Chicago area teed up to host some big pro tournaments this year
First the good news - and this year it's very good news. The Chicago area is finally back as a clear destination for big professional golf tournaments.
Big tournaments are inevitably the highlight of any golf season in any location, but the PGA Tour hasn't visited the Chicago area since 2020 - and no fans could watch that year because of pandemic concerns. Last year it was only the fledgling LIV Tour that came to the area. This year both the PGA and LIV circuits are coming.
The only drawback to this long-awaited positive news is that you'll have to wait until the very late stages of the Chicago season to see both circuits. The PGA Tour's BMW Championship is at Olympia Fields from Aug. 14-20 and the LIV Tour returns to Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove from Sept. 22-24.
At least, that's better late than never.
For decades and decades, Chicago was a hotbed for all types of big tournament golf. Then, for whatever the reason, things changed.
The only annual visit from the PGA Tour in Illinois remains the John Deere Classic, but it's in Silvis, on the outskirts of Moline and Rock Island and the Iowa towns of Davenport and Bettendorf.
Not exactly a Chicago-area destination, but well worth a two-hour drive from most suburbs. The JDC returns with its dates from a year ago, July 6-9.
Medinah hosted the last big event that fans could watch - the 2019 BMW Championship, a birdie-fest won by Justin Thomas. The following year's BMW - the one without fans - had plenty of drama with recently crowned Masters champion Jon Rahm beating Dustin Johnson in a playoff.
The Ladies PGA Tour hasn't been to the Chicago area since 2018. PGA Tour Champions made its last visit in 2015. The U.S. Golf Association held a U.S. Open at Olympia Fields in 2003, Jim Furyk winning, and then returned only for the inaugural U.S. Senior Women's Open at Chicago Golf Club in 2018.
Unfortunately, the dry spell figures to start again after 2023. The LPGA, PGA Tour Champions and USGA don't have a Chicago tournament on their calendars and we'll have to wait until 2026 when the PGA brings the President's Cup team event to Medinah.
Medinah, the site for the 2012 Ryder Cup, three U.S. Opens and two PGA Championships, won't have any players on its famed No. 3 course this year. It's closed for a $23 million renovation scheduled in preparation for the President's Cup.
Enough about what hasn't been here. This is a year to celebrate what's immediately ahead. The Western Golf Association, with headquarters shifted to Glenview, is bringing the first tour stop to the area before the BMW arrives. The NV5 Invitational, on the PGA's alternative Korn Ferry Tour, has better dates and more prize money this year.
Previously held in early spring, when weather could be on the iffy side, the event will now be July 27-30 at The Glen Club. The future stars of the PGA Tour will be playing for $1 million for the first time after the PGA Tour ordered an across-the-board hike in purses.
Max Homa and Scottie Scheffler are previous Korn Ferry winners in Chicago, and they're now among the elite on the PGA Tour. Last year's Korn Ferry event ended in a dramatic playoff with Harry Hall beating Northbrook favorite Nick Hardy, who was taking a brief break from his duties on the PGA Tour.
The BMW has an even bigger hike in prize money. Impacted by competition from the LIV Tour, the FedEx Cup Playoff event is paying $20 million. That's up $5 million from 2022, and the field has been reduced from 70 qualifiers in past years to just 50 this time.
Prize money remains at $20 million for LIV Chicago at Rich Harvest, but the field is only 48 players for the no-cut, 54-hole event that also features team competition. Australian Cam Smith, the reigning British Open champion, will defend his title at Rich Harvest.
2023 Chicago golf calendar
<b>April</b>24: U.S. Open local qualifying, Cantigny
<b>May</b>9: U.S. Open local qualifying, Stonewall Orchard, Grayslake
8-11: Illinois PGA Match Play Championship, Bull Valley, Woodstock
15-17: Chicago District Mid Amateur, Merit Club, Libertyville
22: Illinois PGA Pro-Assistant Championship, Exmoor, Highland Park
23: U.S. Senior Open qual., Flossmoor
June
1: Thompson Cup Matches, Ridge CC, Chicago
5-8: Chicago Dist. Sr. Amateur, Aurora
7: U.S. Women's Open qualifying, Palatine Hills
11-15: Illinois Women's State Amateur, The Grove, Long Grove
15: Radix Cup matches, Oak Park
19-22: Western Junior, Midlothian
26-27: Illinois Senior Open, Preserve at Oak Meadows
26-29: Chicago District Amateur, Lake Shore, Glencoe
<b>July</b>6-9: John Deere Classic, TPC Deere Run, Silvis, Ill.
17-22: Women's Western Amateur, White Eagle, Naperville
18-20: Illinois State Amateur, Bloomington Country Club.
24-25: Illinois Women's Open, Mistwood, Romeoville
24: NV5 Invitational qualifying, Stonewall Orchard, Grayslake; and White Deere Run, Vernon Hills
25-30: NV5 Invitational, Korn Ferry Tour, Glen Club
31-Aug. 2: Illinois Open, Flossmoor
31-Aug. 5: Western Amateur, North Shore, Glenview