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Wednesday
Sep012010

Small captures 9th Illinois PGA by 11

Writing from Olympia Fields, Illinois
Wednesday, September 1, 2010

The pressure was off Mike Small's shoulders on Wednesday afternoon.

The course record 63 he scored on Olympia Fields' South Course on Tuesday had much to do with that. After all, Small was made an honorary member of Olympia two years ago, in conjunction with the college tournament Olympia Fields hosts in collaboration with Illinois, the golf team Small coaches.

"I've won a few of these in a row, and I didn't want it to end here," Small said. "That wouldn't be very good."

Small's won more than a few in a row. Wednesday's 4-under 67, a ho-hum round in comparison to Tuesday's 8-under 63, brought him his eighth straight Illinois PGA Section Championship, and ninth in the last 10 years. He finished with a total of 13-under 200, 11 strokes ahead of runner-up Travis Johns, the pro at Twin Lakes Golf Course in Palatine. Johns had an even-par 71 to finish at 2-under 211. Kyle Sanders, at 1-under 212, was third.

It also means Small, with four Illinois Open titles and an Illinois Match Play crown, has 14 state majors, two more than Bill Ogden, whose dozen championships seemed for decades an insurmountable record.

Then Small came along. A native of Danville who played his college golf at Illinois before spending a few years on the PGA Tour, he accepted the job of coaching the Fighting Illini. Soon, he began to dominate the local scene.

"When I took the job, I didn't have any goals," Small said. "I didn't know if I'd keep playing. I was an A3 (touring pro), not an A12 (club pro). Once I was classified A12, it gave me an opportunity to compete."

Small won his first Illinois PGA title at Kemper Lakes Golf Course in 2001. He had a chance to win there in 2002, but smashed his approach shot onto the rocks and fell in a playoff to Gary Groh.

Since then, it's been all Small, who has parlayed his success in the sectional title to three victories in the PGA's national club pro tournament, the Professional National Championship, and a slew of exemptions into PGA Tour tournaments.

"In a roundabout way, this started the whole thing," Small said. "I play in Tour events because of this, through the PPNC championship."

He won this year's title in French Lick, Ind., with a final round 65, which he called his finest round ever, even above Tuesday's 63. But the 63 came at the perfect time. Small opened Monday with a 1-under 70, then scorched the course, renovated two years ago by Steve Smyers, for the course record.

Small, believe it or not, had been struggling this season. His back had acted up at times. He wasn't hitting fairways with his customary regularity.

"I've said I wasn't playing well, but the Professional National Championship is our biggest one, and I won it," Small said. "That makes this a great year. But I'd made only two cuts in five PGA Tour events. Next year, I might make more cuts, be more consistent, but not have as good a year."

He was more than consistent at Olympia Fields. He was dominant. His victory margin of 11 strokes is believed to be a championship record in a tournament that goes back 88 playings. And until Small came along, the five titles won by Johnny Revolta, and matched by Bill Ogden, was the Illinois PGA record.

"Sunday night, I figured something out," Small said of a swing adjustment. "Yesterday (in Tuesday's 63), I didn't miss a shot all day."

Small earned $12,500 for winning, plus yet another oversized check to hang in his basement.

– Tim Cronin

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