Players not the only stories at KPMG Women's PGA Championship
The second day of the KPMG Women's PGA Championship at Kemper Lakes in Kildeer Friday featured intense heat and humidity that made it feel like it was in the low 100s, conditions that were expected to continue through the weekend.
But with a blue sky and steady breeze, golf fans remained eager to see how the top stars would fare in the third major of the season.
Besides the battle among 156 players for a share of a $3.65 million purse, there were other stories to be told. Here a few:
Carol Olincy, a retired middle school math teacher made a special trip from Visalia in central California to see some old favorites on opening day.
"I just started playing golf and I saw some of the oldies are playing - Julie Inkster, Laura Davies, Christina Kim. I want to check out their swings."
said Olincy, who grew up in Lake Forest but left in 1962. She brought her brother, Steve, who still lives there, and sister, Gail Azzi of Highland Park, along for the experience.
"I knew about it, and that's why I scheduled my trip for this week," she said.
Olincy recalled seeing Patty Berg, a founding member of the LPGA, play with tennis great and later pro golfer Althea Gibson in Oklahoma back in the day. But it was the first pro tournament for Gail, who said she used to golf but found something better.
"I'm a television golf fan. I met my husband on the golf course and stopped playing the game," she said.
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The setting was serene midmorning Thursday with fans beginning to pour in to follow their favorites, watch them practice on the range and check out other activities like the "Go Like a Pro" lesson zone with complimentary instruction from a teaching pro.
Things were going smoothly, but like a duck paddling furiously as it glides along, there are untold logistics to be handled. That job falls to John Hosteland, general manager and director of golf at Kemper Lakes.
"That's the magic - it's like Disneyland," he said surveying the activity near the 10th tee. "You don't see what's going on behind the scenes to make that experience happen."
The site was announced three years ago, but organizational efforts began about a year ago. The PGA trailer, for example, has been on site 11 months, he said.
Hosteland credited an army of volunteers working 15 different tasks for making a tournament week run smoothly.
"Without those folks, this doesn't happen," he said.
One of them is Linda Carrasco, who has volunteered for a five-hour shift as a marshal on the first hole.
"There are 1,500 of us," she said. "It goes to show you there are a lot of people who love the game. That's what it's about."
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Spectator and player safety are what it's about for Kildeer Police Chief Steve Balinski, who is all business on opening day. Besides private security, there are several armed police officers from Kildeer and neighboring communities keeping an eye on things.
That includes escorts for three of the most popular golfers on tour for "every step they take on the golf course," he said.
And given the forecast of oppressive heat, Balinski is a bit worried.
"We're setting up cooling centers," he said. "An officer will walk with the players for 18 holes. My concern is dehydration."
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Todd and Lynn Richardson both work for resorts with golf courses in Lake Geneva and are big fans as well as players. Because of the nature of their business, they took Thursday off months ago to be at Kemper Lakes for the opening round.
"We don't get much time off so we had to plan ahead," said Todd.
As students of the game, they wanted the personal rather than televised experience. Todd has attended many tournaments, but this is Lynn's first.
"I just walked next to Laura Davies from hole nine to 10. She's a legend," she said.
Todd said LPGA players are more accessible to fans.
"To me, seeing Julie Inkster and Laura Davies was kind of neat," he said. "They made it happen," he said of the tour's rise in popularity.
Todd said he is near a scratch golfer but wouldn't began to compare himself to any LPGA player.
"The worst player out here, she'll kill me," he said.