Category: Tournament Reports

ILLINOIS PGA: Finally a non-Chicago club pro wins

The likelihood of Steve Orrick winning the 90th Illinois PGA Championship Wednesday didn’t seem good.

No club professional from outside the Chicago area had won the event since Mike Sipula in 1952, and Orrick had two better established playing partners in the final threesome at Stonewall Orchard in Grayslake. Illinois coach Mike Small had won the IPGA title nine times and Curtis Malm, assistant pro at St. Charles Country Club, had been the hottest player in the section this season with titles in the Match Play and Assistants championships.

Small, Malm and everybody else was no match for Orrick, however. The Country Club of Decatur head pro shot a sizzling 65 – including a 5-under-par 31 on the back nine – to take the title by five shots.

Orrick posted an 9-under-par 207 for the tourney’s 54 holes to beat Malm, who shot 66 in Tuesday’s second round to open a three-stroke lead on Small. Orrick was a stroke back in third at the start of the day but found himself the sole leader after Malm made bogeys at Nos. 3, 4 and 5 and then put a ball in the water at No. 9 for still another.

“It was pretty awful for awhile,’’ said Malm. “I had a horrid start, and some of the worst tee shots I’ve ever hit were on 3, 4 and 5.’’

But Orrick definitely won this title more than Malm lost it.

“I wasn’t paying attention to what Curtis was doing,’’ said Orrick. “I just hoped my putter would get hot, and it did.’’

Orrick was in position to win the IPGA title in 2008 at Medinah but, playing in the last twosome, he finished runner-up to Small. Orrick had won the IPGA Fall Classic at Eagle Ridge in Galena in 2008 and 2009, but the IPGA Championship is much more prestigious.

“Steve’s a really good player. I knew he’d shoot something good, but I didn’t see 65,’’ said Malm. “He was unbelievable.’’

In his sixth season at Country Club of Decatur, Orrick posted his best-ever tournament round and achieved a career highlight. His best previous performance came at the 2010 Professional Players National Championship at French Lick, Ind., where he came up one stroke short of qualifying for the PGA Championship.

Kishwaukee’s Dave Paeglow, playing six groups in front of the leaders, shot 67 and edged Small for third. Paeglow, at 1-under 215, was the only player besides Orrick and Malm to finish under par at the only public facility in the championship’s three-course rotation. It’ll be played at Olympia Fields in 2013 and Medinah in 2014.

ILLINOIS AMATEUR: Prchal ends title run by college players

MARION, IL. – The college players’ domination of the Illinois State Amateur golf tournament is over.

Collegians had won eight straight times until Glenview’s Quinn Prchal came through with rounds of 66-69 on Thursday at The Links at Kokopelli to notch a two-stroke victory over Derek Meinhart of Mattoon. Prchal went through the three-day 72-hole test in 8-under-par 272.

A recent Glenbrook South graduate, Prchal hasn’t played a college event yet, but it won’t be long. He’ll play in his last junior event next week in Greensboro, N.C., then is off to Princeton University for the start of his freshman year.

Prchal, 18, didn’t qualify for either the Illinois Open or U.S. Amateur and hadn’t won a tournament since a December junior event in Florida. He wasn’t completely surprised by his breakthrough in his first appearance in the 82nd annual State Am, however.

“I just followed my routine and hit a lot of fairways and greens and made a number of short putts,’’ said Prchal, who tied for fourth in the Class 3A high school tourney in the fall.

The last non-collegian to win the Illinois Am was Bloomgton’s Todd Mitchell, who took back-to-back titles in 2002 and 2003. He tied for third Thursday after leading the tournament through 36 holes and starting fast on Thursday. He made three birdies in his first five holes.

“Then it vanished,’’ said Mitchell, “but I’ve got to hand it to (Prchal). He was 5-under today, and that’s playing very, very well.’’

Prchal, who plans to study engineering at Princeton, isn’t committing to a career in golf despite the promise he showed at Kokopelli, the southern-most location ever for the championship.

“I plan to play all four years in college and should be able to gauge my play then,’’ said Prchal, who plays most of his golf at the Glenview Park District course and The Glen Club in Glenview and has worked with veteran teaching pro Ed Oldfield Sr. for the last seven years at the nearby Willowhill nine-holer.

