-under 199 for 54 holes over the Royal Melbourne and Hawthorn Woods courses just last year.

“This was big – something I’ve wanted to win as a pro the last four-five years and almost did the last time I played it,’’ said Sainz, who was also low amateur in the tournament before turning pro.

Sainz was on a role in 2013. He won for the first time on the Canadian PGA Tour, flew to Chicago that night and three days later made it into a playoff in the Illinois Open that was eventually won by Antioch’s Joe Kinney. Sainz was exhausted after seven straight days of pressure-packed tournament golf but returned a few weeks later to win the now defunct Chicago Open.

The momentum gained from those tournaments helped Sainz get playing privileges on the PGA Tour in 2015 but he didn’t earn enough money to keep his tour card. He hopes to get it back, and Wednesday’s win was a step in the right direction. He’ll rejoin the Canadian circuit – now called the Mackenzie Tour – next week in preparation to another crack at the PGA’s fall qualifying school.

“When you’re playing well you’ve got to feel you’re going to win the tournament. That’s how I feel at the Illinois Open,’’ said Sainz. “Now I’ve got to learn to do it at the national level, and on bigger stages.’’

He has shown signs of doing that. He was 20-something under par in a similarly handy win in South Florida last winter.

“But that was a long time ago,’’ said Sainz. “It’s nice to have a solid week again.’’

He had this Illinois Open in hand from the get-go after owning a four-shot lead to start the final round. That lead grew to as many as six strokes as he made birdies on four of the first six holes and then coasted in. The highlight of his final round were 25-foot birdie putts at the third and 16th holes.

“I felt great all day and controlled my emotions well,’’ said Sainz, who picked up $17,500 for his victory.

Usually a golfer makes his mark in the Illinois Open and uses it as a springboard to earn a regular spot on the PGA Tour. For Carlos Sainz, though, it’s been the other way around – at least for now.

Sainz had a strong showing in the 2013 Illinois Open, losing the title to Joe Kinney in a three-way playoff, and then earned his PGA Tour card at qualifying school. Last season Sainz was a regular on the big circuit but didn’t earn enough money to keep his card, so now he’s starting the process all over again. On Tuesday he showed lots of progress.

A 65 over the Royal Fox course in St. Charles propelled the Elgin resident to a four-stroke lead in the 67th playing of the biggest championship for state residents. He’ll go for the title in the final 18 of the 54-hole test on Wednesday.

Sainz owns a four-shot lead on 2014 champion Brad Hopfinger and Christian Heavens, who could become the event’s first African American champion if he gets hot in the last round. The top two amateurs — Branden Mounce of El Paso and Nick Hardy of Northbrook — are five strokes back along with Andy Mickelson, director of golf at Mistwood in Romeoville.. Another amateur, 16-year old high schooler Tommy Kuhl of Morton, is another shot back.

If Hardy rallies to win he’d be the second player to win the Illinois Amateur and Open titles in the same year. David Ogrin accomplished that feat in 1980.

Given the size of his lead, though, the tournament is Sainz to lose. After rounds of 67 and 65 he’s at 11-under-par and showing the form that got him to the PGA Tour in the first place. This year he’s splitting time between the Web.com and Canadian circuits while shaking off the disappointment of his rookie PGA Tour season.

“It was frustrating,’’ admitted Sainz, “but it was a great learning experience. It’s the same game out there, but those players are really good. The PGA Tour is really competitive. You know that coming out but don’t really know it until you’re there.’’

Sainz earned most of his $124,115 PGA Tour winnings in one tournament – a top-10 finish in the Sanderson Farms Classic in Mississippi. He went to college at Mississippi State and is now training at the school’s new practice facility at Mossy Oak Golf Club.

“Playing on the PGA Tour only made me better,’’ said Sainz. “It gave me a taste of it, and I really want to get back there. I feel I have the game to do it.’’

His top challengers on Wednesday have never made it to the big time. Hopfinger spent this season between the Web.com and PGA Latinoamerica circuits. Heavens turned pro after being a First Tee graduate of Georgetown College in Kentucky in 2011. He’s tested his game playing “pretty much all over the play, wherever I can find an affordable tour.’’

