ILLINOIS PGA SENIOR PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP LEADERBOARD
2024 ILLINOIS PGA ERRIE BALL SENIOR PLAYER OF YEAR POINTS LISTS
LONG GROVE, Ill. – October 15, 2024 – Lance Olson (Champaign Country Club) won the 2024 Illinois PGA Senior Players Championship in a sudden death playoff over David Hannon (Links and Tees) at Twin Orchard Country Club on Tuesday, October 15. Olson’s push on the final nine holes of the tournament guided him to his first career Illinois PGA Major Championship victory.
“Thanks to Twin Orchard for hosting, and to the Illinois PGA for putting on a fantastic event. It was a grind out there. Everyone had to persevere the weather this week,” said Olson. “David (Hannon) is such a great putter, he is in every hole and really tough to beat. I’m very thankful to come out on top today.”
Low temperatures and high winds created a tough two days for the Illinois PGA Senior Players Championship. There was very little separation at the top of the leaderboard after a chilly Monday resulted in a three-way tie at even-par between Olson, Hannon, and Roy Biancalana (The Hawk Country Club).
Day two would be no different, as the temperature was lower and rain sprinkled throughout the day creating yet another obstacle for the field as the players navigated around the Red Course at Twin Orchard Country Club.
The three players at the top of the leaderboard would take their cracks at the solo lead throughout the final 18 holes. Through the first four holes, it was Biancalana in the solo lead. He started with four straight pars and was separating himself from the field, as Olson started with three bogeys on his first four holes, and Hannon made a bogey on the fourth hole.
Olson would pull it together on the front nine. After making three bogeys through four holes, he strung together a handful of pars to close out his front nine, including a hole out on the par-3 sixth hole after taking a drop for hitting his tee shot into the penalty area.
With just nine holes to play in the Championship, Biancalana and the defending Champion, Hannon, were tied for the lead at even par. Olson trailed by two strokes at 2-over-par.
On the back nine, it was Hannon who was putting together a good stretch and pulling away from the field. He made birdies on the 10th and 12th holes to move to 2-under-par. At the time, this gave Hannon a two-stroke lead over Biancalana, who was still even-par for the day, and had a four-stroke lead over Olson.
Things began to move in Olson’s way on the 13th hole. He hit his tee shot on the par-3 13th to about six feet, and rolled in his second birdie of the final round getting him back to 1-over-par. Hannon would remain at 2-under-par with a par on the 13th hole, and Biancalana ended up with his first bogey of the day, falling back to 1-over-par.
The 14th hole proved even more pivotal, as Hannon made a double bogey, falling back to even-par and opening the door back up to Olson and Biancalana. At this time, Hannon still held a one-stroke lead over both Olson and Biancalana who were tied for second at 1-over-par.
Olson then tied the lead with a birdie on the par-4 15th hole and moved to even-par for the tournament. Hannon remained at even-par and tied for the lead. Biancalana ended up dropping another stroke and falling to 2-over-par. The two-stroke deficit proved to be too much to overcome for Biancalana. Despite making a birdie on the 17th hole to cut into the lead, Biancalana finished third at 1-over-par (145).
The remaining three holes were left to Olson and Hannon to battle it out for the victory. Both players made three consecutive pars to close our their Championships at even-par (144), and went into a sudden-death playoff to decide the 2024 Illinois PGA Senior Players Champion.
The playoff took place on the par-4 10th hole. Olson’s drive found the fairway and set him up well to put the pressure on Hannon. Hannon hit his drive towards the right fairway bunker and ended up with a tough lie. The lie forced Hannon to lay up and lean on his short game. He was unable to get up and down as Olson cleaned up for par to secure his first Illinois PGA Major Championship victory.
“This win is very special to me,” said Olson. “This is my first Senior Major and my first ever Illinois PGA Major. I’m very proud of how I hung in there today, and I’m already looking forward to next year.”
The Illinois PGA Senior Players Championship marked the final Errie Ball Senior Player of the Year point event of the 2024 season. Roy Biancalana claimed his fourth consecutive Errie Ball Senior Player of the Year award in 2024. Biancalana played in 12 Errie Ball point events this season. He finished inside the top 10 at 11 of these events, including two victories. His victories came at the Illinois PGA Stroke Play #5 at Crystal Lake Country Club, and at the Illinois PGA Senior Match Play Championship at Ridge Country Club.
“I enjoy competing for this award every year. It’s definitely a goal of mine to accomplish each year,” said Biancalana. “This rewards all my hard work. I put a lot of time and effort into my game, and I work hard at it. Overall, this was probably my worst playing year. Not having my A-game all year, and still pulling it out at the end feels great.”
The Illinois PGA Senior Players Championship marked the final point-earning event of the 2024 season. The Illinois PGA now turns its attention to the Illinois PGA Pro-Superintendent, which takes place Thursday at the Grove Country Club. The Illinois PGA will then wrap up its season at the Meyer-Brown-Miller Invitational in Pinehurst, NC next week.
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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Kevin Quinn
Illinois PGA Communications
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