Waubonsie Valley seniors Matthew Nied and Matthew Cronin, and Naperville North senior Kathryn Henry were among the 83 seniors from around the Chicago area who were awarded a Chick Evans Caddie Scholarship.

The scholarship includes full tuition and housing for the 2009-10 academic year.

Nied, of Naperville, caddies at Stonebridge Country Club and plans to attend Northern Illinois. Cronin, of Aurora and White Eagle Golf Club is headed to Illinois. Henry, who works at Butterfield Country Club, will go to Wisconsin.

From the news release:

The students will attend one of 14 universities where the Foundation owns and operates an Evans Scholarship House, including Northwestern University, University of Illinois, Indiana University, Marquette University, Purdue University and Northern Illinois University. Scholarships are renewable for up to four years.

The Western Golf Association, headquartered in Golf, Illinois, has administered the Chick Evans Scholarship Program through the Evans Scholars Foundation since its inception in 1930. It is the nation's largest privately funded scholarship program.

Cantigny Golf in Wheaton recently opened its brand-new Golf Academy, a facility dedicated to improving all aspects of one's game. It allows customers to get fitted for clubs, get their mental approach squared away, set up and exercise regimen and gain access to professional instruction, all under one roof.

The Duramed Futures Tour isn't exactly paved with gold, but Wheaton native Jenna Pearson is hoping it leads to bigger and better things in the LPGA Tour.

The 22-year-old has made $3,570 on the tour in 2008, ranking her 83rd on the money list. She doesn't exactly have a lot of leeway for spending it, either. She drives to all the tournaments, which span the eastern half of the United States. Pearson does save money by staying with host families when she can, but a good percentage of her winnings go to people who buy $1,000 "shares" in her. It's how she manages to get from place to place, and the money her investors give her is repaid with her winnings.

For more on the tour and how Pearson is faring at this weekend's USI Championship in New Hampshire, click here.

Waubonsie Valley golfer Ryan Russell has his sights set on a lot more than reducing his handicap on the course. The 16-year-old has made it his mission to provide homeless children with birthday gifts.He's always looking for help of the monetary variety, and he puts himself and his charity, Birthday Presence, out there on YouTube. Check out his video at this site.

Work with someone long enough, like Eric Johnson and Alex Evans have at Tamarack Golf Club in Naperville, and you're bound to have crazy stories. Johnson, the general manager, and Evans, who heads up golf operations at the course, both look back on this mishap from January 2006 and laugh.

Think you can hang with Tiger Woods' workout and practice schedule, even on two good knees? Hank Haney, Woods' swing coach, let us in on what Tiger's life is like away from the cameras:

Tiger Woods proved this week that even on one leg, he's better than everyone else in the world. Somehow he won the U.S. Open, in 91 holes no less, with a double stress fracture in his leg and a torn anterior cruciate ligament. He got what he came for, leaving Torrey Pines with the trophy. But did he put his career in jeoparty? Woods and his doctors say no, that he'll come back good as new. Given that he plays golf and not, say, football, he has reason to be optimistic, and Jack's record of 18 major titles will fall.

What do you think? Should he have come back so soon given all the damage being done to his body?

In typical Tiger Woods fashion, he roared into the lead after three rounds of the U.S. Open on Saturday. And he saved his best moments of the day for last, grabbing a birdie on the par 4 17th and dropping a winding putt for eagle on the par 5 18th to get under par for the day at 70. He's one shot ahead of Lee Westwood, who will be paired with Woods for the final round.

Woods looked like he was fighting off the pain in his knee on most swings, particularly on his magnificent approach shot on 18. Even hobbled, can he be stopped? It's a tall order for a player such as Westwood. As for the big names, Sergio Garcia, Ernie Els and Mike Weir are all six shots back, and even they would have to shoot lights out and need Woods to stumble to have any shot.

It looks like another victory march for Woods (though he would probably prefer to take a cart). What do you think, is it over, or am I speaking too soon?

River Bend head pro Mike Reilly looks like a prophet now. He said in Part 1 of Open Forum that Wheaton Warrenville South alumnus Kevin Streelman could do well at Torrey Pines, and he finds himself tied for the lead after Round 1. He could have had it all to himself had he not bogeyed his 18th hole of the day (No. 9), but overall he held up extremely well.

Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson had their opportunities to get to red numbers but faltered. Yet both are still good bets to come out on top come Sunday.

What do you think? Can Streelman keep this up, or is he destined to fade while the superstars shine?

The U.S. Open gets off and running today, and of course Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are the stars of the show. But if ever El Tigre is going to be vulnerable, isn't this going to be the year? He's got a bum knee and hasn't walked 18 holes, much less 72, in months. Sergio Garcia might be poised to shed what used to Mickelson's dubious label, of being the best player never to win a major.

This might be Lefty's tournament to lose, but somehow I think he will. So who will be left standing? I like Zach Johnson to come out of nowhere and get major victory No. 2. Who do you think survives?

River Bend Golf Club head pro Mike Reilly is one of the lucky ones. The former San Diego resident, who moved to the city when he was 19 before moving back to Illinois eventually, has played Torrey Pines' South Course about 50 times. The seaside track hosts the U.S. Open this weekend, and it's changed quite a bit since he last played it. For one thing, while this year it's playing more than 7,600 yards, it never played that long 20 years ago.