Hopfinger is the last of seven players to win both the Illinois Amateur (2011) and Open. Mounce spent his freshman year at Illinois State and is transferring to Bradley. Hardy, a sparking 28 under par in winning the Illinois State Amateur last week at St. Charles Country Club, is headed for his junior season at Illinois. Mickelson is the reigning PGA Assistants champion.

The pros will have a bit more incentive in the final round than they’ve had in recent years. Carrie Williams, in her first year as Illinois PGA executive director, announced that the purse will hit the $100,00 level for the first time since 2003. That’s in large part because the entries were up from 537 last year to 638.

The 67th Illinois Open had two co-leaders after Monday’s first round, and neither was exactly a surprise.

Christian Heavens, a touring pro from Fairview Heights near St. Louis, had the best score in the seven state-wide qualifying rounds – an 8-under-par 64 at Effingham Country Club on June 24 – and that good play carried over to Monday’s first round of the finals when he shot a 6-under par 66 in the morning over the Royal Hawk course that is co-hosting the 54-hole event.

The other 66 was by Royal Hawk pro Brian Carroll, who played his opening round on his home course in the afternoon. He birdied the first hole, triggering a 5-under-par front nine, and coasted in from there.

“A fun day,’’ said Carroll, who reported early to make sure all was going smoothly in the pro shop and then concentrated on playing. “I’m very happy with how I played. Now I’ve got to do the same thing the next two days on a different golf course. There’s still a long way to go.’’

Carroll conceded that home course knowledge might have been a factor.

“Some people think I have a great advantage playing here, but I’ve only played Royal Hawk twice all year,’’ he said. “Most golf pros don’t get to play all that much.’’

A full-time player six years ago before entering the club pro ranks, Carroll has played only 27 holes this year at nearby Royal Fox over a two-day span, one of which was in bad weather. Royal Hawk and neighboring Royal Fox are co-hosting the finals and all the best scoring came at Royal Hawk on Monday.

The group one stroke behind Heavens and Carroll – Bloomington’s Brandon Holtz, Lockport’s Andy Mickelson, Elgin’s Carlos Sainz and Northbrook’s Nick Hardy – also played their first round of the tournament at Royal Hawk and will play their second on Tuesday at Royal Fox, which will also be the site of Wednesday’s final round.

Hardy, the only amateur among the 66 and 67 shooters, won the Illinois State Amateur with a rousing 28-under-par performance at nearby St. Charles Country Club last week. He’s trying to become only the second player to win both the state’s Amateur and Open in the same year. David Ogrin, a PGA Tour journeyman, did it in 1980.

Mickelson, the reigning PGA Assistants national champion, is director of golf at Mistwood in Romeoville and Sainz was a PGA Tour member last year.

Holtz’ round was the exact opposite of Heavens.’ Holtz had two eagles in his first five holes at Royal Hawk and was 5-under-par after six holes before cooling off. Heavens finished strong. He made five birdies in the last six holes.

The UL International Crown may wrap up on Sunday, but there’s no break on the area tournament calendar. The 67th Illinois Open begins its three-day run on Monday at two St. Charles clubs, Royal Fox and Royal Hawk.

Defending champion is Bolingbrook’s David Cooke, who posted the best 54-hole score (199) and best score in relation to par (16 under) in winning by five strokes at Royal Melbourne in Long Grove last year.

As always, the Illinois Open has an interesting field. Among the other amateurs among the 258 starters is Bears’ cornerback Kyle Fuller.

Illinois men’s coach Mike Small, who has won the title four times, will be joined in the field by one of his star players – Northbrook’s Nick Hardy, who won the Illinois State Amateur with a record 28-under-par performance at the nearby St. Charles Country Club last week.

Small will also have one of his future players in the field in Tommy Kuhl, a 16-year old from downstate Morton. Still in high school, Tommy has already committed to the Illini while his 18-year old brother Pete will be playing for Wisconsin in the fall.

The Baumans will also be a family act again. Doug, head professional at Biltmore in Barrington, will be joined by sons Greg and Riley.

Carlos Sainz Jr., of Elgin, is also part of the pro contingent. The low amateur in the 2006 Illinois Open at The Glen Club in Glenview, Sainz played on the PGA Tour last year and is splitting time between the Web.com and PGA Latinoamerica tours this season.

