ROUND ONE AND TWO TEE TIMES
2020 ILLINOIS PGA PROFESSIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP FACT SHEET
GLENVIEW, Ill. – August 21, 2020 – The 2020 Illinois PGA Professional Championship will take place August 24-26 at Medinah Country Club’s Course One. This year marks the 98th Illinois PGA Professional Championship. The top nine finishers will qualify for the 54th PGA Professional Championship at PGA Golf Club on April 25-28, 2021.
This year’s field features seven past champions, including defending champion, Travis Johns (Medinah Country Club). Of the seven past champions in this field, three of them have won at Medinah Country Club – Course #1 (Mike Small, Jim Billiter and Frank Hohenadel). This year’s field also features a new high in host facility professionals in the field with 10 Medinah Country Club professionals participating.
Long-time Illinois PGA partner, Nadler Golf, is the Title Sponsor of the 2020 Illinois PGA Professional Championship and has been supporting this event for over 15 years.
BRIAN CARROLL, 37
Head PGA Professional at The Hawk Country Club
Carroll has played in four Illinois PGA Section events in 2020, finishing inside the top-10 at all four events. Carroll’s 2020 season is highlighted by his third-place finish at the Illinois PGA Stroke Play at The Hawk Country Club. Carroll has finished inside the top five at the last two Illinois PGA Professional Championships. In 2019, Carroll finished T3 and he finished second in 2018 falling to Dakun Chang in a three-hole playoff. He is currently in seventh in the Illinois PGA Bernardi Player of the Year race.
GARRETT CHAUSSARD, 37
PGA Director of Instruction at Skokie Country Club
Chaussard has played in four Illinois PGA events in 2020. His best finish came at his most recent start at the Illinois PGA Stroke Play at Ivanhoe Club where he finished T4. Chaussard also finished T25 at the 71st Illinois Open. Chaussard was the 2019 Illinois PGA Bernardi Player of the Year. In 2019, he recorded his best finish at the Illinois PGA Professional Championship coming in second place and also won the Illinois PGA Match Play Championship at Kemper Lakes for the second straight year. Chaussard currently sits in eighth in the 2020 Bernardi Player of the Year points race.
ANDREW GODFREY, 32
Head PGA Professional at White Pines Golf Club
Andrew Godfrey enters the 2020 Illinois PGA Professional Championship having made six appearances on the Illinois PGA circuit. He won the Illinois PGA Stroke Play at Riverside Golf Club in July, and also tied for fifth at the Illinois PGA Stroke Play at Onwentsia. Godfrey finished T21 at the 71st Illinois Open and is currently third on the Illinois PGA Bernardi Player of the Year list.
FRANK HOHENADEL, 37
Head PGA Professional at Mistwood Golf Club
Hohenadel is one of seven past Illinois PGA Professional Champions in this year’s field. Hohenadel got his win in 2011 at Medinah Country Club. Since then, he has finished inside the top-10 at this event four times. Hohenadel has played in four Illinois PGA events this year. His best finish came at the Illinois PGA Stroke Play at Riverside Golf Club where he finished T5. Hohenadel is currently in sixth place in the Illinois PGA Bernardi Player of the Year race.
TRAVIS JOHNS, 42
PGA Director of Instruction at Medinah Country Club
Johns enters the 2020 Illinois PGA Professional Championship as the defending Champion. Johns has appeared in four Illinois PGA events this season. He won his first event of the year at the Stroke Play at Ivanhoe Club on August 17. John’s first place at the Illinois PGA Professional Championship broke a streak of three second places finishes (2010, 2013, 2016). Johns, the 2018 Illinois PGA Bernardi Player of the Year, finished second in the 2019 race and is currently fifth in the 2020 race.
JEFF KELLEN, 31
Assistant PGA Professional at Butler National Golf Club
Kellen will be making his Illinois PGA Professional Championship debut in 2020. So far this year, Kellen has played in five Illinois PGA events finishing inside the top-10 in each of them. His best finish came at the most recent Illinois PGA event, the Illinois PGA Stroke Play at Ivanhoe Club, where he finished third. He also finished fourth at the National Car Rental Illinois Assistant PGA Professional Championship, qualifying for the National tournament for the second straight season. In 2019, he finished T35 at the 43rd National Car Rental Assistant PGA Professional Championship and also, qualified for the Korn Ferry TOUR’s Evan Scholars Invitational. Kellen was the 2018 Illinois PGA Don Drasler Assistant Player of the Year and finished fourth in the 2019 race. He is currently fourth in the Bernardi Player of the Year race and second in the Don Drasler Assistant Player of the Year race.
ANDY MICKELSON, 39
PGA Director of Golf at Mistwood GC
Mickelson has played in four Illinois PGA events in 2020. He finished T5 at the Illinois PGA Stroke Play at Riverside Golf Club and T8 at the Illinois PGA Stroke Play at The Hawk Country Club. He recorded his first victory of the season at the Illinois PGA Stroke Play at Onwentsia Club. In his most recent start, Mickelson finished T4 at the Illinois PGA Stroke Play at Ivanhoe Club. Mickelson made his Section Championship debut in 2019 and finished T5. Prior to last year, Mickelson enjoyed a decorated playing career as an Associate. Since 2015, Mickelson has won 16 Illinois PGA events, including the Illinois Assistant PGA Professional Championship in 2016 and the Illinois PGA Players Championship in 2017. Mickelson also won the 2015 National Car Rental Assistant PGA Professional Championship. He is currently second in the Illinois PGA Bernardi Player of the Year standings.
MIKE SMALL, 54
Men’s Head Golf Coach at the University of Illinois
Small enters the 2020 Illinois PGA Professional Championship fresh off his fourth consecutive victory at the Illinois Senior PGA Professional Championship. Small has won the Section Championship 12 times, including eight straight victories from 2003-2010. He also won the Section Championship in consecutive years in 2013 and 2014. Small’s most recent victory at this event came in 2016. Small’s victory in 2008 came at Medinah Country Club – Course #1. Since his first victory in 2001, Small has never finished outside the top 10 at the Section Championship. Including the Illinois Senior PGA Professional Championship, Small has played in five Illinois PGA events in 2020. He finished second at the Illinois PGA Stroke Play at Ivanhoe Club and T2 at the Illinois PGA Stroke Play at Onwentsia. He has also finished T3 at the Illinois PGA Stroke Play at Riverside Golf Club. Small currently sits atop the Illinois PGA Bernardi Player of Year leaderboard.
About the Illinois PGA/Illinois PGA Foundation
The Illinois Section of the PGA of America is a professional organization serving the men and women golf professionals in northern and central Illinois who are the recognized experts in growing, teaching and managing the game of golf. The Illinois PGA is responsible for the administration of competitive golf tournaments, educational opportunities, support programs and growth of the game initiatives. With over 840 members and apprentices, the Illinois PGA is one of the 41 regional Sections that comprise the PGA of America. The Illinois PGA Foundation focuses its community efforts on promoting the goodwill and growth of the game with an emphasis on activities that benefit youth. Foundation initiatives include: GolfWorks Illinois, Youth-based Scholarship Funds and the Illinois Golf Hall of Fame. For more information about the Illinois PGA and the Illinois PGA Foundation, please visit www.www.ipga.com and join us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
CONTACT:
Kevin Quinn
Illinois PGA Communications
708.336.1294 mobile
847.729.4102 office
kbquinn@pgahq.com