NADLER GOLF CARS ILLINOIS PGA PROFESSIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP LEADERBOARD
BEVERLY, Ill. – August 26, 2025 – Brian Carroll of The Hawk Country Club continued his dominant run at the Illinois PGA Professional Championship, firing a final-round 5-under-par 66 at Beverly Country Club to secure a one-stroke victory at the 2025 Nadler Golf Cars Illinois PGA Professional Championship.
“This is the event that I care about the most,” said Carroll. “ I’m always hoping to peak at the right time. I’ve had a pretty good summer overall. My last couple of weeks were just okay, but I was thinking it would all come together at the right time, and it did.”
With the win, Carroll etched his name deeper into Illinois PGA history. He has now claimed three of the last four championships and becomes the first player to successfully defend his title since Illinois Golf Hall of Famer Mike Small, who won consecutively in 2013 and 2014.
“I think it becomes a little easier once you get the first one. I’m not thinking about it as much,” said Carroll. “At the time, when I won my first one of these, I had a runner-up in every single Section Major. I’m just happy to have broken through and to have been playing well at these the last couple of years.”
The final round did not come without drama, as nearly ten players made a push to capture this year’s edition of the Nadler Golf Cars Illinois PGA Professional Championship. Much of the action unfolded within the final four groups, where Jeff Kellen (North Shore Country Club) and John Varner (Beverly Country Club) traded shots while trying to hold off a charging Carroll.
Starting the day four shots back, Carroll produced a gritty performance highlighted by a bogey-free front nine and three birdies, pulling him to 2-under-par for the championship. A birdie at the par-5 11th hole elevated him into a share of second place, before a setback at the par-4 13th dropped him back to 2-under, one stroke off the pace. Showing resilience, Carroll delivered a clutch finish with birdies on 17 and 18 to post 4-under-par 138 and secure the title.
“Leading up to 17, I thought I had some good chances, but I wasn’t able to convert,” said Carroll. “I was really hoping to convert the look on 16, because 17 is a tough hole. You are just hoping to get out of there with a par. I was thinking I needed two of the last three, and not getting 16 made it harder. I hit a great 6-iron on 17. It was a good number for me. It was playing 196. It started about 25 feet left – it didn’t quite drift right the way I wanted it to – but once it landed, it got a nice kick off the side slope and rode the ridge to about three feet.”
“Coming down 18. I knew I needed to make a birdie to put the pressure on Jeff. I think I hit the longest drive I’ve hit in a long time. I had a good number in with a 3-wood. I thought I could get home in two, but it stayed straight and didn’t cut in. I was in a good spot, despite being in the greenside bunker. It was a standard stock bunker shot for me, and I hit up to about five feet.”
Kellen, who held the solo lead for most of the day, saw his hopes slip away on the par-4 16th after finding trouble in both the fairway and greenside bunkers, leading to a costly bogey. Though he rallied with a birdie on his final hole, Kellen finished solo second at 3-under-par 139, his third top-three finish in the Illinois PGA Professional Championship in the last four years.
Host PGA Professional John Varner (Beverly Country Club) got off to a dream start, sinking a remarkable 60-foot birdie putt across the green on the opening hole to pull within one shot of Kellen. He followed it up with a solid birdie on the par-4 fifth to remain just one stroke back, and his putter stayed hot on the back nine as he converted key par saves on holes 11, 13, and 15 to keep the pressure on. However, like Kellen, Varner fell victim to the greenside bunker on the par-4 16th, where a bogey dropped him back to 1-under-par. With Carroll already in the clubhouse at 4-under, Varner’s bid to become the first host professional to win the championship since 1975 came to an end. A closing bogey on 18 left him tied for sixth place at even-par 142.
Making charges up ahead of Kellen and Varner were Mike Troy (Zigfield Troy Par-3 Golf Course), Kevin Flack (Mauh-Nah-Tee-See Club), and Paul Schlimm (Chicago Highlands Club), each of whom put together impressive final rounds to challenge for the title.
Troy was steady all day, starting four shots back of the lead. His only early setback came with a bogey on the par-3 third hole, but he quickly rebounded with birdies on the fourth and eighth. Troy continued his climb with birdies at 11 and 14, pulling within striking distance. Playing alongside Carroll, Troy stood one shot back in the fairway of 18 and needed a birdie to apply pressure. While Carroll extended his lead with a birdie of his own, Troy was unable to convert and settled for solo third at 2-under-par 140.
Flack also began the day four shots off the lead and made a statement with an impressive eight birdies in the final round, including five on the front nine. A birdie on the par-5 11th moved him into a share of the lead at 3-under-par, but his momentum stalled from there. After a bogey on the 13th, he remained in the mix but closed with a bogey on the par-5 18th to finish tied for fourth at 1-under-par 141.
Schlimm, making his Illinois PGA Professional Championship debut, put together a performance that signaled a bright future. He began the final round three shots back and quickly surged into contention with back-to-back birdies on holes two and three, highlighted by a long putt on the par-3 third. Although he gave those strokes back with bogeys on four and six, Schlimm remained resilient, adding birdies on seven and nine to return to 2-under-par, just one shot off the lead. Like many others, his momentum cooled on the back nine, where he strung together seven consecutive pars before a late bogey on the difficult par-3 17th. Schlimm finished at 1-under-par 141, joining Flack in a tie for fourth.
Carroll, Kellen, Troy, Flack, Schlimm, and Varner all earned spots in the 2025 PGA Professional Championship, which will be contested April 26–29 at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort. They will be joined by Mike Small (University of Illinois), Matthew Rion (Briarwood Country Club), and Jim Billiter (Ivanhoe Club), who also secured berths in the national championship. In addition, Andy Svoboda (Butler National Golf Club) will represent the Illinois Section as an exempt player in the field.
About the Illinois PGA/Illinois PGA Foundation
The Illinois Section of the PGA of America is a professional organization serving men and women golf professionals in northern and central Illinois who are 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 760 members and associates, 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, PGA HOPE (Helping our Patriots Everywhere), Illinois PGA Birdies for Charity, and the Illinois Golf Hall of Fame. For more information about the Illinois PGA and the Illinois PGA Foundation, please visit www.ipga.com and join us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
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CONTACT:
Kevin Quinn
Illinois PGA Communications
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