The 77th Illinois Open crowns its next champion on Wednesday at Wynstone, in Barrington, and it just might be an amateur.
Historically that seems unlikely. The biggest tournament for Illinois residents hasn’t had an amateur winner since Patrick Flavin in 2017, but there were 52 amateurs among the 156 who started the 54-hole test at Wynstone on Monday and last week’s Last Chance Qualifier to get into the field might have been an omen.
Five of the six players who advanced at Countryside in Mundelein were amateurs and one of them, West Chicago’s Sam Dykema, shot a 9-under-par 63 to share low score honors with Chicago pro Harrison Crowe.
Then, in Monday’s first round, amateur Dujuan Snyman, was just a stroke off the lead in an extraordinarily low-scoring start to the tournament. Snyman, about to enter his sophomore year at the University of Illinois after growing up in Australia, posted an 8-under-par 64 and was in a three-way tie for third behind co-leaders Charlie Nikitas, of Glenview, and Michael Davan, of Zionsville, Ind.
Tuesday’s second-round didn’t go so smoothly. A weather delay lasting more than three hours impacted the schedule, necessitating a long day on Wednesday with the second round needed to be completed before the final round could begin.
Last year’s Illinois Open winner, University of Illinois alum Michael Feagles, didn’t defend his title. The champion last year at Kemper Lakes, Feagles has been struggling on the Korn Ferry Tour this year. He missed the cut in seven of his last nine starts on the PGA Tour’s alternate circuit.
Flavin didn’t play either. Like Feagles and many recent Illinois Open winners Flavin is testing the pro tours and won an event in Argentina on the PGA Americas circuit in April.
The first amateur to win the Illinois Open, though, did make a rare appearance in the field though. Gary Hallberg won his title at the Eagle Ridge Resort in Galena in 1977 and also won as a professional in 1980 before going on to a successful career on the PGA Tour.
Now 68 years old and a member of the Illinois Golf Hall of Fame, Hallberg grew up in Barrington and was a three-time winner on the PGA Tour.
Amateur golf was very strong in Illinois when Hallberg won at Eagle Ridge. The next year Gary Pinns was the Illinois Open champion and he went on to win the title a record five times. Two years after Pinns’ first win David Ogrin, an amateur, was the champion in 1980 and he went on to a long and successful PGA Tour career, too.
PRESIDENTS CUP: U.S. captain Brandt Snedeker named his third assistant captain for the Sept. 24-27 team event at Medinah. Webb Simpson will join the staff that already includes Jim Furyk, the 2024 U.S. Presidents Cup captain, and Keegan Bradley, the captain of the U.S. team in the 2025 Ryder Cup.
“Webb embodies everything you want in an assistant,’’ said Snedeker. “He has competed at the highest level, has represented our country on various teams and has earned tremendous respect from players across generations.’’
Simpson was a President Cup assistant captain in 2022 and had a 5-3-2 record as a player in the competition.
FEDEX CUP: The three-tournament series to climax the PGA Tour season starts in Memphis on Thursday without a player with Illinois connections. The field was finalized after Sunday’s conclusion to the Wyndham Championship with the top 70 on a season-point race advancing to the first postseason tourney.
Arlington Heights’ Doug Ghim had a strong finish at the Wyndham, finishing tied for 19th, and was the best of the Illinois hopefuls. In the FedEx season rankings, though, was in 93rd position.