THE PRESERVE at OAK MEADOWS NEW CLUBHOUSE is open. So before or after golf, stop in and try Chef Mike’s new menu Wednesday to Sunday. But make your tee time by calling the Preserve or online visit DuPagegolf.com DuPage Am is July 23-24.
THE GOG BLOG by RORY SPEARS, Director of Content and Creation. Follow Rory on Twitter or connect on LinkedIn and Facebook. In the WNDZ Studio.
HAPPY 4th EVERYONE-Get out and play some golf.
***Breaking news*** Condolences to those effected by the Highland Park Parade shootings.
AS A RESULT several area golf courses are closed tomorrow, with the suspect still on the loose.
WHAT A FINISH at the John Deere Classic on Sunday by our local players. Kevin Streelman, Nick Hardy and Patrick Flavin all went low. Streelman made a hole-in-one that CBS used to start the Sunday broadcast with. Flavin’s Sunday run put him into the top 5 on the leaderboard, until a par-bogey finish left him Top-10.
Flavin had the pleasure of playing with Team USA 2023 Ryder Cup Captain Zach Johnson on Sunday, and enjoyed played well in front of Johnson. But Flavin is still not a likely Captains pick for the Ryder Cup.
THE JOHN DEERE CLASSIC didn’t have the best luck with the new dates. In my opinion attendance was down, and many of the top players that were coming, happened to WD in the final days before Round 1. Disappointing for sure.
There are players on the PGA Tour who keep preaching loyalty to the tour, in the face of the growing LIV series of golf events. But some of those players who received sponsor’s exemptions to the John Deere even while in college, have been no-shows for years the JDC. Why ? The last two years have been the tournaments 50th anniversary, and this year was tournament director Clair Peterson’s last year before retirement. Where were the players who got those exemptions. No where to be found, both years. Loyalty, well former Cubs manager Lee Elia gave a speech once, look it up and see what he had to say about loyalty.
NEW GOLF CONSTRUCTION always a good thing has a few announcements. Cabot Golf is taking over at Castle Stuart in Scotland. They will add a new Tom Doak designed course on the site. But there is more, in the Sand Hills area of Nebraska, David Kidd of Bandon Dunes fame, will build a new layout there. Paul Albanese will work with PGA Tour pro KJ Choi on a new course in Viet Nam. Architect Ray Hearn an Evans Scholar will build 3-par 3 courses in three states (1-in Michigan) for Boyne Golf.
IT’S AMAZING how the PGA Tour schedule will change over the next two years, different payouts. Different money for some tournaments, and smaller fields for the playoffs. Because when the BMW Championship returns to Olympia Fields in 2023, the field size will be 50 not 70. About the size of a LIV Series event, who would have thought that.
CHARLIE WADDELL won the 102nd CDGA Amateur 6 & 4 over Zachary Mulhearn at the Glen Flora Country Club. Waddell (37) and father of three, held off yet another college age player in Mulhearn. Waddell a member at Shoreacres and Mulhearn a Glen Oak member, where his father Danny is the head golf professional. The match was broke open during the second 18, after the players were tied after the first 18 holes. For a full recap see CDGA.org.
Plenty more coming up this month, with several tournaments on tap. So if you have not signed up yet, it’s for both the Illinois Women’s Open at Mistwood, and the DuPage Amateur at the Preserve at Oak Meadows and Maple Meadows.
THE GOG BLOG returns all week. RS