Hahn hopes history repeats itself in Western Amateur

Surrounded by small flowers, a large stone sits by Skokie Country Club's 18th tee box and stops golfers in their soft spikes.

The stone rocks, so to speak, with history. It notes the great Gene Sarazen's one-stroke victory over Bobby Jones and John Black in the 1922 U.S. Open. Sarazen was just 20 years old and beginning an amazing career that would include winning all four of golf's majors, inventing the sand wedge and recording a hole-in-one in the British Open at Royal Troon - at age 71.

" 'The Squire' managed this hole in 4 strokes ..." the rock reads of Sarazen's birdie on No. 18.

"That enough lets you know that this is really a championship venue," a wide-eyed John Hahn said. "It's going to be very, very difficult."

Starting Tuesday, Hahn, an incoming senior at Kent State University, seeks to successfully defend his championship in the 108th Western Amateur, which last summer was played at Conway Farms in Lake Forest.

Skokie Country Club, which is actually located in Glencoe, has been around since 1897. Tree-lined with challenging greens and formidable par-3s, the original nine-hole course transitioned to 18 holes in 1914 and was laid out by legendary golf course architect Donald Ross. Ron Prichard renovated the course in 2000.

It is listed among Golfweek Magazine's top 100 classic courses.

"Skokie is a wonderful venue," Hahn said. "It's very challenging. The greens are really great."

The Western Am's format separates itself from other tournaments, as four rounds of stroke play are followed by four rounds of match play. The expected field of 156 amateurs is cut to 44 after Wednesday and to 16 following Thursday's final two rounds of stroke play. The tournament, which is also expected to include Northwestern star Eric Chun, who played in this year's British Open, features two rounds of match play both Friday and Saturday.

Last year, Hahn needed to win a playoff to secure his spot in match play. He then swept four matches over the next two days en route to what he called the biggest victory of his career.

Hahn, who in the spring won his second straight Mid-American Conference player-of-the-year honor, knows he'll be playing a different type of golf course than the one he conquered several miles north of Skokie last summer.

"Conway was more of an in-your-face, longer-type golf course," Hahn said. "Skokie doesn't really lend itself to be super long or super demanding off the tee. I think the par-5s are scoreable here."

A native of Ohio, Hahn and his Kent State teammates played Skokie last October. Hahn concluded play in the prestigious Windon Memorial by carding a 6-under 29 on Skokie's front nine.

The par-5 18th is memorable not only for Sarazen's historic birdie in 1922. Out-of-bounds runs along the left side and long approach shots will slide off an unforgiving green.

"The 18th green here is going to be brutal," Hahn said. "It's not fun."

Hahn believes his self-described "grind-it-out" style suits him well for the Western Am's grueling format.

"It's a really, really difficult golf tournament that I think allows the player with the mental fortitude to shine through," Hahn said. "It's a great event for me."