The Illinois Open Championship is a

golf tournament Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit a ball into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...

that is administered by the Illinois PGA (Professional Golfers' Association). The state championship of golf is a 54-hole championship over three days to determine the finest player in the state of

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

. The tournament is open to professionals and amateurs with a handicap of 10 or less who reside within the state of Illinois. In 2015, for the first time in the history of the Illinois Open, the Illinois PGA changed the format of the event having it contested at two facilities for the first and second rounds. The final championship field size after qualifying events increased from 156 to 258 players. The number of competitors making the cut also increased to the top 70 and ties from the top 50 and ties. Qualifying events conducted throughout the month of June finalize the championship field to the top 258 players.

Winners

*a = Amateur *^PO = Won in playoff *^* = Championship was 36-holes *^** = Championship was shortened to 36-holes after the second round was canceled due to weather *^*** = Championship was played as a par 69 instead of 71 due to flooding. The par 5, 17th hole was played as a 158-yard, par 3.

Early history

The modern incarnation of the Illinois Open dates back to 1950. However, records show

Jock Hutchison Jack Falls "Jock" Hutchison (June 6, 1884 – September 27, 1977) was a Scottish-born professional golfer who was based in the United States. Early life Hutchison was born in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland, the son of William and Helen (née Fa ...

winning the 1920 Illinois Open,

Leo Diegel Leo Harvey Diegel (April 20, 1899 – May 5, 1951) was an American professional golfer of the 1920s and early 1930s. He captured consecutive PGA Championships, played on the first four Ryder Cup teams, and is a member of the World Golf Hall o ...

winning in 1924 and "Lighthorse" Harry Cooper winning in 1933, 1934 and 1935.

External links

* {{State Open Championships (golf) State Open golf tournaments PGA of America sectional tournaments Golf tournaments in Illinois Recurring sporting events established in 1950 1950 establishments in Illinois