GALENA, IL. – It was a rarity when Steve Orrick won the Illinois PGA Championship in August. He was the first non-Chicago area club professional to take that title in 60 years. It wasn’t so unusual for Orrick, the head man at Country Club of Decatur, to rule the last of the section’s four major…
Tournament Reports
RYDER CUP: Kaymer’s attitude adjustment paid off in the end
Germany’s Martin Kaymer changed his attitude. For that he was rewarded Sunday with the honor of assuring the Ryder Cup would remain in Europe for two more years. Kaymer hadn’t been playing well leading into this year’s Ryder Cup. In fact he skipped the last qualifying tournament for Team Europe even though he held the…
RYDER CUP: Donald’s fast start was the key to Europe’s comeback
Luke Donald did his job perfectly for Team Europe on Sunday. With his team trailing 10-6, captain Jose Maria Olazabal sent former world No. 1 and Northwestern alum Donald out first in Sunday’s singles in hopes of building some quick momentum for his team. Donald didn’t disappoint. His opponent, long-hitting Bubba Watson, had been a…
RYDER CUP: Poulter’s five-birdie finish gives Europe some hope
There may be no better match play competitor in Ryder Cup history than England’s Ian Poulter. He’s kept Team Europe alive – at least barely – through two days of the 39th staging of the event at Medinah, and he gave a pulsating finish to Saturday’s session. After playing partner Rory McIlroy made birdie at…
RYDER CUP: European captain’s picks were too much for Tiger
Opening day at the 39th Ryder Cup didn’t go well for Team Europe on Friday, but the gang that won four of the last five competitions did win one battle. The two captain’s picks made by European captain Jose Maria Olazabal were twice as productive as the four captain’s picks made by U.S. captain Davis…
U.S. MID-AMATEUR: Nathan Smith’s well-earned fourth title sets a record
Pittsburgh’s Nathan Smith made U.S. golf history Thursday en route to earning another coveted invitation to next April’s Masters tournament. Smith became the first four-time winner of the U.S. Mid-Amateur – the national championship for players 25 and over — with a tense victory over Canadian Garrett Rank in the 36-hole final at Conway Farms,…
U.S. MID-AMATEUR: Smith, Rank final will be historical — no matter who wins
No golfer in the 32-year history of the U.S. Mid-Amateur has won the tournament four times. Nathan Smith could be the first to do it today at Conway Farms, in Lake Forest. Smith, from Pittsburgh, won the national championship for amateurs 25 and over in 2003, 2009 and 2010. He advanced to another final with…
BMW CHAMPIONSHIP: McIlroy is simply the best as season reaches its climax
CARMEL, Ind. – Sunday’s wrapup to the BMW Championship didn’t bode well for the U.S. team’s chances in the upcoming Ryder Cup matches at Medinah. Two members of the European Ryder Cup team, Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood, played together in the next-to-the-last twosome and finished at the top of the leaderboard with McIlroy reinforcing…
BMW CHAMPIONSHIP: Ten-birdie round shows Mickelson is back in the groove
CARMEL, Ind. – Phil Mickelson was a reluctant competitor when the Western Golf Assn. held the Western Open and its successor, the BMW Championship, at Cog Hill in Lemont. He just didn’t like the course, and said so. The results showed it, too. From his first appearance in 1992 until the final staging at Cog…
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…