Gary Groh, the long-time head professional at Bob O’Link, in Highland, Park, will be the oldest player in the field. The 71-year old Groh won the Illinois Open when it was contested at Royal Fox 22 years ago.

Royal Fox returns as the tournament site after a 15-year hiatus and this year’s staging marks the 25th anniversary of the first Illinois Open played at the course. Since last hosting the tournament has changed its format to allow more players from the state-wide qualifying rounds to participate in the finals. That necessitated the need for an alternate course, and Royal Hawk will fill that bill.

The field will play 18-hole rounds at both courses Monday and Tuesday and the final round – for the low 50 and ties and anyone within 10 strokes of the lead – will be at Royal Fox on Wednesday.

It’s official. The United States is the best women’s golfing nation. The UL International Crown was created to determine that very thing, and Team USA was up to the challenge in the second playing of the event at the Merit Club.

In 2014, the event’s inaugural year, the U.S. couldn’t survive the best ball matches at Cave’s Valley in Maryland as Spain won the crown. The second staging didn’t start well, either, as Team USA lost both its opening day matches vs. England.

After that, though, the foursome of Stacy Lewis, Gerina Piller, Cristie Kerr and Lexi Thompson got better and better. They won three of their remaining four best ball matches on Friday and Saturday and came out swinging in Sunday’s concluding singles duels.

Lewis went out first, the second match of the day, and lost but one hole in dispatching Japan’s Mika Miyazato 3 and 2. That set the tone for the day.

“It was huge,’’ said Lewis. “I wanted to get a lead early and put a number up there for the girls to see. I haven’t done what I wanted in Solheim Cups on Sunday (matches against Europe, in which she had been winless), and this is not quite as much pressure. But my team pulled me out here for a reason and I’m just happy we could get two points on the board.’’

Piller was up next, against the formidable Yani Tseng of Chinese Taipei. Piller, who wasn’t on the U.S. team that was such a disappointment in Maryland, didn’t lose a hole in a 4 and 3 victory in the day’s third match.

“Yani’s a great player, and she got off to a rough start,’’ said Piller. “She’s a prior No. 1 in the world. You can’t overlook that. She’s got the game. She’s got the length. I just dug deep towards the end and had the mentality of taking no prisoners.’’

No doubt that was the right strategy, but Team USA still needed something from Kerr, the most experienced member of the foursome, and/or Thompson, the top-ranked player (No. 4 in the world) in the four-day competition.

Kerr never trailed against England’s Mel Reid, though her 4-up lead after five holes did shrink to 1-up after No. 14. Kerr then won the next two holes to close out the match and the two points awarded for that victory gave Team USA an insurmountable 13 points. Kerr was surprised when her teammates swarmed her on the green.

“I just tried to take care of my match,’’ she said. “I didn’t know that it came down to my winning.’’

It did after Thompson dropped the last U.S. singles match to Korea’s So Yeon Ryu 2 and 1. That outcome didn’t matter.

“This is huge, unbelievable for us,’’ said Lewis. “To be called the best golfing nation is so satisfying. We had zero points the first day, and we still ended up with the most. It’s just a testament to these girls and their will to want to win this thing.’’

Korea, the top-seeded team (the U.S. was No. 2) when the competition started, was second with 12 points while England and Chinese Taipei each had 11 and Japan eight. Korea was without its best player, Inbee Park. She sat out with a left thumb injury and will also bypass her title defense at this week’s Women’s British Open in hopes the injury will heal in time for next month’s Olympics in Brazil.

Even without Park, however, Korea fielded a foursome in which all members were ranked in the top 12 of the Rolex World Rankings.

Korea’s chances were also hampered by the weather. Saturday’s late afternoon storms forced two best ball matches involving Korea to be pushed back to Sunday, so the team had to be back on the course at 7 a.m. to secure its berth in the 10 singles matches. Korea finished off both early matches vs. Australia with victories but couldn’t sustain that momentum once the singles began.

Neither could Japan, which won the wild card spot in singles after eliminating Thailand and China in a rousing sudden death playoff decided by Ayaka Watanabe’s 30-foot eagle putt.

Team USA remained in last place in four-team Pool B at the UL International Crown on Friday, but there’s still hope for the home team in this global team event that determines its champion on Sunday.

