Former Millikin standout golfer Kurt “Turtle” Rogers serves the Big Blue as an assistant coach for the men's and women's golf programs. He specializes in swing mechanics and the mental game.
Rogers is the head golf professional at Millikin’s home course, Red Tail Run, located in Decatur. He also oversees all 3 of the Decatur Park District golf courses as Golf Manager. During his career he has also served as the assistant pro at Fairies Golf Course and Hickory Point Golf Course. He is a Class A PGA Professional.
Rogers, Millikin class of 1983, was inducted into the Millikin Athletic Hall of Fame for his excellence in collegiate and professional golf.
Rogers played four years of golf at Millikin, serving as the team’s captain during his junior year and co-captain as a senior. Rogers was named most valuable player all four years of his college career: The entire team shared the honor his freshman year, he was named sole MVP his sophomore and senior years, and he shared co-MVP honors with Brad Kay ’85 his junior year. He placed fourth his junior year and eighth his senior year on the All-CCIW team. During his sophomore and junior years, he made the cut for the Illinois State Amateur tournament.
In 1985, Rogers joined the Professional Golf Association and went on to play in 21 Illinois Open Tournaments, placing third in the 1998 Illinois Open and finishing ten times in the top 15. In the United States Golf Association U.S. Open, he advanced to the sectional tournament five times and twice was the medalist at the local qualifying tournament with a score of 69 in both 2002 and 2006.
Rogers played on the PGA tour 1991 and 1994 Hardee’s Classic tournaments, as well as the Hogan Tour, the Nike Tour, the Nationwide Tour, the Golfweek/Callaway Pro Scratch National Finals in Las Vegas, the Hawkeye Classic in Iowa, the Greater Cleveland Open, the St. Louis Open, the Greater Wichita Classic and the Highland Springs Country Club-Ozarks Open in various cities around the Midwest. In the Illinois Professional Golf Association of America, Rogers won the Assistants Championship in 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2001; the Chapter Championship in 1997 and 1999; and the Match Play Championship in 1998. He was also five-time consecutive Assistant Player of the Year, from 1998-2002 and Chapter Player of the Year in 1997 and 1999.
Rogers holds the current course records for Decatur’s Hickory Point Golf Course with 61, Scovill Golf Course with 59. To date, he has hit 16 holes-in-one.
Rogers earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education, secondary teaching, from Millikin.
