Profesional Golf in Chicago?!?

Does anybody else think chicago is getting screwed by the PGA tour. We’re losing the Cialas Western open or whatever it is called now. The tournament is moving to detroit for a year and they are going to alternate between cities. Now chicago is going to go tournament-less while New York gets like 15 a year. There are plenty of other great courses in the chicagoland area besides cog hill, medinah, and olympia fields. Thoughts?

I understand your frustration but don’t let it obscure the facts. And you also need an update.

First, the event is now called the BMW Championship. And it will be played at Cog Hill in 2009 and 2011. (In 2008, it will be at Bellerive in St. Louis and, in 2010, it will be held at Crooked Stick outside Indianapolis. Hazeltine, in Chaska, MN declined hosting it until after the 2009 PGA Championship there; it’s rumored that the 2012 BMW will go to Hazeltine.) At no point has Detroit been part of the conversation. The Buick Open is currently held in Grand Blanc, which is nearer Flint than Detroit, which gets the occasional major or Ryder Cup (2004) at Oakland Hills but nothing full-time.

Also, on August 29, Golf Channel’s Brian Hewitt (who once worked at the Chicago Sun-Times) said the Cog Hill owner, Frank Jemsek “firmly believes the tour will return… In the long term, [Jemsek] do[es] not see the tour being out of Chicago every other year. The tour wants to be in this market and so do the sponsors.”

When PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem announced that the BMW would bounce around and skip Chicagoland every other year, the fan base fired back in disappointment. After several weeks of taking hits, Finchem held a press conference to acknowledge that he underestimated the Chicago market and will reevaluate plans in the area. While that might seem like lip service, it’s nearly unprecedented for Finchem to assume that position. He’ll be on the job until at least 2012 so expect SOMETHING to be done.

So, what does this all mean? Too soon to tell. It was clearly an improper knee-jerk reaction to plug Chicago into a rotation, one that Finchem now regrets. With the volatility of sponsors and poorly attended events dotting the current PGA Tour schedule, it stands to reason that Finchem will ADD an event in the foreseeable future in a market that can’t get enough golf and supports the touring pros at a high level. (Don’t forget that the LaSalle Bank Open, played at The Glen Club, is the second-richest event on the Nationwide Tour.)

Meanwhile, you shouldn’t be surprised that the New York City area gets privileges. It’s the most populated market in the country and its golf tradition can rival any other. But 15 events? C’mon. If you’re going to complain, at least look halfway intelligent about it. (I’m sorry but really …) Currently, The Barclays at Westchester CC is the only regular NYC-area event. The U.S. Open was held there in 2002, 2004 and 2006 and will return in 2009 so complain to the USGA. The PGA Tour doesn’t run the U.S. Open.

Meanwhile, if you are lumping in the Travelers (Cromwell, CT) and the Turning Stone (Verona, NY) into your “calculation” of how many PGA Tour events are held in the “area,” then I’ll counter with the John Deere (Silvis, IL) and U.S. Bank (Milwaukee, WI). So you can always find world class golf nearby. But why not gripe that the state of Georgia has three tour events or about the plethora held in Florida and California?

I’m a Chicago native but I don’t pile on like so many have. I voiced my displeasure when the BMW (nee Western) was given part-time status but the tour listened so it worked. Frankly, I’m excited to see what happens. I don’t expect anything for 2008 although the schedule hasn’t been released and you never know what can happen DURING the season. Just look at how the International and Running Horse stops were cancelled and replaced MIDSEASON. Just give it some time.

And imagine if you lived in St. Louis or Indy, how pleased would you be that the tour is FINALLY coming through!

Bartlett Hills Golf Club. Donald and Nicole Jones September 21st, 2007

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