Small Inks Third Straight Illinois Senior PGA Professional Title; Earns Berth in 31st Senior PGA Professional Championship

Aug 13, 2019

FULL LEADERBOARD

Libertyville, Ill. – August 13, 2019 – Mike Small (University of Illinois Golf Course) won the Illinois Senior PGA Professional Championship on Tuesday at the Merit Club for the third straight year. Small, University of Illinois head men’s golf coach, will lead eight Section PGA Professionals to compete in the 31st Senior PGA Professional Championship on Oct. 3-6 at Omni Barton Creek Resort and Spa in Austin, Texas
 
This is a fun event to play in,” said Small. “These guys are all my friends and we’ve played against each other for a long time. We are all here trying to qualify for that next stage in Texas.”
 
Small turned in a winning total of 13-under-par 131 to capture the Illinois Senior PGA Professional Championship presented by Cadillac.
 
Small started his Illinois Senior PGA Professional Championship bid with a bogey-free first round that included seven birdies. He entered the final round with a two-stroke lead. His strong play continued in round two as he birdied two of his first three holes. He made the turn at 8-under-par and closed out his tournament with a statement, carding five birdies, including three-in-a-row on the final three holes.
 
“The golf course was great,” said Small. “The greens were perfect. I think today was one of the best I’ve ever putted. The course was gettable this week with the conditions, and I made one bogey all week. Other than that, it was great.”
 
Roy Biancalana (St. Andrews Golf and Country Club) and David Hannon (Evanston GC) finished nine strokes back at four-under-par 140. Along with Small, they will be joined by Dave Paeglow (Kishwaukee Country Club), John Guyton (Chicago Golf Club), Andy Shuman (Twin Orchard Country Club), Connie DeMattia (Cantigny Golf) and Jim Sobb (Ivanhoe Club) at the Senior PGA Professional Championship.
 
The Senior PGA Professional Championship brings together a field of 264 contestants representing the PGA of America’s 41 nationwide Sections and features a total purse of $300,000. The first two rounds will be conducted on the Foothills and Coore Crenshaw Courses. The first cut will be made after 36 holes of play to the low 90 scorers and ties.  The second cut will be made after 54 holes of play to the low 70 scorers and ties.  The final two rounds will be played on the Foothills Course.
 
Begun in 1989, the Senior PGA Professional Championship is modeled after the PGA Professional Championship, with a field of 50-and-older senior PGA Professionals who advanced through 41 Section Championships conducted from June through August this year. The National Championship is presented by Cadillac and supported by Golf Channel and John Deere.
 
The top 35 finishers in the national Championship earn a berth in the 81st KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship, which will be conducted in May 21-24, 2020, at Harbor Shores in Benton Harbor, Michigan. The top five finishers earn an exemption into the final stage of the 2020 PGA Tour Champions National Finals in November 2019.
 
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
 

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CONTACT:
Kevin Quinn
Illinois PGA Communications
708.336.1294 mobile
847.729.4102 office
kbquinn@pgahq.com