GIANTS RIDGE RESORT in Northern Minnesota-home of the #1 rated public course in state, The Quarry Course and to #8 the Legend Course. See GiantsRidge.com/golf. So this week MISTWOOD Golf Club is home to the Illinois State Amateur. But by Friday Mistwood is back to hosting you. So go play one of Chicago’s top public courses, the Mistwood Golf Club on Renwick Rd. in Romeoville. Mistwoodgc.com or (815)-254-3333. _____________________________________________________________________

THE GOG BLOG by RORY SPEARS, Director of Content and Creation for Golfers on Golf. Follow Rory on Twitter @GogBlogGuy or connect on Facebook or LinkedIn. On the Quarry Course at Giants Ridge Resort in Biwabik Minnesota.

TRIPLE DUTY week.

Because normally us golf media types get upset when there are two tournaments in town the same week.

So this week, try three. Our friend Tim Cronin at the Illinois Golfer, says he has a column from Chicago golf writer Tommy Bartlett that goes back to the late 1950’s.

Where the Illinois Golf Hall of Fame inductee was upset about two tournaments being played the same week. Bartlett wrote, it’s obvious our local golf organizations don’t talk with each other. So now over 60 years later, the problem has not gone away. I’ll be spread a little thin this week. But will visit the Women’s Western Amateur at Park Ridge Country Club. The Illinois State Amateur Championship at Mistwood Golf Club. Then finally the Forme Tour event at the Bolingbrook Golf Club.

DID I MENTION it’s golf season in Chicago!

COLLIN MORIKAWA wins the Claret Jug, and is now the Champion Golfer of the Year. A well done to Collin. When I spoke with Morikawa a few years back at the Western Amateur, you could tell then the way he carried himself, he would likely have a great future in professional golf.

FOR YOU GAMBLERS, a friend who works in the sports books of Las Vegas sent me some golf gambling sheets on golf back around March 1st. So for the record if you had bet Collin Morikawa to win the British Open/Championship back in early March. You could have had him at 40-1. Because all the early hot money was on Rory and DJ.

Louis Oosthuizen was at 50-1, Jon Rahm was 14-1, and former John Deere Classic champion Dylan Frittelli was at 200-1 and Jordan Spieth at 60-1. So let the record show, next year before major season starts, bet early and bet often if things change closer to championship week.

THIS WEEKS ILLINOIS STATE AMATEUR operated by the CDGA will take place at Mistwood. The format is 18 holes tomorrow, 18 on Wednesday and a 36-hole final on Thursday. For the championship Mistwood will play at 6,808 yards and to a par of 72. But the normal Mistwood routing will change. The back nine becomes the front nine. But the 4th hole will be the first hole, with the island green 3rd hole becoming #18. I hope you got that.

THE FIELD is 132 players, from the initial pool of 549 applicants, which is the most since 2017. Illinois residents with a handicap of 7.4 or below were eligible to sign up. 104 players advanced from qualifying, 28 player were exempt from past performances.

Players to watch include, defending champion Ethan Farnam who won at Cantigny in 2019 will return. Mac McClear who won three Illinois State high School titles at Hinsdale Central, and won the Big Ten Championship title this past May. Nick Tenuta who won the CDGA-AM at Bull Valley last month. Jordan Less of Elmhurst a two-time Low-Amateur at the Illinois Open who will turn professional shortly, and Tommy Kuhl a member of the University of Illinois golf team.

THE SAD PART of this event, it was late owner Jim McWethy’s dream to host this event at Mistwood. Unfortunately McWethy passed away last year and won’t be here to see the championship unfold. McWethy bought the club in 2003, and brought original architect Ray Hearn back to renovate the golf course. Golfers on Golf will meet with Hearn this week at Mistwood, to learn more about Hearn’s work at Mistwood and other projects.

THE WOMEN’S WESTERN GOLF ASSOCIATION NATIONAL AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP will take place at the Park Ridge Country Club this week. It concludes on Saturday with a 18-hole match play championship match. Starting the week 13 women from Illinois are in the field. The Park Ridge Country Club is looking in the best condition for the championship, and coming out of an architect Greg Martin 2020 restoration of the golf course.

THE FOUR DAY FORME TOUR event at the Bolingbrook Golf Club is operated by Kemper Sports. The Forme tour is filling in for the Canadian PGA Tour that was not allowed to play in Canada this year, because of the pandemic. The tour will leave Illinois and head to Indiana for thee events starting next week. Among players in the field this week at Bolingbrook are Illinois alums Dylan Meyer and recent graduate Michael Feagles.

The Gog Blog will be back as much as possible in this crazy week ahead. RS