High school golf: Park City endures late drama to claim 3A crown

WEST POINT — When the final score was posted for the 3A state golf championship, Park City's Jack Burrus had a score of 79. The crowd erupted, frantically cheering with two separate emotions. Some with joy, others with discomfort. The reason behind the madness was simple: With the score of 79 it forced a sudden-death playoff with Judge Memorial.

However, something was drastically wrong. Within the deafening chatter — a cry was heard. Burrus anxiously claimed that the posted score was incorrect, and in fact, he had shot a 78 for the round. With the accusation, the tournament committee quickly collaborated and collected the scorecards. After five agonizing minutes, the score was refuted and the Miners claimed their second-straight championship at Schneiter's Bluff golf course with a final score of 603.

"When they put 79 instead of 78, my jaw dropped and my heart stopped for a second," said Park City coach George Murphy. "I thought for sure he was comin' in with a 78. So I'm glad it worked the way it worked out. I'd rather win by one than lose by one."

"I just looked down at my coach and I was like, 'That's not right,' and he was like 'Then go say something,'" said Burrus, "So I was like 'Hey, hey and I didn't get (the committee's) attention at first, and I was like maybe this is the correct score and it ran through my head that we just tied them. So I was like 'Hey, I don't think that's right,' and (the committee) looked back at me with a smile and said 'Oh wait, that is a 78. It was definitely scary."

The heartbreak of losing a championship by a slim margin is something an athlete, or anyone involved, will never forget. It's a hurt that will fade but never fully diminish. However, such defeat can motivate one to soar to new heights.

"We know how it feels to lose by one or two. We lost by two, two years ago. So I can understand what these guys from Judge are going through because they wanted it just as bad as we wanted it," said Murphy.

Conversely, winning a championship lives forever. The memories made, and the experiences shared during such a season, are framed within one's head for the rest of their lives.

"It's just amazing. I'm ecstatic that we were able to pull that off," said Burrus, "We planned at the beginning of the season after state — win or lose — we were going to come over to my house and play Halo, drink sodas and (eat) junk food galore. We're gonna go all out. It's gonna be a fun night."

Entering the second round, Judge found itself trailing by five strokes, however, Chris Turner was able to produce one of his personal bests and was the main reason for nearly forcing extra play. Trailing by two strokes heading into the final day, Turner dropped an eye-opening round — shooting 4 under par — to secure medalist honors with a final score of 141.

"I started off really well," said Turner. "I birdied my first hole. Then I kept it going the rest of the day with a few more birdies. It was really windy on the back nine, so it was a pretty solid score to come in with. (I) kind of wish that I would have gotten the team, but winning individual (is great) it's a big tournament."

e-mail: tphibbs@desnews.com