WEST ORANGE, N.J.
(October 18, 2011)
– Battling a visual
impairment suffered from a detached retina,
54-year-old
Mike Burke Jr.
of Montammy rallied with a
birdie on the 36th hole of the championship to
shoot a final-round 71 for a 36-hole total of 4-
under-par 140, good for a one-stroke victory
at the 15th MGA Senior Open at Crestmont
Country Club. Burke, who won the 1997 Met
Open along with the 1978 Met Amateur, now
adds a third MGA title to his record.
“I’ve played probably 50
times here over the years, so this was almost
a home game for me,” said Burke of the
course that is a mere eight miles from his
home. “I know these greens well, and
that definitely helped me today.”
Runner-Up Don BrighamBurke, who
shot a three-under 69 in yesterday’s
first round, entered today’s final round
one stroke behind co-leaders
Bill Britton of Trump
National-Colts Neck and Don
Brigham of Battleground, both
of whom shot 73 to finish tied for second place
at 3-under-par 141. They were among 40
professionals and amateurs over the age of 50
who survived the 18-hole cut of 4-over-par
76, and were able to play today’s final
round in conditions ideal for mid-October in the
Met Area.
The stage was set for an exciting final
round, as the leading contenders were among
the most accomplished pros in the Met Area,
with four past Met Open winners in contention:
Burke, Britton (1979 Met Open and 2006 MGA
Senior Open), 2005 and 2003 MGA Senior Open
champion Darrell
Kestner of Deepdale (1995,
1983 & 1982 Met Opens), and
Mike Diffley of Pelham
(1991 Met Open). Kestner finished in fourth
place at 144 while Diffley finished tied for 8th
at 147.
Britton, Burke and Brigham separated
themselves from the rest of the field, holding a
share of the lead for much of the day.
Following what he thought was a round-killing
double bogey at the par-three 17th hole;
Burke collected himself and birdied the par-five
18th to post his clubhouse score of 4-under
144.
“I was hitting good shots today and
on 17 I tried to hit a burning 3-iron and stuck
it right in the ground. I hit it in a place I never
knew existed [a bunker 40 yards short of the
green] and made double. But then I made two
good shots on 18 [to make birdie]. I also made
some putts early in the round to get things
going. It was a pretty good day.”
Knowing he had an accomplished player in
Britton behind him, Burke was gunning to make
an eagle three on 18, thinking that was his
only chance to end up tied for the lead. After
missing the 40-foot eagle putt, Burke made a
four-footer for birdie to post what ended up
being the winning score.
Britton and Brigham, playing in the final
group, stood at five under and three under,
respectively, through 15 holes before Britton
encountered trouble on 16. After taking an
unplayable, Britton went back to the tee and
made a double bogey which he followed up
with a bogey-4 on the par-3 17th, moving him
to 2-under for the championship. An impressive
up-and-down for birdie from the front of the
green of the final hole brought him back to 3-
under.
Brigham needed to make a move on the
last two holes and did just that.
“I hit as good a golf shot as
I’ve ever hit on the 17th hole, hitting a
4-wood to about six feet and making the putt
for birdie,” said Brigham. “I played
18 perfectly, laying up to 70 yards,
which was the yardage I wanted, but hit the
wedge a quarter of an inch heavy.”
That left Brigham 18 feet for birdie, and
after leaving his first putt four feet short, he
lipped out on his next putt, missing out on a
playoff opportunity with Burke.
Even in defeat, Brigham kept things in
perspective as he reflected on playing the
event at the home club of the late longtime
Crestmont head professional Peter Famiano
who won this event in 2002 at the Woodmere
Club. “Peter was a friend of mine and
you can’t come here [to Cresmont]
without thinking about Peter.”
Burke brings home the $5,000
winner’s share of the $25,000 purse.
Low amateur honors went to
Cyrus Whitney of
Hackensack, who finished at 3-over 147.
The 2011 MGA Senior Open was originally
scheduled for August 29 & 30 but was
postponed due to course damage caused by
Tropical Storm Irene. Next year’s MGA
Senior Open will be back in its traditional
timeframe, and is scheduled for August 27
& 28 at Garden City Country Club on Long
Island.
View results for MET Senior Open
ABOUT THE
MET Senior Open
36-hole stroke play championship for professionals
and amateurs who are members of an MGA
club and have a current USGA Handicap Index of 5.0
or less.
View Complete Tournament Information