Illinois PGA Players Championship Leaderboard
LAKE FOREST, Ill. – September 29, 2026 – Andy Svoboda (Elevation Golf) captured the 2026 Illinois PGA Players Championship at Conway Farms Golf Club on Tuesday, completing a historic season in Illinois PGA Major Championship competition.
With the victory, Svoboda claimed his third Illinois PGA Major Championship of the season, becoming the first Illinois PGA Member since Jim Sobb in 1995 to win the Illinois PGA Match Play Championship, Illinois PGA Professional Championship, and Illinois PGA Players Championship (formerly the Illinois PGA Fall Classic) in the same season.
Svoboda entered 2026 without an Illinois PGA Major Championship title. He broke through earlier this season at the Match Play Championship before adding his first Illinois PGA Professional Championship in August. Tuesday’s victory completed the sweep of the Section’s three member-only Major Championships.
“I was happy to win one Major,” Svoboda said. “The first one, the Match Play, I was like, ‘Wow, I finally won one.’ Then to win the Section Championship was a dream come true, and to win this one, too, it was an incredible year. I’ll probably never do it again.”
Svoboda played steady golf throughout the championship on a difficult Conway Farms layout. In an event that saw just four players finish under par, Svoboda made only four bogeys over 36 holes, with his consistency gradually separating him from the field during Tuesday’s final round.
“Getting the ball in the fairway was a big deal because there was a lot of penalty off the tee,” Svoboda said. “The greens were very fast, too. Luckily, I made a bunch of birdies the first day. I was 5-under on my first nine, which really helped, and then I kind of held on from there.”
Svoboda and Tony Albano Jr. (GOLFTEC – Schaumburg) entered the final round tied for the lead after each carded a 4-under-par 67 in Monday’s opening round.
With a challenging course in front of him, Svoboda wasted little time moving ahead in the final round. He made birdies on Nos. 3 and 8 and did not record a bogey on his opening nine, turning in 2-under-par 33 and moving to 6-under for the championship.
Albano kept pace early, playing his first six holes in 1-under par. A double bogey on the par-4 seventh proved costly, however, and he made the turn in 1-over-par 36. With nine holes remaining, Svoboda held a three-stroke advantage.
“Today, I played pretty solid,” Svoboda said. “It was definitely a little more difficult. The tees were farther back, but I hit some good wedges down the stretch and made a couple of really good up-and-downs. Tony (Albano) was playing really well, too, and luckily I was able to hold on.”
Svoboda continued his steady play on the back nine, opening with three consecutive pars before making his first bogey of the day on the par-4 13th. He responded immediately with a birdie on the par-5 14th and followed with three consecutive pars to maintain control of the championship.
“The 52-degree wedge I hit on 14 was probably the shot of the day for me,” Svoboda said. “After bogeying 13, that gave me a little bit of a cushion.”
Svoboda also pointed to the tee shot on the par-4 16th as a critical moment late in the round.
“I wanted to get that tee shot on 16 over with because it’s a tough tee shot,” Svoboda said. “If you don’t hit that fairway, you could be re-teeing.”
Vince India (North Shore Country Club), who began the final round four strokes off the lead, made a back-nine push. After playing his opening nine in even-par 35, India birdied the 10th before giving two shots back at the par-3 11th. He charged again late, making birdie on the par-5 14th, an eagle on the par-4 15th and another birdie at the par-5 18th to play the back nine in 3-under-par 33 and post a 3-under-par 139.
Svoboda entered the final hole with enough of a cushion to withstand a closing bogey. His 1-under-par 70 gave him a 36-hole total of 5-under-par 137 and a two-stroke victory over India.
Albano finished alone in third place at 2-under-par 140 after a closing round of 2-over-par 73.
Rounding out the top 10 was Seth Terpstra (SMART Golf & Fitness Instruction – Lombard), who finished fourth at 1-under-par 141 after a final-round 69. Bret Leon (Old Elm Club) placed fifth at 1-over-par 143, while Joey Harrigan (Beverly Country Club) finished sixth at 2-over-par 144. Joshua VandenBush (GOLFTEC – Deerfield) and Andy Mickelson (Mistwood Golf Club) tied for seventh at 3-over-par 145. Andrew Godfrey (White Pines Golf Club) finished ninth at 4-over-par 146, while Brian Carroll (The Hawk Country Club) and Quinn Tank (Park Ridge Country Club) tied for 10th at 5-over-par 147.
The Illinois PGA has one point-earning event remaining on the 2026 calendar, with the makeup of Stroke Play #4 scheduled for Oct. 19 at Glen Oak Country Club. Following the conclusion of Stroke Play #4 the 2026 Illinois PGA Bernardi Player of the Year will be named.
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
708.336.1294 mobile
847.729.5700 office
kbquinn@pgahq.com
