Illinois women’s golf gets boost from CDGA
The Illinois Women’s State Amateur had been conducted by the downstate-based Illinois Women’s Golf Association for 90 years before the IWGA — beset by a loss of members — turned the event over to the Chicago District Golf Association this year.
While the site remained at The Grove in Long Grove, the shift in leadership produced a significant boost to women’s golf in the state.
The CDGA changed the format from match play to a 54-hole stroke play event, and last week’s tourney produced a wire-to-wire winner in Buffalo Grove’s Haeri Lee. The 24-year old Drake University alum posted rounds of 72, 70 and 76, and her 2-over-par 218 was good for a one-stroke win over Geneva’s Sarah Arnold.
Not only did Lee benefit from the format change, her reward for winning was upgraded, too. An exemption into the U.S. Women’s Amateur, coming up Aug. 5-11 at Southern Hills in Oklahoma, was also part of the winner’s prize and that was a major incentive in getting Lee to enter. In past years the field for the national tourney was decided only in a series of nationwide qualifiers.
“It’s been a longtime goal of mine,” Lee said. “I was always kind of close, but I was struggling the last few years, and this was a confidence boost. I’m super excited, and super happy.”
Now the Women’s State Am has become a more demanding test than the Phil Kosin Illinois Women’s Open, in which both pros and amateurs compete together. The 29th IWO, coming up July 22-23 at Mistwood in Romeoville, is played at only 36 holes.
While Lee never surrendered the lead in the Amateur, she did have to survive a final-round charge by playing partner Arnold, who made four birdies in a five-hole stretch to pull into a share of the lead with five holes left in regulation.
Arnold, who plays collegiately at Western Kentucky, won the State Am in 2019 and 2023. She is the only multiple-winner since Kerry Postillion won the last of her five titles in 2007.
Radix Cup Rout
The Illinois PGA’s top players walloped the Chicago District’s amateur stars 16-2 in the 62nd playing of the Radix Cup matches at Oak Park Country Club. It was the largest margin of victory in the series and gave the IPGA a 38-22-2 lead in the rivalry.
This Radix Cup was special, as the professionals honored longtime Oak Park head pro Steve Dunning, who passed away less than a week before last week’s competition. Carson Solien, the club’s host pro, was part of the IPGA victory and honored Dunning.
“We’ll miss him,” Solien said. “He was an integral part of Oak Park, and a great guy.”
The American flag behind the clubhouse flew at half-staff in Dunning’s memory during the competition.
Here and there
Samantha Brown of Westfield, Ind. had been eliminated in the Round of 16 the last two years in the Women’s Western Junior, but not this year. She defeated Texan Isabel Emanuels in the final at Hinsdale Golf Club. Both players earned exemptions into the Women’s Western Amateur, coming July 15-20 to Onwentsia in Lake Forest.
Kevin Flack of Mauh-Nah-Tee-See in Rockford led wire-to-wire in winning his fourth title in the Illinois PGA Assistants Championship on his home course. He also won the title in 2019, 2021 and 2022. Flack, Kevin Healy of Beverly and Matthew Rion of Briarwood all qualified for the national Assistants event November in Florida.
The 104th Chicago District Amateur begins its four-day run Monday at Chicago’s Beverly Country Club.
Arlington Lakes will accept 40 teams into its Patriot Cup, a two-person gross scramble played on the Fourth of July.