“Groves Wins in Playoff” by Jerry Ratcliffe

This article was published in the Charlottesville Daily Progress on June 8th.

Dustin Groves had made two remarkable recoveries in a row on Spring Creek’s treacherous par-5 18th hole and figured he was headed to a second playoff hole against fellow competitor Jerry Burton.

All Burton had to do was dunk a two-foot putt for par to extend the match Sunday evening.

Normally Burton, a former pro and a Spring Creek member, could make that putt with his eyes closed. Automatic. Piece of cake.

Not on Sunday.

Burton’s putt slipped just past the hole, ending the match and giving him a second straight runner-up trophy in the second annual Cannon Cup tournament.

“Honestly, I don’t remember being that nervous over a putt in my life,” admitted Burton, who has played in big events as an amateur and professional golfer. “I’m not going to sugarcoat it and say it broke sideways. I pulled up on it. I pulled the putt. It was just nerves.”

Like any golfer, Groves hated to win that way. But, a win is a win and Groves will take it. The former Monticello High golfer, who just finished up at Wake Forest, had come close in local tournaments growing up but first place had always eluded him.

This win couldn’t have come at a better time for the All-ACC golfer.

“The last couple of months I haven’t been getting much out of the game,” said Groves, who played in the NCAA championships a couple of weeks ago. “I’ve been working on a swing change and I’ve been working hard at putting in trying to get ready for the big amateur tournaments this summer. This was a good start and gives me some confidence.”

Groves had felt a round like this coming on and on Sunday, things finally just clicked.

After an opening round of 3-over 75 on Saturday (Friday’s round was washed out), Groves got hot early on Sunday. He played a 12-hole stretch (holes No. 2 through 13) and 8-under par, making six birdies and an eagle, jumping ahead on the leaderboard, though playing several groups in front of the final grouping.

The former Demon Deacon was the leader in the clubhouse at 2-under for the tournament after avoiding disaster on the 18th.

His tee shot sailed into the woods on the right, so deep that he had to take an unplayable and took a one-stroke penalty. The news quickly filtered its way back to the lead pack. Meanwhile, other players, such as Matt Ball and Glenn Mullian were faltering in trying to bring it in.

Groves was undaunted by his troubles. He blasted out to lie three, then lofted a 9-iron to within four feet and made his par putt to head to the clubhouse with the lead and a prayer in his hip pocket.

A few holes behind, Burton and JMU rising junior Matt Neely were battling it out. Neely had just birdied No. 15 to go 2-under, while Burton parred to stay at 1-under.

Both staggered on the par-4, 16th, with Neely suffering a bogey and Burton a double-bogey to go to 1-over. Neely also bogeyed the par-3 17th to go even-par, while Burton birdied after his tee shot rested three feet from the cup.

Deadlocked at even par for the tournament with one hole to play, Burton and Neely realized they needed to eagle the last hole to force a playoff.

Burton’s drive landed in the fairway, 249 yards out, water all down the left side of the hole. Neely bombed his drive well past Burton, and the two must have felt they had a chance.

But Neely’s approach sailed over the green and into a back bunker, meaning he had to hole out to stay alive.

Meanwhile, Burton hesitantly reached for his 3-wood, a club he prefers not to use. He laced it to the middle of the green, 23 feet from the cup, which was tucked, back right.

Neely’s blast from the bunker went 30 feet past the cup, a putt he would make for birdie. Burton knew he had to get it to the hole and drilled it for a birdie-eagle finish to force a playoff.

Returning to the 18th tee box, Groves bent over in anguish after his drive drifted right into the woods again.

“In regulation, I literally hit it five feet from where I did on the playoff hole,” Groves said afterward. “I was just hoping I had a swing the second time. The first time I went in there, I was in the trees and had to take the unplayable. But, hey, a par is a par. There are no pictures on the scorecard.”

Burton put his tee shot well past his drive in regulation, and noting Groves’ predicament, decided not to go for the green this time.

“I had a chance to go for it, but when [Groves] had to pitch out of the woods and had 215 yards to the pin, I decided to hit a 7-iron down to about 100 yards and would see if [Groves] could make par,” Burton said.

The Spring Creek player decided it wasn’t worth the risk to go for the green. His ball was above his feet and then there was all the water on his left, presenting a dangerous shot.

Groves did have a swing and managed to blast it out onto the fairway. Burton did exactly as he had planned and had 104 yards to the pin for his third shot, which came up shorter than he intended, but was still inside his approach shot minutes earlier in regulation.

Groves hit a strong iron shot for his third just off the green on the back fringe.

Lining up their birdie putts, Burton’s was about five feet shorter than his previous eagle putt and a hair to the left. He missed as the putt rolled two feet past the cup.

Groves’ birdie attempt stopped maybe a foot farther from the cup than Burton’s.

At that point it looked like they were destined to play another hole.

Grove efficiently knocked in his par and assumed Burton would do likewise.

“Broke my heart,” Burton said later, recalling the putt that slid past the cup and cost him the tournament. “It couldn’t have been an easier putt. Even the Tour event I qualified for nine years ago, I didn’t have these kind of nerves.

“This wasn’t just a golf tournament to me … this one meant a lot to me,” Burton said. “That’s probably where the nerves came into play. We’ll finish second again, but I’ll get one eventually.

Burton had lost last year’s inaugural Cannon Cup tournament by a single stroke, also on the 18th hole.

Groves, who will play an aggressive amateur schedule the next two months in hopes of making the U.S. Walker Cup team, plans to turn pro at the end of the summer.

But for now, he got that elusive win to boost his confidence for the challenge ahead.

“I haven’t won in a while,” Groves said with a big smile. “And, it feels good to get a win.”

Maryland’s Jim Castagna won the senior division with a 1-over 145, beating Spring Creek’s Richard Suggs by a stroke.