Ziehm: Qualification coming together for 77th Illinois Open
The previous six 18-hole qualifying sessions to determine who plays in next week’s 77th Illinois Open brought out the best from the amateur entrants.
Bloomington’s T.J. Barger, coming off a record-setting senior season at Illinois State, was the best. He shot a 10-under-par 62 at the Atkins Golf Club in Urbana in a round that included back-to-back eagles and a 29 on the back nine.
Barger, who spent his freshman season at Illinois before playing the next three at ISU, finished with the Redbirds’ record for lowest career scoring average (72.28). Along the way he was the Chicago District Golf Association Player of the Year in 2023, but he wasn’t the only amateur to lead an Illinois Open qualifier this year.
Amateurs either led solo or shared the top spot in qualifying sessions at Romeoville’s Mistwood, Glen Ellyn’s Village Links, Winnetka and Bull Valley in Woodstock.
Chicago’s Charles Kulwin, the reigning Illinois State Amateur champion, shot 65 for the low scorer at Mistwood. Chicago’s Michael Schachner and Hinsdale’s Devin Swoyer both shot 68 to share honors with Indiana resident Michael Davon at Village Links. Wheaton’s Callan Fahey was co-medalist with Lake Bluff’s Eric Kutke with 69s at Bull Valley.
Only Lake Bluff’s Conner Polender, with a 68 at Sunset Valley in Highland Park, was a non-amateur leading solo in a qualifying session.
The 54-hole Illinois Open proper tees off Monday at Barrington’s Wynstone. Wednesday’s Last Chance Qualifier on the Prairie Course at Countryside in Mundelein offers the final opportunity for players to earn a spot. There will be 76 players battling for six spots at Wynstone.
Presidents Cup
Uniforms were unveiled Tuesday for the U.S. and International teams competing in the Presidents Cup from Sept. 22-27 at Medinah. B.Draddy and Zero Restriction will exclusively dress both teams in addition to their captains, caddies and staff for both the competition and various off-course events.
The U.S. team uniforms feature a patriotic red, white and blue palette rooted in tradition. The Internationals will don a combination of black and gold, which is reflective of a shield that unites them.
Another Stanford winner
The 124th Western Amateur ran late. It was scheduled to end Saturday but inclement weather forced the semifinals and final to move to Sunday. That’s when Jay Leng became the fifth player from Stanford to win the prestigious title at Chicago’s Beverly Country Club.
Leng shocked Miles Russell, the tournament medalist and No. 1 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, 3 and 1 in the morning semifinals before coasting to a 5&4 win over Vanderbilt’s Michael Riebe in the final. Leng was ranked 33rd and fellow Californian Riebe was No. 109 in the world rankings.
“It was nice playing a friend (in the final) because I knew it’d be a friendly match,” said Leng, 20. “We just played last week together. It felt like just another match, though there were a few hundred people watching.”
Next up
The Illinois Open starts a busy stretch for the Illinois PGA Section. The field at Wynstone will be cut to the low 50 and ties for a final round on Aug. 12. Then the IPGA conducts the Illinois Super Senior Open Aug. 18-19 at Pine Meadow in Mundelein, and the Illinois PGA Championship Aug. 24-25 at Elgin Country Club.
The Chicago District Golf Association will conduct the Illinois Mid-Amateur Championship Aug. 17-18 at Edgewood Valley in Burr Ridge. The Western Golf Association has the BMW Championship, the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Playoff event, at Bellerive from Aug. 18-23 in St. Louis.