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Illinois Golfer 49th49th JohnJohn DeereDeere ClassicClassic PreviewPreview IllinoisIllinois GolferGolfer SpecialSpecial DigitalDigital EditionEdition JulyJuly 11,11, 20192019 MatthewMatthew WolffWolff leadsleads DeereDeere fieldfield RookiesRookies Morikawa,Morikawa, Hovland,Hovland, SuhSuh onon handhand thisthis weekweek inin SilvisSilvis Page 2 • July 11, 2019 • Illinois Golfer www.illinoisgolfer.net ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– The Buzz In This Issue Metamora buys WeaverRidge The plan was afoot a couple of years ago. It made thought it would be a good idea to add Peoria to complete sense to Jim Ring, founder and proprietor WeaverRidge,” Matt Rogers, general manager of both Our special preview of of Metamora Fields, the luxe course in Metamora, the courses, told the Peoria Journal-Star. the 49th John Deere Classic small town on the bluff northeast of Peoria. This is a bold move by Ring, given the flat na- –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Only one public course in metro Peoria compared ture of golf business at the moment – even Metamora News –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– to it, that being WeaverRidge, the equally luxe course Fields has seen a year-to-year dropoff in rounds. But The Deere is here 4 on the west edge of Peoria. The Weaver family, having he and Rogers believe ownership of two courses will Opinion built the course and never seeing it take off financially, make sense for a statewide marketing plan to be suc- –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– wanted out. cessful. Peoria is about three hours from downtown Grill Room: The scrappy survivor 3 Ring, whose prairie-style layout had had more Chicago and a bit closer to St. Louis. Both courses are Departments –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– success, wanted in. worth the drive. Groupings and Starting Times 8 The deal was there to be made. Finally, in June, “We want to give golfers from Chicago and other it was made. Meatmora Fields, which is to say Ring, areas an opportunity to come and play two great and bought WeaverRidge from Jerry and Matt Weaver. very different courses,” Rogers told the Journal-Star. Changes were effected immediately: lower prices “We’re hoping in time, with the two together, we can Illinois Golfer to match those at Metamora Fields, with a $60 top on market outside our local market and get enough out-of- –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– July 11, 2019 • Digital Edition weekends and a weekday senior rate of $47 all day town people to make up the difference.” Vol. 5, No. 5 • Issue 42 long. A season pass, pricey at $3,000, that covers both On a visit last year, Ring told ILLINOIS GOLFER he –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– facilities from golf course to range. (Those who prefer thought he was close to finalizing a deal to build a me- Published monthly in season, with occasional special issues just one course can get in for $2,000.) dium-sized hotel on a corner of the Metamora Fields –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– The WeaverRidge parking lot was quickly repaved. property two years ago, but the deal fell through, some Publisher & Editor Tim Cronin Clubhouse repair was being effected. Needed course $1.5 million short of financing. Travel Expert Len Ziehm maintenance is being taken care of, part of a two-year Now it may be revived with a different partner. If –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Join us online at www.illinoisgolfer.net plan that could include tweaking the design – D.A. that happens, Ring will have in an ubran area what Write us at P.O. Box 164, Worth, Illinois 60482 Weibring’s name has been mentioned as a tweaker. Mike Keiser has achieved in the hinterlands, combin- E-mail us at [email protected] And there’s a new name on the place: WeaverRidge ing two or more courses and on-site lodging to make a Call us at (708) 638-1164 Follow us on Twitter: @illinoisgolfer Golf Course of Peoria. golf jaunt not just a day trip but a destination for mid- –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– “We had the name Metamora in our course and Display / classified advertising: week or weekend getaways. Call (708) 638-1164 for particulars. Illinois Golfer assumes no responsibility for unsolicited ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– materials or claims of advertisers. Caveat emptor. The Cover Matthew Wolff, 20, surprise winner last week in Minneapolis, signed autographs and took selfies –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– © 2019 Illinois Golfer LLC, a unit of Cronin Multimedia with his legion of new fans Wednesday at TPC Deere Run. / Tim Cronin / Illinois Golfer Page 3 • July 11, 2019 • Illinois Golfer www.illinoisgolfer.net ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– The Grill