THE WHITE EAGLE GOLF CLUB IN NAPERVILLE-will be host to the 71st Illinois Open ______________________________________________________________________

THE GOG BLOG by RORY SPEARS-Director of Content and Creation for Golfers on Golf. Follow Rory on Twitter @GogBlogGuy and on LinkedIn or Facebook/Instagram.

Former IPGA Section President Mark Labiak-hands the 2019 IPGA Section trophy to Travis Johns of Medinah Country Club.

With the Covid-19 pandemic creating havoc in society and the world of sports, the Illinois PGA Section has been forced into the scramble mode to create a schedule with tournaments for competition, for it’s section members, and the top amateur players who will enter the 71st Illinois Open at the White Eagle Golf Club in Naperville.

After months of hard work and having to reshuffle the deck, the revised schedule is in place for the months ahead in 2020.

The good news is that the four major championships will still be held, but with some changes.

The Illinois Open was cut down to it’s former field size of 156 players, and a two course system was reduced to one, with Stonebridge Country Club taking a mulligan to a later date in the years ahead. The PGA section championship is still on for Medinah Country Club from August 24-26.

The IPGA Match Play Championship was delayed from May at the Kemper Lakes Golf Club, to September 15-18 at the Elgin Country Club, with a new format of stroke play that determines the final 64 players that move into the match play brackets.

The seasons final major the IPGA Players Championship will be contested from October 5-6, and remain at Conway Farms. But will have a field of 35 players, by invitation only from the standings of the Bernardi Player of the Year points race.

“We worked diligently over the past few months with our Board, Officers and Tournament Committee to develop a tournament schedule that was both safe for participants while preserving the Major Championships and other key events,” said Carrie Williams, Executive Director of the Illinois PGA and Illinois PGA Foundation. “We’d like to thank all of the Illinois PGA Professionals and facilities for their dedication and flexibility to help us create our new 2020 tournament schedule.”

The Illinois PGA Assistant Professional Championship (Monday July 13 Cress Creek) and IPGA Senior Professional Championship (Merit Club August 10-11) will serve as national qualifiers.

Unfortunately the following events were cancelled for 2020. The Pro-Pro-Pro Scramble, the Spring-Fall Pro-Assistant IPGA Senior Stroke Plays 1-2-3-4. IPGA Assistant Stroke Play Events 1-2. The Radix Cup, Thompson Cup and Royal Cup Matches. IPGA 1-Day Pro-Am (both). IPGA Senior Masters IPGA Sroke Play 6.

In October three Pro-Am’s will take place. October 1st at Onwentsia the Ryne Sandberg IPGA Foundation Pro-Am. October 4-5 the IPGA Fall travel Pro-Am at Sand Valley Resort in Nekoosa Wisconsin. From October 19-21 in Pinehurst the Meyer-Brown-Miller Invitational. For further information please see IPGA.com.

                   THE 2020 U.S. OPEN coming this September on NBC-Yes that’s right NBC.

THE GOG BLOG-by RORY SPEARS, Director of Content and Creation for Golfers on Golf Radio and Golfersongolf.com follow Rory on Twitter @GogBlogGuy, and Facebook or LinkedIn.

The USGA’s time in the Fox hole is over, effect yesterday, the United States Golf Association (USGA) is no longer TV partners with Fox Broadcasting and has returned to the NBC broadcasting network.

It appears that the USGA and Fox had different idea’s about what to show and when over the past few months, with the major conflict being the two U.S. Opens. Both the Men’s U.S. Open in September and the Women’s U.S. Open in December, cause scheduling conflicts for TV time. With Fox wanting to stay with NCAA and NFL football on the weekend, and the USGA expecting it’s U.S. Open’s to be televised on Fox, and not Fox Sports 1, as Fox had hoped to do.

                         USGA.org.

“We are thrilled to acquire the remainder of the Fox Sports’ USGA agreement, and will carry the designated USGA events, including the U.S. Open, through 2026,” said Pete Bevacqua,president of the NBC Sports Group. “Adding these prestigious USGA events to our incredibly deep golf business, led by our long-term deal PGA Tour partnership, as well as the Open Championship and the Ryder Cup, positions us as absolute leaders in the golf space. This deal is advantageous for all parties, including NBC Sports, Golf channel, Peacock and the USGA, but also Fox Sports, and we thank them for working with us to complete this transaction. It further solidifies our platforms as the destination for golf viewers and enthusiasts, with NBC, Golf Channel, GOLFNow and GOLFPASS.”

“Partnering with NBCUniversal, including Golf Channel, gives us an, unparalleled opportunity to connect and engage with the core audience more directly and routinely, and as a non-profit, to continue to have a significant and lasting impact on the game,” said Mike Davis CEO of the USGA.

In 2021 the USGA schedule will be played in full, and the new agreement with NBCU will allow for full uninterrupted coverage of eight USGA events because of the partnership with Rolex. The last hour of the final round will be uninterrupted, with out any interruptions.

“Fox Sports has cherished its time with the as home to the USGA Championships for the past six years. This is a relationship and partnership that has been second to none,” said Eric Shanks, CEO and Executive producer of Fox Sports. “Recent events calling for the shift for the U.S. Open created scheduling challenges that were difficult to overcome. While we are proud of the success we’ve built over the these years, this is a win for golf fans everywhere, a win for the USGA and a win for FOX and NBC Sports.”

“Fox brought significant innovation to golf broadcasting by elevating technology and enhancing fan experience,” said Davis. “We appreciate the partnership we have had with FOX Sports, and FOX Sports efforts over the last six years to produce world-class events.”