Writing from North Barrington, Illinois
Tuesday, August 11, 2026
The term clubhouse leader goes back to the old days of golf, before on-course scoring was accurate or up-to-the-minute.
It applied Tuesday to a degree at Wynstone thanks to a 3 hour 15 minute severe weather delay, which shove back tee times and ensured much of the afternoon wave in the 77th Illinois Open would not finish.
The overall leader, however, is not yet in this posh club’s posh clubhouse. That would be Charlie Nikitas, who stands 16 under through 34 holes, and is threatening to make a mockery of the competition. The Illinois Open’s record for low 36 holes compared to par is 14 under.
The 2024 champion and PGA Tour Americas regular is four strokes ahead of a trio, including clubhouse leader Pablo Castro, an Illinois Wesleyan junior out of Palatine, whose 7-under 64 places him at 12-under 132. He was the leader before Nikitas teed off and went on a birdie binge – eight in 16 holes, along with a bogey before the hooter blew at 7:47 p.m., nine minutes before sunset. Amateur Dukuan Snyman of Champaign and Pierce Grieve of Lake Forest are 12-under with two and nine holes left, respectively.
The long wait to tee off was no big deal to Nikitas.
“I feel it’s pretty normal, to be honest,” Nikitas said. “We’ve had a lot of delays on PGA Tour Americas this year and last year. There’s a lot of stop and starting. You kind of have to be prepared for whatever happens.
“I tried to keep the foot on the pedal a little bit. I had a lot of god (yardage) numbers yesterday, and you kind of have to be prepared to be extra patient in the following round. I went at it with that attitude, tried to keep doing what I was doing: Picking small targets, having a god attitude. It worked.”
To the tune of five birdies on the front nine, including Nos. 5 through 8, and then Nos. 10, 13 and 14 on the back, with a bogey on the par-5 12th.
Commencing at 8:30 a.m., those left to finish will do so, and then the course will be reset. Te Illinois PGA’s Brad Slocum, a devotee of tough tests, is expected to give the survivors of the cut a challenging examination.
“I like the way Brad sets up golf courses,” Nikitas said. “Just enjoy it and keep moving.”
Said clubhouse leaders who moseyed in before play was suspended ran the gamut of golf. Castro represents the young set. Then there’s PGA Tour veteran Nick Lindheim, a 41-year-old California native who grew up a skateboarder and never played college golf.
He’s lived in Illinois for 14 months and included his seventh career hole-in-one in the course of his 4-under 68. He stands at 5-under 139 through 36 holes.
Like Nikitas, Castro’s card featured eight birdies, as against a solitary bogey. He’s not a long hitter but is getting the job done with precision.
“These wet conditions are not my friend,” Castro said. "When you have 6-irons into some of these par 4s, you have to trust it, commit to it. Trust the starting line and the shot shape, the work I’ve put into my swing these weeks and months.”
It worked. Castro, already 5-under, hit a 8-iron into the par-4 15th from the rough after just clearing the water and birdied it from four feet.
“That was a great way to keep the momentum going,” Castro said.
Lindheim’s ace, accomplished with a 7-iron on the 171-yard seventh hole, acted as a similar tonic.
“I had 8-iron in my hands,” said Lindheim, who had daughter Shyla as his caddie. “But my playing partners switched clubs, and one hits 8-iron harder than me. So I tried to hit a little 7-iron and the rest is history.
“I hope I’m within shouting distance. My game’s been off and on, good shot, bad shot.”
He’s played three times on the PGA Tour this season, making the cut only at the John Deere Classic, where he tied for 74th.
Lindheim has yet to birdie a par 5 in eight chances, parring each time.
“I burned the edge on the two par-5s on the back nine,” Lindheim said.
Nikitas is burning up the course.
Around Wynstone
The golf course and community escaped the brunt of the squall line that roared though the Chicago area just before noon. Only .19 inches of rain fell and the wind never gusted over 13 mph despite the threatening skies. In contrast, south suburban courses were hit hard, notably Flossmoor Golf Club and Idlewild Country Club in Flossmoor, where a tornado was reported and gust of 127.5 mph was recorded on radar in the vicinity of Ravisloe Country Club. … Because of the soft conditions, players had ball-in-hand again Tuesday, and likely will again Wednesday. … The cut is to the low 50 and ties, but won’t be determined until Wednesday morning. … Wynstone head pro Joe Strahl followed up Monday’s 97 with a 104, including four quads, and will be high among the 153 finishers. … At the point play was suspended, the second round field scoring average was 74.13 strokes, about the same as Monday’s 74.09.
– Tim Cronin