Less rallies to pass Hamm and win Illinois State Amateur golf championship

The Illinois State Amateur has been played for 94 years, but it’s doubtful it ever had a tournament wrap up quite like Thursday’s at Stonebridge Country Club in Aurora.

Macomb’s Connor Hamm shot a 9-under-par 63 in the morning to start the 36-hole final day of the event, and that gave him a 7-stroke lead on the field. Hamm’s luck turned sour in the afternoon 18, however, starting with his approach to the first green.

“It took a terrible bounce, hit a cart path and went 50 yards over the green,’’ Hamm said.

That cost him a bogey, and things got worse two holes later when his tee shot on a par-3 mysteriously disappeared.

“We thought it hit the bunker, but it was nowhere to be found,’’ said Hamm, joined in his search by playing partner Jordan Less and several tournament officials and fans. Hamm had to walk back to the tee and drive again. He put it on the green but 3-putted for a double bogey. In three holes his lead was cut by 5 strokes.

Less was the only player to take advantage of Hamm’s misfortune. A former Northern Illinois University player who took a fling as a professional on the Korn Ferry Tour, Less took the title with a birdie-birdie finish. He rolled in a 10-footer at No. 17 and a 17-footer to win at No. 18.

With a 68 to finish, Less posted a 16-under-par 272 score for the 72 holes. Hamm, who fizzled to a 75 in the final round, was 1 shot back in second place. The York High School graduate, who won the Chicago District’s Mid-Amateur title earlier in the summer, will play in both the Illinois Open and U.S. Open in the next two weeks. He competed in both before giving professional golf a shot.

“I was a pro for 2½ years,’’ Less said. “At the end I was in the same spot as I was when I started, and I didn’t want to stay in that same spot.’’

So he regained his amateur status and has ``no regrets’’ about his fling at the pro level. He’s working in a tool manufacturing business now and will remain an amateur golfer.

“It’s not a case of having any expectations,’’ he said. ‘It’s just more a state of my mind. I’ve got more trust in my game now, and that’s a good thing.’’

Less pulled a cart during the tournament, and the highlight for the week was his albatross in Monday’s first round. He holed a 6-iron from 200 yards at the 540-yard ninth hole. Thursday’s rounds included two aces at the 177-yard eighth hole, but Less didn’t get one of those. Michael Jorski of Clarendon Hills and Kyle Davies of Chatham made the aces.

Two 15-year olds — Jorski and Ben Patel of North Aurora — were among the top 20 finishers who qualified to play in the 2026 State Amateur without going through qualifying tournaments. Jorski added to his impressive resume. He was a winner in the Drive, Chip & Putt competition at Augusta National in 2023.