Torrential rains threatened to wash away the 1987 Western Open until Oak Brook Golf Club answered the call

There’s a plaque near the entrance of Oak Brook Golf Club, half-hidden amongst garden foliage, that states in part “a triumph over threatened disaster.”    

The commemorative marker is a way of thanking the OBGC, explaining that “…the generous sharing of its golf course by the Village of Oak Brook made it possible to hold the 1987 (Beatrice Western Open) tournament.”

The immaculately groomed and picturesque OBGC layout is a public course, and it shares acreage with the private, exclusive, members-only Butler National Golf Club.

A view from the clubhouse looking at 18th green and the Village driving range in the background, completely underwater.
Photo courtesy of Butler National Golf Course

Back in the 70s and 80s, Butler hosted a stop on the PGA Tour, the revered Western Open.  In ‘87, though, that tourney was interrupted by a threat from Mother Nature, in the manner of torrential rains and flooding. That weather event put the status of the meet in doubt.

At that time Chip Wier, now on the staff at the OBGC, was a youngster employed by Butler.  He remembers the circumstances of the invitational as clear as if it were yesterday.

“The weekend before,” said Wier, “we got like eight or nine inches of rain.  They (Butler management) got as many people as they could out there (afterward) to try to get the water off.  The members and even the president of the club were out there squeegeeing the greens as best they could.  There was even a helicopter flying over the 18th green trying to dry it out.”

“They were ready to run 18 holes, but then it rained Tuesday and Wednesday again,” he says. “That meant they lost 9 holes out of the rotation.”

At that point, the OBGC stepped in, offering to put their back nine into play.  Butler accepted, and the tournament went on, albeit shortened to 54 holes.  Wier said the golfers started the OBGC portion on number 17, finishing up at the par-5 16th.

“That (finishing on 16) was better for the whole setup,” Wier added, “especially for the television coverage, and it had way more room to accommodate spectators.  It was exciting to finish on 16, and it turned out to be a memorable event.”

D.A. Weibring was the winner of the tourney, besting Larry Nelson and legend Greg Norman by one stroke.

Gary Pinns, Oak Brook Golf Club teaching professional and five-time Illinois Open champion, reflects on the tournament that helped shape his career.

Local teaching pro Gary Pinns, a renowned instructor and five-time winner of the Illinois Open, was also in the field that weekend.  He said that the invite proved to be a “career-defining moment.”

“I got into the tournament on a sponsor’s exemption or something like that, and I was on the edge of the tour heading into the tourney.  Going into the 16th hole, I was in 10th place, and if I had stayed in 10th place I would have earned enough money to get a (tour) exemption the next year.”

Luck wasn’t with Pinns on the hole, though.  A couple of shots out of bounds on the 16th saw him drop below 10th position, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

He decided to take a job offered to him by the OBGC as a teaching professional, and he’s been there for 37 years, doing what he loves.

“It was kind of a downer (not earning the exemption),” Pinns said, “but looking back, I’m glad that it happened.  I’ve met a lot of nice people here (at the OBGC), and have been able to help them with their games.  It’s a great life.”