What worked and what didn't at the return of this iconic Rockford golf tournament
ROCKFORD — The Ballard isn’t the Ballard anymore.
For good and bad.
Started by a local Black golfers association in 1969 to honor Melvin Ballard, Rockford’s first star Black golfer who was killed at age 22 in Vietnam, the Ballard Memorial Golf Tournament disappeared after 51 years in 2020.
The Rockford Park District brought it back this year as a two-man best ball event, but it attracted none of the Black golf associations from Chicago and Milwaukee who used to come to Rockford to play.
“I’ve played in 25 Ballards and it’s different,” said Brian Silvers, who tied for second playing with his son, Jon, Saturday and Sunday at Ingersoll. “I missed that flavor. It was a good flavor. It needs to come back.
“But everyone had fun this weekend. Hopefully, people will grasp onto it and more people will come and have fun, because it is a fun event. People had fun today. We were all trying, but everywhere around us everyone was having fun.
“But, no, it’s not the same.”
More: Tourney returns, alterations to men's city among 4 changes to Rockford golf in 2022
The Ballard joins the Mauh-Nah-Tee-See Match Play Invitational, which began in 2009, as the only major local men’s tournament in the last 50 years that is not a pure stroke play event. The Men’s City, County Amateur, Aldeen Cup, Gold Medal Classic and Crosstown Classic are all stroke-play events. So were the Atwood and Ledges tourneys which recently died out after more than 40 years.
“It’s nice to have a different format out here,” said Jeff Holmgaard, who has seven local victories in his career. “Every other time it is always stroke play. Maybe they could do alternate shot or something and it would be even more unique. We had fun. It was a good time.”
Attracting big names
It also attracted some of Rockford’s best golfers. TJ Baker, who won last year’s Men’s City title by a whopping 11 strokes, teamed with Ryan Arnold to shoot 67-63—130 and finish 12-under-par, edging Brian and Jon Silvers and Danny and Patrick Gorman by a stroke to take the title.
Baker and Arnold were both playing in the Ballard for the first time, attracted by the best ball format, where the only score that counts for each hole is the lower score of the two teammates.
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“It’s fun,” Baker said. “This is one of the funner tournaments I’ve played. I am very grateful that Ryan asked me to play. We should keep doing formats like this, keep attracting more people. Best ball is fun.”
Baker played in the qualifier last year for the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball — a match play version of best ball — with his cousin, Bennett Baker, and plans to play in it again this year with Danny Gorman. All 27 teams seemed to enjoy the format, but maybe nobody more than Arnold — who actively seeks out two-man team events.
“I loved it. I hope they keep this format,” said Arnold, who tied for fifth in the Men’s City last year.
Both Arnold and Baker had never played in the Ballard until it moved to a two-man team event.
“The new format appeals to me,” Arnold said. “I love playing two-man events. It is a good way to play golf.
"My brother (Eric) and I, we try to find two-man events all over the place to play in. We even do some destination-style trips, but mostly play in Illinois. A team event of any kind is just a fun style to play golf. And you don’t get many team events in golf.”
On the course
The Gormans took the first-day lead with a 7-under 64. Danny Gorman, a former high school state champion at Boylan, did the heavy lifting, shooting a 65 on his own. Patrick Gorman played a key role Sunday, though, saving the team two strokes on the first three holes alone. He also made a 10-foot birdie on 17 to keep them within one stroke going into the final hole, but neither could make their birdie putt on the short, 292-yard, par-4 finishing hole.
“It was a big putt we needed to have a chance on 18,” Danny Gorman said of his big brother’s birdie. “He got all fired up. That was really fun to see. But we were mostly here to have some fun.”
Brian Silvers and his son, Jon, were two strokes down entering the final hole, but Brian Silvers drove it 280-plus yards to the front fringe. He had a 30-foot eagle putt to force a playoff that missed two inches to the left.
“Playing in this format is a lot more fun that regular stroke play,” said Jon Silvers, a 2017 Class 1A regional champion for Byron.
Arnold and Baker started and finished fast, making birdie on their first four holes Sunday and also on four of their last five holes. Baker had six of those eight birdies, but it was Arnold’s birdie on 16 that gave them the lead for good. And also Arnold’s birdie on the 220-yard uphill par-3 third hole saved the team two strokes because Baker made bogey there.
“Yesterday was the same thing,” Arnold said. “We ham-and-egged it very well.”
On Saturday, Arnold saved his team six strokes on the last 10 holes.
“He carried me a little more than usual yesterday,” Baker said. “We worked out really well as a team.”
That’s what the Ballard is all about.
The new Ballard.
Matt Trowbridge is a Rockford Register Star sports reporter. Email him at mtrowbridge@rrstar.com and follow him on Twitter at @MattTrowbridge. Sign up for the Rockford High School newsletter at rrstar.com.
2022 Golfer of the Year standings
After Gold Medal, MNTS, Crosstown Classic and Ballard tourneys
Garrett Ralston, 22.5
Robert Dofflemyer III, 19.5
TJ Baker 15.5
Grant Romine, 15.5
Marcus Smith 13
Ryan Arnold 11
Andrew Canfield 10
Brian Silvers, 17.5
Danny Gorman 17.5
Justin Christiansen, 11
Adam Tobias 9.5
Mike Morig, 9
Jason Wombacher, 8.5
Jon Silvers, 8.5
'Patrick Gorman, 8.5
Dennis Reedy 7.5
Ian Scott, 7.5
Cody Rhymer, 7
Matt LaMarca 7
Brett Benning, 6
Zach Braconier, 6
Mike Lange, 5.5
Owen Hultman 4.5
David Nagel, 4
Ron Reece 3.5
Varun Menon 3.5
Andrew Marcum, 3
Jeff Adas, 3
Nolan Adas, 3
Eric Arnold 2
Kyle Nelson, 2
Johnny Canova, 2
Raul Leon, 1.5
Peter Junor, 1
Peter Schmeling, 1
Kevin Beckett, 1
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: The Ballard golf tournament returns to Rockford, Illinois after pause
