Tiger Woods said his plan to merge the Chicago-area Jackson Park and South Shore golf courses into one championship-caliber course is “something that we need to make happen," according to Fran Spielman of the CHICAGO SUN-TIMES. Woods, who tees off today in the PGA Tour BMW Championship at Medinah, "tried to pump new life into the stalled project" yesterday. He said, "The project still continues. It’s still going forward. ... It's an incredible piece of property." Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said that "she is 'not wild about' the merger, citing 'red flags' and 'environmental issues.'” She has argued that the merger, which "gained momentum" when President Barack Obama "chose Jackson Park for his presidential center, is 'not a well-thought out plan.'" The plan from Woods’ firm, TGR Design, "would require closing Marquette Drive, building a pair of new underpasses, displacing tennis courts and relocating the South Shore Nature Sanctuary to make way for a new 12th hole." The underpasses alone cost $30M, "as much as the price tag for just the new course" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 8/15).
