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Mike Small (born March 4, 1966) is an American professional
golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...
er and college golf coach.


Amateur career

Small was born in
Aurora, Illinois Aurora is a city in the Chicago metropolitan area located partially in DuPage County, Illinois, DuPage, Kane County, Illinois, Kane, Kendall County, Illinois, Kendall, and Will County, Illinois, Will counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. Locat ...
and grew up in
Danville, Illinois Danville is a city in and the county seat of Vermilion County, Illinois. As of the 2010 census, its population was 33,027. As of 2019, the population was an estimated 30,479. History The area that is now Danville was once home to the Miami, K ...
. He was a four-time
letter winner In sports or activities in the United States, a letterman is a high school or college student who has met a specified level of participation or performance on a varsity team. Overview The term comes from the practice of awarding each such parti ...
at Danville High School. He won the Junior Masters in 1984 and went on to play college golf at the
University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the University ...
. At Illinois, he was a member of the 1988
Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...
Championship team, where he finished second behind teammate and current PGA Tour member
Steve Stricker Steven Charles Stricker (born February 23, 1967) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour and the PGA Tour Champions. He has twelve victories on the PGA Tour, including the WGC-Match Play title in 2001 and two FedEx Cup play ...
. Small was named to the All-Big Ten squad and won two tournaments during his senior year, the Butler National Intercollegiate and the Michigan State Spartan Classic.


Professional career

Small turned professional in 1990 and played on various tours before joining the
PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized in all capital letters as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in the United States and North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also k ...
in 1995. In 1997, he won two
Nike Tour Nike often refers to: * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine given ...
(now Korn Ferry Tour) events and finished in the top 15 on the Nike Tour money list, earning his PGA Tour card for the 1998 season. He played on the PGA Tour in 1998, where his best finish was 9th place at the
Bell Canadian Open The Canadian Open (french: L'Omnium Canadien) is a professional golf tournament in Canada. It is co-organized by Golf Canada (formerly known as the Royal Canadian Golf Association) and the PGA Tour. It was first played in 1904, and has been hel ...
. In 2003, Small won the Illinois PGA and
Illinois Open The Illinois Open Championship is a golf tournament that is administered by the Illinois PGA (Professional Golfers' Association). The state championship of golf is a 54-hole championship over three days to determine the finest player in the sta ...
titles, becoming the first golfer ever to win both tournaments in the same year. He would repeat that feat three more times on the way to winning twelve IPGA titles and four Illinois Opens. He has played in 96 Nationwide Tour events finishing in the top-10 eight times. Small has also won the
PGA Professional National Championship The PGA Professional Championship is a golf tournament for golf club professionals and teachers who are members of the Professional Golfers' Association of America. It has been held by the PGA of America since 1968, when touring professionals sp ...
thrice, in 2005, in 2009, and in 2010. He has played in over 50 PGA Tour events in his career, including thirteen major championships. In 2016, he turned 50 and qualified for his first senior major championship, finishing T-43 at the U.S. Senior Open. He has also finished as the low club professional in the
PGA Championship The PGA Championship (often referred to as the US PGA Championship or USPGA outside the United States) is an annual golf tournament conducted by the Professional Golfers' Association of America. It is one of the four men's major championships ...
in 2007 and 2011. Small has been the head golf coach at the
University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the University ...
since 2000. He was Big Ten Coach of the Year for the 2001-02 season, when Illinois placed 18th in the NCAA Championships. He won the honor again for the 2008-09 season when Illinois won their first Big Ten title in 21 years. He led the Illini to the Big Ten championship in each of the next four seasons, again winning conference coach of the year honors each year. In addition, he has been named Midwest Coach of the Year by the Golf Coaches Association five times, in 2003, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2013. His 2013 Illini team won the school's first-ever NCAA Regional championship, and finished second in the NCAA Finals after defeating defending champion Texas and #1-ranked California in match play. It marks Illinois' best finish in school history. On October 25, 2013, Small was inducted into the Illinois Golf Hall of Fame.


Personal life

Small's father, Bill Small, was captain of the 1963 Big Ten Champion
Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball The Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team is an NCAA Division I college basketball team competing in the Big Ten Conference. Home games are played at the State Farm Center, located on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's campu ...
team and earned All Big-Ten honors. Small's brother, Andy, was a member of the 1990 Big Ten Champion Illinois baseball squad and won four varsity letters as an infielder.


