OPENING SOON ! THE NEW CLUBHOUSE at the Preserve at Oak Meadows in Addison. So follow Dupagegolf.com for details on opening day. The golf course is open. _____________________________________________________________________
IT’S Almost time for a cold one at the Preserve at Oak Meadows Club House-that will open soon. The Gog Blog by Rory Spears, Director of Content and creation for Golfers on Golf. Follow Rory on Twitter @GogBlogGuy or connect on LinkedIn/Facebook/Instagram.
WHAT A DAY yesterday at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, for the final round of the Arnold Palmer Cup.
BECAUSE TEAM USA came up with a 33-27 win over the International Team. But both teams played some great golf.
So for Team USA, it’s some good payback for the blasting they took, at the hands of The International Team last year.
IT’S THE BEST GOLF EVENT that almost nobody saw. Because of the poor Covid restrictions that were placed on the event, that kept most of the fans away. The restrictions were basically lifted at the very last minute, when it was really too late to lift them.
OR MAYBE, should have at least a dozen or more players have lifted their arm and got a vaccination before coming to town. So Covid-19 and fans getting close to players, wasn’t a factor that TPC organizers would not have to had to, worry about.
CONGRATS to the two MVP’s from Team USA. First to Brook Matthews from Arkansas, Matthews the University of Arkansas women’s golf team member, earned an exemption into the Evian Championship. But even more-so to Sam Bennett from Texas and member of the Texas-Am golf team.
Because Bennett made the trip north from his small home town of Madisonville Texas, getting on the plane only hours after his father passed away. Bennett telling me that only after his entire family told him go play, and that’s what his dad would have wanted, Bennett did just that. His courage and play earned him a trip to the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill next March. Bennett will return to Illinois next month to play in the Western Amateur at The Glen View Club. He made final 8 in the Western Amateur last year at Crooked Stick, and is looking to go further this year.
CLICK HERE TO HEAR my interviews with Brooke Matthews and Sam Bennett.
Rich Harvest Farms owner Jerry Rich with the Arnold Palmer Cup.
IN 2015 Rich Harvest Farms hosted The Palmer Cup.
But this year, The Arnold Palmer Cup as it’s now called made it’s second trip to Rich Harvest Farms.
SO… could there be a third trip to Rich Harvest Farms for the APC.
ACTUALLY YES !, the next APC that has an open date is 2026. Jerry Rich tells me he is open to hosting again in 2026. That would make quite a year here in town. The best amateur players here in June, the best professionals here in September when Medinah Country Club host’s the Presidents Cup.
AUTOGRAPH’S AND MEDIA ACCESS. The two area’s that are lacking at sporting events, especially Major League Baseball (MLB) and the PGA Tour.
I’m not going out on a limb here when I say, if there was two things that players or athletes hate the most about their job, it’s signing autographs, and having to deal with a large amount of media.
SO what are two things lagging behind as sports slowly starts to reopen from the Covid-19 pandemic. Media access and signs up saying that players are not allowed to sign autographs. In my opinion this is not a coinsidence. Because with nearly 40,000 a day in Wrigley all weekend long, and the White Sox cleared for next week to have almost as many fans in the stands.
There should be no problem by now speaking with vaccinated reporters. By July 1st the autograph mandate can go as well. Because it’s time to do more than just say on Zoom, how happy you are to have the fans back in the park or on the course.
SO IT’S U.S. Open week-live from Torrey Pines. Who do you like. Bryson ‘The Bomber’ DeChambeau the defending champion, or someone else.
PERSONALLY I took a flyer in Las Vegas back in February on Dustin Johnson, when you could get him at 12-1 odds. DJ plays well in California, so lets see what happens.
WHAT I DO think is that USGA needs to find some different courses for California based U.S. Opens. Sure the ocean alongside the course is nice, looks great on TV as well. But Torrey Pines and Pebble Beach are PGA Tour stops, if you want the U.S. Open on the west coast, there plenty of other places to go than courses used every year as a tour stop. Which is why the Olympic Club works well for a U.S. Open.
NOW HOW BAD will the TV coverage be this week. Maybe Saturday Night Live will come on before the 3rd Round ends on Saturday. Will NBC spend the whole broadcast talking about Tiger Woods, because he won at Torrey in a playoff there 13 years ago. It’s great history yes. But a steady diet of this, is not what the viewers are looking for.
PINE MEADOW in Mundelein hosts the Illinois State Women’s Amateur the next three days. Thursday afternoon Oak Park Country Club hosts the Radix Cup matches-that pit the Illinois PGA professionals vs the Chicago District Golf Associations top amateur players. The Radix Cup is a great 1 day event, and after having to take last year off because of the pandemic. It’s nice to see both of these events return.
THE GOG BLOG returns all week. RS