An A-Z visitors guide to Milwaukee Wisconsin. Sponsored by Key Magazine Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/59807
Milwaukee native Kendall eyes PGA Tour comeback KEY GOLF By JERRY SLASKE KEY Milwaukee Golf Editor STARTING 2012 with a win on the Nationwide Tour at the Pacific Rubiales Colombia Championship presented by Samsung, Milwaukee native Jules I. (Skip) Kendall is a PGA Tour veteran hoping to regain full PGA Tour status after surgery to repair an injured thumb. Kendall has won more than $9 million on the PGA and Nationwide tours since turning pro in 1987, including four PGA Tour runner-ups – the most recent to Phil Mickelson in the 2004 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic – and four Nationwide wins. KEY Milwaukee recently caught up with Kendall while he was playing a Nationwide event in Chile. KEY: When you were growing up and living in the Milwaukee area, what were your favorite courses to play? Kendall: I grew up playing the county courses in Milwaukee. Lincoln Park was the first course I ever played, but growing up I spent the majority of time at Brown Deer Park. My favorite course in the Milwaukee area is Milwaukee Country Club. KEY: What are your favorite types of courses? Kendall: Old fashioned tree-lined courses fit my eye the best. (Editor's note: Area courses that fit this description include Brown Deer Park, Nagawaukee, Whitnall Park, Johnson Park, and Petrifying Springs.) KEY: After traveling across the country and around the world, how does Wisconsin stack up against other states or areas when it comes to golf? Kendall: I would put Wisconsin up against any state for quality of golf courses. The only issue is you can only play realistically about half the year. KEY: What has been your most memorable moment in golf? Kendall: I'm not sure I could pick one, but hitting a hole in one in the Greater Milwaukee Open was a great thrill. (Editor's note: The Greater Milwaukee Open, played at various courses, was an annual stop on the PGA Tour from 1968 through 2009. Beginning in 2004, it was called the U.S. Bank 36 Championship and played at Brown Deer Park.) KEY: Anything happening to bring a tour event back to Milwaukee? Kendall: I haven't heard much about bringing a Tour event back to Milwaukee. Having big tourna- ments at Whistling Straits and Blackwolf Run (both courses located about 50 miles north of Milwaukee) in coming years kind of hinders that. (Editor's note: The 2017 US Open will be held at Erin Hills in Erin about 40 miles northwest of Milwaukee.) KEY: What's the best part about being a PGA Tour player? And what's the worst part? Kendall: Best part of being a tour player is playing golf for a living. Worst part is traveling and being away from your family. KEY: Who are some of the guys from the tour you chum around with? Kendall: I usually hang around with guys that are close to my age. Steve Flesch, Dicky Pride, and Robert Gamez are some good buddies of mine. KEY: In a couple of years you'll be eligible to play on the Champions Tour. Are you looking forward to it? Kendall: Yes, if I can stay healthy. KEY: Who got you into golf? Kendall: Golf was just in my family. My parents loved the game. They were definitely not scratch players, but they had a passion for the game that they instilled in me at a very young age. KEY: You won the Wisconsin State Open in 1988 and 1989. Where were those played? Kendall: Kenosha Country Club in 1988, Tripoli Country Club in 1989. KEY: What's the easiest part of playing golf? What's the toughest? Kendall: I think all the parts of golf are difficult and require time and practice. KEY: How did the Skip Kendall Pro-Am for Kids benefiting Children's Hospital of Wisconsin come about? Kendall: The Pro-Am first came about in the fall of 1998 and took almost two years to put together