It's a Small world after all

    Writing from Grayslake, Illinois
    Monday, August 25, 2014

    There’s not much one can be sure of in this wacky, wild world.
    Here are three: Death. Taxes. Mike Small leading the Illinois PGA Championship.
    Yes, he’s at it again. The 10-time winner opened his bid for No. 11 on a storm-tossed Monday at Stonewall Orchard Golf Club by firing a 5-under-par 67 to open the proceedings.
    That means, for most of the rest of the field, the proceedings are closed. Adam Schumacher, an assistant at Indian Hill Club, may yet have a say. The 23-year-old is 5-under with three holes to play in the first round.
    Small, the head men’s coach at Illinois, hasn’t won this 54-hole soiree yet – 12 players including Schumacher didn’t finish, thanks to a second 80-minute stoppage for a thunderstorm in mid-afternoon – but he’s in the catbird seat. If there’s one thing that’s been learned over the years, it’s that Small is difficult to catch.
    It’s also been learned that Small often discounts his ability.
    “This is probably the worst summer I’ve had,” Small said after his six-birdie adventure. “Not bad-bad, but not playing the PGA Championship hurt.”
    No Illinois Section member appeared in the PGA this year. Small’s been the low club pro in it twice. Not playing at all bugged him to talk to motivational expert Jim Fannin. Something he said must have paid off.
    “I made a point of staying in the moment today,” Small said.
    He birdied three holes on each side, closing with birdies on the 16th and 18th holes, with only a three-putt bogey on the short par-4 fourth to mar his card.
    Small had a one-stroke lead on Mike Haase, an instruction at the Golf Academy at Terra Cotta in Prairie Grove, when play was suspended for the day. Haase was 3-under on the back to complete his 4-under 68, but was tripped up by the first delay of the day, an 80-minute rest that coincided with the storm front changing the conditions from steamy to cool.
    “I made a 10-foot birdie putt to go 5-under after the restart, but I wish we wouldn’t have had a delay,” Haase said. “It’s hard to finish off a good round sometimes.”
    Steve Orrick, the IPGA winner in 2012, the last time this tournament played at Stonewall, fired a 3-under-par 69 and is tied for third with Beverly Country Club pro John Varner and Bred Leon of Skokie Country Club. Frank Hohenadel, the winner on Medinah No. 1 in 2011 is at 2-under 68 along with two-time runner-up Travis Johns and Connie DeMattia.
    For Orrick, it was a rare good round by his standards since his victory two years ago.
    “I’ve been working on a swing change, and I finally feel comfortable over the ball,” Orrick said. “Now it feels natural; I’m not thinking about it.”
    That comfort led to five birdies, offset by a pair of bogeys, playing with Johns and Cog Hill teaching pro Garrett Chaussard in the group ahead of Small.
    Barring another monsoon, the first round is slated to finish Tuesday morning, with the second round starting immediately after. The field of 113 will be cut to the low 60 and ties after 36 holes, with the third round on Wednesday.

    – Tim Cronin