Thursday’s first round of matches was a disaster, the U.S. going 0-2 against England. Friday’s second round showing against Thailand was much better. The American team of Lexi Thompson and Cristie Kerr had no trouble with Ariya Jutanugarn and Porani Chutichai, winning 4 and 3 to secure the first U.S. points of the competition.

The other U.S. team, Stacy Lewis and Gerina Piller, played well, too. They took the lead on the third hole and never trailed against Pornanong Phatlum and Jutanugarn’s sister Moriya, but Phatlum’s long birdie putt on the 17th green enabled Thailand to halve the match.

“We had a rough day, and we just got beat,’’ Thompson said of the bad start on Thursday. “We just had to come back with a positive attitude and focus on good things.’’

With two points awarded for a win and one from a tie, the U.S. has three points going in Saturday’s matches. England leads the pool with five and Thailand and Japan have four each. In the final round of best ball competition the U.S. faces Japan and England takes on Thailand.

“We knew we couldn’t lose today,’’ said Kerr, “and getting three out of four points was huge. We did what we had to do.’’

“We’ve still got some work to do tomorrow, but as a team we’re moving in the right direction,’’ said Lewis. “We’ve got to get four points, and we’ll be right where we need to be.’’

The top two teams in each pool advance to Sunday’s concluding singles matches and the third place team in each of the two pools will go to a playoff for the fifth and final spot in singles. Team USA lost in the Saturday playoff two years ago when the Crown was played for the first time in Maryland.

Team USA was the top-seeded team in the first Crown and is seeded second to Korea in this one. Korea had its troubles the first two days as well, splitting both of its matches each day. Korea, with its four players all ranked in the top 12 in the world, trails surprising Chinese Taipei by two points in Group A heading into Saturday. Taipei has six points, Korea four and Australia and China three each.

The pairings in Group A for Saturday are Korea vs. Australia and Taipei vs. China.

While the U.S. matches drew the biggest galleries on Friday, the plight of Team England was captivating as well. England didn’t qualify for the first UL International Crown and was handicapped on Friday when Charley Hull couldn’t play.

Hull became ill after leading England’s sweep of the U.S. on Thursday. In a statement released by her team Hull said she sought medical attention after an asthma attack turned into a fever before Friday’s matches. Her absence meant that her partner, Melissa Reid, had to go it alone against the strong Japan team of Haru Nomura and Mika Miyazato.

Reid battled valiantly, taking Nomura and Miyazato to the final hole before the Japan duo could claim a 1-up victory.

“I’m extremely proud of myself,’’ said Reid. “I knew it was going to be difficult playing on my own against two of the best players in the world. For me it turned out a huge positive. To get anywhere near the 18th was going to be a huge achievement, and I’m just really, really pleased I gave the team a huge chance of even a point.’’

While Reid didn’t get the point, her teammates Jodi Ewart Shadoff and Holly Clyburn managed to halve their match with Ai Suzuki and Ayaka Watanabe. The point gained in that one kept England on top of Group B. Hull’s status for Saturday’s matches is uncertain.

No golfer in the 86-year history of the Illinois State Amateur came close to doing what Northbrook’s Nick Hardy did this week at St. Charles Country Club.

A 64-65 finish during Thursday’s concluding double round enabled Hardy to post a 260 total for the event’s 72 holes. The tournament record had been 270 by Bob Zender at Kankakee Country Club in 1971. That was the last of Zender’s three titles, and he went on to become a regular on the PGA Tour.

The best under-par score for a champion had been 13-under by Jerry Haas in 1984 at Mt. Hawley, in Peoria. Hardy was a shocking 28 under.

Only the margin of victory recorded eluded the University of Illinois junior-to-be. Rob Grube won by 11 shots at Edgewood Valley in LaGrange in 2006. Hardy was 10 better than runner-up Tee-K Kelly of Wheaton.

“I just had it going,’’ said Hardy. “It was nice to finally get the monkey off my back and get it done in this tournament.’’

Hardy lost the 2014 title to Ray Knoll, a University of Iowa golfer from Naperville, in a playoff at Cantigny, in Wheaton. Last year Hardy was one shot out of a playoff at Panther Creek, in Springfield. Kelly won that one and had hoped to claim his third State Am in four years at St. Charles.