Amateur wins

*1984 Junior Masters *1987 Butler National Intercollegiate, Michigan State Spartan Classic


Professional wins (22)


Nike Tour wins (2)


Other wins (23)

*2001
Illinois PGA Championship The Illinois PGA Championship is a golf tournament that is conducted by the Illinois PGA (Professional Golfers' Association). The 54-hole, stroke play Championship conducted over three days is the premier member event on the Illinois PGA calendar ...
*2003
Illinois PGA Championship The Illinois PGA Championship is a golf tournament that is conducted by the Illinois PGA (Professional Golfers' Association). The 54-hole, stroke play Championship conducted over three days is the premier member event on the Illinois PGA calendar ...
,
Illinois Open Championship The Illinois Open Championship is a golf tournament that is administered by the Illinois PGA (Professional Golfers' Association). The state championship of golf is a 54-hole championship over three days to determine the finest player in the sta ...
*2004
Illinois PGA Championship The Illinois PGA Championship is a golf tournament that is conducted by the Illinois PGA (Professional Golfers' Association). The 54-hole, stroke play Championship conducted over three days is the premier member event on the Illinois PGA calendar ...
*2005
Illinois PGA Championship The Illinois PGA Championship is a golf tournament that is conducted by the Illinois PGA (Professional Golfers' Association). The 54-hole, stroke play Championship conducted over three days is the premier member event on the Illinois PGA calendar ...
,
Illinois Open Championship The Illinois Open Championship is a golf tournament that is administered by the Illinois PGA (Professional Golfers' Association). The state championship of golf is a 54-hole championship over three days to determine the finest player in the sta ...
,
PGA Club Professional Championship The PGA Professional Championship is a golf tournament for golf club professionals and teachers who are members of the Professional Golfers' Association of America. It has been held by the PGA of America since 1968, when touring professionals spl ...
*2006
Illinois PGA Championship The Illinois PGA Championship is a golf tournament that is conducted by the Illinois PGA (Professional Golfers' Association). The 54-hole, stroke play Championship conducted over three days is the premier member event on the Illinois PGA calendar ...
,
Illinois Open Championship The Illinois Open Championship is a golf tournament that is administered by the Illinois PGA (Professional Golfers' Association). The state championship of golf is a 54-hole championship over three days to determine the finest player in the sta ...
*2007
Illinois PGA Championship The Illinois PGA Championship is a golf tournament that is conducted by the Illinois PGA (Professional Golfers' Association). The 54-hole, stroke play Championship conducted over three days is the premier member event on the Illinois PGA calendar ...
,
Illinois Open Championship The Illinois Open Championship is a golf tournament that is administered by the Illinois PGA (Professional Golfers' Association). The state championship of golf is a 54-hole championship over three days to determine the finest player in the sta ...
, Illinois PGA Match Play Championship *2008
Illinois PGA Championship The Illinois PGA Championship is a golf tournament that is conducted by the Illinois PGA (Professional Golfers' Association). The 54-hole, stroke play Championship conducted over three days is the premier member event on the Illinois PGA calendar ...
*2009
Illinois PGA Championship The Illinois PGA Championship is a golf tournament that is conducted by the Illinois PGA (Professional Golfers' Association). The 54-hole, stroke play Championship conducted over three days is the premier member event on the Illinois PGA calendar ...
,
PGA Professional National Championship The PGA Professional Championship is a golf tournament for golf club professionals and teachers who are members of the Professional Golfers' Association of America. It has been held by the PGA of America since 1968, when touring professionals sp ...
*2010
Illinois PGA Championship The Illinois PGA Championship is a golf tournament that is conducted by the Illinois PGA (Professional Golfers' Association). The 54-hole, stroke play Championship conducted over three days is the premier member event on the Illinois PGA calendar ...
,
PGA Professional National Championship The PGA Professional Championship is a golf tournament for golf club professionals and teachers who are members of the Professional Golfers' Association of America. It has been held by the PGA of America since 1968, when touring professionals sp ...
*2013
Illinois PGA Championship The Illinois PGA Championship is a golf tournament that is conducted by the Illinois PGA (Professional Golfers' Association). The 54-hole, stroke play Championship conducted over three days is the premier member event on the Illinois PGA calendar ...
*2014
Illinois PGA Championship The Illinois PGA Championship is a golf tournament that is conducted by the Illinois PGA (Professional Golfers' Association). The 54-hole, stroke play Championship conducted over three days is the premier member event on the Illinois PGA calendar ...
*2016
Illinois PGA Championship The Illinois PGA Championship is a golf tournament that is conducted by the Illinois PGA (Professional Golfers' Association). The 54-hole, stroke play Championship conducted over three days is the premier member event on the Illinois PGA calendar ...
*2017 Illinois Senior PGA Championship *2018 Illinois Senior PGA Championship *2019 Illinois Senior PGA Championship


Results in major championships

CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
''Note: Small never played in the
Masters Tournament The Masters Tournament (usually referred to as simply The Masters, or the U.S. Masters outside North America) is one of the four major championships in professional golf. Scheduled for the first full week of April, the Masters is the first maj ...
or
The Open Championship The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later th ...
.''


U.S. national team appearances

*
PGA Cup The PGA Cup is a men's golf competition for club professionals played between a Great Britain and Ireland team and a United States team. The winning team is presented with the Llandudno Trophy. The competition is run by the British PGA and the PG ...
: 2005, 2007 (winners), 2009 (winners), 2011 (winners), 2013 (tie)


See also

* 1997 Nike Tour graduates


External links


Profile on Illinois' official athletic site
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Small, Mike American male golfers Illinois Fighting Illini men's golfers PGA Tour golfers College golf coaches in the United States Korn Ferry Tour graduates Golfers from Illinois Illinois Fighting Illini men's golf coaches Gies College of Business alumni People from Danville, Illinois 1966 births Living people