Ernie Ernst and Jim Davis report:
Could the cheery band of Wisconsin Hickory Golfers top their effort of 2016 at the Links of Lawsonia? Do we even need ask? Led by Ernst and James “Doc” Eike, the Wisconsin tribe hosted a wonderful tournament with all the bells and whistles you could want. Some 128 players competed in four flights Open, Senior (over 60 years old), Super Senior (over 70 years old), and Ladies. The hospitality and conditions of the course at Kenosha were top notch. The Donald Ross design offered a considerable challenge for golfers playing hickory clubs, both originals and replicas. The wind that arrived on both days of the tournament added to the fun.
Click here to see photos of the 2024 USHO champions taken by photographers Greg and Beverly Wise.
Kenosha Country Club was established in 1896 and was laid out by famed Designer Donald Ross in 1921 at its current site and opened in 1922. Weather for the event was as perfect as you could want for a Wisconsin autumn.
The evented started on Sunday, Sept. 8, with a practice round at Kenosha and a welcome party/registration for the players and guests. The day gave the players an opportunity to see the course and determine proper lines and approaches. One day might not have been enough to understand the design and attributes of the greens at Kenosha. After battling greens all day, the players were entertained in the afternoon by the “Scottish Rovers,” Cal Whitman and Angus Rollo, as players and guests took time to renew old friendships and create some new. Thirty-four states and five countries were represented at this year’s event – China, Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark and the U.S.
Day 1 had its fill of excellent scores to start the tournament. In the Open division, local player and Kenosha club champion, Mark Laken opened with 76, followed closely by Sweden’s Paolo Quirici. In the Senior Division, local player Lance Cenni posted 78 followed by Jeff Hunt with 79. Joe Kane served notice that the Super Senior division would be tough one. He posted a 77 ahead of two very accomplished players who shot 80 – John Henry Williams and Bert Coghill. The Ladies division, too, was shaping up to be a tough battle, eventually settling to a two-person contest between Rylee Stovall and Anna Oxenstierna of Sweden.
Monday day night was the awards dinner. We got to recognize our many sponsors and vendors who helped support our event (Check out the 2024 USHO Program posted to this website for the full list.) The USHO Committee from Wisconsin awarded Kenosha Club President Mike Burke a plaque and a one-of-a-kind Tad Moore putter in recognition of our visit. Gary Krupkin and the 2025 UHSO Texas organizers treated us to brilliant video presentation on the Hot Springs Country Club in Arkansas, our 2025 venue. Following this, SoHG President Joe Hollerbach announced that Jim Davis was selected as the Society’s 2024 Mike Brown Award recipient. The award recognizes service to hickory golf and creating opportunities to grow the game. A greatly deserved award for sure.
Thanks to the Kenosha Country Club for hosting the 2024 USHO. The special plaque was created by Steurer & Jacoby. From left are USHO Site Selection Chair Dave Brown, SoHG President Joe Hollerbach, Kenosha Club President Mike Burke, Kenosha Club member and historian Gregg Thompson, and 2024 USHO Organizing Chairman Ernie Ernst.
Tuesday morning was the final day of the event and there was some work to do for anyone hopeful of carrying home some hardware. In the Open division, Mark Laken continued shooting lights out, putting his local course knowledge to work to shoot a 74, two strokes better than his day one score by two. That was enough to win the champion’s title by three strokes over his nearest competitor, Peter Flory. Kirk Youngberg found magic the second day by shooting a tournament low 73. In the senior division, Dan Moore (Chicago) took the knowledge he had gained from day one and posted a low 74 on Day 2 to win the Senior division by four strokes over runner up Gary Youngberg. In Super Senior, Champion John Henry Williams left no doubt on who they were chasing by shooting a day’s best 72 to win the Championship in Super Senior by five strokes over Tom Tracy. In the Ladies division, Anna Oxenstierna shot a day best 83 but could not overcome the lead built by Rylee Stovall won Day 1. She became the first two-time winner of the women’s division of the USHO.
The awards were presented, the goodbyes were said, and many thanks offered to all who made this 2024 USHO happen. We look forward to the next challenge in Hot Springs, Ark., in October 2025.
Winners of the event are as follows:
Open Division:
Gross: Net:
Mark Laken – Kenosha, WI – 150 Sam Sinclair – Clarksville, MD – 138
Peter Flory – Glencoe, IL – 153 Jared Beggs – Fondulac, WI – 140
Adam Shiffermiller – Rapid City, SD -155 Dan McCallum – Chicago, IL – 142
Senior Division:
Dan Moore – Chicago, IL – 154 Don Jackson – Sun City West, AZ – 140
Gary Youngberg – Ames, IA – 158 Jim Zartman – Elmhurst, IL – 145
Jeff Hunt – Bloomington, IL – 159 Bill “Ernie” Ernst – Neenah, WI -146
Super Senior Division:
John Henry Williams – Bend, OR – 152 Joe Guerard – Winneconne, WI – 132
Tom Tracy – Star, ID – 157 Gary Krupkin – Richardson, TX – 137
Joe Kane – Lake Villa, IL – 159 Steve Malmquist – Sun City West, AZ – 137
Ladies Division:
Rylee Stovall – Litchfield Park, AZ – 160 Bailey Wiegandt – Louisville, KY – 149
Anna Oxenstierna – Sweeden – 164 Mary Burgland – Galesburg, IL – 153
Pictures from the full event are available at https://ignitegolfnetwork.com/the-us-hickory-open-2024/
The Society of Hickory Golfers would like to thank the staff and members at Kenosha Country Club for allowing us to hold the event at such a wonderful location, on a course in such great condition.