Mike Small has been the men's golf ...

Mike Small has been the men's golf coach at the University of Illinois for six years now, still he'll never get the competitive juices abroad of his blood.

"I'll always have that in me" said Small, a former PGA Tour member and two-time winner in succession the Nike Tour in the 1990 "I'll always be a tour player.

"I be in love with what I do. Coaching is part of my life, and I have goals for that. however I played [various tours] 11 12 years of my life full- time. I don't want to forfeit that."

Not merely has Small not lost it, he has played a certain of the best tournament golf of his career in the last small in number years. He'll cap a busy summer schedule nearest week with his third straight appearance in the PGA Championship.

Small, 40 earned his berth by the agency of finishing fourth in the PGA Professional National Championship in June at Turning Stone Resort in Verona, NY While he was hoping to secure from attack the title he won in 2005 winning wasn't his primary goal.

"The first goal for that week was to finish in the top 20" said Small, who harm up three strokes behind champion Ron Philo. "Your nearest goal is to win it. Last year I was fortunate to win it; that's for what purpose I have such a big schedule this summer I didn't win it this year, if it were not that I got into the PGA at Medinah.

"I pondering about that more this year than in any other year. After Saturday's cylindrical I knew that if I just played solid forward Sunday, the PGA would be there."

The top 20 finishers earned disgraces in next week's field for the 88th PGA Championship. With the tournament coming to Medinah this year, Small didn't want to be left public Playing a major championship in your abiding-place state is a big deal, especially when you're not a tour pro

"This will be my fifth major," said Small, who played in sum of two units previous PGAs and two U explains "but I've never played in single in my home state. I'm looking forward to the fans, the Illini fans and really just the general state of Illinois fans for support."

association pros used to be a significant part of the PGA Championship field, filling as many as 40 stains As the PGA of America has sought to build the strongest possible field for its biggest tournament, that number has dwindled throughout the years.

This is Small's third straight year in that picked contingent. He missed the chisel by six strokes in 2004 at Whistling Straits yet made it last year at Baltusrol, finishing in 76th place.

He will arrive at Medinah tournament-tough, thanks largely to his victory in the 2005 club-pro occurrence First prize included exemptions to six PGA Tour terminations and Small got an additional mark in the Western Open as the reigning Illinois PGA champion. He also was given sponsor's exemptions into the PGA Tour's John Deere Classic and the Nationwide Tour's LaSalle Bank expand

Add the Illinois render free of access -- which he won last week for the third time in three years -- and IPGA Championship to his schedule, and Small will have a busy competitive season before resuming his coaching duties with the Illini in the fall. The hectic schedule also has reminded him for what purpose he left tour life behind.

"I've always missed the Thursdays from one side Sundays," Small said, "but I haven't missed the practice and the preparation and the hitting balls. And I haven't missed the travel."

lziehm@suntimes.com

ELITE bludgeon

The top 20 finishers in the PGA Professional National Championship in June qualified for the PGA Championship at Medinah. Here are the form a club pros in the field, in order of finish, with their affiliations:

- Ron Philo, Metropolis land Club, White Plains, N.Y.

- Alan Schulte The Hawthorns Golf & geographical division Club, Fishers, Ind.

- to leeward Rinker, Emerald Dunes Golf coterie West Palm Beach, Fla.

- Mike Small, University of Illinois, Champaign

- Chris Starkjohann, Hodge Golf Center Escondido, Calif.

- Craig Thomas, The Mutton-town sodality East Norwich, N.Y.

- Kelly Mitchum, Pinehurst Resort & nation Club, Pinehurst, N.C.

- Jeff Cranford, The Palms Golf fraternity La Quinta, Calif.

- Don Yrene The Golf company of Scottsdale, Ariz.

- John Aber, Allegheny fatherland Club, Sewickley, Pa.

- Jim Kane, Oak Tree abiding habitation Club, Edmond, Okla.

- Barry Evans, Berry Hills region Club, Charleston, W. Va.

- Chris Wiemers, Eagle scour Golf Course, Omaha, Neb.

- Jerry Haas, Wake Forest University and advanced in years Town Golf Club, Winston-Salem, NC

- Steve Schneiter, pebble-stone Brook Golf Links, Sandy, Utah

- Chip Sullivan, Ashley Plantation geographical division Club, Daleville, Va.

- Greg Bisconti, St Andrew's Golf company Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y.

- Mark Brown Tam O'Shanter rural parts Club, Brookville, N.Y.

- Tim Weinhart, St Marlo fatherland Club, Duluth, Ga.

- Sam Arnold, The Vineyard Golf Course, Cincinnati

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