Door County Golf Roundup

Burke Finds Ace at Long Last

Devin Burke had never scored a hole-in-one. Join the list, I say, since I have played more than enough rounds to deserve one myself. But Burke is a good golfer…at 68 years old, so maybe he deserves it a little more. Finally, just two weeks ago, those many years going ace-less — 55 to be exact — were silenced when his stroke of luck came on the 3rd hole at The Orchards.

Playing about 120-yards, Burke grabbed his pitching wedge and fired.

“When I hit the ball, I thought to myself ‘This is a good looking shot,’” Burke said.

The ball landed left of the hole, created a decent-sized ball mark and “trickled in slow motion” into the cup. Sounds a lot like Michael Jordan’s ace in Space Jam.

A groundskeeper at the course had cut the cup just minutes earlier and hung around the tee box to watch Burke’s shot. When it looked as though there might be a hole-in-one that man was the first to know.

“He drove up in his cart, looked in the hole and gave us the touchdown sign,” Burke recalled. “Then I went crazy. I dropped my club and started dancing. After 55 years, I thought ‘This is it, finally.’”

Burke doesn’t keep a handicap, but as I noted earlier, he’s a solid stick. He has shot his age multiple times and just carded a 71 Saturday at his now favorite course, The Orchards. After 55 years, I would say he was long overdue.

Ben Newkirk

Door County Junior Champion Crowned

After signing up on the morning of the event, Ben Newkirk earned the title of Door County Junior Champion after shooting a winning score of 52 on the front nine at Cherry Hills last week. Newkirk’s 52 came in seven shots clear of second-place finisher Jaden Sawyer.

Mogg moves on to National Championship

Horseshoe Bay Golf Club head pro Pete Mogg revenged last summer’s disappointment by placing in the top four at the WPGA Senior Sectional event, qualifying for the Senior PGA National Championship in Virginia in October.

Mogg’s first round 77 left him desperate for contention before following up with a second day lowest round of 72. His two-day aggregate 147 placed him third and will send him to Creighton Farms in Aldie, Virginia for October 8 – 13. This came after missing out on qualification by one place in 2012.

“It was tough last year missing by a shot, but it made me work harder this time,” Mogg said.

It will be his first chance at national competition as a senior — one thing he’s been aiming at for years — and he’s rather excited.

“I’m a little different than most young golfers as my goals have all been driven to be a great senior player,” Mogg said just hours after the event. “Today was one of the best competitive rounds of golf I have ever played.”