Not even the closest pursuer to Prchal was a collegian. Runner-up Meinhart, 34, completed his sixth State Am. The vice president of Innovative Staff Solutions, he qualified for the U.S. Mid-Amateur in 2008, 2010 and 2011. Mitchell has also focused on the Mid-Am, which brings its 2012 finals to Conway Farms in Lake Forest next month.

Mitchell shared third with Frankfort’s Brian Bullington, who was trying to become the third straight Illinois Amateur winner off the University of Iowa golf team.

WESTERN AMATEUR: Williams completes an historic sweep

The Western Golf Assn. went to its present format for its Western Amateur Championship in 1956,. Calling for 72 holes of stroke play qualifying and then four rounds of match play, the 110-year old tourney is one of the most grueling in golf and few players handled that immense challenge as well as Chris Williams did at Exmoor Country Club in Highland Park.

Williams became only the 10th player to finish the 72 holes as solo medalist and then go on to become the tournament champion on Saturday. Among his predecessors in accomplishing that extraordinary feat were pro stars Ben Crenshaw (1973), Curtis Strange (1974), Scott Verplank (985) and Phil Mickelson (1991).

“It’s a lot of golf,’’ admitted Williams, following his 1-up victory over Jordan Russell in Saturday’s championship match. “I’m exhausted. I’m not going to touch a club for a week.’’

Williams, a senior at the University of Washington, has the equally prestigious U.S. Amateur coming up in two weeks, but he wasn’t thinking about that after Saturday’s rain-delayed match concluded at 6:07 p.m. Williams hit his first shot of the day at 7:30 a.m. and had to go 19 holes in his morning semifinals against Abraham Ancer to reach the final.

During the three-day stroke play portion, which ended on Thursday, Williams posted a tournament-record 17-under par. That bettered by one stroke the record he had set in 2011 at North Shore, in Glencoe.

“Last year I was just the medalist. This is surreal,’’ said Williams. “I played well in stroke play. There was no reason to doubt myself.’’

Ancer, though, took him to the limit in the morning. That semifinal swung Williams’ way when Ancer his hit tee shot out of bounds on the first hole of sudden death. And Russell had Williams 2-down early in the final. Then a birdie by Willams at No. 11 and a double bogey at No. 12 and bogey at No. 14 by Russell changed the momentum.

“That was unexpected. I thought he’d make some birdies, but that’s how match play goes,’’ said Williams.

Even with the letdown early in the back nine Russell had a chance to extend the match. He rolled in a 30-foot birdie putt at the 17th to get to one-down with one to play and he had an eight-foot birdie putt on the 18th that lipped out, ending the day-long drama provided by the four college stars who made it to the final day of the championship that started with 156 players.. Russell just graduated from Texas A&M, Ancer attends Oklahoma and Peter Williamson is a student at Dartmouth.

Russell needed a five-foot birdie putt on the second hole of sudden death to win his semifinal against Williamson before succumbing to Williams in the afternoon.

“Overall I’m very pleased with the week,’’ said Russell. “Chris was obviously on top of his game, but I made him earn it so I can’t be too disappointed.’’

WESTERN AMATEUR: Williams betters his own record in stroke play

Chris Williams set the Western Amateur scoring record for 72 holes when he went 16-under-par last year at North Shore Country Club, in Glenview. This year, with the 110-year-old tourney moving to Exmoor, in Highland Park, he did even better.

The University of Washington senior buzzed around Exmoor in 66-67 in Thursday’s 36-hole session to finish stroke play at 17-under-par 271. That earned him medalist honors by two strokes over his playing partner, 18-year old Laurens Chan from Honolulu, Hawaii. Chan will be a freshman at UCLA this fall,

“I played well last year and I apparently played better this year,’’ said Williams. “The courses were similar – short courses, tight, with long rough and soft greens. They played right into my hands.’’

Williams’ job is far from done, though. The Western Amateur calls for 72 holes of stroke play qualifying just to advance 16 players into the match play portion of the championship. So now Williams faces two days of matches if he’s to win the prestigious title. Last year he made it to match play at North Shore but lost to eventual runner-up Patrick Cantlay in the first round.

