Burton, Two-Time National Champion
Orlando, FL - Lewis Burton of Lawrenceville, GA, knocked in a 30-foot ace on the final hole of an 18-hole playoff Saturday, September 19, to win his second PPA National Championship. The 33-year-old pro came from two strokes behind with three holes remaining to overcome Jeff Smith of Dallas, TX, and claim the $3,500 prize and become only the fourth player in history to become a two-time National Champion. "You just never know if you are going to win again," said Burton, the son of a Georgia State Senator. "I'm speechless, which doesn't say much when your father is a politician. I started the day eight strokes back and I just played the best I could."
Burton and Smith had tied the 144-hole regulation tournament at 204, 84 under par for eight rounds at the Putt-Putt Golf Course situated in the heart of scenic Orange Lake Resort & Country Club resulting in Saturday's 18-hole playoff for the championship. Smith held a two-stroke lead with three holes left in the playoff, but ran afoul when he scored a bogey three on the 16th hole. Burton pared the 16th, then gained a tie when he rammed in a 26-foot hole-in-one at the 17th hole while Smith's effort missed to the left. Burton calmly sent the winning putt toward the hole at the 18th, the ball curling from left to right and into the hole, and then watched as Smith's effort to tie rolled to the lip of the hole before tailing off to the right. "I really thought Jeff would make that putt and we'd have to go to sudden-death," said Burton, who is sponsored by Woods & Gray apparel and has $45,000 in career earnings. "I had been making that putt at the 18th hole throughout the tournament," said Smith, a 38-year-old two-time Texas State Champion who won $2,000. "I just came up an inch short of being the best putter in the country."
Jay Klapper, a journeyman pro from Loganville, GA, finished third at 205, including a costly bogey at the 15th hole of the final round of tournament play, earning $1,500. "That hole will haunt me for a time to come," Klapper said. Greg Ward of Loganville, GA, Cliff Matthews of Hurst, TX, Rainey Statum of Kingwood, TX, Andy Coradini of Loganville, GA, and Danny McCaslin of Metairie, LA, shared fourth at 206 each earning $940.
Jeff Brown of North Olmsted, OH, claimed the Amateur Putters Association crown with a 216 total for a two-stroke victory over Jim Engel of Canfield, OH, and Jim Cruse of Baltimore, OH. "I've been trying to win this title for the last couple of years," Brown said Lee Ashley of Durham, NC, won the Novice Division title with a total of 256. Rodney Rogers of Dublin, OH, was second at 268.
The victory gave Burton his fifth major title in Profession Putters Association competition. Burton won his first PPA title in 1989. "I just thank the Lord and my family," Burton says. "I thank the Lord for giving me good health and I thank my wife and my parents for the support they have given me over the years I have played this game." Burton joins Vance Randall of Asheville, NC (1967 and 1969), Robert Smith of Dallas, TX (1972 and 1974), the late Ray Browning of Cleveland, OH (1975 and 1980), and Alan Quinnelly (1985 and 1991) as the only players to win two National Championships.
Professional Scores in 1998 National Championship
Round Prize Player
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Total Money