Room by Tim Cronin The little tournament that could t was the Quad Cities Open at first, not even arrived in 1999, 20 years raised his hand to help at the first QCO in 1971 on the regular PGA Tour in 1971, and then ago now – and since then, and continues to do so as the 49th edition starts. barely on it for a number of years thereafter. the tournament has been on (He continued to volunteer during the dozen years It was almost killed off by debts, so an ever-spward spiral. he was mayor of Moline.) Iclose to the end at one point the news confer- The PGA Tour touts Some years ago, we chanced to compare the ence had been called and the release prepared. itself as a charity-first op- John Deere Classic to the Green Bay Packers, An eleventh-hour phone call guaranteeing a new eration, and in many ways which was music to tournament director Clair partnership saved it. that’s true thanks to the Peterson’s ears. He’s a Packers fan from way Ed McMahon, who did not play golf, was the groups which do the dirty back. The analogy is simple. An NFL franchise front man for the tourney for a number of years, work to put on each Ed McMahon in a small town – Green Bay has about 306,000 and while he didn’t coax boss Johnny Carson, week’s tournament. It is certainly true in the cast people in its metropolitan area – and a PGA whose monologue-ending golf swing was likely of the Deere, where the charity component is Tour franchise in a small group of cities totaling seen by more people than anyone in history, to stunningly effective. 383,000 folks (and which had an NBA fran- Oakwood Country Club, he did drag Jerry Lewis Birdies for Charity is a wide and welcome chise, the Tri-Cities Blackhawks, today’s Atlanta and a host of Hollywood stars to the tournament umbrella under which more than 500 local groups Hawks, at the dawn of pro basketball). Bears fans for Wednesday’s pro-am. After which, in many conduct fund-raisers based on – you guessed it will hate to hear it, but both areas punch above years, the rest was conducted in near-secret. You – the number of birdies scored during the pro- their weight. don’t get someone bellowing “Hey, lady!” every am and the four tournament days proper. From a The QCO-Hardees-Miller Lite-Deere – that day in Bettendorf. When you do, people turn out. small start, the Birdies program has become one covers most of the sponsors – became known as Burger maker Hardee’s signed on for a spell, of the major economic engines for charity in the the incubator of PGA Tour careers. Payne Stew- and while that brought financial stability to one of area, with over $13.4 million raised last year and art’s first victory was here, as was Jordan Spieth’s the PGA Tour’s smallest tournaments – right there more than $107 million across the years, most and Bryson DeChambeau’s more recently. with the B.C. Open for the longest time – those of those in the Deere era. (Deere, the company, Their careers took off. Not everyone’s do. Mi- who remember the fruit flies surrounding the covers all the administrative costs, and its charity chael Kim, last year’s winner, hasn’t made a cut burgers sitting in the sun in the open-air press tent wing also kicks money into the pot, so the return in 2019. His last check came at the Tournament will tell you fine dining it sometimes was not. for each charity is more than 100 percent of the of Champions on the first weekend of the year, But the QCO hung on, pressed forward, money pledged.) where there is no cut. He’s a great guy and you gained a measure of respect, and finally landed a Attendance isn’t massive – maybe 15,000 on hope he turns it around, but only two of his last 28 big-time sponsor in Deere & Company, the best- a big day – but the impact is, thanks to the all-in rounds are in the 60s. known company in the Quad Cities. attitude of so many donors, to say nothing of the Maybe this is the week he lights up the score- April 2, 1997 was the day the QCO was many volunteers who work long hours marshaling board again. After all, the tournament slogan is adopted by Deere – the John Deere Classic title or what have you at TPC Deere Run. Stan Leach “Magic Happens Here.” Can it happen twice? Illinois Golfer Cover Story 49th John Deere Classic Preview Young guns take center stage It was from this bunker adjacent to the 18th green that Jordan Spieth holed a shot for birdie in the final round to join a playoff that he would win in 2013. Don’t bet this year’s winner will be in this spot on Sunday. Photograph by Tim Cronin Page 5 • July 11, 2019 • Illinois Golfer www.illinoisgolfer.net ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Rookie standout Wolff leads surge of PGA Tour newcomers in prelude to next week’s British Open By Tim Cronin Reporting from Silvis ––––– ports franchises down on their luck and without veteran leadership often turn to rookies for an injection of excitement.

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