“Last year I ran into a buzzsaw, which was unfortunate,’’ said Williams. “But I’ve been working hard all year, and I’m happy that it paid off in a big tournament like this. It was all about attitude. I had very high expectations, like I’ve always had, but this week I was able to relax and have a good time.’’

Chan, in his first year playing a summer of big-time amateur tournaments, was impressed.

“Today was a good day. I played well, and I got a front-row ticket to watch one of the best amateurs in the world,’’ said Chan. “Now I see the difference between the best amateurs and me. He was firing at pins and his putting was so simple. It was fun to watch.’’

Williams is No. 5 in the world amateur rankings, and the highest on that list to qualify for the Western’s Sweet 16. No. 1 Bobby Wyatt and No. 3 Patrick Rodgers didn’t survive the first cut of stroke play.

Theo Lederhausen, a Harvard University junior from Hinsdale, was best of the Chicago players. He tied for 41st at 286 and didn’t qualify for match play, but the Western will be a good tuneup for him. He’s in the field at next week’s Illinois State Amateur at The Links at Kokopelli in downstate Marion.

ILLINOIS WOMEN’S OPEN: First three-way playoff goes to Tulane’s Troyanovich

The men’s Illinois Open is limited to in-state residents, the women’s version isn’t. The impact of that was clearly evident in Friday’s final round of the Phil Kosin Illinois Women’s Open at Mistwood in Romeoville.

For the first time in the tourney’s 18 stagings the title was decided in a playoff with Michigan amateur Samantha Troyanovich claiming the title with a birdie on the first hole.. Her victims in sudden death were Lauren Mielbrecht, the low pro from Gulf Stream, FL., and amateur Samantha Postillion, who grew up in Burr Ridge but is now living in Arizona. Only Flossmoor’s Ashley Armstrong cracked the top five among present Chicago players.

Postillion’s mother Kerry is the IWO’s only three-time champion, and Samantha contended for the first time after finished back in the pack for several years.

“I knew I was right there. I was going right at the pins the last five holes,’’ said Postillion, who will transfer from Scottdale Community College in Arizona to Illinois in the fall. “My mom’s name is on the trophy three times; that’s always been in the back of my mind when I’ve played here. I’ve always wanted a chance to win.’’

She had it this time, and joined Troyanovich in posting the low rounds of the 54-hole tournament. Both shot 3-under-par 69s en route to their 1-under 215 totals in regulation play.

Troyanovich and Mielbrecht were playing the IWO for the first time, and Mielbrecht picked up $5,000 for being low pro from a tourney-record purse of $25,000. Mielbrecht, who made four birdies in the first seven holes to take the outright lead, lipped out an eight-foot birdie putt on the 18th green that would have given her the title.

In sudden death, played on Mistwood’s re-designed 506-yard par-5 third hole, it was all Troyanovich. She not only hit the longest drive, she wound up with a beneficial lie. Though her ball was in the rough, her stance necessitated her standing on a sprinkler head. She was given a free drop that put her ball on the fairway.

From there she hit a hybrid to 25 yards of the green, chipped to 3 ½ feet and holed the birdie putt for her first-ever tournament victory. Mielbrecht and Postillion made pars.

The victory ended Troyanovich’s season. Though she’s used up her collegiate eligibility at Tulane, she will return to that school to complete work on her Master’s degree before making a decision on whether or not to enter the pro golf ranks.

Troyanovich’s playing partner in the final round, Notre Dame sophomore Armstrong, had five birdies in a front-nine 32. She joined Symetra Tour player Brittany Johnston in finishing one stroke out of the playoff.

ILLINOIS WOMEN’S OPEN: Miller could become first high school champion

In its 17 previous stagings the Illinois Women’s Open has never had a high school champion. That could change today when Stevenson’s Stephanie Miller enters the final round as the co-leader.

Miller, 17, also has a great pairing for the shootout at Mistwood, in Romeoville. She’ll play with the other co-leader, Chicago amateur Nora Lucas. Lucas, who just graduated from Illinois, helped recruit Miller to Champaign. She verbally committed to the Illini three weeks ago and said Lucas was a big reason for her quick decision.

