Top 70 Tour Players Return to BMW Championship!

BMW Championship - Round ThreeFor the second time in three years, the Western Golf Association will bring a star-studded field of the PGA TOUR’s best to Chicago’s North Shore for the 2015 BMW Championship at Conway Farms Golf Club in Lake Forest. Tickets can be ordered online at:  www.BMWChampionshipUSA.com or by phone at 847-724-4600. Daily tournament round tickets start at $50 with weekly badges priced at $125. The 2015 BMW Championship will be played Sept. 14-20. (more…)

World Golf Hall of Fame Elite Return to Encompass!

Bernhard Langer Encompass2015 Encompass Championship North Shore Country Club, Glenview, Illinois July 6-12, 2015                                                                        The 2015 Encompass Championship returns for the third year with its unique Pro-Am format to North Shore Country Club and the greater Chicago area on July 6-12. This unique and fun Pro-Am format will be played during the first two rounds of competition on Friday and Saturday pairing all 81 Champions Tour professionals with celebrities and amateurs. Sunday’s final round will see Champions Tour professionals competing for the individual title and the $1.9 million dollar purse. (more…)

2015 U.S. Amateur Championship

By Andrew Lamie, Championship Director 115th U.S. Amateur Championship (708) 679-6776 • andrew.lamie@kemperlesnik.com The U.S. Amateur Championship is the nation’s oldest golf championship dating back to 1895. Past winners of the U.S. Amateur include Bobby Jones, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. The last time a U.S. Amateur was contested in Chicago was in 1997, when Matt Kuchar was victorious at Cog Hill. This summer, the 115th U.S. Amateur Championship will be contested over the North and South courses of Olympia Fields Country Club. Competition will begin on August 17, when 312 of the world’s best amateurs will battle to reach the match play portion of the championship. Match play begins on August 19 with the low 64 players from the stroke play portion of competition. The final day of competition, August 23, will see the two finalists compete in a 36-hole match for the famed Havemeyer Trophy.  (more…)

It Ziehms to Me: Senior Women’s Open is finally a reality

Len Ziehm on GolfBy Len Ziehm The U.S. Golf Assn. has finally committed to holding a national championship for senior women players. Though long overdue, that’s good news. On the other hand, the first such tournament won’t be held until 2018 and there will be differences between the first U.S. Senior Women’s Open and the only other major event for senior women, which is put on by the LPGA Legends Tour. [caption id="attachment_878" align="alignright" width="300"]French Lick’s Pete Dye Course hosts the only major championship for senior women now, but that will change in 2018. French Lick’s Pete Dye Course hosts the only major championship for senior women now, but that will change in 2018.[/caption] The Legends Championship has been played the last two years at the Pete Dye Course in French Lick, Ind., which is also the site of the Legends Hall of Fame. The Legends event is over 54 holes; the first U.S. Senior Women’s Open will be over 72 holes. Players can ride in the Legends event, won the first two years by Lorie Kane and Laurie Rinker. As per USGA tradition in open championships, the Senior Women’s Open will be walking-only. And, of course, the Legends is for former LPGA players while both amateurs and professionals can compete in the Senior Women’s Open. (more…)

It Ziehms To Me: Hazeltine is Ryder Cup-ready already

Len Ziehm on GolfBy Len Ziehm CHASKA, Minn. - In just a couple years a golf club that is just 52 years old will become only the second in history to host all of the top six championships played on American soil. Hazeltine National, which opened in 1962, has already hosted the U.S. Open (1970, 1991), the U.S. Women's Open (1966, 1977), the PGA Championship (2002, 2009), the U.S. Senior Open (1983) and the U.S. Amateur (2006). [caption id="attachment_841" align="alignright" width="254"]Hazeltine’s Walking Man statue may soon become as famous as PInehurst’s Putter Boy. Hazeltine’s Walking Man statue may soon become as famous as PInehurst’s Putter Boy.[/caption] All that's missing is the Ryder Cup, and Hazeltine went on the clock to host that epic battle duel between the U.S. and Europe in 2016 after Europe continued its recent domination of the competition at Gleneagles in Scotland earlier this fall. Hazeltine will be the place to be from Sept. 26-Oct. 2, 2016. The only club to host all those big event is North Carolina's Pinehurst No. 2, which opened in 1907 – 55 years before Hazeltine. Pinehurst, which became the first course to host both the men's and women's U.S. Opens in back-to-back weeks last June, also hosted the U.S. Senior Open (1994), PGA Championship (1936), U.S. Open (1999, 2005) and Ryder Cup (1951). (more…)

