Small Named 2020 Illinois PGA Player of the Year
October 30, 2020 | Men's Golf
GLENVIEW, Ill. – University of Illinois men's golf head coach Mike Small was announced Friday as the recipient of the 2020 Illinois PGA Bernardi Player of the Year Award by the Illinois Section of the PGA of America.
Congratulations to Mike Small on winning the 2020 Illinois PGA Bernardi Player of the Year Award! This is the 2nd IPGA Player of the Year honor for Mike, who has won the National POY 3 times & the National Senior POY in his career.
— ILLINOIS PGA (@illinoispga) October 30, 2020
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It mark's Small's second career Bernardi Player of the Year honor. He previously won the award in 2008, and has also been the National PGA Professional Player of the Year three times (2006, 2007, 2010) and an OMEGA National Senior PGA Professional Player of the Year (2017).
Small played in nine Illinois PGA events this season, two Illinois PGA Senior events and one Central Illinois PGA Chapter event. He finished inside the top-10 at each of these events, including three victories. He won his 13th Illinois PGA Professional Championship at Medinah Country Club and also won the Illinois PGA Stroke Play at Elgin Country Club.
Small also had three second-place finishes in 2020. He came up one stroke short at the Illinois PGA Stroke Play at Ivanhoe Club and the Illinois Senior Open Championship at Royal Fox Country Club. He also lost in a two-hole playoff at the Central Illinois PGA Chapter Championship on a hole that Kyle English (Crestwicke Country Club) poured in an eagle for the win.
In addition to the Illinois Senior Open, Small also participated in the Illinois Senior PGA Professional Championship at the Merit Club. He won this event for the fourth straight year, becoming just the second Illinois PGA Professional to achieve this feat (Gary Groh).
Small had a strong showing at the Illinois PGA Major Championships in 2020. In addition to winning the Illinois PGA Professional Championship, Small finished T9 at the 71st Illinois Open at White Eagle Golf Club, T5 at the Illinois PGA Players Championship at Conway Farms and advanced to the third round of the Illinois PGA Match Play Championship at Elgin Country Club before being eliminated by Andy Mickeslon (Mistwood Golf Club).