“I met her on my visit, and she was so nice,’’ said Miller, a senior-to-be at Stevenson who is playing in the IWO for the first time. The Illinois prep champion as a sophomore, she has sought tougher competition this year and recently qualified for next month’s U.S. Women’s Amateur in Cleveland by shooting par golf over 36 holes at Blackberry Oaks, in Bristol.

Two professionals – Brittany Johnston and Colleen Cashman-McSween – are one stroke behind the IWO co-leaders. Johnston plays on the LPGA’s Symetra (formerly Futures) Tour and Cashman-McSween is assistant coach at Michigan. Miller has no fears about competing against older, more experienced players.

“I get to pick their brains and see what I can do to follow in their footsteps,’’ said Miller, whose father will be her caddie. A commercial pilot, he flew in from Paris on Wednesday to be on her bag.

Lucas won the Illinois Women’s Amateur in 2011 and highlighted her collegiate career by going a school-record 11-under-par en route to winning Wisconsin’s tournament as a senior. The IWO will conclude her summer season, and she will enter law school rather than turn pro.

`I’ll just play for fun. I’m excited to move ahead, just like (Miller) is excited (to look ahead to college),’’ said Lucas. “She should be. I had a great time at Illinois.’’

Miller had a chip-in in each of the first two rounds. She holed out from 61 yards for eagle at No. 10 on Wednesday and chipped for birdie at No. 7 on Thursday, when she carded a 73. Lucas highlighted her second round 72 with birdies at Nos. 12 (a 30-foot putt) and 15. Those two are the only players under par for 36 holes. Both are at 1-under 143 on the recently-renovated course.

Forty-one of the 91 starters survived the 36-hole cut. They’ll begin play at 7 a.m. today with the leaders going off at 10 a.m.

ILLINOIS OPEN: New pro Scodro is thriving on state Opens

Wednesday’s final round of the 63rd Illinois Open didn’t have the spectacular shots that were so abundant in Round 2, but it certainly had more drama.

Recent Notre Dame graduate Max Scodro and Eric Meierdierks, the tourney’s 2010 champion, waged a two-man duel all day long at The Glen Club in Glenview before Skodro took the title on the fifth hole of a playoff. It was the longest playoff in the tourney since Marty Schiene outlasted Gary Groh over six holes at Royal Fox in St. Charles 20 years ago.

Scodro was surprised to learn the playoff format called for three holes first, the winner to be decided by aggregate score, but it didn’t faze him after he had drilled a 12-foot birdie putt to pull even with Meierdierks at 10-under-par 206 for the regulation 54 holes.

Moments before Scodro made the big putt Meierdierks uncorked a 6-iron from 180 yards into the wind that stopped six feet from the cup. But he couldn’t convert for birdie, and that gave Skodro a chance to stay alive.

“I willed that one in,’’ said Scodro. “I couldn’t believe it went in, but I had a good feeling going into the playoff.’’

That feeling wasn’t so good on the first hole of sudden death, when Meierdierks’ 15-footer for the win hit the back of the cup.

“It was such a good putt. The majority of the ball was in the hole. I thought it was over,’’ said Scodro. So did Meierdierks.

“It looked like a fist-pumper,’’ admitted Meierdierks, who had to cut his celebration short. “It didn’t go. That’s golf.’’

The end came on their third playoff trip down No. 18. Meierdierks hit his drive in the left weeds for the third straight time couldn’t scramble for par. After Meierdierks settled for bogey Skodro needed two putts from 10 feet for his par and the win. He had no problem negotiating that.

Scodro, 22, turned pro after his college graduation last month and won the Arizona Open in his first start. State Opens seem to be his thing, and the Iowa Open is on his schedule for August.

Wednesday’s win was worth $17,000 to Scodro, who spent three years at Chicago’s Francis Parker Academy prior to attending Notre Dame. He’s been playing out of Olympia Fields Country Club, and that’s where the trophy he won on Wednesday is likely to go first.

“I had never met Max or heard of him,’’ said Meierdierks, a mini-tour veteran who will make his next start at the Colorado Open. “He’s got a lot of talent, and I enjoyed playing with him. I made a friend in him.’’

