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By Chris Lang
VIRGINIA BEACH — Make it eight wins in 2022 for Fredericksburg Country Club’s Jon Hurst. Friday’s victory in the 75th Virginia State Golf Association Senior Amateur Championship was the sweetest of them all.
Hurst grinded out a 2-and-1 win over Willow Oaks Country Club’s David Jordan at Cavalier Golf & Yacht Club to earn his first Senior Amateur title. Hurst sealed the victory when both he and Jordan made par on the par-4 17th hole.
“It’s awesome,” Hurst said. “It’s a bunch of highs and lows. It’s a long week, and every time you win a match, you’re happy. But then you have to go out and play somebody else that’s probably playing a little better than the guy you just beat. But it was awesome. I feel great.”
In five wins this week, Hurst never had to play the 18th hole. He opened the week with nearly a 200-point lead in the VSGA Senior Player Rankings, and this victory all but assures he’ll end the year on top.
“Somebody asked me this week if I’d be disappointed if I didn’t win,” Hurst said. “I’ve won so many tournaments this year, and I’ve been on a roll and I have a lot of confidence. I would have been upset if I didn’t at least get to the final.”
THE STORY
“I owed you one,” Hurst told Jordan, patting him on the back as the players left the 17th green upon conclusion of the match. Indeed, Jordan had nipped Hurst on the 18th green in the quarterfinals of last year’s Senior Amateur, so Hurst knew what kind of competitor he was facing in Friday morning’s final match.
Neither player held more than a 1-up lead until the 12th hole, when Hurst rolled in a 5-foot birdie putt after Jordan had missed about a 10-foot attempt at his own birdie. That was as large of a lead as Hurst would hold, as Jordan continued to scrap and stay in the match until the end.
The final twist came on the 16th hole. With both players in the middle of the fairway off the tee, Jordan hit his approach wide left into a greenside bunker and couldn’t get up and down for par. Hurst made a two-putt par to grab a 2-up lead and closed the match on the next hole.
Hurst won the first hole after Jordan’s approach hit the front of the green, and Jordan three-putted to a back hole location. Jordan immediately answered, hitting his iron approach on No. 2 to 4 feet before converting his birdie putt to tie the match.
Hurst took the lead with a par on the par-3 5th after Jordan’s tee shot drifted left and he was unable to get up and down. But that lead was short lived. The hole location on the par-5 6th was tucked behind a dangerous pot bunker. Hurst still went for the flagstick on his approach but paid the price as it came up short and rolled into the deep bunker.
As he stood in the bunker trying to find a stance, he chirped, “I’m in a predicament here, Dave.” It took two tries for Hurst to escape, and when he missed his par putt, he conceded the hole. The match was level again.
After a long week of grueling competition, neither player was at his best. Each made the turn at 1 over, the match tied. Standing on the 10th tee, Hurst knew it was time to make a move.
“I said, if you just make a couple of birdies back here and put a little pressure on him, maybe it will go your way,” Hurst said.
He made his only two birdies of the day on 10 and 12, giving him just enough space to separate from his opponent.
“Neither one of us were very sharp today,” Jordan said. “But I missed a few short ones, within five feet, and you just can’t give Jon anything. I gave him a couple and he played really well down the stretch, which you need to do. I didn’t hit my irons as crisply as I needed to and I just couldn’t make putts today. And that was the difference.”
NOTES
Lang is the VSGA’s manager of media and communications.