Only Zender and another PGA Tour veteran, D.A. Points, had three wins in the State Am after it went to a stroke play format in 1963. Kelly, who concluded his collegiate career at Ohio State in June, had hoped to join Zender and Points. In the end a 71 on Tuesday killed his chances, but he was pleased with his 66-65-68 showing after that on the 6,926-yard par-72 layout.

“If someone had told me before the tournament that I’d shoot 18 under par I’d be pretty pleased,’’ said Kelly. “This is just how it goes sometimes. Somebody just brings his stuff, and you can’t beat it.’’

Kelly finished what is likely his last State Am in style. He put an 8-iron second shot from 179 yards to two feet on the par-5 finishing hole and rolled in the eagle putt to finish solo second. Moments later Hardy had a 20-footer for eagle to match Grube’s record for margin of victory, but his putt lipped out.

The low scoring wasn’t just by Hardy and Kelly. Twenty-one of the 37 finalists finished under par for the 72 holes in one of the lowest-scoring State Ams ever.

“It was a perfect storm,’’ said Kelly. “It was perfect scoring conditions. It was hot, so the ball was going far, and there wasn’t much wind all week, the fairways were in perfect shape and the greens were a little soft. Six or seven people played some of their best golf.’’

Hardy agreed.

“St. Charles is not an easy course, but a lot of players played well,’’ he said. “I had my best stuff. It was probably my best tournament, from top to bottom and then getting it done.’’

Hardy and Kelly will be back in St. Charles next week for the Illinois Open and they’ll also be in the field for the Western Amateur, to be played Aug. 1-6 at Knollwood, in Lake Forest.

The Illinois Open will be played at two St. Charles clubs, Royal Fox and Royal Hawk, from Monday through Wednesday.

The 22nd Phil Kosin Illinois Women’s Open shaped up as a two-player duel between a pair of Big Ten players before Wednesday’s final round even began.

Illinois’ Stephanie Miller and Wisconsin’ Brooke Ferrell owned a three-shot lead on the rest of the field entering the last 18 at Mistwood, in Romeoville, and they matched shots playing together through the first 14 holes of the final round with no other player mounting a challenge.

And then they reached the tee at the par-5 fifteenth hole. For all intents the competition ended there. Ferrell, trailing by just one shot, hit her first drive into water on the left. Her second went out of bounds right and Ferrell staggered in with a four-over-par nine on the hole. Miller had it easy the rest of the way.

“You learn so much more from your failures than you do from success,’’ said Ferrell. “Stephanie played so well, but I’ll learn a ton from this.’’

Miller knows about failure, too. In 2012, as a junior-to-be at Stevenson High School, she led the IWO after two rounds before stumbling badly in the final 18. Not so this time, as the Illini senior-to-be posted her third straight 69 for a 54-hole scorer of 207 and a three-stroke win over Kelly Grassel, another amateur from Chesterton, Ind.

“It wasn’t like the year I had in high school, when I played like a high schooler,’’ beamed Miller. “This gave me a good boost of confidence because there were a lot of girls I play with in college.’’

Miller, who lives in Elgin, enjoyed three straight days of sub-par golf for the first time after shaking off any rustiness caused by a nine-day break from golf to go on a family vacation to Alaska.

Ferrell, who shot 74, was a stroke behind Grassel in a tie for third with Northwestern’s Hannah Kim and two clear of the low professional among the 63 starters, Symetra Tour player Ember Schuldt of Sterling. Schuldt is an Illinois alum, so the tourney turned out a huge success for the Illini. Schuldt picked up $5,000 but the tourney was still dominated by amateurs.

Miller, who won medalist honors in the Illinois high school tournament twice before heading to Illinois, put herself in position to win with three straight birdies on holes 5-7.

After that both Miller and Ferrell endured long waits between shots as the twosome immediately in front fell two holes behind the third from the last twosome. Miller survived the delays by talking with both her father, who doubled as her caddie, and Ferrell.

“It was hard, but not the reason I lost,’’ said Ferrell. “I had the same issue the past two days. It’s one of those things that’s almost taken over the game now. The LPGA is struggling with it a lot, too, but no one ever gets penalized for it.’’

The Chicago area was at the forefront of women’s golf long before the creation of the Ladies Professional Golf Association in 1950. The arrival of the UL International Crown this month at the Merit Club is just the latest of the big women’s
events staged in this neck of the woods.