ILLINOIS OPEN: Back-to-back eagles, 263-yard hole-out ignite Round 2

Wilmette’s Eric Meierdierks shot 68s in both the first and second rounds of the 63rd Illinois Open at The Glen Club in Glenview. His second 18, on Tuesday, was the more notable on a day in which the weather was so hot players were allowed to wear shorts for only the fourth time in the history of the championship.

Meierdierks was the hottest, pulling off the extremely rare feat of posting back-to-back eagles. And he would have had three eagles in a five-hole stretch had a 12-foot putt dropped at The Glen’s 18th.

Starting his second round at the tenth hole, Meierdierks had his two-hole hot streak on No. 14 – a 534-yard par-5 – and No. 15 — a 358-yard par-4. Meierdierks put a 7-iron second shot to within 20 feet at the 14th and drove the green at the 15th before converting from 20 feet again.

“I’ve had two eagles in a round before, but this is the first time I’ve ever had them back-to-back,’’ said Meierdierks, who has been playing on the Gateway Tour in Arizona.

As good as he was, the shot of the day was the 263-yard 3-wood that amateur Shane Smith of Godfrey, IL., holed out for double eagle at No. 1 a few hours after Meierdierks finished.

The 68s put Meierdierks at 8-under-par 136 for 36 holes, good enough for a one-stroke lead over first-round leader Travis Johns and recent Notre Dame graduate Max Scodro entering today’s final 18.

Meierdierks and Johns, a teaching pro at both Glencoe and the Twin Lakes facility in Palatine, hope to regain their form from the 2010 season. That year Meierdierks won the Illinois Open at Hawthorn Woods and Johns won five tournaments en route to becoming the Illinois PGA player-of-the-year. Last year Johns won only twice and Meierdierks missed the cut in his Illinois Open title defense.

“I like where my game’s at,’’ said Meierdierks, who overcame a one-stroke deficit after two rounds to win in 2010. “ We’ll see what happens’’

Meierdierks had a comfortable pairing his first two rounds when he played with Phil Arouca, the 2011 Illinois Open champion. Arouca, a Glen Club member, and Meierdierks are both 27-year old New Trier High School graduates.

Arouca enters the final round five strokes behind Meierdierks. He’s tied with, among others, Illinos coach Mike Small who is seeking a record-tying fifth Illinois Open title. Gary Pinns won the tournament five times, the last in 1990.

JOHN DEERE CLASSIC: Johnson steals the thunder from Stricker this time

SILVIS, IL. – Steve Stricker’s bid for an historic four-peat at the John Deere Classic fizzled on Sunday, but the end result was almost as good for an emotionally-drained gallery at TPC Deere Run.

Zach Johnson, almost as popular as Stricker in the Quad Cities, got the win in one of the strangest playoffs in PGA Tour history. Johnson, considered the tourney’s hometown favorite since he grew up in Cedar Rapids, Ia., and has long been on the JDC’s board of directors, put both his drives on the two playoff holes in the same fairway bunker.

The first time he scrambled to make double bogey, but that wasn’t so bad because his opponent Troy Matteson did the same. Both players hit their approaches into a green-side pond, an indication neither was ready to win.

Johnson, winner of the 2007 Masters, changed that mindset the second time around when he put his second bunker shot – a 6-iron from 193 yards – to within six inches of the cup. Matteson missed a birdie try from 43 feet, then Johnson tapped in for birdie and his ninth win on the PGA Tour – but his first in 12 JDC appearances. He had a second and a tie for third in the last three years when Stricker was winning his three titles.

“I was shocked that I got into a playoff,’’ said Matteson, the solo leader three the first three rounds and 14 holes into the fourth. Then he made double bogey at the 15th to fall out of the lead before rolling in a 60-foot eagle putt at the 17th to set the stage for the playoff.

“All in all, you go into a playoff and lose to a shot like that after Zach put it in the bunker twice…..My hat’s off to Zach,’’ said Matteson.

“It just feels awesome. I can’t put it into words,’’ said Johnson, who won earlier this year at the Colonial National Invitation tourney in Texas and also finished second twice. This win came without his regular caddie. Damon Green, who had been on Johnson’s bag for 173 straight tournaments. Green spent the week in Michigan where he finished tied for 17th at the U.S. Senior Open.

