-- Golfweek Photo
It’s been long winter for golfers in the midwest
and the state of Illinois, in particular. From
polar vortexes to what has been a seemingly
endless winter storm, the
offseason hasn’t been too kind for golfers
anxious to get out on the course.
But, despite the freeze, spring is on its way in
the midwest. And we’re here to shed a little
light on which events you can be sure to look
forward to as the frost
thaws and grass turns our favorite shade of
green again:
2014 Illinois State Preview from
Chad Arsich of Local Amateur
Golf
The 2014 Illinois tournament season is kicked
off this year with the 31st Illinois State
Scramble on April 28-29 at the Village Greens
of Woodridge in Woodridge, Ill.
The Illinois State Scramble annually fields the
largest and strongest non-stroke play fields in
the State with the entire field playing at
scratch. Defending
champions and five-time winners John Wright
and John Finnin will be back after winning by
six shots with a 36-hole score of 28-under last
year.
The Will County Amateur typically kicks off the
Illinois tournament season the second weekend
in April, but has been bumped to , May 3-4.
Having to push the
event date by three weeks may just turn out
to be a blessing in disguise as the Midwest’s
harsh winter is going to prove difficult for
courses to quickly get in
shape for any kind of play by the middle of
April.
The 67th Annual Pine Hills Invitational, June 7-
8, brings out the best of Ottawa, IL. Pine Hills
Golf Club located 90 minutes southwest of
Chicago, is a favorite for
those players who have made the trip in the
past. Well worth the trip, the entire town of
Ottawa embraces the event on this nine-hole
course that is played
twice per round for the 36-hole stroke-play
event that packs a strong Championship flight.
In its third year, the Illinois Match Play
Championship continues to grow and field one
of the strongest fields in Illinois. All amateurs
are encouraged to apply with
the Players Committee selecting the field
according to each players past golf
accomplishments. A field of 64 players
competes within four Regions from May – July
to earn a spot in the Round of 16 that will be
held at Balmoral Woods Country Club, August
2-3. Balmoral Wood CC’s championship layout
provides a great setting
for match play.
“Bombers” need not apply when June 21 – 22
Zigfield Troy Golf hosts the Zigfield Troy Open
– “A Most Prestigious Par 3 Tournament
America”. This year’s event
marks the 33rd playing. The Par-3 tournament
honors course founder Zigfield Troy and is one
of the few Par-3 events anywhere that is run
like a PGA Tour event
or other professional tournaments. Golfers’
names are announced on the first tee prior to
tee off. A huge scoreboard highlights
competitors’ names, scores for
each round, plus totals and the round’s leaders
– all done in handsome professional calligraphy.
A fun competitive event for all that hosts a
strong field of scratch
golfers. Defending Champion is Raymond Knoll
who currently plays at the University of Iowa.
Other historical events in the state of Illinois
include:
The 109th playing of the Chicago City Amateur
July 26-28 at Jackson Park and the 86th
annual Midwest Amateur at Sydney Marovitz
Aug. 17-18.
On May 29-30, the annual Olympia Fields Four-
Ball brings to the region many of the top mid-
amateurs in the country. The 36-hole
tournament includes rounds on
Olympia Fields’ North and South Courses --
two of the country’s premier layouts.
The prestigious Western Amateur will make a
return to Illinois July 28-Aug. 2. The annual
multiformat event, considered by many as the
‘Masters of Amateur Golf’
will be played at Beverly Country Club in
Chicago. Last year, Patrick Rodgers --
currently No. 1 in the World Amateur Golf
Rankings -- took stroke-play medalist
honors before Jordan Niebrugge put the
finishing touches on a marvelous summer and
locked up his Walker Cup selection by winning
the title in match play. This
year, the top amateurs in the game will ascend
on Beverly CC as a precursor to the upcoming
U.S. Amateur at Atlanta Athletic Club.
Missouri will be the site of two huge events on
the women’s side. On June 6-8, the Curtis Cup
will be played at St. Louis Country Club,
bringing the top females
from the U.S. together to square off against
their counterparts from Great Britain & Ireland.
From Sept. 10-12, the USGA Women’s State
team heads to Dalhousie Golf Club.
The Northern Amateur returns to Indiana as
Sand Creek Country Club in Chesterton will
play host July 23-25. The event was played
regularly from 1967-2001
before falling off the summer schedule until
2011. The 54-hole event features some of the
nation’s top rising collegiate stars and is
highlighted by a par-3 contest
after the first round of play.
Indiana is also hosting this year’s USGA Men’s
State Team Championship. Scheduled for Sept.
30-Oct. 2, the top amateurs in each state will
tackle the prestigious
French Lick Springs Resort’s Pete Dye course.
As the grounds continue to thaw throughout
the midwest, AmateurGolf.com will continue to
list, promote and cover the events that make
up the schedules in
each state. Stay tuned for more coverage
from the midwest as the season progresses.
For a full look at the schedules available in
each state, use the following links:
Illinois |
Indiana |
Iowa |
Michigan |
Minnesota |
Missouri |
Ohio |
Wisconsin