By Scott Wilson | Sports Editor
swilson@crossville-chronicle.com
Kelvin Burgin, the PGA professional at Bear Trace at Cumberland Mountain, is hitting the ball pretty well right now.
Burgin’s short game is in pretty good shape, especially his putting. He’s accurate from the fairway, and Burgin is playing very consistent off the tee. Right now, things are looking good.
And that’s good news for Burgin because he is getting ready to participate in the Tennessee Senior State Golf Open June 10-11 at Stonehenge Golf Course in Fairfield Glade.
“Things are looking well,” said Burgin. “In the first two pro-ams of the year I made a couple of high numbers that kept my score from being low.
“In the last round of the state team championship at Tansi, I shot 30. I am playing fairly well, so I am looking for a good tournament.”
Burgin is a four-time Tennessee PGA professional champion and will be playing in his second Senior Open. He will be competing against a talented field – including 2023 champion Kip Henley, Bill Breen, Jared Melson, Loren Personett and Tim Jackson.
Putting, Burgin said, will be a factor for him, and vitally important for anyone expecting to win the tournament.
“I have been hitting the ball some, but I have really been focusing on making the 3-4 foot putts,” Burgin said. “If you can make those, your score tends to drop, or at least be lower.
“I feel comfortable because I know the Stonehenge course pretty well. I have an idea of what I am going to hit and where.”
And that may give Burgin a little bit of an advantage heading into the tournament.
“On the front nine, you want to work your way through the golf course and not make any major mistakes,” Burgin explained. “You want to try and keep it somewhere around par.
“Every hole can be dangerous, but No. 4 and No. 5 are difficult. You want to get through those two holes without any big numbers, and then attack the other holes.”
He said when you make the turn, that’s when golfers will bear down and look to pick up strokes.
“The course plays to the golfer with a good short game and a good putter,” Burgin said. “It isn’t terribly long, so you don’t necessarily need to hit the driver a long way. There are a lot of dog-legs on the course that take driver out of play.
“Being a long hitter at Stonehenge is not necessarily an advantage, but having a good short game and putter is an advantage.”
Burgin said he is looking forward to the competition. He said Henley has to be the favorite in the field, but added Greg Wyatt, Bill Breen and Melson are just some of the golfers will real shots at winning.
“This should be a great event and anyone could win, especially if you catch fire at the right time,” Burgin said. “Stonehenge plays a lot tougher than people give it credit for. So, I think 5-under par would be a good score. I would take 5-under right now and sit in the clubhouse and let people chase me.”