2009 PPNC: 20 PGA Professionals punch ticket to Hazeltine

New PGA Professional National Champion Mike Small of Champaign, Ill., the head men's golf coach at the University of Illinois, will lead a group of 20 PGA Professionals earning berths in the 91st PGA Championship in August at Hazeltine.

By Bob Denney, PGA.com Contributor

SANTA ANA PUEBLO, N.M. -- PGA Professional National Champion Mike Small of Champaign, Ill., the head men's golf coach at the University of Illinois, will lead a group of 20 PGA Professionals earning berths in the 91st PGA Championship, Aug. 13-16, at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minn.

Small, 43, will be competing in his fifth PGA Championship. He captured his second National Championship July 1, with a final-round 3-under-par 68 for a 7-under-par 277 total in the 42nd PGA Professional National Championship in Santa Ana Pueblo, N.M.

The following PGA Professionals will join Small in the 91st PGA Championship: Steve Schneiter of Sandy, Utah, representing Schneiter's Pebblebrook Links; Mark Sheftic of Ambler, Pa., representing Merion Golf Club; Craig Thomas of White Plains, N.Y., representing Metropolis Country Club; Ryan Benzel of Bothell Wash., representing Battle Creek Golf Course in Tulalip, Wash.; Eric Lippert of Marina, Calif., representing Del Monte Golf Course; Lee Rinker of Jupiter, Fla., representing Emerald Dunes Golf Club; Robert Gaus of St. Louis, Mo., representing Tower Tee Golf Center; Grant Sturgeon of Pittsburgh, Pa., representing Oakmont Country Club; Tim Weinhart of Alpharetta, Ga., representing St. Marlo Country Club; Keith Dicciani of White Plains, N.Y., representing Metropolis Country Club and Muttontown Golf and Country Club; Todd Lancaster of Aurora, Ohio, representing Westwood Country Club; Sam Arnold of Cincinnati, Ohio, representing The Vineyard Golf Course; Brian Gaffney of Rumson, N.J., representing Rumson Country Club; Greg Bisconti of South Salem, N.Y., Saint Andrews Golf Club; Mike Miles of Huntington Beach, Calif., representing Virginia Country Club; Mitch Lowe of Modesto, Calif., representing Del Rio Country Club; Scott Hebert of Traverse City, Mich., representing Grand Traverse Resort & Spa; Kevin Roman of Roswell, Ga., Cherokee Town and Country Club; and Chris Starkjohann of Encinitas, Calif., representing Torrey Pines Gold Club and Golf Outings.

The 42nd PGA Professional National Championship was presented by Titleist, FootJoy and Cobra, and Club Car, and featured a total purse of $550,000.

The PGA Professional National Championship and Section Championships feature a total purse of more than $1.5 million. The PGA Tour is a Supporting Sponsor of PGA of America member championships and Golf Channel is the exclusive media partner of the PGA Professional National Championship.