VSGA JUNIOR BOYS GOLFER OF THE YEAR
Connor Burgess
HOME CLUB : Boonsboro Country Club
QUICK TIP Ability is one thing . Mental strength is another . And Burgess realized he had to work on the mental part of his game last summer just as much as he needed to worry about the mechanics of his swing .
“ You have to believe in yourself and know that you can compete with all of the other golfers , because there are so many good players ,” Burgess said . “ If you believe in yourself , work on the mental game and take one shot at a time … the stronger you are mentally , the better you can compete with those players .”
CHAMPIONSHIP MOMENT Burgess ’ strong season got an early boost in the spring when he won the rain-shortened Fox Puss Invitational at his home course , a tournament featuring high-level players such as Scott Shingler , Steven Liebler , Justin Young and Jon Hurst . He rode that confidence throughout the summer . After qualifying for the U . S . Junior Amateur in Richmond , he trekked across the state to play in the VSGA Amateur in Radford and advanced to match play before falling to eventual semifinalist Mark Lawrence Jr . in 20 holes .
At that point , he had no idea he and Lawrence would be future teammates at Virginia Tech . Burgess was initially recruited by the University of Virginia , but when that fell through , Burgess looked at the Cavaliers ’ rival . Tech coach Jay Hardwick happened to have a spot available , and after visiting campus , Burgess was hooked on the Hokies .
“ I absolutely loved the place ,” Burgess said . “ I loved the coach . I knew a lot of players on the team , including Mark and Tom Crow and Logan Yates . Joey Lane , who ’ s a senior this year , I played with him at the state am . I just felt like I fit in at Virginia Tech . They made me an offer and I committed pretty soon after .”
Burgess ’ other big moment last summer came when he earned medalist honors at a U . S . Amateur qualifier . When he got to Michigan for the 312-player main event , he learned very quickly what he would need to do to compete against the top amateur talent in the world .
“ I was ecstatic . I mean , that was a oncein-a-lifetime experience ,” he said . “ I had never been to a tournament like that . The majority of players were in college or just out of college . … I think playing in that type of environment furthered my knowledge of the game , for sure .”
OFF THE COURSE Much of Burgess ’ life is spent on the golf course , practicing , grinding and improving . But he said he does enjoy playing basketball and spending time with his girlfriend as well .
2016 ACCOMPLISHMENTS
» Qualified for both the U . S . Amateur and U . S . Junior Amateur championships . At a 36-hole U . S . Amateur qualifier at Willow Oaks Country Club , Burgess earned medalist honors by one stroke after posting rounds of 72 and 67 . Survived a playoff after shooting 144 to qualify for the U . S . Junior Amateur .
» Advanced to match play at the 103rd VSGA Amateur .
» Helped his high school team , E . C . Glass in Lynchburg , win the VHSL 4A title .
» Won the 2016 Fox Puss Invitational at his home course .
» Signed a letter of intent to play golf at Virginia Tech .
vsga . org J ANUARY / F EBRUARY 2017 | V IRGINIA G OLFER 33