Small looking to rebound after disappointing U.S. Open

2005 PGA Professional National Champion Mike Small of Champaign, Ill., endured "a long, tough two days" at the U.S. Open, but the University of Illinois golf coach is looking forward to finding his rythm at Sunriver Resort.

By Bob Denney, The PGA of America

SUNRIVER, Ore. -- There are 54 players in this week's 40th PGA Professional National Championship who think that they know far more than their peers about competing in Central Oregon in June. This is the high-desert region, where host Sunriver Resort's Crosswater Golf Club and Meadows Golf Course rest some 4,200 feet above sea level.

Those 54 learned professionals, who competed here in the 2001 National Championship, recall how the ball travels as much as 30 yards further; how club selection is far more challenging and how putts break either toward Mount Bachelor or toward the Little and Big Deschutes rivers.

This year's National Championship, set for Thursday-Sunday, will pose those and many more questions for a field of 312 players representing 44 states in the showcase event for PGA Professionals. This year's Crosswater Golf Club and nearby Meadows Golf Course, which received a 1999 facelift by original course architect John Fought, presents a double challenge.

"The professionals will find a more mature Crosswater than they saw in 2001," said Sunriver Resort Director of Golf Mike Sizemore. "There are trees that have grown up on the course. And, at the Meadows, it's amazing to see how different the holes look now than they did just a few years ago. We expect the courses to be firm and fast as the week goes on. I think the courses have recovered beautifully over the past month following a poor spring growing season."

Sizemore credits Director of Golf Course Maintenance Jim Ramey, a 34-year veteran at the resort, as being almost a wizard in directing the recovery process to host a National Championship.

"Jim is the 'OZ' behind the curtain," said Sizemore. "He and his staff were very focused, and we are very happy to see how the course has come around. We're looking forward to a great week."

As with most PGA Professional National Championships, there are multiple storylines behind the contestants who arrive from a variety of both competitive and business concerns.

For Jeff Coston of Blaine, Wash., who is fresh from qualifying for the U.S. Senior Open on Monday and who was the low PGA Professional at last month's Senior PGA Championship, Sunriver spells success.

"I'm looking forward to coming back," said Coston. "I remember the Meadows well, having won the 1995 Oregon Open there, but that has changed, too. And I love Crosswater, which is a beautiful place to be. I'm feeling great, and now it's time to see how I do against the 'flat-bellies.'"

For 2005 National Champion Mike Small of Champaign, Ill., and Frank Bensel of Greenwich, Conn., both of whom competed in last week's U.S. Open at rugged Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club, the National Championship is an opportunity for redemption.

Small arrived at Sunriver Resort after a five-day period in which he turned in rounds of 86-77 at Oakmont, then drove eight hours back to Illinois before packing his bags again for a flight to Oregon.

"It was a long, tough two days," said Small of a humbling third U.S. Open appearance. "I played in the 1994 Open at Oakmont, but this time the course was totally different. But, I brought nothing to the table, hitting only 10 fairways. It was embarrassing, turning in the highest score I've had as a professional. It was a wake-up call. This week, I look to get some rest, get my rhythm back in my game and look forward to the biggest tournament of the summer for all of us."

The men's head coach at the University of Illinois, Small owns the best short-term record of any player in the National Championship. He was runner-up in 2004, a Champion in 2005 at The Ocean Course on Kiawah Island, S.C., and finished fourth last year despite a lackluster final round. His scoring average is 70.58 in 12 rounds.

An assistant PGA Professional at Century Country Club in Purchase, N.Y., Bensel marked his U.S. Open tour with a pair of 79s. He also finds himself energized about making the transition from the claustrophobic confines of Oakmont to scenic Sunriver. This will be Bensel's eighth National Championship appearance, having turned in his best showing with a tie for 23rd in 2004.

"It's obvious that I will be feeling quite different walking into this Championship after a U.S. Open," said Bensel. "But this is always a huge event for all of us and I look forward to it. I come here feeling I have a goal of winning this tournament. Last week, it was a series of ups and downs for me. There were times when things were going great, but if you made one little mistake, it shot you down quickly. I feel it was a great learning experience that I can build upon."

The 40th PGA Professional National Championship is presented by Titleist, FootJoy and Cobra; Buick; and Club Car. The PGA Tour is a Supporting Sponsor of PGA member championships; and GOLF CHANNEL is an exclusive media partner.

GOLF CHANNEL will present a combined 15 hours of live and replay coverage from Sunriver.

PGA.com, the Official Web site of The PGA of America, will provide complete coverage of the championship, including live scoring and updates.

The first two rounds of the National Championship will be conducted at the par-72, 7,566-yard Crosswater Golf Club, which was designed by Bob Cupp, and the par-71, 6,969-yard Meadows Golf Course, a collaboration between Fred Federspiel and Fought. The final 36 holes will be conducted at Crosswater Golf Club.

One player who will not be facing those same yardages this week will be Patty Post of Germantown, Md., the women's head coach at Georgetown University. The 30-year-old Post, along with husband, Brendon Post, 37, is the first husband-wife duo to compete together in a PGA of America National Championship.

Brendon is PGA Director of Golf at Club Golf Performance Center in Gaithersburg, Md. Patty is the second woman to compete in National Championship history, following Suzy Whaley of Farmington, Conn., who competed in 2002 and 2005.

The Posts earned their berths through the Middle Atlantic PGA Championship last August at renowned Congressional Country Club in Chevy Chase, Md. Brendon Post finished runner-up at 5-under-par, while Patty Post tied for 12th at 5-over-par 220.

Like Whaley, Patty Post competed from tees that were 85 percent of the men's tees, to gain a berth. She will compete from 6,388 yards at Crosswater Golf Club and from 5,958 yards at the Meadows Golf Course.

The PGA Professional National Championship and 41 Section PGA Professional Championships feature a total purse of more than $1.5 million. The PGA Professional National Championship purse is $550,000 distributed among those who make the 36-hole cut.

The low 20 scorers earn a berth in the 89th PGA Championship, Aug. 6-12, at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla. The Championship also will determine the 2007 U.S. PGA Cup Team, which will face Great Britain & Ireland, Sept. 20-23, at Reynolds Plantation in Greensboro, Ga.

The PGA of America is the world's largest working sports organization, comprised of 28,000 men and women golf Professionals who are the recognized experts in growing, teaching and managing the game of golf while serving millions of people throughout its 41 PGA Sections nationwide. Since its founding in 1916, The PGA of America has enhanced its leadership position in a $62 billion-a-year industry by growing the game of golf through its premier spectator events, world-class education and training programs, significant philanthropic outreach initiatives, and award-winning golf promotions. Today's PGA Professional is the public's link to the game, serving an essential role in the operation of golf facilities throughout the country.