'It's fun and exciting': LIV Golf fans see the bright side of event that's drawn fire
Fans at the LIV Golf Invitational Chicago 2022 tournament Saturday at Sugar Grove's Rich Harvest Farms largely focused on play - not controversy.
The upstart golf league backed by Saudi Arabia has drawn fire for its connection with the repressive regime and luring PGA players with lavish contracts.
But visitors to the tree-heavy course saw no fault with the spectacle or stars like veteran Phil Mickelson and Cameron Smith, who won the British Open in July.
"I wanted to see the big names," said avid golfer Maria Puentes of Batavia. She cheered on 2020 Masters Tournament victor Dustin Johnson as he teed off. "I follow him in the PGA and he's amazing."
LIV's Sugar Grove event continued to upend PGA traditions with golfers baring their legs in shorts, un-country-club tunes like "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party!)" blasting, and a shotgun start.
Adding to the variety, Frog-X Navy SEAL Parachute Team members descended onto the course before play began. A massive American flag attached to a SEAL snagged briefly on a tree, but he landed safely.
"It's fun and exciting," Puentes said. "There's music and food, it's a bit different, it's not so stuffy."
When course owner Jerry Rich asked for volunteers to staff LIV, Glenview's Jeff Davis signed up quickly.
The course is no pushover, Davis said. "It's very challenging. If you are a good golfer there are some longer holes that you can get in trouble with and shorter ones you can make up for your mistakes. The greens are very big and very tricky, I want to break 100 when I'm playing out here."
Regarding LIV, "I like the competition with the PGA. It's in a format that will appeal to younger people. (And) if you're a golf person, it's something different," Davis said.
At the 18th hole, fans broke into cheers when Mickelson, one of LIV's staunchest defenders, arrived and gave a thumbs-up to supporters.
Among them were Mike Navarro and son Niles, 7, of Lockport, who had a bird's-eye view of the action.
"I came out here to see Phil," Navarro said. "It's a really neat event and it's not as crowded like other events and we have access to get close."
He also appreciated a kids area with a putting simulator and other activities.
Another family pairing was Craig Solomon of Huntley and his adult son Ethan Solomon of Pingree Grove.
"Phil's wearing his shorts," Ethan Solomon noted with a smile. For Solomon and his golfing buddies, compared with other tournaments LIV "was so much more accessible, it wasn't as expensive to come here and we can see all these players."
The PGA this summer suspended some golfers for participating in LIV events. Sen. Dick Durbin said in a tweet Thursday that the tournament embodied the "Saudi government's continued, desperate attempt to clean up its image."
Durbin cited the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, which the CIA has linked to the Saudi crown prince, and the imprisonment and harassment of activists and other journalists.
Locally, the Kane County Board endorsed the event with a proclamation in July.
While respectful, the vibe was definitely not as hush-hush as at typical PGA contests.
Marshal Bill Stewart of Palatine, a self-described "perpetual volunteer," waved a "SHHHHH" sign at spectators when needed.
"I love to be a marshal," he explained. "I'm retired and it gives me something to do." Compared with the BMW Championship at Medinah Country Club and the Women's PGA Championship at Kemper Lakes Golf Club, "this is a happier crowd."