By Ken Klavon, USGA
Tulsa, Okla. – Bronson Burgoon had them wide-eyed with awe even though it didn’t turn out the way he had planned.
| |
 |
| |
After falling four holes down with five to go, Bronson Burgoon nearly pulled off the near-impossible. (John Mummert/USGA) |
As far as manufacturing late comebacks goes, Burgoon had concocted one savory golf recipe: pull off a few miraculous shots, apply pressure and hope for the best.
Down four holes with five to play in his second-round match Thursday to Cameron Tringale at the U.S. Amateur, the 22-year-old Burgoon nearly had a riposte that might have left Tringale speechless.
“Bronson is a great player,” said Tringale after eradicating Burgoon, 1 up, on the 18th hole at Southern Hills Country Club. “He plays with lots of passion and intensity.”
The two 2009 U.S. Open participants knew the match had the makings of a heavyweight fight. Both are seasoned amateurs who played at Division I universities with heaps of honors.
Burgoon capped off a stellar career at Texas A&M by playing a major role in helping the program win its first NCAA Division I title in May. Tringale recently concluded an All-American career at Georgia Tech, where he was a first-team selection last season.
So it was clear that this bout would go the distance.
The excitement picked up on No. 14 after Burgoon, appearing to continuously mis-club himself, had fallen 4 down. It should be noted that, from the ninth through 13th hole, Tringale had a bit more to do with fashioning a seemingly insurmountable cushion. The Laguna Niguel, Calif., resident won four of those five holes with birdies.
“I’m making pars and then nine, 10, 12 and 13, there goes my all square,” said Burgoon. “I tip my hat to him.”
At the opulent 218-yard, par-3 14th hole, a transportation cart that may as well as been a hearse for Burgoon, pulled up, with the match close to a potential end. Burgoon, none too happy at the prospect of a premature conclusion, furrowed his eyes on the teeing ground. Tringale blocked his iron off the tee and Burgoon suddenly had new life when his opponent failed to get up and down for par.
Burgoon won 15 with a two-putt par, trimming the margin to two holes.
“Going on 14, if you would have told me I’d have a chance to even the match on 18, I would have taken it,” said Burgoon, who saw a similar huge lead disappear in the NCAA championship match against Arkansas Andrew Landry, only to stick a wedge approach at 18 to within inches for a championship-clinching birdie.
Burgoon’s disposition – shirt untucked in back and laser-like eyes – appeared to say, ‘Let’s get to work now.’ His drive on No. 16 went so wide right that Burgoon took his hat off and pounded it against his shoulder in frustration. His hopes were flittering. The hole was eventually halved, but one astounding shot pumped adrenaline through his veins.
His ball entangled in deep rough amid a cluster of trees, Burgoon had 224 yards to the green. But worse, he’d have to punch through a space that wasn’t much more than an arm’s length. Burgoon grabbed a 5-iron, turned toward lingering spectators and announced that they should be prepared to take cover in case the ball ricocheted through the trees. Burgoon took a mighty hack and watched as his ball skidded safely through the forest before stopping 15 from the flagstick. The shot helped his confidence skyrocket.
“It was the best shot all day,” said Burgoon. “It was an all-or-nothing shot.”
Funny, but the same could have been assumed one hole later. When the two walked onto the teeing ground, there was a minor delay ahead. Burgoon used the time wisely. Three times he bounded off, walking through a couple of bushes to check angles. The tees had been moved up 50 yards on the 355-yard dogleg-right par-4 17th hole, making it drivable. If Burgoon could cut a collection of trees, he might be able to put his tee shot on the green.
He yanked out driver, going for it. Burgoon raced off the teeing ground to watch the trajectory. The ball cleared the trees, bringing a huge grin. He estimated the success rate of executing such a shot was about 5 percent.
“Did he just drive the green?” one person said.
“It was worth the price of admission for that shot right there,” another man said.
He did. The ball stopped 20 feet above the flagstick. Tringale played it safe and got on in two. When Burgoon’s 20-foot eagle putt dropped, he produced a thunderous fist pump.
He was 1 down. Tringale sensed the tide had turned.
“I was just trying to do what I had to do,” said Tringale, who is one of several golfers vying for the final two USA Walker Cup spots. “When the momentum turns like that, you can start saying things like, ‘What if I blow it?’ You just have to concentrate on making good swings.”
On the 18th, Burgoon chalked up his blocked drive to over-zealousness. The end was a bit anticlimactic because Burgoon had to pull off two more miraculous shots. This after Tringale split the fairway and left himself a makeable two-putt from 40 feet to essentially close out the match.
The takeaway for Burgoon was that he didn’t quit. He said he was obviously disappointed, but felt fortunate to have gotten this far.
“I hit the ball awful all week,” said Burgoon, who might have seen his chances of making the Walker Cup team fade. “I hit it all over the map, but I was happy that I still contended.”
Ken Klavon is the USGA’s Editor of Digital Media. E-mail him with questions or comments at kklavon@usga.org.
