TRAVIS JOHNS BEGINS HIS IPGA 2010 PLAYER OF THE YEAR TITLE
DEFENSE, MONDAY AT KEMPER LAKES IN THE MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP.
(PHOTO IPGA)

Travis Johns gets a chance to make another run through the IPGA Match
Play Championship beginning Monday at Kemper Lakes. Johns will enter
the tournament as the #1 seed.

Last year Johns defeated Ivanhoe CC Head Professional Jim Sobb in
the championship 4 & 2. Sobb enters the match play like he did a year
ago as the #2 seed and coming in off winning the IPGA Senior Match
Play at Shoreacres the previous week.

The championship match for the 2011 seasons first IPGA Major Title
is 12:30 on Thursday. 12 former champions are in the field.

In a recent interview with the GOG Blog Johns talked about his teaching
at Twin Lakes in Palatine and at Green Gardens GC in the south suburbs.

Johns plans for a summer golf academy have gotten off to a good start,
but the Twin Lakes facility is slowly being put back together behind
schedule by the water district that has torn up the facility. Johns says
in the long run the work will help reduce flooding that has plagued
the property for years. But that work is about complete and with the
bad spring weather, attendance or usage of TL would probably have
been down anyway.

The extra time spent away from Twin Lakes gave Johns a chance to
try and qualify for the US Open, at the regional held at Orchard Valley.
GC in Aurora. Johns is also looking forward to joining Illinois PGA section
players like Sobb and U of I coach Mike Small at the PPNC Championship
at Hershey PA. next month.

In between his playing Johns enjoys teaching, no matter what facility he
is at or whether the students are juniors, seniors, or those in between.
For more information on lessons with Johns, contact Twin Lakes at
847-934-6050.

GOLFERS ON GOLF (GOG) RADIO RETURNS..tomorrow Monday
May 16th at 6 PM. Chicago's favorite foursome of Ed Stevenson,
Mike Munro, Bill Berger and that Gog Blog Guy Rory Spears can be
heard on WJJG-AM 1530. Or live on line at WJJGAM1530.com. late
Monday night the show can be heard here at www,golfersongolf.com.
Click on past shows.

CONGRATS GO OUT TO..TODD MITCHELL OF BLOOMINGTON, for
winning the Illinois State Mid-Am Championship this past week at
Flossmoor CC. Mitchell won for the third time in the last years.
Mitchell shot a winning score of 209 -7 on the FCC layout set up
at 6,941 par 72.

Rick Lahew of Brimfield was second, 13 shots behind Mitchell. John
Ramsey of Glenview was third and Chadd Slutzky of Palatine was fourth.

DEMO DAY AT COG HILL CONTINUES TODAY..10 AM-3 PM..yeah it's
chilly out but, the balls and clubs are FREE to try out. Got hit'em and
buy some new ones if you like them. Maybe it's what your game needs
for the summer ahead. All the big companies are there, check them out.

SPEAKING OF COG HILL..SIGN UP FOR THE TWO MAN SCRAMBLE
ON COURSE #1, next Saturday May 21st. Tee-times from 11:30 to
2:30 PM. More info. 1-(866)-COG-HILL.

CHICAGO'S NORTHERN TRUST BANK..sponsor of the LA Open at
Riviera CC, has re-upped with the PGA Tour through 2016. The bank
which was part of the goverment run bail-out, took some heat for
their involvement in this event and how they run it. All seems better
now, just wish they would have stepped up to sponsor an event here.
A thought on that tomorrow, when "The Gog Blog Speaks" Out returns.

ILLINOIS AND NORTHWESTERN..have both moved on to the NCAA
golf regionals that start this Thursday and run through next Saturday.
Mike Small's Big Ten Champions the Fighting Illini, are a #2 seed
in Zionsville IN. at the Steve Smyers designed Wolf Run GC. The
Alabama Crimson Tide are the #1 seed, other Big Ten schools
include #7 Indiana and #9 Michigan.

COACH PAT GOSS, will take his Northwestern Wildcats out west
to the Colorado National Golf Club designed by Jay Moorish. The
7,627 yard layout has scenic mountain views. The Cats enter the
regional as the #10 seed, not much respect for the Big Ten runners
up at the conference meet.

Both teams are trying to advance to the NCAA National Golf Championship,
TBH at Karsten Creek GC in Oklahoma May 31-June 5th.

OKAY..TURN OFF THE COMPUTER..go play golf and then watch the
Players Championship from TPC Sawgrass this afternoon.

DONT FORGET..GOG..Radio tomorrow night 6 PM WJJG-AM 1530.
Special guest, Val Russell publisher of the Chicagoland Golfer.