Burgan’s Senior Match Play victory caps challenging past year

Not all championships are considered equal. Todd Burgan should know, given the fact that he now has eight Tennessee Golf Association titles to his credit over his stellar career.

But clutching his latest piece of hardware earned Friday at Johnson City Country Club for winning the 23rd Tennessee Senior Match Play Championship carried with it special significance.

It represented more than simply adding his name among Tennessee’s most decorated amateur golfers. Instead, it stood as a testimony to perseverance and faith that were both surely tested over the past year.

After coming off the 2024 season where Burgan was named Tennessee Senior Men’s Player of the Year, a daunting diagnosis of prostate cancer early last year changed everything. Suddenly, competitive golf took a back seat to his surgery and recovery, limiting him to only a handful of events late in the year.

But Burgan proved this week that his best golf may still be in his future. The Powell resident won the stroke play qualifying by six shots over his closest competitor by shooting 7 under, then won all four of his matches prior to reaching the final hole.

He won Friday’s semifinal match over Tullahoma’s Jay Potter by a 4 and 3 score, then birdied his final two holes to defeat John Zubkas of Murfreesboro in the finals, 3 and 1.

“That's about as good as I've ever hit the golf ball for an extended period of time,” Burgan said. “I was counting up some of the stats, and I played 99 holes for the week, and had 93 greens in regulation. In match play, I played 63 holes and I hit 62 greens. I was just in one of those zones where I was looking at the pin and firing it and the ball was doing what I imagined. I just kept all the pressure on those guys because pretty soon they realized I wasn't gonna make any bogeys.”

In the championship final, Burgan gained a 1-up edge with a birdie at No. 5, then doubled his lead when Zubkus suffered a double bogey at No. 8. Another Burgan birdie at 10 moved the advantage to 3-up, and the golfers traded winning birdies on the next two holes.

Holding a 3-up spread with five holes to play, Burgan finally showed some vulnerability by carding back-to-back bogeys at 14 and 15 to allow Zubkus to pull within one. With another TGA championship within reach, Burgan then slammed the door with consecutive birdies to close out a 3 and 1 victory.

In his earlier semifinal match with Potter, Burgan managed to seize a 3-up lead through eight holes despite making only a single birdie. In a showdown of the finalists declared co-champions in the rain-shortened 2024 edition of this tournament, Potter was able to cut into the lead with a birdie at 11 before Burgan won 4 and 3 all but sealed with a birdie at 14.

Zubkus advanced to the finals with a 5 and 3 decision over Tullahoma’s Clay Uselton.

The importance of this week for Burgan far exceeded adding another trophy to his collection. This one carried with it extra meaning given his journey over the past year.

“It's right up there with any of the championships I won over the years just because of what I went through last year,” Burgan said. “It’s very satisfying to be able to come back and win another state championship after taking so much time off. This one may be at the top when it's all said and done considering the context of things.”

Burgan took on his cancer battle with the same determination shown this week on the golf course. It has also allowed him to have a more balanced approach when it comes to golf without relinquishing his desire to win.

“When something like that happens, you have to face it head on and try to do what your doctors tell you,” Burgan said. “A golf tournament's not the end of the world. But don’t get me wrong - there's still pressure out there, but you try to enjoy it a little bit more. Not winning a golf tournament is not the worst thing in the world anymore. I used to live and die with every shot and every putt, but I'm trying to take a little different perspective on things going forward.”

Green Captures Super Senior Title

As Tony Green reflected on his latest conquest in capturing the 10th Tennessee Super Senior Match Play Championship, he admitted how paper thin the difference was between him earning his seventh TGA title and not even making it into match play.

“If I hadn’t birdied the last hole (in Wednesday’s second qualifying round), I wouldn’t have been in a playoff,” Green said. “Then, I was able to win a three-way playoff just to get the last spot.”

But Green was merely setting the trap for his match play opponents, relying upon some previous good fortune as the No. 8 seed.

“The last time I won this tournament in 2019 at Bear Trace (at Harrison Bay), I was in the eighth spot there also,” Green said.

In Friday’s final, Green made an early statement against opponent Kevin Stallings of Brentwood. The Kingsport resident birdied three of the first four holes to snag a 3-up advantage.

Stallings countered by winning 5 and 6 only to have Green resume his 3-up edge at the turn that would continue through 14 holes.

But Stallings demonstrated the grit that made him a successful college basketball coach, winning 479 games over 26 seasons at Illinois State, Vanderbilt, and Pittsburgh. Birdies at 15 and 17 trimmed Green’s lead to 1-up, bringing the match to the decisive final hole.

But the veteran Green relied on his years of match play experience to seal the match with a birdie at 18 for a final 2-up verdict, giving him ten career statewide championships when you add in the three Tennessee Super Senior State Open crowns he has won.

“I love match play because I'm usually a pretty aggressive player,” Green said. “When you do that, every once a while you get in trouble, but you can just shrug it off and say that's just one hole.”

The victory was made even more meaningful for the 74-year-old Green given the fact he’s been preoccupied with some health concerns from his daughter, Ty.

“My daughter's been really ill, and I haven't really played much this year,” Green said. “I was playing hard and dedicating this win to her. It’s always great to win, and I definitely will treasure this one for sure.”

Paul Payne can be emailed at paulpayne6249@gmail.com.