Mike Bender, Johnson’s swing coach since 2000, carried in Green’s place but Green, thanks to a ride on Tom Watson’s plane, arrived in Moline in time to join Johnson on the direct flight to next week’s British Open. Matteson also made that charter flight, as his runner-up finish gave him the final exemption to the year’s third major championship.

Matteson, who had tried to qualify for the British nine previous times, will make his first appearance across the pond. Stricker will be there, too, undaunted that his bid to join golf legends Tom Morris Jr., Walter Hagen, Gene Sarazen and Tiger Woods as the champion of a major professional tournament four years in a row came up short. He finished in a tie for fifth with Luke Guthrie, the University of Illinois product who finished with the day’s best round – a 64 – to conclude his second tournament as a pro.

“It was a lot of fun trying to do it,’’ said Stricker. “I don’t know if I was tired, but it just didn’t feel like something good was going to happen. It was weird. I never got any momentum.’’

But he was within one shot of then-leader Matteson, his playing partner in the final twosome, after 11 holes of the final round. Hooked drives at Nos. 14 and 15 led to bogeys that brought Stricker’s dreams of a four-peat to an end.

JOHN DEERE CLASSIC: Stricker, Johnson both have a chance to win this time

SILVIS, IL. – As far as the multitudes of fans pouring into the John Deere Classic are concerned the leaderboard couldn’t be any better than this for today’s final round.

Steve Stricker, going for an historic fourth straight title, is in the final twosome. Iowa resident Zach Johnson, a long-time tournament board member who has spurred the JDC’s popularity among PGA Tour players, will be playing just in front of him.

The only trouble is, Troy Matteson owns a three\-stroke lead and shows no signs of giving it up in the lone PGA Tour stop in Illinois in 2012. He’ll be trying to become the 41-year old tourney’s first wire-to-wire winner since D.A. Webring in 1995, when the event was held at Oakwood Country Club instead of TPC Deere Run – a Weibring design that has been the home course since 2000.

Matteson, Stricker and Johnson all shot 66s on Saturday. Matteson is at 18-under-par 195 for 54 holes. Stricker is three shots behind and Johnson, tied with Brian Harman for third, is four back. Matteson won twice on the PGA Tour, both at the Frys.com Open, but that won’t help his popularity today.

“I’m not going to be the guy people are rooting for,’’ said Matteson. “I’m in a different position in life. (Stricker and Johnson) are Ryder Cuppers. People buy tickets to watch them. If Steve or Zach play good it does so much for the tournament. If Steve wins it’ll be a real big story, but I’ll be trying as hard as I can.’’

Stricker hopes to join four golf legends – Tom Morris Jr., Walter Hagen, Gene Sarazen and Tiger Woods – as the only players able to win a major professional tournament four years in a row over the last 140 years. Being the pursuer rather than the leader might work in his advantage.

“I’ve been in the position Troy is in,’’ said Stricker. “The bigger the lead you have, the more you expect to win and there’s lots of guys chasing you. It’s hard to put it away sometimes. That what he’s got to deal with.’’

The Stricker mystique could also be a factor for Matteson.

“But I wouldn’t be intimidated by me,’’ said Stricker. “Troy’s been around long enough. He’ll go about his business. It’s in his hands, really.’’

Well, ITAL not END ITAL really. Stricker must play the front nine better. He’s 3-under-par on the front nine this week and 12-under on the back.

“It’s good to play with the leader and see what happens,’’ said Stricker. “I’ve got to get off to a strong start, though, and put some pressure on him.’’

Johnson has done wonders behind the scenes to help the tournament grow, but the former Masters champion has never won here. He was second to Stricker in 2009 and tied for third last year. Johnson has called the JDC “my fifth major’’ and has played in it 11 times – more than he has played in any other PGA Tour event.

“It’d be very special for me to win because I sit on the board and for what this tournament has done for me in the past,’’ said Johnson, who’s performed well this week without his regular caddie. Damon Green earned a spot in the U.S. Senior Open in Michigan, so Mike Bender – Johnson’s swing coach – is on his bag.