The growing popularity of the LaSalle Bank Open will be evident today. General qualifying for the $750,000 Nationwide Tour stop drew a whopping 210 players, too many for one course to handle.
Because of the big turnout, the Illinois PGA will hold qualifiers at both Prairie Landing in West Chicago and Indian Lakes in Bloomingdale. Seven spots in the LBO, which begins Thursday at The Glen Club in Glenview, will be available at each site.
Heading the field at Prairie Landing is Casey Martin, who finished third in the 2002 LBO at Kemper Lakes but has since lost his exempt status on the Nationwide Tour. Martin, who suffers from a birth defect in his right leg called Klippel-Trenaunay-Weber Syndrome, won a 2001 Supreme Court case that allows him to ride a cart in competition. He'll tee off at 7:30 a.m.
Medinah teaching assistant Connie DeMattia is the player to watch at Indian Lakes. He won the first big local event of the season, the IPGA Match Play Championship. DeMattia tees off at 7:40 a.m.
Neither Roy Biancalana, last year's Illinois PGA player of the year, nor IPGA champion Mike Small survived last week's section qualifier for the LBO. Biancalana lost out in a three-man playoff. The three IPGA spots went to Ridgemoor assistant Jason Lee, Ivanhoe's Jim Sobb and Mike Troy of the Zigfield Troy Range in Woodridge.
The LBO shifts to The Glen Club on Tuesday for the duration of the week, and tournament director Scott Cassin has announced a new feature for the Saturday and Sunday rounds. Prizes will be given to spectators via a drawing for every birdie made at the 17th hole, and $50,000 will be paid out for every hole-in-one. Half the money will go to charity, the other half to a randomly selected fan.
OPEN SEASON: Thirty players will bid for two spots in the U.S. Open today in 36-hole sectional qualifying at Village Links of Glen Ellyn. The first round starts at 7:30 a.m. and the second at 12:30 p.m. The 105th U.S. Open will be played next week at Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina.
Among those in the field at Village Links are Winfield's Kevin Streelman, a regular on the Hooters Tour, and Rockford amateur Jamie Hogan. They posted two of the nation's best scores in local qualifying at Rockford Country Club, Streelman carding a 63 and Hogan a 64.
HERE AND THERE: Former Medinah head pro Mike Harrigan is now teaching at the Chicago Park District's Diversey Driving Range. ... Biancalana, a two-time Illinois Open champion, has joined with former Illinois Women's Open winner Maria Long and nationally ranked teaching pro John Elliott to start a teaching series for high school golfers at St. Andrews in West Chicago.
COURSE SPOTLIGHT
FLAGG CREEK
69329 S. Wolf Road, Countryside
(708) 246-3336
Facts: Nine holes, par 33, measuring 2,502 yards from the back tees with a rating of 31.9 and slope of 104 and 1,865 yards from the front tees with a rating of 30.4 and slope of 95. The driving range has grass tees and 25 lighted stations. It's generally open until 10 p.m.
Fees: Weekdays $17, weekends $19. Juniors (high school and younger) and seniors (62 and over) pay $15 on weekdays. Reduced rates available for residents. Carts are $16, pull carts $3 and rental clubs $10. Range balls cost $4 to $10 per bucket.
What's to like: With one par-5, four par-4s and four par-3s, this course has much more variety and challenging holes than most nine- hole courses. Nos. 4 and 8 are excellent par-3s. Statues on the course are also a nice touch. Location (close to I-294 and I-55) is convenient.
Room for improvement: Renovation work is in progress around the greens at Nos. 5 and 6, making play there somewhat difficult. Extending the netting on the right side of the range would help keep practice balls away from play on the seventh hole.
Bottom line: A recent reader poll conducted by Chicagoland Golf newspaper rated Flagg Creek as the area's favorite nine-holer. When the renovation is completed, it will be among the very best.
PRO'S TIP
BY JOHN GREEN
If you frequently slice your tee shots, it could be because of the driver you're using. You probably have an offset, a heel- weighted or a closed-club-face driver. The club may be the problem, not your swing.
If you're also slicing your iron shots, consider getting your irons bent to 3 or 4 degrees more upright. Since the lie of the club will be more upright, the club face will be pointing left of the target at impact. That might alleviate your slice, and you should see some improvement in the direction of your shots.
John Green is a PGA Master Professional who teaches at Golf Galaxy in Naperville.
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