Klonowski jumps into IWO lead

Writing from Romeoville, Illinois

Monday, July 25, 2022

Addison Klonowski of Naples, Fla., wins the prize as the contestant coming from the greatest distance to play in the 27th Phil Kosin Illinois Women’s Open at Mistwood Golf Club.

She may win the whole thing. Klonowski, a 17-year-old high school senior whose family spends their summers in the Chicago area, scored 3-under-par 69 on Monday and leads the 36-hole test by a stroke going into Tuesday’s final round.

Klonowski spread four birdies across a seven-hole span on the front nine, made three bogeys in her next seven holes, then birdied the 17th and 18th to vault into the lead.

For Klonowski, playing against adults is actually something of a breather between a pair of major junior tournaments. She played in the U.S. Girls Junior last week, missing the cut for match play by a dozen strokes, and next week will tee it up in the PGA Junior at Cog Hill.

“I started dropping putts so I gained confidence from there,” Klonowski said. “I was a little more aggressive today. I had a lot of 10-footers for birdie.

“I had a rocky start on the back but gained confidence. My game is in a good place, so I’m excited for tomorrow.”

Mini-tour pro Jaravee Boonchant of Mundelein scored 2-under 70 despite a double-bogey on the par-4 12th and is alone in second place. There’s a twosome at 1-under 71: amateurs Natasha Fear of Itasca (and originally New Zealand) and Caroline Smith of Inverness. Five more players from the 63-player field are at even par 72.

The first prize is $5,000, the total pro purse $12,000.

Mistwood teaching pro Nicole Jeray scored 5-over 77 in her fourth competitive round in as many days. Her first three were in the Senior LPGA Championship at Salina, Kan., where she tied for 15th, then flew back Sunday night.

“My legs got tired,” Jeray said of Monday’s adventure. “I never hit a ball in the water on No. 14 (a par-3 adjacent to a lake) and I hit two in.”

A triple on the 14th and a double on the par-5 15th scarred her round. Otherwise, she’s at even par entering the final round.

“That’s golf,” Jeray said.

More than a handful of players were playing hurt. Brianne Bolden of Mokena and the Minnesota golf team has a torn labrum, which makes walking a bit of a pain and swinging a club more so. Regardless, she stayed the course en route to a 9-over 81. And Lauren Beaudreau of Lemont and Notre Dame was in only her third tournament since wrist surgery in December, which caused her to miss the spring college season. You couldn’t tell it from her 1-over 73, which was not pain-free.

“It’s pretty hard,” Beaudreau said. “It was a big surgery, so I was out for a long time. The pain, you’ve just got to work through it. But it was fun today, just trying to get back into form.”

Tuesday’s tee times run from 7 to 10:30 a.m. 

– Tim Cronin