Illinois Golf: Interview with Head Men’s Coach Mike Small

The Writing Illini caught up with Mike Small, head men’s golf coach at the University of Illinois, while he was out in New York this past week.

Illini golf just finished another amazing run, winning the Big Ten Championship and securing the program’s fourth-straight national top-5 finish by reaching the national semifinals.

And that’s not to mention Small earning himself another Big Ten Coach of the Year Award.

He spoke with us about this year’s run, Illini amateurs in the U.S. Open and his own professional goals.

Illinois golf is squarely on the map. How do you improve from here? Is there a formula you follow that will lead to a national title, or do you get to a certain point in the post-season and just let things happen as they will?

We’re going to keep doing what we’re doing. Over the last six years, we have the highest average finish in the nation. We’re doing something right to get there. We haven’t quite mastered the match play as a whole, though we have won quite a few over the years. What we really need is all five guys to play well at the same time, and that’s certainly a challenge. We get to that point in the year and some are on and some are off.

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But our guys compete so hard, and they know how to grind. They can make it further than most teams even when they’re not at their best. I’ve taught our guys, the pros on the TOUR have learned how to play well when they’re playing poorly. With young college players, that’s a hard lesson to learn, but I think our guys have that mentality already. One of these years, it will click for everyone at the same time, and we’ll be ready to win a National Championship.

What will be the biggest challenge for you next year? With seniors Charlie Danielson and Thomas Detry gone, who has to step up the most?

I think the challenge for next year will be how our juniors, Nick Hardy and Dylan Meyer, handle leadership roles. And then we have five relatively inexperienced players getting more time. It will be fun from a coach’s perspective to get into the trenches with them, learn with them, teach them and compete. There’s talent there.

I’m excited to see how Nick and Dylan lead, on and off the course, and how their games continue to evolve. In my 16 years of coaching, I believe that players’ games get better when they are thrust into leadership roles. All facets of your game improve when you have to lead and show maturity.

Speaking of Danielson and Hardy, they both qualified for the recently completed 2016 U.S. Open as amateurs. Though each failed to make the cut, it’s an incredible accomplishment. What does that mean to you? Do either of them have a chance at making the PGA TOUR?

We’ve had a good run there. Last year, Brian Campbell was the low amateur at the U.S. Open, and he’s about to get his TOUR card. He’s ninth on the money list on the Web.com Tour as we speak. I think Charlie will follow suit; Charlie will be a TOUR player someday. He has the game and the ability to do that. I think Nick has a good future ahead of him, as well.

Both of those guys took it on the chin in match play against Oregon, but then to come back four days later and qualify for the U.S. Open shows a lot about their resolve, fortitude and mental strength. It made me very happy as a coach. And that’s what golf is, you have to move on and keep going, no matter the outcome.

Finally, how are you preparing yourself for next month’s Web.com Tour event, the Lincoln Land Charity Championship in Springfield? Anything else on the horizon for you personally or professionally?

I’m starting to spend a little bit more time on my game for the first time in a couple years. I was in charge of building the new golf facilities in Champaign. Now that’s done, I have more time to get back into my own playing career.

I’ve got an exemption down in Springfield, and I’ve got another event out here in New York right now, which I’ve won three times in the past. There’s a Champions Tour [3M Championship in Minneapolis] start coming up, too, and maybe some other things. We’ll see. It was a fun season coaching, and now I’ve got to put in some work this summer to get back in action myself. I’m anxious to get back and see how I do.

Next: Is John Groce a Top Recruiter in the Big Ten?

Fans can follow Mike on Twitter at @MikeSmall4