Small brings it home again

Writing from Medinah, Illinois

Wednesday, August 26, 2020

Mike Small almost went full CaddyShack on Wednesday at Medinah Country Club.

He didn’t say, “Be the ball,” but “Be in the present” was close enough, and it worked.

Keeping his mind on business throughout the final round of the 99th Illinois PGA Championship, Small fired a 3-under-par 68 on Medinah No. 1 and scored a four-stroke victory over Mistwood pros Frank Hohenadel and Andy Mickelson.

Small’s total of 200 was 13 under par for three rounds on No. 1, and that’s fitting. It was Small’s record-extending 13th Illinois PGA title.

“It doesn’t get old and it doesn’t get easier,” Small said. “It’s been a while since I’ve won. It feels good to contend.”

Small led Mickelson and Hohenadel by a stroke entering the final round, birdied the first two holes – the first hole even after plunking his tee shot into a fairway bunker – and was never headed. The Mistwood duo scored matching par 71s, but treading water wasn’t going to cut it with Small going under par for a third straight round.

“I didn’t hit it good, but I competed and a putted really good today,” Small said.

He also stayed in the moment, unlike, by his admission, last year’s final round at Ruth Lake, where he squandered a five-stroke lead on the back nine and opened the door for Medinah director of instruction Travis Johns to win. That was a lesson learned.

“I didn’t look at the scoreboard until the 18th tee, so I didn’t know (the status),” Small said. “I didn’t get wrapped up in the score. … I knew they were close. … I was nervous. I was indecisive a couple times, then reminded myself to stay in the moment and be decisive.”

He was. His only bogey was on the fifth hole. Small added birdies on the 10th and 13th holes to the opening brace and otherwise kept it in play, forcing his challengers to take chances.

Mickelson was two strokes back until a trio of birdies beginning at the 13th hole ended his hopes. He birdied the 17th and 18th to draw even with Hohenadel, who bogeyed the 17th.

“He just played a normal round of golf, and Frank and I had our hiccups,” Mickelson said. “At the most critical time, I had bogeys in the wrong spots. Mike did exactly when he needed to do, came out strong early. That puts you in a spot where you’re playing catch-up.”

Mickelson’s birdie on No. 7 tied him with Small, but a three-putt bogey on No. 9 dropped him back a stroke, and Small’s birdie on No. 10 made it two strokes.

Hohenadel’s birdie on No. 11 pulled him within two, but Small answered with a birdie on No. 13 and that was that.

“Mike played solid, did his thing, and I didn’t take advantage of my opportunities,” Hohenadel said. “I wasn’t aggressive on my putts.”

Johns was fourth at 6-under 207, with Roy Biancalana of Blackberry Oaks fifth at 3-under 210. Chris Green of Glen View Club had the round of the day, a 4-under 67, to finish sixth at 1-under 212. Nobody else was under or at par.

Around Medinah

Course No. 1 averaged 76.07 strokes on Wednesday, with only one birdie recorded on both the sixth (George Goich) and seventh (Andy Mickelson) holes. … Small collected $9,000 from the purse of $75,000. … The annual section championship also served as the qualifier for the national club pro, formally the PGA National Professional Championship. Small, Mickelson, Hohenadel, Johns, Biancalana, Green, Curtis Malm, Jim Billiter, Brian Carroll and section newcomer George Goich of Flossmoor advanced to Port St. Lucie, Fla.

– Tim Cronin