MEDINAH — Three holes into his final round, Jim Billiter’s 3-stroke lead in the 93rd Illinois PGA Championship was gone.
“Thank God I birdied No. 3 or it would have been a different story,” Billiter said after holding off Matt Slowinski by 2 strokes and fast-closing Travis Johns by 3 on Medinah Country Club’s Course One to capture his first section title and second state major of the year.
Billiter of Libertyville’s Merit Club had an even-par 70 for a total of 9-under-par 204 to claim the Jim Kemper Cup and the $10,000 first prize.
Defending champion Mike Small, the Illini men’s golf coach, carded a final-round 70 and tied for seventh at 2-over 215.