Handa Cup: Will Inkster’s debut get U.S. back on winning track?

Len Ziehm on GolfBy Len Ziehm WEST POINT, MS. — This week in golf isn't all about the Ryder Cup. The LPGA Legends Tour will have its premier team event, the ISPS Handa Cup, going on at the same time. [caption id="attachment_815" align="alignnone" width="584"]Old Waverly’s majestic clubhouse provides an attractive setting for the Handa Cup. Old Waverly’s majestic clubhouse provides an attractive setting for the Handa Cup.[/caption] (more…)

Countdown is on for Par-3 national team tourney

Len Ziehm on GolfBy Len Ziehm GAYLORD, MI. - The northern Michigan community of Gaylord has 17 golf courses, all of them quite good. It's one of the best places you can go if you're looking for a golf-getaway destination. I should know. I've probably visited the area 10 times over the last two decades. This year, though, there's something new going on. In mid-July the Treetops Resort introduced the National Par-3 Team Championship. [caption id="attachment_798" align="alignright" width="300"]This spot on Threetops’ No. 7 tee was where Lee Trevino hit the most lucrative shot in golf in 2001 — a hole-in-one at the green far below. This spot on Threetops’ No. 7 tee was where Lee Trevino hit the most lucrative shot in golf in 2001 — a hole-in-one at the green far below.[/caption] It'll run through Sept. 27, but you can expect to hear more about it because this first version has been deemed a success and it's not even over yet. Jim McGuigan, head golf professional at Treetops North Resort, reported that 81 two-man teams had entered in the first six weeks of the event. Most were all male, but there are no restrictions. (more…)

It Ziehms to Me: Asian Watch Party was vital for International Crown’s future

Len Ziehm on GolfBy Len Ziehm The first International Crown concludes Sunday at Caves Valley, in Owings Mills, Md., but a Saturday gathering that wasn't held anywhere near the course will have a more direct bearing on how the event plays out at Rich Harvest Farms in 2016. Jerry Rich, in the forefront during the Crown's creation, hosted a Watch Party for nearly 200 members of Chicago's Asian community at The Stonegate in Hoffman Estates. Big-screen televisions flanked both sides of the speakers' podium, ethnic food and beverages were offered and Crown memorabilia was available. Rich and his staff hosted smaller gatherings for other ethnic groups in the days leading up to the inaugural staging of the global team competition, but Saturday's was the big event that Rich most wanted. (more…)

Tournament Highlights, Our “Champions Experience” Winner and Future Tournament Dates

ENCOMPASS CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY CAREERBUILDER [caption id="attachment_740" align="alignright" width="300"]Tom Lehman and His Caddie 2014 Encompass Championship Tom Lehman and His Caddie 2014 Encompass Championship[/caption] The 2014 Encompass Championship, once again, brought a unique Pro-Am format to North Shore Country Club and the greater Chicago area. The well-attended event featured a special Pro-Am format during the first two rounds of competition on Friday and Saturday pairing all 81 Champions Tour professionals with celebrities and amateurs. Sunday's final round was a tight race with Champions Tour professionals competing for the individual title and the $1.8 million dollar purse. Tom Lehman held onto the lead and was this year's Encompass Championship winner at fifteen under (-15), walking away with $270,000 of the purse money, followed by Michael Allen ($144,000) and Kirk Triplett ($144,000) who were both tied for 2nd place at fourteen under (-14). (more…)