After Monday’s first round of the Illinois PGA Championship, Danville’s Mike Small looked like he had the game and experience to take his four-shot lead and run away from the field.
The only running the Illinois men’s golf coach did Tuesday, however, was to the driving range at Kemper Lakes to fix whatever went wrong 24 hours later.
“Everything felt bad today,” said Small after struggling to a 3-over-par 75.
Bob O’Link’s Gary Groh and Ridgemoor assistant Jason Lee moved one stroke behind Small’s 143 total heading into Wednesday’s final round.
“I missed a bunch of iron shots and I didn’t make any putts,” said Small, who shot a 4-under 68 Monday. “My tempo was off and I had trouble hitting the ball square. I’m going to the range.”
Three-time winner Jim Sobb of Ivanhoe Club is also in contention at 2-over 146. Sobb added a 71 to his opening 75.
Small’s lead began to shrink on the fifth hole, where his tee shot hit a tree. He punched out but made double bogey. He also had bogeys on the eighth and 18th holes. Small two-putted for his only birdie on the par-5 seventh.
“It wasn’t a fun round,” Small said. “The course played a little tougher today. It dried out and the greens got faster. Plus there were some tough pin placements.
“I’ve played the game long enough not to worry about how big my lead is. I need to concentrate on my own game because what I’m doing isn’t working.”
After an opening 74, Groh shot 70 to get back to even par in pursuit of his first IPGA crown since 1989. Sobb and Groh are bidding to become only the fourth players in Illinois section history to win the event four or more times.
Lee, who grew up in Grand Rapids, Mich., will be the underdog Wednesday. Groh is a former PGA Tour player who won the 1975 Hawaiian Open and Small was a touring pro for 11 years, most recently on the Nike and Buy.com Tours.
Lee won last year’s IPGA match play title–and that’s about it.
Lee’s second straight 72 was a wild one. He made six birdies, six bogeys and six pars and sank five putts of 20 feet or more.
“It was up and down the whole way,” said the 30-year-old Lee. “I was hanging on for dear life.”
