Emerich captures Illinois Open

Joe Emerich of Palatine had just matched defending Illinois Open champion Mike Small's birdie on the 17th green and was on his way to the final tee box with a 3-shot lead in the 59th Illinois Open at Hawthorn Woods Country Club.

But even with the seemingly insurmountable advantage for the 21-year-old, one sage in the sparse gallery issued a warning to everyone within earshot: "It's not over yet."

He couldn't have been more right.

"That was something," Emerich said after surviving his adventures on No. 18. "I got on the tee and I knew I had a lead. I didn't even think about that (left) side."

But that left side was where the water was, and that's exactly where his final drive landed.

"It went in the lake, that happens," Emerich said. "I just had to stay in the present and try and do what I could to finish off the last hole."

That's just what the Palatine High School graduate did, whacking his third shot out of the rough and onto the fringe about 40-feet from the hole while Small chipped from the rocks left of the green right off the flag stick for a tap-in par.

Emerich calmly 2-putted for bogey to become the first amateur to win the Illinois Open since Curtis Malm won at Royal Fox in 2000.

"I'd been struggling a lot in the past year mentally to close (tournaments)," said Emerich, who chipped in for birdie twice en route to a final-round 69. ""This was a huge victory for me. I was able to control my head and control my thoughts to play good golf."

Small, winner of four of the last five Illinois Opens coming in, wasn't as fortunate.

"It was one of those days where you don't feel good from the start and the harder you try, the worse it gets," said Small, who shot a 73 Wednesday to tie for second with Justin Fetcho. "I just didn't bring it. I had nothing."