ILLINOIS PGA PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS
ILLINOIS PGA BERNARDI PLAYER OF THE YEAR RESULTS
GLENCOE, Ill. – September 27, 2022 – Kevin Flack won the 2022 Illinois PGA Players Championship at Lake Shore Country Club on Tuesday, September 27. Flack trailed by two strokes after round one but was able to right the ship in the second round to secure his first Major title as a Class-A Member of the Illinois PGA.
Flack carded rounds of even par 71 and 1-under-par 70 for a tournament total of 1-under-par 141. He was one of only five players to break par in round two and was the only player under par for the tournament. Entering the final round, Flack trailed Jim Billiter (Ivanhoe Club) and Kyle Donovan (Oak Park Country Club) by two strokes.
“I knew two strokes wasn’t going to be a lot to overcome,” said Flack. “I felt like I had a chance to win coming into the round today, but I know how good of players Jim (Billiter) and Kyle (Donovan) are. I was three shots down with 11 holes to go and I just stayed patient. I knew par was going to be a good score today. I made par on 10 and 11, which were two tough holes, and then made birdie on the par-5 on the back nine and rolled a nice putt in on the 14th hole. I got some good breaks today and was fortunate to come out with the win.”
A chilly two days with high winds resulted in Lake Shore Country Club playing fairly hard for 36 holes. Flack played well in the first-round carding four birdies to go along with four bogeys. Flack remained patient throughout the second and his strong play combined with his competitors’ miscues lined him up perfectly for the victory.
It took Flack 32 holes to become the leader of the Illinois PGA Players Championship. He began his final round with a 1-over-par 37 on the front nine. At the time, he trailed his playing partner, Billiter, by three strokes.
Flack’s patience paid off for him on the second nine as Billiter began to find himself in some trouble. A birdie on the par-5 13th hole moved Flack to even-par for the tournament and he was tied with Billiter and Chris French (Aldeen Club) for the lead. He made his second consecutive birdie on the par-3 14th hole to take sole possession of the lead. Four straight pars to end his round left Flack atop the leaderboard by two strokes. Flack’s victory marked his second victory of the season, and his first Main Division Major Victory.
Flack gained his Class-A Membership this June and was eligible for three of the four Illinois PGA’s Major Championships this season. He finished inside the top 20 of each of these events including a T16 finish at the 73rd Illinois Open, and a T10 finish at the Nadler Golf Cars Illinois PGA Professional Championship. In addition to his Players Championship victory, Flack also defended his title at the National Car Rental Illinois Assistant PGA Professional Championship this year.
Host facility Assistant PGA Professional, Caleb Wittig (Lake Shore Country Club), finished in solo second place at the Illinois PGA Players Championship. After a first-round 3-over-par 74, Wittig carded the second lowest round of the day with a 2-under-par 69 in round two to finish the tournament with a 36-hole total of 1-over-par 143.
Donovan, French, Tim Streng (Wildcat Academy), and David Paeglow (Kishwaukee Country Club) finished T3 with tournament totals of 2-over-par 144. Streng was one of the five players to break par in the final round with a 1-under-par 70.
Brian Carroll (The Hawk Country Club) highlighted a group of four Illinois PGA Professionals that finished T7. Carroll’s finish marked the end of a great season and secured his first career Illinois PGA Bernardi Player of the Year honor.
“I’ve been close to winning this honor a number of times,” said Carroll. “There was one time where I was leading in the points race for most of the year going into the last event and got edged out. This has been a goal of mine for a long time and it’s nice to finally get it done.”
Carroll’s 2022 season was highlighted by his victory at the Nadler Golf Cars Illinois PGA Professional Championship, the first Major Championship victory of his career. He also finished runner-up at the Illinois PGA Match Play Championship and finished the year with seven top 25 finishes and four top 10 finishes.
Billiter, Chris Nieto (Exmoor Country Club) and Jeff Kellen (Butler National Golf Club) joined Carroll at T7 with tournament totals of 3-over-par 145.
Kurt Rogers (Champaign Country Club) and Eric Hoff (Bryn Mawr Country Club) were the other two players of the five to break par in the final round. Rogers carded the low round of the day with a 3-under-par 68 in round two. He finished the tournament at 4-over-par and T11. Hoff tied with Wittig with the second lowest round of the day in round two, carding a 2-under-par 69. Hoff finished T16 with a tournament total of 6-over-par 148.
The Illinois PGA Players Championship marked the final Bernardi Player of the Year points event for the Main Division on the Illinois PGA circuit. The Illinois PGA would like to thank all the Illinois PGA Professionals that participated in this year’s events and hosted events in 2022. We would also like to thank all of our partners that supported our 2022 events.
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.
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CONTACT:
Kevin Quinn
Illinois PGA Communications
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kbquinn@pgahq.com