Nikitas leads Illinois Open in advance of marathon final day

Writing from Flossmoor, Illinois

Tuesday, August 6, 2024

Charlie Nikitas gets to sleep on the Illinois Open lead Tuesday night.

However, his dreams may be unconventional. Nikitas, the pride of Glenview, holds a one-stroke lead over Drew Shepherd, David Perkins, Tommy Kuhl and amateur Chase Walts midway through the second round of the 75th state championship, which was beset by storm delays on Monday and played catch-up in howling north winds on Tuesday.

Nikitas, who finished tied for ninth in two of the last three years, is 4-under-par for the championship through nine holes of the second round. The pursuing quartet is 3-under, with Walts through six holes and Shepherd, Perkins and Kuhl each through two holes.

A stroke further in arrears at 2-under are Belgian Matthis Besard and amateur Alex Creamean of Winnetka, each of whom are at 142 through 36 holes, along with Luke Gannon, who has played 11 holes, and Timothy Lim, who had just made the turn when the hooter blew at 7:47 p.m.

With a favorable weather forecast, the plan is to complete the second round on Wednesday morning – with some players having as many as 16 holes remaining – then make the cut, repair the field and reset the cups for the final round, among other agronomical matters. Ideally, the leaders would start by about 3 p.m. and finish around 7:30 p.m.

Nikitas might toss and turn. There are 15 players under par, 23 at par or better and 32 within five strokes of him.

Of the aforementioned protagonists, Besard, who opened with a 3-under 69 and followed it with a 1-over 73 thanks to bogeys on the 16th and 17th, has the most unusual pedigree. He’s in the field because he went to school at Illinois, a.k.a. the Mike Small Finishing School. (Three other Fighting Illini – Kuhl, Dylan Meyer and Luke Guthrie – are in the top 16.) Besard is also a full-time DP World Tour member, and a month ago tied for sixth in the BMW International Open, one of the bigger tournaments on that circuit.

Why is Besard here? Some of his Illini buddies convinced him to play, and as he’s just moved to Chicago with his girlfriend, he fancied the idea. But he’s still playing the previously-named European Tour in the hope of first, keeping his status for next year, and second, eventually qualifying for the PGA Tour through that route.

“The first year on a tour is difficult because you’re learning where to go,” Besard said. “If I came over here and played the Korn Ferry Tour (in 2025), I’d be starting over.”

The best second round so far belongs to Curtis Malm, who ignored the north wind gusting to 25 mph and finished off a 4-under 68 on the last 18 holes of the 26 he played Tuesday. He would love to add a second title to the victory in 2000 he accomplished at Royal Fox as an amateur.

“My putter got a little hot,” Malm said. “It’s one of the hardest rounds of golf I’ve ever played. I didn’t have a great start – doubled the 16th and 17th in the morning, which kinda chapped my backside. But even par (through 36 holes) is a great score out here.”

The first round ended in a three-way tie between Perkins, Shepherd and Kuhl at 4-under-par 68, with Gannon, Nikitas, Besard and Walts a stroke behind.

Perkins’ 4-under score was achieved despite a watery double-bogey on his last hole Monday, the par-3 seventh, which played only 100 yards in the first round.

“The double was just a bad swing, but I’m in a good spot,” Perkins said. “It was nice to come out this morning with a lower breeze with that shot into 8.”

He parred No. 8, birdied No. 9, and came home in 2-under 34 to join Shepherd and Kuhl.

“This is a little bit different than the tests I’ve been experiencing up in Canada,” Kuhl said between rounds. “I love this type of grind and this type of course. A lot of it was patience today and it was a very solid round for me.”

All three of the leaders finished on Tuesday morning, then had a long wait to resume play, with Perkins and Shepherd starting at 6:50 p.m., and Kuhl at 7 p.m.

“It’ll be nice to get away from the course for a little, maybe take a nap,” Shepherd said, who looked fresh when he teed off under dark overcast skies.

Walts, from Flower Mound, Tex., also finished in the morning. He’s eligible for the Illinois Open because he’s a temporary resident of the state while interning at Twin Orchard Country Club in Long Grove. He was 1-under until making an eagle 3 at the dramatic 18th, a 530-yard par 5 with a treacherously sloping green.

Around Flossmoor

Eric Hoff was disqualified for an incorrect scorecard, which he discovered after looking at his score online. Danny Mulhearn and amateur Dave Kohley withdrew. … The average score in the first round was 76.17, with the 435-yard third hole playing the hardest, at .37 over par. Four players eagled the drivable par-4 330-yard fourth in the opening round, which at 3.98 barely played under par. … At nightfall, the second-round average was even higher, at 77.78.

– Tim Cronin