Byline: Eileen O. Daday Daily Herald Correspondent
Greg Kinzler, 22, of St. Charles scoffs at the notion, but in the world of simulated golf, he just may be the next Tiger Woods.
Kinzler plays his game in bars, teeing up along the fairways of the Golden Tee video games. He took up the game only 18 months ago, but in the last year, he figures he has earned more than $12,000 in prize money.
Not bad for a hobby, he concedes.
'It's the money, and the competition,' Kinzler says. 'That's what drives me.'
On Sunday, Kinzler was one of 32 competitors to make the final cut in one of the game's biggest tournaments, the Golden Tee Fore! Chicago Challenge. It played out over the weekend at Official's Time Out Sports Bar in Hoffman Estates.
At stake was $20,000 in prize money, with $5,000 going to the first place winner, $2,500 for second place and $1,500 to the third place golfer.
Kinzler was the only local golfer to survive into the semi-final round. He wound up finishing fourth, and earning a cool $1,000 for his weekend's work. Jim Johnson of Los Angeles earned the top prize.
The tournament started Saturday with 106 players - including two women - hoping to make Sunday's cut. Only the top 32 players made the draw, based on their combined scores from three rounds of 18 hole games Saturday.
'This is a chance to play with some of the top people in the country,' said Steve Churak, 30, of Palatine.
Bar manager Kevin Fuery estimates that roughly 25 percent of the players came from the Chicago area, while the rest came from across the country, including Toronto, Houston, North Carolina and Long Beach, California.
'This is different than when you're playing at some bar, having a beer,' said Sonny Turnstall, 28, of Houston. 'This is match play, and there's a lot more pressure. It's about staying even with your opponent, and only taking chances if somebody makes a mistake.'
'You have to have smart course management,' added Kinzler.
Consequently, strategy involves everything from deciding what club to use, to deciding whether to strike the ball or hook it, and where to put the ball to leave the best putt.
The game was launched five years ago by Incredible Technologies, a company located in Rolling Meadows. Company officials now estimate the simulated video golf game is played in 70,000 bars across the country and overseas, and has made them the leading game producer in the world.
Some 200,000 players alone play in the league play, vying for ranking in the bronze, silver or gold divisions. They pay $4 a game to play, and avid players like Kinzler play up 15 hours a week.
The potential pay-off is big. Dean Ryan, who coordinates the prize pay-out for the various winners, said she issues checks totaling $100,000 a month in prize money.
