Dec. 19, 2007

Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. - University of Illinois golf coach Mike Small of Champaign, Ill., who dominated his Section peers and also made an impact in national competition for a second consecutive season, earned the 2007 PGA Professional Player of the Year award.

Small is the second Illinois PGA Section member to win the national honor and the fourth multiple winner of the national Player of the Year award. He will be honored in Orlando, Fla., Jan. 17, during the PGA of America Awards program, which is conducted at the Linda W. Chapin Auditorium and in conjunction with the 55th PGA Merchandise Show at the Orange County Convention Center.

The final PGA Professional Player of the Year Standings were determined following reports from Jan. 1 through Dec. 16, 2007, from the 41 PGA Sections.

Small, 41, who concluded his seventh season as the head men's golf coach at the University of Illinois in Champaign, earned 1,162.5 points, outdistancing Tim Weinhart of Suwanee, Ga., who was runner-up with 1,041.25. Erik Wolf of Palm Desert, Calif., was third with 803.75 points, while Kelly Mitchum of Southern Pines, N.C., finished fourth with 785.75.

The most dominant player in Illinois PGA Section history, Small captured a record sixth Illinois PGA Championship in the past seven years; won the first Illinois PGA Match Play Championship that he entered and picked up his fourth Illinois Open title the same week that he traveled to Tulsa, Okla., and finished as the Low PGA Professional in the 89th PGA Championship at Southern Hills Country Club.

With his sixth Illinois PGA title, Small surpassed Illinois golf legends Bill Ogden and Johnny Revolta, the 1935 PGA Champion.

Small also tied for runner-up in the PGA Professional National Championship, having never finished lower than fourth in four appearances. He was the 2005 National Champion and runner-up in 2004. He is only member of the Illinois PGA Section to win both the national championship and PGA Professional Player of the Year honors.

This season, Small earned 184 points for making the cut in the Nationwide Tour LaSalle Bank Open and an additional 50 points for advancing to the U.S. Open Section qualifying. Though his year-long coaching duties have prevented him from entering more Illinois PGA events, Small finished runner-up in the Illinois PGA Player of the Year race.

The PGA Professional Player of the Year award originated in 1984, and is based upon a season-long points system for performance in both Section and national competition. The Senior PGA Professional Player of the Year award began in 1995.

The PGA of America is the world's largest working sports organization, comprised of 28,000 men and women golf Professionals who are the recognized experts in growing, teaching and managing the game of golf, while serving millions of people throughout its 41 PGA Sections nationwide. Since its founding in 1916, The PGA of America has enhanced its leadership position in a $62 billion-a-year industry by growing the game of golf through its premier spectator events, world-class education and training programs, significant philanthropic outreach initiatives and award-winning golf promotions. Today's PGA Golf Professional is the public's link to the game, serving an essential role in the operation of golf facilities throughout the country.