Williams ready for new challenges with IPGA

This hasn't been an easy golf season for Carrie Williams. She has been wrapping up an eight-year run as executive director of the Illinois Junior Golf Association while preparing for a similar position with the Illinois PGA.

Her start with the IPGA doesn't officially begin until Aug. 26 (one day after her last day with the IJGA), but Williams is meeting with the heads of the PGA of America this week during the PGA Championship in Kohler, Wis.

"There's not a lot of transition time, but it was important for me to finish the IJGA season," said Williams.

While doing that, she occasionally made visits to Illinois PGA events, most notably last month's Illinois Open.

Once her transition is complete she'll be the fourth executive director in the IPGA's 99-year history and will become the third current female executive director of a PGA of America section. Illinois' is the 12th largest with more than 840 members and apprentices. The PGA has 41 geographically based sections.

"The Illinois Section is one of the largest, most highly respected in the country," said Williams. "I want to make sure it stays that way."

Williams, 39, replaced Michael Miller, who ended a 23-year stint with the Illinois PGA to become executive director of the PGA's Southwest Section in Arizona. Williams was Miller's assistant from 2001-07 before she took the IJGA post.

The IPGA operated shorthanded most of this season, putting on an expanded version of the Illinois Open with only four staff members. Williams called their efforts, led by assistant executive director Bill Ibrahim, "Herculean for keeping things going."

The Illinois Open, looking for more entries and more prize money, expanded the number of qualifiers for the 54-hole finals and used two courses in the finals for the first time. The change was a positive, Williams said, but she isn't convinced more changes aren't needed.

"That's a biggie," said said. "The tournament needed to be refreshed, and the fact that the section is trying to make it the best in state tournament is a good thing."

While some believe the tourney should include out-of-state entrants, Williams believes the event should remain for only Illinois players. She deferred further comment on what possible changes could be implemented and also was non-committal on hiring needs for the IPGA staff.

She said her first order of business would be "to get to 100 clubs in 100 days. … Go to them directly and not do it over the phone, get in the trenches."

After getting acclimated to her new job, Williams' first big project could be the creation of a new tournament. The IJGA created the Chicago Open as a fundraiser while she was there, but it didn't pan out and was discontinued this year. Still, she thinks a new pro event - one like the Waterloo Open, which has flourished in Iowa for many years - is possible.

"There's room on the Illinois competitive calendar for a tournament that's open to players outside the state," she said. "Why wouldn't you want an event to showcase professional golf in this city?"

Dunne joins the field:

Paul Dunne, the Irish golfer who shared the 54-hole lead at last month's British Open, has accepted a special invitation from the U.S. Golf Assn. to play in the U.S. Amateur at Olympia Fields. It begins on Monday and runs through Aug. 23.

Dunne was the first amateur to lead the British Open after 54 holes since Bobby Jones did it in 1927.

Other prominent players who will play at Olympia Fields but weren't in last week's Western Amateur at Rich Harvest Farms include Cole Hammer of the Houston, the 15-year-old who qualified for the U.S. Open, and Gunn Yang, the defending U.S. Amateur champion from South Korea.

Here and there

• The Illinois PGA will stage its Thompson Cup matches on Wednesday at Ridge Country Club in Chicago.

• The third annual Chicago District Super Senior Amateur is Aug. 17 at Schaumburg Golf Club.

• The third Mike Ditka Charity Tournament has been scheduled for Aug. 31 at North Shore Country Club in Glenview. It benefits Chicago Lighthouse North of Glenview.

• For more golf news, visit lenziehmongolf.com. Len can be contacted by email at lenziehm@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter@ZiehmLen, and check out his posts at Facebook.com/lenziehmongolf.