Firing rounds of 68-68, and playing to a four-under par, Jeff Burda won the 34th SCGA Senior Amateur Championship today. He becomes the first to ever win all three major California state senior amateur championships (SCGA, NCGA and California state).
"Obviously I'm pretty tickled," said Burda. "It's great to be in that category and accomplish something like that. But it's still just fun to compete, be out there with the guys. And the wins, that's secondary."
Entering the round with a one-stroke lead over current Northern California Senior Amateur Champion Jim Knoll, Burda pulled out to an eventual six-stroke victory to close the event, which was held at Victoria Club in Riverside. The final score, however, does not tell the entire story, as Burda had just a two-stroke advantage with two holes to play. The eventual champion birdied the 18th hole, an impressive feat in Round 2 as the final hole was one of the most difficult for the field on the day.
Knoll finished the tournament in second place, with a final score of two-over par.
"It was a little iffy on the front nine, but I made a couple of good shots early in the back nine and got pretty comfortable," said Burda after the win. "I'm very pleased with the way it turned out."
The PGA West member shot a four-under on the back nine of Round 2.
Dan Hogan of Bakersfield came in third, shooting rounds of 73-70 to finish three-over par.
