ILLINOIS SUPER SENIOR OPEN LEADERBOARD
MUNDELEIN, Ill. – August 20, 2025 – Roy Biancalana (St. Charles, Ill) claimed his fourth career Illinois Super Senior Open title today at Pine Meadow Golf Club, after shooting rounds of 64 and 71. Dave Esler (St. Charles, Ill.) and Mike Karney (Crystal Lake, Ill.) took home the low-amateur honors with two-day tournament totals of 3-under-par 141.
Round one kicked off on Monday, as 79 players teed it up with hopes of claiming this year’s title. The defending champion, Esler, began his first round with an opening nine 35 that included two birdies and a bogey. He then proceeded to birdie the par-three 12th and par-four 13th to get to 3-under-par. A bogey on 14 followed by a bounceback birdie defined the story of Esler’s first-round 69.
Teeing off an hour and a half behind Esler was the three-time champion Biancalana, who finished in solo-ninth at last year’s Super Senior Open. He came out firing on his outward nine, with four birdies to lead him to a 4-under-par 32. It would be much the same for Biancalana on the back nine, with birdies on 11, 12, 15, and 16 to get him in the clubhouse at eight-under-par for the day.
Wednesday’s final round began under fall-like conditions, with a slight breeze blowing out of the north, bringing in the first cool air of the summer season. Biancalana began his final round with a quick birdie on two to extend his lead to four from the first round. However, a pair of bogeys on the sixth and eighth holes after missing the greens on his approach shots brought Doug Bauman (Village of Lakewood, Ill.) within one of the lead at the turn.
“I was thinking about it for sure. There are a lot of penalty areas on the back-nine, and I wasn’t playing very well on the front-nine. I was getting a little nervous, but I strung some holes together that kind of put it away,” said Biancalana.
Biancalana returned to his usual form immediately on the back-nine, sticking his approach shot on the par-three 12th to a foot with a pitching wedge from 130 yards to retake his three-shot lead after a bogey from Bauman on the same hole. It was more of the same the rest of the way in for Biancalana, who tallied additional birdies on the par-four 14th with a 20-foot putt, and on the par-five 15th.
Biancalana coasted to the win from there, riding his four-shot advantage all the way in until a pair of closing bogeys from him and Bauman ultimately resulted in his four-shot victory over Bauman.
“It’s fun to come out and compete and to try to stay up on top. I’m getting older, so how much longer can I keep winning this thing? So it’s always fun to do that. I did put a lot of pressure on myself today after my 64 yesterday, which was my lowest in competition in recent years. It was hard to battle the thoughts of ‘if you lose this tournament after a 64, you’re a choker’. You have to win after shooting that score, but it’s not easy,” said Biancalana.
The win today serves as Biancalana’s fourth time winning the Illinois Super Senior Open (2020, 2021, 2023, 2025).
“Winning always puts you in a good mood, and it builds confidence for the rest of the season. It’s rewarding to win because I work hard and teach a lot, but I also work on my game, so it’s rewarding to win,” said Biancalana.
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 each year since and has proved to be a great test of golf year after year for 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.
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CONTACT:
Brandon Seymour
Illinois PGA Communications
330.888.9400 mobile
bseymour@pgahq.com