Illinois Open champ to compete in new Evans Scholars Invitational
It's official now. Vince India won't be defending his Illinois Open championship later this summer. He will, however, soon be competing on the same course he won it on last year.
India, who just turned 30 and is in his fifth season on the PGA Tour's Web.com circuit, will be in the field for the new Evans Scholars Invitational. A replacement for the Rust-Oleum Championship that was played the last three years at Ivanhoe, the Evans Scholars event will be played at The Glen Club, in Glenview, from May 23-26.
By skipping August's Illinois Open, the Deerfield native is forgoing a shot at state golf history. Only four players have been repeat champions in that tournament, the last being Mike Small, who notched the tourney's only three-peat from 2005-07.
A place in state history would be nice, but the Web.com Tour is the pathway to the PGA Tour. That says it all for India.
“My priority has to be to the Web.com over the state championship,” he said.
Web.com points are extremely important at this stage in his career.
India begins his fourth tournament in a row on Thursday in the KC Golf Classic in Missouri, then he'll come home for a week and work with swing coach Jeff Mory at Conway Farms and short game coach Garrett Chaussard at Skokie Country Club to get ready for the Web.com stop at The Glen.
“It'll be a stressful week, and I want to get my work done early for it,” said India. “But, I've probably played more tournament rounds there than anyone who will tee it up that week, and it'll be nice to sleep in my own bed.”
India is having his best season on the Web.com circuit, having made the cut in six of his eight tournaments. That put his ranking inside the top 75 (at No. 69) who would qualify for the circuit's season-ending championship, but he's well outside the Top 25 who will qualify for automatic elevation to the PGA Tour for the 2019-2020 season.
Going collegiate: Illinois and Northwestern were both assigned to TPC Myrtle Beach in South Carolina for NCAA men's regional play beginning on Monday. The Illini were seeded No. 4 and the Wildcats No. 9, with the top five teams in each of six regionals advancing to the NCAA finals at Blessings Golf Club in Arkansas May 24-29.
Southern Illinois, the Missouri Valley Conference champion, was the 13th seed in a regional at the University of Louisville Golf Course in Kentucky. While Illinois State didn't qualify for NCAA play as a team, two of the Redbirds players — Trent Wallace and David Rauner — did as individuals. They'll also play at Louisville.
Wisconsin's Jordan Hahn, the reigning Illinois State Amateur champion, and Notre Dame's Miguel Delgado will also battle for individual honors in Louisville.
Meanwhile, team qualifiers in the NCAA women's division will complete their 54-hole regional tests Wednesday. Illinois is in the Michigan State regional, and Northwestern and Southern Illinois are competing in Washington. The top six teams in each of the four women's regionals advance to the finals at Blessings.
Tour Edge strikes again: Tour Edge, the Batavia-based club manufacturer, has reason to celebrate. Last week Tour Edge staff player Phillis Meti set a World Long Drive record for women, and on Sunday, another company staffer, Scott McCarron, won the Insperity Invitational on PGA Tour Champions.
McCarron won for the fourth time since switching to Tour Edge's Exotics clubs in the last year, and he's won twice in the last three weeks. Exotics CBX clubs have been a part of nine wins and 11 runner-up finishes in the last 34 events on the 50-and-over circuit.
Here and there: Ex-Cub Gene Hiser has announced the dates for two of his celebrity fundraiser outings. The Scott R. Triphahn Celebri-Tee Outing, benefiting the Friends of the Hoffman Estates Parks Foundation, will be held June 5 at The Bridges of Poplar Creek in Hoffman Estates and the 50th Chicago Baseball Cancer Charities All-Star Invitational is June 24 at Twin Orchard, in Long Grove.
South Elgin's Megan Furtney earned a berth in the U.S. Women's Open sectional by finishing second in Monday's 36-hole sectional qualifier at Elgin Country Club. Furtney was four shots behind medalist Wichanee Meechai of Orlando, Florida.
Another longtime private club in the south suburbs has gone public. Calumet Country Club is accepting public play on its Donald Ross-designed course for the first time in 118 years. Earlier, Joliet Country Club announced it was accepting public play. Now renamed Joliet Golf Club, the facility that opened in 1905 is managed by Northbrook-based KemperSports.
Next on tap: The Illinois PGA Match Play Championship concludes Thursday at Kemper Lakes in Long Grove and the Senior version of the tournament begins its three-day run on Monday at Shoreacres in Lake Bluff. The 18th Chicago District Senior Amateur starts its three-day run on Monday at Briar Ridge in Schererville, Indiana.