Michael Feagles won the Illinois Open at Kemper Lakes in Kildeer on Wednesday. Photo courtesy of Joy Sarver

Mike Small, the University of Illinois men’s golf coach who has won 14 Illinois PGA titles, was bidding for a record-tying fifth Illinois Open crown on Friday. He had an uncharacteristically bad day at Kemper Lakes in Kildeer and didn’t get it, but the day wasn’t a complete downer.

In July one of Small’s former Illini players, Brian Campbell, won the John Deere Classic – Illinois’ only annual PGA Tour event. Then, on Wednesday, another Small pupil – Michael Feagles – captured the 76th Illinois Open, the state’s biggest event for Illinois golfers.

Feagles, who lives in Arizona, took advantage of a recent rule change by the Illinois PGA that allowed non-residents of the state to pl

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