Try, try, try, try, try again

Tough breaks. As we got into last week, local golfer Kevin Streelman's had a few.

There was his first PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament -- AKA "Q-School" -- where Streelman failed to advance to the second stage by one stroke, a final putt left standing on the lip of the cup.

More bitter was a first-stage effort in Houston, in which the 1997 Wheaton Warrenville South graduate was looking good, scrambling from even par after two rounds to 5 under through 15 holes of the third when a downpour hit.

The rest of the event was canceled, the third round thrown out and advancement was based on the first two rounds -- and Streelman again was 1 shot off the cut.

Monday, however, in his fifth try in Q-School and his first time in the final stage, the six-year pro earned his PGA Tour card with a 14th-place tie over the six rounds at Orange County National in Florida. The top 26 golfers earned full PGA exemption for the next year.

After grueling years of Super-8 motels and driving hundreds of thousands of miles cross country, Streelman celebrated Monday night.

Tuesday morning he and his fellow grads met with PGA people about how to pick up courtesy cars and personal laptops, about dealing with the media, about sports psychologists.

Streelman, a Winfield native who now spends most of his time with fiancee Courtney Caples in golf mecca Scottsdale, Ariz., has spent as much time in his head as on fairways since graduating from Duke.

"I don't think I was ready at the time to do something like this," he said. "…When I first got out of college I thought I'd be able to play competitive golf. And I really had no idea."

He honed his short game and driving accuracy, was a Monday qualifier for several PGA events and gained success on the Hooters and Gateway tours, including five tourney wins this season.

"This time I really thought it was my break," he said. "I've had so many bad ones."

The 28-year-old, with best friend and former Duke teammate Mike Christensen as his caddie, positioned himself by collecting 25 birdies through the first five rounds of the Q-School Finals, putting him 17-under entering Monday's final round.

Pressure reared its head. Streelman survived five bogeys and a double bogey to pull in at a plus-1 73, but the exemption was his.

"Definitely it was the hardest thing I've had to endure," he said. "The pressure I felt there was absolutely nothing I've felt before.

"I couldn't imagine coming down the stretch and having the lead at the Master's being even more stressful than trying to achieve your PGA Tour card."

Maybe one day he'll be able to truly compare. For now Streelman plans on playing at least 25 events in 2008 in order to be among the top 125 money winners and thus retain his PGA card for another year.

"I've got lofty goals, that's for sure," he said. "They've taken me this far and I'll keep on going with it."

Welcome to the club

Illinois Basketball Coaches Association executive director Chuck Rolinski has released the IBCA's Hall of Fame Class of 2008.

Among those to be inducted on April 26 at Illinois State University are officials Fred Allman of Addison and Dave Lanning of Glen Ellyn, and Naperville North boys coach Mark Lindo.

This is Lindo's second recent honor. In 2005 the friendly pitching specialist was inducted into the Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

Button-poppin' good times

How proud Benet athletic director and head football coach Gary Goforth must be.

There was his former quarterback, Dan LeFevour, getting praised up and down on national television, joining only Vince Young among college quarterbacks with 1,000 yards rushing and 3,000 passing in a season in Central Michigan's 35-10 win over Miami of Ohio last weekend.

Better still for Goforth, his own son, Phil, is having a great year as a starting wide receiver at 12-1 Southern Illinois, which hosts Delaware on Saturday in the NCAA Division I semifinals.

Go to the film

Glenbard West recently won $1,000 for a video it entered on highschoolsport.net.

A more savvy production than most of the winners on the site, the football-themed clip was set to a song by Rise Against.

It featured the Glenbard West marching band and then the football team walking down Ellyn Avenue to Duchon Field, and action footage of the Hilltoppers' win over Downers Grove North.