Burgan Edged By Defending Champion At U.S. Senior Amateur

For the second straight day, Todd Burgan was on the verge of taking down one of the prohibitive favorites at the 69^th U.S. Senior Amateur Championship.

The Knoxville native had already dispensed of last year’s runner-up on Monday, sending Ireland’s Jody Fanagan back across the pond after a convincing 5 & 4 thrashing.

But an even bigger challenge faced Burgan on Tuesday in his Round of 32 match at The Honors Course. Todd White, the defending champion in this event and the reigning British Senior Amateur title holder, was Burgan’s next foe.

After an opening round 77 in stroke play, White had started to learn his way around The Honors Course in his first time competing on the Ooltewah layout. He followed that up with a 72 on Sunday, then won his first match handily by a 5 and 4 margin.

But Burgan was undeterred by White’s past success. He respected the deeds accomplished by the Spartanburg, S.C. high school history teacher. Maybe it was time for Burgan to write some history of his own.

In a fiercely contested match, Burgan made a valiant late charge only to fall victim to an untimely three-putt bogey on the final hole as White advanced, 1 up.

“I’m disappointed because obviously I would have liked to win that match,” Burgan said. “I played well under the gun today against a great opponent. I've had a lot of highs in golf, probably more than I deserve. But if you play this game long enough, you’re going to get some lows, too.”

After dodging Burgan’s bid, White went on to win his Round of 16 match in the afternoon in convincing fashion. He defeated No. 2 seed and co-medalist Roger Newsom of Virginia Beach, 5 and 4.

White took an early lead over Burgan by winning the first two holes, only to have Burgan even the match by with a winning par at the 3^rd and a birdie on No. 4.

“Winning those two holes really kind of leveled me out,” Burgan said. “And then we just hit great golf shot after great golf shot all the way to 9.”

With the match all-square, Burgan missed an opportunity on No. 9 to gain the advantage. White rinsed his approach on the par 4 into the pond fronting the green, and Burgan left himself only 67 yards out after his drive. Like White, he chunked his second shot into the water, and both players walked away with double bogey.

“That was a missed opportunity for me,” Burgan said. “I hit my 3-wood longer than I thought, and left myself with an uncomfortable distance. He opened the door for me, and I just couldn’t capitalize.”

After Burgan went 1 up on 10 with a par, White then found his championship form. He birdied the next three holes, winning at 11 and 12 while Burgan matched his birdie at 13.

Finding himself 1 down, Burgan left his birdie try on 15 short by one ball rotation as he and White both parred three straight holes. Needing to find some magic with two holes left, Burgan did so on No. 17.

Both golfers bombed their drives, leaving roughly 180 yards on the uphill par 5. With Burgan just short of the green on his second shot and White sitting pretty with a 10-foot eagle putt, Burgan flipped the advantage his direction.

Burgan chipped in for eagle from 35 feet, and White missed his eagle try, sending the match to 18 dead even.

After both golfers found the fairway from the tee, Burgan’s approach landed 30 feet right of the pin while White was 12 feet left of the flag in the fringe.

“My putt was down grain, and then into the grain up the hill,” Burgan said. “I just hit it too hard six feet past the hole, and missed my par putt coming back over the left edge. That’s a hard way to lose, missing a six-footer to send it to extra holes.”

Despite the disappointment, Burgan, who is a pharmacist with Reams Drug Store, was proud of the manner he composed himself in his first year competing at the senior level.

“I hung in there and competed against the best in the world,” Burgan said. “I do take some confidence going toe-to-toe with one of the best. I obviously did not want to lose on a three-putt, but I think I proved to myself that I can compete under the gun with this type of pressure.”

Help from Local Junior and Military Veterans

Lamar Mills, the Regional Director for the Tennessee Golf Foundation, has spent the past few days beaming like a proud father.

Thanks to his tireless efforts and coordinating with tournament volunteer chairman Tim Haralson, Mills was able to involve 68 youth golfers and 28 graduates of the PGA HOPE initiative for military veterans at the tournament.

It started off during the practice rounds where many attendees of the local First Tee program, PGA Junior League and the Sneds Tour as well as middle school and high school golfers got an “inside the ropes” view of the tournament operations.

The PGA HOPE veterans served as flag attendants on the 9^th green for the practice rounds, and 16 served as standard bearers during the competition.

Through the efforts of Mills, it was a fantastic way to introduce the next generation of golfers to national championship caliber golf while at the same time recognizing the veterans who have served our country selflessly.

Paul Payne can be emailed at paulpayne6249@gmail.com