Malm, Chaussard each win at Knollwood

Writing from Lake Forest, Illinois

Tuesday, September 28, 2021

Curtis Malm of Naperville’s White Eagle Golf Club won on Knollwood Club’s golf course on Tuesday, capturing the Illinois PGA Players Championship.

Garrett Chaussard of Glencoe’s Skokie Golf Club also won at Knollwood, capturing the player of the year title by overhauling Chris French of Aldeen on Knollwood’s back nine.

For Malm, the achievement was deja vu. He captured the title last year after getting into the elite field of 36 players after someone else dropped out, and made it in this year in the same fashion. Shaun McIlroy of North Shore didn’t play, so Malm was in, and once again made the most of it.

This time, Malm’s 4-under-par 68, finishing with a birdie at the last, was the best round of the day, brought him to 3-under 141 overall, and vaulted him over Brian Carroll by a stroke. Carroll bogeyed the final hole for a 71 and 2-under 142 aggregate.

For Chaussard, it was similarly close. He trailed French by about 32 points in the season standings entering this final state major of the year, and was two strokes behind French at the turn. But Chaussard played steady, with eight pars and a birdie on the par-4 15th, while French hit the wall and scored 6-over 42, including a bogey-bogey-double bogey finish, to stagger home at 4-over 148, five strokes behind Chaussard. That was the difference.

“I definitely knew where I stood going into this week,” Chaussard said. “I didn’t peek at a leaderboard until 14 or 15. I just knew I had to finish one stroke better than Chris to sneak by.”

Chaussard finished 197.22 points ahead, earning him his second player of the year honor in three seasons.

“I wanted to do it twice to kind of validate it,” Chaussard said. “In 2019, I was so far ahead I didn’t even have to show up for the final tournament.”

He finished third on the 2019 Players anyway, and tied for third with Mistwood’s Andy Mickelson this time.

Malm, meanwhile, was locked in a duel with Carroll. The birdie-bogey swing on the 18th was the difference mathematically, but couldn’t have happened without Malm’s dramatic play on the par-4 13th. It can play as long at 357 yards, but Illinois PGA officials put the markers on the 302-yard front tee to encourage players to go for it, and Malm did.

“I hit a high cut and it stopped 18 inches for the cup for a 2,” Malm said as calmly as a tax assessor.

That eagle, one of only two on the hole, vaulted the 42-year-old into contention. He came on the scene as an amateur, winning the 2000 Illinois Open at Royal Fox, and has often been in the mix for trophies and professional cash – $1,615 of the $8,500 purse in this case – since.

“The drive is still there, but I’m a terrible player compared to that guy,” Malm said. “I’m still in there, but I’ll hit some Tour-esque shots and then some like a 16 handicapper.” 

Chip Shots

The return of the Illinois Open to White Eagle next year is official, both Malm, the club’s director of golf, and Illinois PGA executive director Carrie Williams confirmed. … The Illinois PGA is also running a Korn Ferry Tour first-stage qualifying tournament at Bull Valley in Woodstock this weekend. … Friday night brings the Illinois Golf Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the Glen Club in Glenview. Call the Illinois PGA at (847) 729-5700 for ticket information.

– Tim Cronin