MIDLOTHIAN — Connor Burgess sunk a 10-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole on Sunday, celebrated, then retreated to the patio at Independence Golf Club on Sunday and waited. Having only tied for the lead in the final round of the State Open of Virginia, he figured his best hope was to stay warm for a potential playoff.
Then a funny thing happened. One by one, his closest pursuers stumbled down the stretch. First it was Rylan Shim, who had a 25-foot birdie putt on 18 but three-putted for bogey. Then it was Justin LaRue, who came to the 18th hole needing a birdie to win and a par to force a playoff, only to pull his drive deep into a penalty area right of the fairway. The tee shot proved fatal to his hopes, as he was unable to hole out from a greenside bunker for par, leaving Burgess standing alone atop the leaderboard.
Burgess' 10-under-par three-day aggregate total of 203 (70-67-66) gave him the biggest victory of his burgeoning professional career, and it marked the first time since 2018 that a pro had won the State Open, ending a streak of four straight wins by amateurs. Burgess finished a stroke clear of Shim, who finished as low amateur with a three-day 204 (69-68-67).
Burgess, a former Virginia Tech standout who grew up in Lynchburg and played for E.C. Glass High School, plays out of Independence on a daily basis, so the win was extra special. He had a large group of family and friends supporting him.
"It means the world," Burgess said. "Obviously, I've been trying to win one of these things for a while. Feels nice to get it done, especially here. I guess I can call this my home now. To win in front of this entire support system I have, it feels amazing."
Four players tied for third at 8-under 205: professionals Mark Lawrence Jr. and Brandon Berry, and amateurs Scott Shingler and LaRue. Amateurs Bryce Corbett and Drew Brockwell tied for seventh at 7-under 206. Rounding the the top 10 were three players tied for ninth: amateurs Patrick Gareiss, Sam Beach, and Mehrbaan Singh.
LaRue, who plays at Longwood University, reached 10-under with a birdie on the par-3 14th. After hitting his drive right on 15, he hit his approach over the green before making a marvelous up-and-down to save par. After a par at 16, his driver again went astray on 17. His tee shot on the par-5 hole rattled through the trees lining the left side of the fairway and eventually settled in the rough left of the cart path near No. 12 tee. Unfazed, LaRue hit an excellent shot over the trees to the edge of the fairway, then hit his approach to four feet. His birdie putt lipped out, sending him to the final tee still at 10-under.
Shim, a University of Florida signee who recently qualified for the U.S. Amateur, surged at the end of his round to get himself in position to at least force a playoff. He birdied 15, 16, and 17 before the fateful three-putt on the final green.
"I knew the position I was in, and I would have loved to have made the putt," Shim said. "I really felt comfortable over it and I was really focused, but the last thing I forgot about was the speed. It happens. It hurts to miss a comebacker, but that's golf."
Shingler (Dominion Valley CC) opened Sunday with the lead but made bogeys on Nos. 3 and 4 to fall down the leaderboard. Though he rallied back to level par for the day with birdies on Nos. 6 and 8, he was never able to get it going on the back nine, making one birdie, one bogey, and seven pars.
Burgess netted $9,000 for his victory, a nice payday as he hopes to continue his professional career. He plans on giving Korn Ferry Tour qualifying school another shot this fall, and the confidence gained from winning against a strong field this week can only help.
"Professional golf is tough," Burgess said. "You kind of have to ride the momentum when you have it and get lucky at the right time. … Just small steps in the right direction. Hopefully I can play well and advance to the next stage, and from there, hopefully everything goes well."
Notable:
- Burgess, Berry, and amateur Jordan Utley each shot 5-under 66s on Sunday for the low round of the day. Utley's round helped him move 24 spots up the leaderboard to 21st.
- Berry, a former Loyola (Md.) standout who grew up in Great Falls, finished second in last week's Maryland Open.
- Kyle Fuller, PGA and Josh Speight, PGA each posted three-day totals of 4-under 209 to tie for 12th and tie for low PGA professional honors.
- Shim and Corbett were the only players to shoot all three rounds in the 60s this weekend.