Illinois Open expands to two courses

Writing from Rosemont, Illinois

Friday, February 27, 2015

It took about eight months, but the plan to expand the field in the Illinois Open is coming to fruition. This year's state championship will be played at Royal Melbourne Country Club and Hawthorn Woods Country Club, Illinois PGA executive director Michael Miller announced at the Chicago Golf Show.

Using two courses will allow 258 players to start, rather than the standard 156, with the top 70 and those tied moving to the final round in the 54-hole tournament. It's been top 50 and ties in recent years, with 57 making the cut last year at the Glen Club.

"Both of these changes are first in the history of the event," Miller said. "We feel confident the field expansion will lead to increased qualifier registration and allow us to grow the championship to the next level."

Which is to say, a $100,000 purse. That's been a long-term goal, and was reached from 1998 to 2003, when Mike Small snagged the first of his four titles, but the purse has dropped to between $75,000 and $85,000 subsequently. Last year, the pro purse was $57,337, with the rest of the purse devoted to gift certificates for the amateurs – and there were 25 of them – making the final round.

The first two rounds will be played at the two KemperSports-operated clubs, with half the field playing one or the other on Mon., July 20, then going to the other course on Tuesday. On Wed., July 22, the final round tees off at Royal Melbourne.

The two layouts are only a few miles apart, with Royal Melbourne in Long Grove and Hawthorn Woods in, of all places, Hawthorn Woods.

Royal Melbourne, which hosted a pair of Illinois PGA Championships early in the century, is a 1992 Greg Norman design. Hawthorn Woods, a product of the Arnold Palmer Design Co., opened in 2006 and hosted the Illinois Open from 2008-11.

The first of seven qualifiers open to Illinois residents is June 4 at Royal Hawk Country Club in St. Charles.

– Tim Cronin