U.S. SENIOR OPEN
No Small Feat for Illinois Men’s Golf Coach
No Small Feat for Illinois Men’s Golf Coach
Those who follow college golf are all too familiar with Mike Small. The longtime University of Illinois men’s coach has helped produce a plethora of future PGA Tour pros, including Thomas Detry, Thomas Pieters, Nick Hardy, Scott Langley and up-and-comer Adrien Dumont de Chassart. In 2013, he led the Illini to upset wins over Texas and California at the NCAA Championship en route to a runner-up finish. And of the last 14 Big Ten titles, Illinois has claimed 13. But Small, an Illinois graduate whose teammate was 2019 U.S. Senior Open champion Steve Stricker, also is an accomplished player, having competed on the Nike (now Korn Ferry) and PGA Tours in the 1990s. On Thursday at SentryWorld, Small, 57, went out and birdied his first three holes (Nos. 10-12) en route to a first-nine 34. Despite a double-bogey 6 on his final hole, Small posted a 1-under 70.