Granted, the UL International Crown will be the most unique. Its format – 32 players representing eight countries competing to decide the best women’s golf-playing nation in the world – assures that.

The Crown is something new and different. The competition has been played only once before, two years ago at Caves Valley in Maryland with Spain winning. The LPGA needed friendly, enthusiastic environments to introduce its most innovative competition and bringing it to the Chicago area this year and Korea in 2018 fit that requirement to a tee. The Chicago area knows about women’s golf because it has been welcoming such big competitions for well over 100 years.

One of the very first great American players was a Chicago woman, Bessie Anthony. She won the first three national championship put on by the top organization of that era – the Women’s Western Golf Association – in 1901, 1902 and 1903. All three were played on Chicago area courses as was the 1903 U.S. Women’s Amateur. Anthony won that one, too, at Chicago Golf Club.

Another Chicago woman. Elaine Rosenthal, won the Women’s Western Amateur three times between 1915 and 1925 and that tournament – one of the two biggest for women until the LPGA was founded – was played at Chicago courses 12 times in the next 24 years leading into the LPGA’s debut season.

The first U.S. Women’s Open champion in 1946 was Patty Berg, who represented St. Andrews Golf Club in West Chicago for over 50 years. She was also one of the 13 founders of the LPGA.

The first LPGA season consisted of only six tournaments and one, called the Chicago Weathervane, was played at Skycrest Country Club (now Twin Orchard in Long Grove) with Louise Suggs winning.

The U.S. Women’s Open would come to the Chicago area three more times – victories by Sandra Hayne in 1974 and Pat Bradley in 1981 at LaGrange Country Club and by Australian Karrie Webb in 2000 at the Merit Club. That was the first big event at the private facility and the only one until the UL International Crown tees off.

Carol Mann, a World Golf Hall of Famer who grew up in Olympia Fields, also was a U.S. Women’s Open champion in 1965 – a year after she won the Women’s Western Open, a tournament that’s no longer held. The Women’s Western Open was considered a major championship during its run from 1930 to 1967 and was played on Chicago courses 13 times.

The LPGA has made other inroads in the Chicago area for 54-hole tournaments. Betty Burfeindt won the Child & Family Services Open at Midlane, in Wadsworth, in 1973. The LPGA returned for a three-year run of events with the Chicago Sun-Times as title sponsor from 1991 to 1993. Martha Nause won the first with a spectacular birdie-birdie-eagle finish at Oak Brook Golf Club, holing out from the fairway on her last shot. Dottie Mochrie (now Pepper) and Cindy Schreyer were the other champions of that event.

From 2002 to 2004 the Kellogg Keebler Classic was played at Stonebridge Country Club in Aurora and it had some high profile champions – Webb in 2002 and Annika Sorenstam the other two years.

The last time the LPGA came to town was in 2009 for the very well received Solheim Cup – a team event in which the U.S. defeated Europe at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove. This UL International Crown was also to be played at Rich Harvest, but officials at both the LPGA and the club mutually agreed to a parting of the ways last year and Merit Club owner Bert Getz stepped in to bring the LPGA stars back to his course.

Drew Blass, the Crown director, also was on staff for the Solheim Cup at Rich Harvest.

“I love both places,’’ said Blass. “Every golf club has its positives. Rich Harvest Farms has a lot of great things – all the parking is on site and there’s more acres available — but Merit Club is closer and tighter, so spectators can see more matches. I love the Merit Club. It has the ability to host multiple championships, and I love it that we’re the one to open the gates again. This is a gem that needs to get its name back on the map.’’

Rich Harvest owner Jerry Rich has not commented on the decision to move the event which he helped found away from his club – the most active facility for tournament play in the Chicago area in recent years.

“This (playing at the Merit Club) is better off for everybody,’’ said Blass. “Rich Harvest Farms has the NCAA Championship next year, and they’ve been having a lot of (big tournaments). We were just another event for them.’’

The Merit Club, though, is a good fit for both the exciting new event and the club, which includes legendary Chicago athletes Michael Jordan and Brian Urlacher among its members. One of Merit Club’s assistant professionals, Jim Billiter, is also among the elite playing members of the Illinois PGA. He won two of the section’s four major tournaments — the IPGA Match Play and IPGA Championship – in 2015.