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It’s the 95th Illinois PGA Section Championship at Medinah Country Club in Medinah Illinois.
The section championship is also a tournament that will put 12 of the Illinois section professionals, into the the PGA National Club Pro Championship in California.
The IPGA Section Championship for lack of better terms, has become the Mike Small Tournament.
The Illinois golf coach has won the championship a record of 12 times. It’s a record that will likely never be broken. What is more likely is that Small will win the title another time or two before he quits playing in the championship.
Mike Small with trophy #12 at Olympia Fields in 2016.
Small will likely be ready for to win after not being able to play in the Illinois Open, because of the conflict of him playing in the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Country Club in Charlotte.
At the PGA Championship, where Small has been the low club professional on two occasions, this year he failed to make the cut. Which is something that won’t sit well with Small.
Small played pretty well at Steve Stricker’s Champions Tour event in Wisconsin and the PGA Section is even more of an event that he feels comfortable at. Speaking of Stricker, the PGA Tour star and Illini Alum is in Chicago to participate in the annual U of I fund raiser, so as a result Small took the last tee time in Round 1, so he can make it to Medinah in time to play from Olympia Fields.
Tee times start at 7:30 for Rounds 1&2 on Medinah Course #1, the cut falls after 36 holes and third and final round will be played on Wednesday.
Kemper Lakes head golf professional Jim Billiter has the point lead for Illinois PGA Section Player of the Year. Billiter who has won the section title before, can pretty much wrap up a Player of the Year Award with a win this week. Billiter has already won the IPGA Section’s first major of the year the Match Play Championship on his home course. He was the low IPGA Section professional at the Illinois Open two weeks ago. he is expected to give Small tough competition along with White Eagle Professional Curtis Malm who was runner up last year.
For tee times, see IPGA.com. For complete coverage of the championship keep it here at Golfersongolf.com. Coverage of Round 1 from Medinah starts tomorrow.