Marcus Smith shoots one of great rounds in Rockford golf history to make State Am playoff

Marcus Smith, Jr. shot one of the greatest rounds in Rockford golf history Thursday to get into a three-hole playoff in the Illinois State Amateur. He finished second to Pierce Grieve of Lake Forest, a senior on the West Virginia golf team.

Smith was trying to become the first Rockford-area men's State Am champ in 69 years. The last local winner was Gene Readette in 1955. He would have earned an exemption into the U.S. Amateur if he had won.

"That's the most frustrating thing about this," Smith said in a phone interview. "I have prepared myself all summer for this event. I was telling myself I didn't need to qualify for the U.S. Amateur because I was going to win this. And I fell short in a  three-hole playoff after playing 72 holes.

"I'm upset. I'm aggravated. But I'm going to go practice, because that's what I need."

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Smith, a former Class 1A state champion and four-time state medalist from Winnebago who is a senior at Howard University, shot a final-round 7-under-par 65 at the 7,019-yard Atkins Golf Club at the University of Illinois in Champaign. He made two eagles and was 8-under for the round until he made his only bogey on No. 17. Smith was briefly in first place all alone after he eagled No. 11. Grieve of Lake Forest, playing one hole behind him, tied him when he birdied No. 11.

Smith shot 68, 73, 73, 65 for a four-round total of 9-under-par 279. That was seven strokes ahead of third place and tied him with Grieve, who also made bogey on No. 17.

The only Rockford-area golfers who have won the men’s State Amateur are Readette, Freeport’s Dick Jungen in 1948, John Holmstrom in 1938 and John Hobart in 1935. Hobart won again in 1950, but by then he had moved to Moline.

"I don't care about that," Smith said "I just wanted to win and I didn't do that. I've got more work to do."

The three-hole playoff was on Nos. 7, 8 and 9. Smith took the lead with a birdie on 7, but fell behind with a double-bogey on No. 8.

"I just hit a bad tee shot," Smith said. "That set me off. It's aggravating. Quite frustrating."

More: Rockford's greatest golfers No. 9: Dick Jungen one of 3 locals to win Illinois State Amateur

Other great rounds in Rockford tournament golf history include:

Madasyn Pettersen birdied the final five holes to shoot 65 in the final round and win the Illinois Women’s Open in 2015. Pettersen, only 15, became the youngest Illinois Open champion in history and the only Rockford golfer besides Brad Benjamin to win an Illinois Open title.

Lloyd McWilliams set the then-course record with an 8-under-par 63 at Ingersoll en route to winning one of his five Men’s City titles. Andy Shiels tied McWilliams’ record with a 63 at Ingersoll in the first round of the Ballard in 2014. And Robert Dofflemyer III broke the record with a 62 when he won the Men's City last year. Dofflemyer also tied the Aldeen record of 65 from the 7,000-yard gold tees when he won the Aldeen Cup last year.

Both Kyle Slattery and Danny Gorman shot 64s in college tournaments for Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, which is still tied for the school record. Slattery also Kyle Slattery birdied the final five holes at Ingersoll for a 64 en route to his first Men’s City title in 2015.

TJ Baker shot a 7-under 65 at Aldeen to win his third straight Aldeen Cup in 2022 by a record 13 strokes . Baker also shot a 66 in the first round (and a 68 in the second) for a 134 that is tied for the second-lowest score in the 109-year history of the Illinois state high school tournament.

Brad Benjamin beat Nick Taylor of Canada, the No. 1 seed as well as the No. 1-ranked amateur in the world, 7-and-6 in match play in the 36-hole finals of the U.S. Public Links in 2009 to become the only Rockford golfer to qualify for the Masters.

The last time a local golfer had come this close in the State Am was when Benjamin was tied for the lead on the final hole but made bogey and tied for second behind Luke Guthrie in 2009. Guthrie, 34, later made it on to the PGA Tour and has earned more than $3 million playing in 106 tournaments over the years.

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Marcus Smith shoots one of great rounds in Rockford golf history to make State Am playoff