Once again, there is no Tiger in the Greater Milwaukee Open tank. There is a Nicklaus, but it's Gary, not Jack.
You won't find some of the biggest names on the PGA tour at the GMO, but you will see some fine golf if you venture to Brown Deer Golf Course this week.
Two-time champion Loren Roberts returns to a tourney he calls "his home away from home." Roberts has come to love the GMO and Brown Deer. He also has made good friends here and really enjoys playing in the tournament.
Scott Hoch is another veteran PGA golfer who has won the GMO (1995). Hoch is having a good year on the tour, with a win in the Greater Greensboro Chrysler Classic and six other finishes in the Top 10.
Frank Lickliter II ranks eighth on the PGA money list this season and has finished in the top dozen golfers at the GMO in three of the last five years.
Then, there is a foursome of golfers with state ties who would love to win their "hometown" tournament. Steve Stricker of Madison is the top-ranked among them at 15th on the money list.
Jerry Kelly, who has come close in previous GMOs, ranks 33rd. Kelly also is from Madison.
Skip Kendall, who is from Fox Point, grew up at Brown Deer. He ranks 72nd on the money list. J.P. Hayes, who has Appleton ties, ranks 162nd.
Those guys are the big attractions among state golfers. Mark Wilson, a Pewaukee native who was in the hunt after two rounds of this past weekend's Western Open, leads several other state golfers who will try to establish themselves at the tourney.
The GMO doesn't get some of the top name players because they like to take a week off before going to the British Open. Others go to Britain early to get in some practice.
But, any PGA player is good enough to entertain us duffers. And the GMO has plenty of solid players who will stage a good show.
The first round starts Thursday. The final round will be held Sunday.
Celebrity Shootout
An added attraction to the tournament is the Miller Lite Celebrity Shoot-Out, which pairs the four Wisconsin golfers with celebrities from other sports.
Bucks' coach George Karl, who is a pretty good golfer, will play with Stricker. Former Olympic speedskater Dan Jansen will play with Kelly.
Wisconsin football coach Barry Alvarez is paired with Hayes, and Packers' defensive back LeRoy Butler will have Kendall as a teammate.
The Shoot-Out is at 3 p.m. Tuesday. It's all for good causes. The twosomes will be playing for $25,000 for their favorite charities.
Bucks Summer League
The Bucks will start play in the NBA Summer League with games at Orlando and Boston this week. Former UW guard and Milwaukee Pius star Mike Kelley and former Milwaukee Messmer star Terry Black, who played at Baylor, were two players with local ties who were held over from last week's mini-camp. They will have to survive a cut Tuesday in order to play in the Summer League competition.
Rampage Has Big Week
The Rampage face a big week, first with a A-League Western Conference first place showdown match with Portland on Monday night and then another U.S. Open Cup soccer match Wednesday night against the San Jose Earthquakes.
Mustangs Get Third Win
The Milwaukee Mustangs won their third game of the season, 67-55, over Detroit this past weekend. The Arena Football League team, now 3-9, has two games to go. Then, we'll see which of the many rumors about the future of the franchise play out.
Next Week
Look for a review of the GMO in next week's column, as well as an update on the Bucks' Summer League team.
Gregg Hoffmann writes The Milwaukee Sports Buzz column every Monday on OMC. He also publishes The Brew Crew Review, which covers the Brewers, on the site.
