Johns the man to beat in Illinois PGA

Writing from Medinah, Illinois

Sunday, August 23, 2020

Since he arrived in the Chicago area, Medinah Country Club director of instruction Travis Johns has compiled a more consistent record in Illinois majors than any other player in the state.

The Australian native has 34 top 20 finishes over the last decade. Twenty-five of those are top 10 placings. Seventeen of those are top five finishes. Twelve of those are in the top three. Six times, he’s been the runner-up. Three times, he’s emerged triumphant: the 2010 Illinois Match Play, the 2014 Players Championship and the 2019 Illinois PGA Championship. Only Illinois coach Mike Small, with four Illinois PGA titles in the last decade, has won more state majors in that time.

All of which is news to Johns.

“I didn’t know that,” he said, eyebrows raised, when looking at a chart of his accomplishments. “I don’t know that there’s one thing that accounts for it.”

Johns, 42, is very much rooted in today, not yesterday. Perhaps that’s why he’s so focused.

“Maybe I concentrate a bit in those events,” Johns said Thursday, taking a break between teaching on the busy Medinah range.

This sterling resume is recounted because Johns, believed to be the second left-hander to win, Frank Hohenadel being the likely first, will attempt a defense of his Illinois PGA title beginning Monday, when the 102nd edition of the championship – or 99th, if one dismisses the three Middle States Championships before the section’s name-change – is played on Medinah’s testing No. 1 course.

The field of 129 features seven past champions and includes all 10 of Medinah’s PGA-affiliated staffers. Asked if he’d rather repeat or just beat the rest of his colleagues at the big west side club, Johns smiled and said, “I’m pulling for every single one of them. I hope they do, really, really well. If I was to lose to someone, I hope I lose to one of them.”

Of course Johns wants to beat them. His thirst for competition is what lured him to the U.S. as an amateur in the summer of 1999, when he played on the amateur circuit, including the Western Amateur at Point O’Woods, near Benton Harbor, Mich., where he met the woman he would marry.

That assured a stay in the States, and after about a decade in Dallas, Johns and his bride relocated to the Chicago area. He was simultaneously the instruction guru at Glencoe and Twin Lakes, spending the morning at the former and the afternoon at the latter, before a position at Medinah opened up. Four months after arriving, he was elevated to director of instruction.

“I was here by myself (on the range). It was 12-13 hours every day, crazy,” Johns said. “Now we’ve got four instructors (and a new teaching and practice center) as well.”

Regarding the Illinois PGA, Johns noted the rotation that includes Medinah No. 1 every three years, and Stonewall Orchard the same, as helpful. Olympia Fields’ South Course used to be part of that rota as well.

“After a while, you should, even if you don’t jibe with the courses, get a little used to them,” Johns said. “And the Match Play is always at Kemper (Lakes). There’s some familiarity, I would say. You would argue that against the majors on the Tour. They’ll only come back maybe every eight years. Then look at the Masters. Remember Dan Forsman? He would always play well at the Masters. He hit it high and was top 20 a lot. Familiarity.”

This will be the fifth visit of the Illinois PGA to Medinah No. 1 across 13 years. Small won here in 2008, Frank Hohenadel in 2011, and Jim Billiter in 2015. They’re all in the field. Adam Schumacher, who won in 2017, has moved to Point O’Woods and competes in Michigan PGA tournaments now.

Small was leading last year at Ruth Lake, a record-extending 13th IPGA title in sight, when Johns overhauled him on the back nine. Small was leading until a watery double-bogey on a par-3 and Johns’ steady play turned the tables.

Small, the men’s coach at Illinois, has played more this year than usual since there’s been nobody to coach with the pandemic raging, and leads the Illinois Section point standings. He’s always a threat, as is second-ranked Andy Mickelson of Mistwood, third-ranked Andrew Godfrey of White Pines – just transferred from Mistwood, and Jeff Kellen, an assistant at Butler National who ranks fourth in the points, just ahead of Johns.

Defender or not, Johns doesn’t necessarily fancy his chances.

“I haven’t done any practice,” he said. With a nod out the window to the range, he added, “I’ve been standing out here 12 hours a day, today 13. There were 16 people on the range at 7:20 this morning, and the range doesn’t open until 7:30. It’s just been real busy.”

He was teaching last year as well, and look what happened. Obviously, Johns can switch it on.

“Sometimes, and sometimes not,” he said. “When I feel like I’m putting all right, I know I’ve got a shot.”

Recently, he had a putter modified to feel like his favorite putter of all, one he used a decade and more ago and was unaccountably lost.

“I had this putter,” Johns said wistfully. “I won five of 10 events. The next year, I lost it. It just went missing. Nobody wants a left-handed putter. I left it somewhere.

“This (new) one, it feels pretty good.”

Let that be a warning to the field.

– Tim Cronin