finish putting him into a tie for the lead at 10-under-par as he retired to the patio at Independence Golf Club to watch the groups behind him come in , all while trying to stay loose for what appeared to be an inevitable playoff .

Then strange things started happening . Rylan Shim had 25 feet for birdie on 18 to take the lead , but hit it too hard and missed the 5-foot comebacker , finishing his tournament at 9-under . Then Justin

“ It means the world . 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 .”

— Connor Burgess

LaRue , who had just lipped out a birdie putt on 17 , but still needed only a par on the final hole to force a playoff , lost control of his tee shot on 18 and watched with horror as it settled deep into a penalty area right of the fairway . He needed to hole out from a greenside bunker for par but failed to do so , and suddenly , Burgess was a State Open champion .

Though he grew up in Lynchburg , playing out of Boonsboro Country Club , Burgess moved to Richmond after his time at Virginia Tech was done , as Independence was a perfect home base for improving his game and launching his professional career . Burgess was playing well entering the State Open , having tied for the title at a recent GPro event with fellow Hokie alum Mark Lawrence Jr . Winning his home state ’ s Open , though , was a game changer .

“ It means the world ,” he 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 .”

Connor Burgess made three straight birdies to close his final round at the State Open , including one at 18 that elicited a big fist pump .

Next up for Burgess is another attempt at Korn Ferry Tour qualifying school . The confidence gained winning against a strong field of amateurs and professionals at Independence 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 .”

CHRIS LANG ( 2 ), ABBY ALL