MUNDELEIN, Ill. – August 21, 2024 – Amateur Dave Esler (St. Charles, Ill) claimed the 2024 Illinois Super Senior Open today at Pine Meadow Golf Club, after shooting rounds of 67 and 71. Gary Hanson (a) (Algonquin, Ill) birdied three of this last four holes in round two to move up five places on the leaderboard and finish in solo second. Ted Pecora (a) (Winnetka, Ill) and John Haffner (a) (Winfield, Ill) tied for third at 2-under par to round out the top four on the leaderboard.
Round one kicked off on Monday, as a championship record 117 players teed it up with hopes of claiming this year’s title. The morning wave was once again filled with past champions of the 13-year-old championship. 2023 Champion Roy Biancalana (St. Charles, Ill) began his first round 2-under-par through his first four holes to take an early lead, but a couple of bogeys on the way in pushed Biancalana out of the lead to ultimately end his first round in a tie for fourth.
Teeing off three groups behind Biancalana was Esler, who finished in a tie for fifth at last year’s Super Senior Open. A string of birdies on the tail end of his outward nine vaulted him into the solo-lead early, a lead he wouldn’t give up for the remainder of the championship. Three more birdies on the inward-nine tied the bow on the championship’s low round of 5-under-par 66. In total, six of the 117 in the field finished under par in the first round.
Wednesday’s final round produced much of the same results as the first round for Esler, who began with an opening birdie on the par-four first hole. He would continue to have full control of the golf tournament through the opening nine, as at times it seemed as though he knew every shot would be perfect.
“It’s a strategy my brother has been trying to instill in me over the past couple of weeks,” said Esler. “Go out and hit your shots and add them up when you’re done.”
Esler did just that as he made the turn with an even larger lead than he entered his outward nine with, now leading by three over the field thanks to bogeys from those closest to him on the leaderboard.
The back-nine was no different than the front for Esler, as he immediately began birdie-birdie after a steller approach shot to three-feet on 10 and a 30-foot, double braking putt on 11. As he stepped onto the 12th tee, his lead had expanded to five-strokes over the field and Esler would never look back. An excellent two-putt par save on the 13th allowed him to keep his momentum heading into one of the harder stretches on the golf course, a stretch he would go on to play in just 1-over-par.
The only real threat to Esler on the back-nine came from Hanson, who strung together three-straight birdies on 15,16, and 17 to get as close as one-back of Esler after he bogeyed the par-four 16th. A bogey on the 18th, which played as the second hardest hole on the course during round two, for Hanson quickly silenced any drama that could have emerged down the stretch, however.
Esler stepped onto the 18th tee with a newly regained two-stroke lead and would par the final hole to claim his first Illinois Super Senior Open title.
“It’s extremely gratifying, truth be told,” said Esler. “ I’ve been working hard on my game for a couple of years and didn’t get a lot of results, but I’ve had a couple of good weeks now. I was grateful to see the hole get in the way of the ball a couple times out there.”
Esler became the first amateur to win the Super Senior Open since Jim Kennedy won in back-to-back years in 2013 and 2014.
The Illinois Super Senior Open was founded in 2011 by host PGA Professional Dennis Johnsen, PGA. It has been held at Pine Meadow Golf Club 12 years out the 13 year history and has proved to be a great test of golf year after year for this championship.
The Illinois PGA would like to thank the long-standing partners of the Illinois Open’s series, Titos Handmade Vodka and Illinois Bone and Joint Institute, for their support of this championship.
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.ipga.com and join us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
CONTACT:
Brandon Seymour
Illinois PGA Communications
330.888.9400 mobile
bseymour@pgahq.com