Fighting Illini head coach Mike Small won his third consecutive Illinois Senior PGA Professional title on Tuesday as he posted a 13-under par 36-hole tally at the Merit Club. Small finished nine strokes ahead of the tournament field, earning a berth into the 31st Senior PGA Professional Championship, October 3-6 at Omni Barton Creek Resort and Spa in Austin, Texas.
Small opened tournament play with a 7-under par 65, using a bogey-free first round to propel himself to the top of the leaderboard early on. Small added another seven birdies to his tally in the second round of play, finishing with 14 birdies on the tournament. He finished strongly on Tuesday, posting three-straight birdies to secure his victory.
The Senior PGA Professional Championship field will consist of 264 contestants representing the PGA of America's 41 nationwide Sections. The first two rounds will be conducted on the Foothills and Coore Crenshaw Courses at Omni Barton Creek. The first cut will be made after 36 holes of play to the low 90 scorers and ties. The second cut will be made after 54 holes of play to the low 70 scorers and ties. The final two rounds will be played on the Foothills Course.
The top 35 finishers in the national Championship earn a berth in the 81st KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship, which will be conducted in May 21-24, 2020, at Harbor Shores in Benton Harbor, Michigan. The top five finishers earn an exemption into the final stage of the 2020 PGA Tour Champions National Finals in November 2019.
Small was named the OMEGA Senior PGA Professional Player of the Year in 2017, and earned top five finishes at both the PGA Professional Championship and the Senior PGA Professional Championship in 2017. Small is the only Illinois PGA Member to earn both the PGA Professional Player of the Year and Senior PGA Professional Player of the Year awards.
