Until Wednesday.
Despite missing the cut for the 104th Southern Amateur, Burgess’ second round was highlighted by his first hole-in-one, which came on the No. 13 197-yard, par 3.
“I’ve never even come close,” Burgess said. “I actually come closer to having one a par 4 at Anniston Country Club.
“It was crazy. I figured my first one would come off some duck-hook shank that would just roll in. …This one, though, it was just like I’d dreamed it.”
After starting his day par, birdie, birdie, his easy 5 iron played a high fade into the green and then one-hopped the green and disappeared right into the cup.
“I knew it was close as soon as it left the club face,” Burgess said. “It wasn’t giving up the pin for anything. … and then it was the 13th at Shoal Creek, so, there were people out there watching. It was just nuts.”
The oddity with the shot was his playing partners had been talking about holes-in-one just a few holes before.
Michael Sims, who plays for Clemson, told Burgess that all four of his holes-in-one had all come with a 5-iron. It was a thought that didn’t even pop into his head, Burgess said, when his caddy talked him out of hitting a 6-iron for the shot.
Burgess’ round nearly got even better as he almost holed out from 75 yards in the fairway on the next hole.
“I almost slam dunked that one,” he said.
Burgess closed out the side with four pars to shoot 32. Paired with a 43 on the front, the cut wasn’t within reach.
Burgess and Anniston’s Freeman Fite finished 8-over for the two rounds, tied for 131st. Despite not being alive for today’s round, Burgess said he wasn’t disappointed, this being his first Southern Am.
“It’s not really a letdown,” he said. “I just didn’t prepare myself for the tournament. I wish I’d played a little better, but just getting to hit balls with all the talented guys that were in the field, it was surreal.
“To have guys tied for 50th place shooting even par, it was just psychotic how good they were.”
UCLA-bound Patrick Cantlay took the lead midway through the tournament, played at Shoal Creek Country Club.
Cantlay finished the day 4-under-par 68 for a 135 total, one ahead of first round leader Cheng Tsung Pan of Taiwan and University of Virginia junior Ben Kohles.
A couple of notable entrants also used low scores to revive their hopes in the tournament. The world’s No. 1-ranked amateur, Russell Henley of Georgia, shot a 67 and Bud Cauley, an Alabama All-American from Jacksonville, Fla., rallied with a 64.
They are in a group three shots back at 137.
