PGA Tour Veteran Kevin Streelman among Six Members of the Inaugural Class

LEMONT, Illinois (March 30, 2022) – The Illinois Junior Golf Association (IJGA) board of directors has voted to establish an IJGA Hall of Fame and will induct six inaugural members July 25, including PGA Tour veteran Kevin Streelman.

“The Illinois Junior Golf Association is excited to announce the creation of the IJGA Hall of Fame to recognize the most significant people in the history of junior golf in the state,” said Ed Stevenson, president of the IJGA Board of Directors. “We are proud to honor the players, administrators, teachers and others who have played vital roles in growing junior golf in the state of Illinois.”

The inaugural inductees are:

  • Mike Spinello of Onalaska, Wisconsin, who founded the organization in 1967 and led it on a volunteer basis through 1986. A Buffalo Grove resident for most of his life, Spinello, 84, started with three tournaments and grew the number to 21 events. He was the IJGA’s first president and is a member of the Illinois PGA Golf Hall of Fame.
  • John and Jean Barney of Glenview, who served the organization as volunteers for 23 years with John serving as the IJGA’s first executive director. Now deceased, the Barneys were inducted into the Illinois PGA Golf Hall of Fame in 1997.
  • Frank Jemsek, owner of Cog Hill Golf & Country Club in Palos Park, for making youth golf a priority at all Jemsek Golf facilities in countless ways, including 30 days a year to junior golf programming and countless practice range hours. Jemsek, 81, has been honored many times for his contributions to junior golf and is a member of the Illinois PGA Golf Hall of Fame.
  • Kevin Streelman, originally from Wheaton, is a two-time PGA Tour winner who began playing tournament golf with the IJGA. He played at Duke University and worked his way onto the Tour in 2008, where he has played ever since. He has played in 26 major championships, including the 2021 PGA Championship where he finished T-8. In 2021, he qualified for the FedExCup Playoffs for the 14th consecutive season. In 2020, he finished runner up at the Travelers Championship and the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. The 43-year-old Scottsdale, Arizona resident is ranked among top 100 golfers in the world.
  • Blue Kinander Kelly of Wheaton played high school golf on the boys team because there was no girls team. A walk-on at the University of Tulsa, she later earned a scholarship and was a key member of the Golden Hurricanes’ 1988 NCAA national championship team. She served as IJGA board president after a long tenure the board. She and her husband Tim are the parents of two former IJGA golfers: Tee-K, who is pursuing PGA Tour membership, and Will, who serves as his brother’s caddie.
  • Dan Kochevar, of Glen Ellyn, is a decorated golf instructor specializing in junior players. Kochevar, 59, was honored as the 2015 Illinois PGA Teacher of the Year and has been recognized by Golf Digest as one of the “Best Teachers in Illinois.” He is founder of the annual DuPage Country Junior Classic, a major event on the junior tournament schedule, and is longtime member and former president of the IJGA board. Kochevar also is the father of two golfers who played in college, daughter Brooke and son Kyle.

The Induction ceremony is scheduled for Monday, July 25, at Cantigny Golf in Wheaton.  Streelman will be the featured guest in a Q&A conducted by former IJGA president Barry Cronin, editor of Chicago District Golfer magazine and co-host of the CDGA Golf Show on ESPN Chicago (AM-1000).

The Illinois Junior Golf Association typically provides more than 140 competitive playing opportunities annually for boys and girls ages 8 to 18 at golf courses in Northern and Central Illinois. The organization also conducts educational clinics and events while serving as an informational clearinghouse for junior golfers and their parents. The IJGA was founded in 1967 and is now in its 56th season.

TO PURCHASE TICKETS FOR THE INDUCTION DINNER:

https://ijga.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/ijga22/event/ijga22124/index.htm

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

Barry Cronin
Cronin Communications, Inc.
847-867-3032