This weekend's U.S. Open will have several Illinois players
The 119th U.S. Open tees off Thursday at a popular site - California's Pebble Beach. This year's Open started with 8,602 entries and is down to 156 for the 72-hole test that concludes Sunday.
A six-player contingent with Illinois connections is in the starting field and the most intriguing are the oldest, 41-year old Luke Donald, and youngest, 23-year old rookie pro Nick Hardy.
Donald is in his 14th U.S. Open but first in three years. The former Northwestern star was the world's No. 1-ranked player during much of 2011 and 2012, but the last two years have been trying ones.
In March he showed definite signs of recovery with a tie for ninth place finish in the PGA Tour's Valspar Championship, a Florida tourney that he had won in 2012. In April had a tie for 33rd at the RBC Heritage, and two weeks ago he had a strange Memorial tournament, going 65-80 in the final two rounds that left in him a tie for 57th place. The next day, in the 36-hole U.S. Open sectional qualifier nearby, Donald's game suddenly returned again as he shot 68-71 to earn a spot at Pebble Beach.
"This is my 18th season but it doesn't feel like 18," said Donald, who has maintained his Chicago ties despite having a residence in Jupiter, Fla. "Golf is tough at times and certainly the last couple years hasn't been that easy. In this game you have to be patient. You never know when the good stuff is coming."
Hardy has the same approach. After a brilliant collegiate career at Illinois he didn't survive the second stage of last fall's Web.com Tour qualifying. That left him scrounging to get into tournaments, the only avenues being Monday qualifiers or sponsor exemptions. In between he has a daily practice routine at Merit Club in Libertyville.
The U.S. Open is different, though. Hardy qualified as an amateur in 2015, finishing tied for 51st at Chambers Bay in Oregon, and again in 2016, when he missed the 36-hole cut at Oakmont in Pennsylvania. As was the case in those years, Hardy made it into his third U.S. Open through the sectional qualifier in Springfield, Ohio.
"I've done well at those qualifiers," he said. "I feel like I just compete. I set goals, and they've obviously worked out pretty good. I'm proud of that."
Hardy didn't see Pebble Beach until this week. He arrived Sunday and is spending the days leading up to the tournament absorbing as much as he can on the course and seeking help from local people. Hardy isn't sure what lies ahead after this week.
"I have no status (on Tour) so I can't set a schedule," he said. "I just have to keep myself ready."
Hardy is one of four Illini alums in the U.S. Open. Two - Luke Guthrie and Charlie Danielson - are paired together in the first two rounds. The other is European Tour player Thomas Pieters. Danielson survived Open qualifying after sitting out nearly a year following knee surgery.
JDC names four sponsor exemptions: The top four amateurs in the world prior to their turning professional have received sponsor's exemptions into next month's John Deere Classic. Accepting invitations from tournament director Clair Peterson were Norway's Victor Hovland, who played collegiately at Oklahoma State; Collin Morikawa, of California; Matthew Wolff, the NCAA champion for Oklahoma State; and Justin Suh, of Southern California.
Peterson has a great track record in choosing his sponsor exemptions. Since 2000 they have included seven winners of major championships, five winners of the JDC and nine who have won other PGA Tour events.
Among those who have benefited from JDC invites in getting their solid PGA Tour careers started are Bryson DeChambeau, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm, Jason Day, Patrick Reed and Zach Johnson.
Here and there: Wednesday's 58th Radix Cup matches will be special, as the event's namesake, Harvey Radix, was recently voted into the Illinois Golf Hall of Fame. The annual battle between the best players in the Illinois PGA and the best amateurs in the Chicago District Golf Association tees off at 12:45 p.m. at Oak Park Country Club. The CDGA has won the last two meetings but the IPGA leads the series 35-20-2.
• The Web.com Tour returns to Illinois for the Lincoln Land Championship, which begins its four-day run Thursday at Panther Creek in Springfield. The tourney's sponsor exemptions include collegiate stars Michael Feagles of Illinois, and Steve Fisk of Georgia Southern. Fisk won four straight college tournaments including Notre Dame's Fighting Irish Invitational.
• The LPGA's Symetra Tour comes to Illinois Friday for the Forsyth Classic at Hickory Point in Decatur. Organizers have announced that the 35th playing of the event will be the last.
• Illinois men's coach Mike Small has lost his well-regarded assistant. Zach Barlow has landed the head job at Michigan.
• Northwestern's Stephanie Lau has received a sponsor's exemption to play in the Meijer LPGA Classic, which tees off Thursday in Grand Rapids, Mich.
• Prestwick, in South suburban Frankfort, has been named the site for the 2020 Women's Western Amateur and the 2022 Women's Western Junior tournaments.
• The Western Golf Association's Junior Championship, the oldest national junior tournament dating back to 1914, begins its four-day run Monday at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove. The tourney was previous played there in 2003.
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