1 Lewis Burton 25 27 25 27 25 27 23 25 204 $3,500.00 2 Jeffrey Smith 23 29 27 23 28 23 25 26 204 $2,000.00 3 Jay Klapper 23 26 21 26 29 28 26 26 205 $1,500.00 4 Greg Ward 24 25 28 27 23 28 24 27 206 $940.00 Cliff Matthews 29 25 24 30 20 25 27 26 206 $940.00 Rainey Statum 27 26 28 24 25 25 23 28 206 $940.00 Andy Coradini 26 25 32 25 23 24 25 26 206 $940.00 Danny McCaslin 23 28 26 26 26 25 25 27 206 $940.00 9 Kevin Lacey 27 28 28 26 23 27 24 24 207 $700.00 10 Joel Baker 26 27 25 24 26 26 29 25 208 $600.00 11 Mike Brown 25 26 25 26 27 27 26 27 209 $525.00 Darrell Britt 27 26 26 27 23 31 26 23 209 $525.00 13 Todd Fowler 25 25 26 28 27 26 26 27 210 $480.00 14 Roger Beckerman 24 28 28 26 22 26 29 28 211 $419.00 Gary English 29 24 31 22 25 27 26 27 211 $419.00 Charlie Greenwalt 24 26 26 26 27 29 24 29 211 $419.00 Roland Block 26 27 25 26 28 28 24 27 211 $419.00 Peter Neumann 26 30 25 23 30 27 26 24 211 $419.00 19 Jimmy Mott 30 29 24 25 24 26 28 26 212 $337.50 Rick Alessi 26 25 26 25 28 25 28 29 212 $337.50 21 Dave Nutini 26 28 24 25 31 29 24 26 213 $275.00 Tony Varnadore 24 26 26 28 25 28 26 30 213 $275.00 23 Todd Barfield 29 25 26 31 26 25 25 27 214 $216.67 Jim Heikkinen 28 27 25 28 24 28 25 29 214 $216.67 Gene Reams 26 26 27 27 26 27 26 29 214 $216.67 26 Dan Anders 25 31 29 28 27 22 27 26 215 $200.00 C. L. Jones 27 31 25 28 27 24 29 24 215 $200.00 Buddy Taylor 24 24 26 28 32 26 27 28 215 $200.00 29 Ron Frederick 26 25 24 29 32 25 28 27 216 $200.00 30 Fred Stewart 25 34 31 25 26 21 27 28 217 $66.67 Tom Butler 27 25 29 27 26 29 24 30 217 $66.67 Paul Johns 29 26 25 27 24 28 27 31 217 $66.67 33 Rick Baird 26 28 24 28 28 30 28 26 218 Dave McCaslin 26 26 31 28 29 29 25 24 218 35 Bill Kirby, Jr. 25 29 27 28 25 25 29 31 219 Bob Davis 28 27 30 24 28 30 25 27 219 Greg Newport 27 27 30 28 29 25 28 25 219 38 Michael Hitt 26 27 25 30 26 31 29 26 220 John Napoli 23 26 27 28 28 28 33 27 220 David Lynch 30 32 22 32 28 26 21 29 220 41 Frank Warren 28 30 25 27 26 30 30 25 221 Rusty Taylor 26 25 28 31 26 28 27 30 221 43 Alan Quinnelly 25 27 26 31 29 31 27 26 222 Jeff Garrison 28 26 26 27 28 32 27 28 222 Danny Dore 30 30 27 33 26 26 25 25 222 Dave Taylor 30 27 27 27 31 27 28 25 222 47 Lee Messinger 29 27 33 24 26 29 28 27 223 Bill Baus 27 30 25 30 29 27 27 28 223 49 Bart Bason 27 29 27 30 28 29 26 28 224 Larry Simpson 27 27 29 26 25 28 30 32 224 51 Gary Hester 25 28 29 29 25 29 31 29 225 Brad Lebo 27 32 26 25 27 26 29 33 225 53 Brice Bergesen 29 28 27 26 26 35 29 27 227 Bob Haizlip 25 31 28 26 24 32 28 33 227 55 Robert Johnson 29 26 26 29 28 27 33 30 228 Bo Luthie 28 30 30 27 27 26 32 28 228 57 Ron Lamplough 32 34 26 26 24 29 30 29 230 Mike Damsky 27 31 26 29 32 30 28 27 230 59 Wally Walters 31 28 30 23 32 29 26 32 231 Thomas Rawles 26 28 26 33 30 30 28 30 231 John Ventura 28 30 30 29 28 30 29 27 231 62 Greg Roberts 31 30 28 31 28 29 28 27 232 Tony Jackson 27 26 30 27 33 31 32 26 232 64 Robby Bryant 27 27 30 31 30 28 30 30 233 Randy Reeves 25 30 28 30 29 27 29 35 233 Randy Orr 32 26 24 32 30 30 31 28 233 67 Paul Sample 25 27 31 29 31 38 27 27 235 68 Barb Mingo 26 36 30 27 30 30 29 32 240 69 Paul Pastilong 33 28 27 30 28 33 30 33 242 70 Rodney Ashley 29 29 32 29 34 26 33 31 243 71 Mark Hasty 31 31 28 31 31 29 32 31 244 72 Alan Morris 30 33 27 32 32 32 29 31 246 73 Al Simpson 32 30 33 33 37 31 28 30 254 74 Bill Walsh 35 35 33 29 34 30 31 28 255 75 Elias Dakessian 39 32 32 35 33 35 30 29 265
Amateur Scores in 1998 National Championship
| Round | Prize | ||||||||||
|
Player |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Total |
Money |
|
| 1 | Jeff Brown | 25 | 29 | 27 | 25 | 31 | 28 | 25 | 26 | 216 | $50.00 |
| 2 | Jim Engel | 25 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 23 | 28 | 29 | 218 | $50.00 |
| 3 | Jim Cruse | 27 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 220 | $50.00 |
| 4 | Ken Hastings | 26 | 27 | 28 | 31 | 26 | 29 | 27 | 27 | 221 | $50.00 |
| 5 | Jimmy Comer | 28 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 27 | 222 | $50.00 |
| Rich Gillooly | 28 | 28 | 30 | 28 | 26 | 24 | 29 | 29 | 222 | $50.00 | |
| 7 | Scott Buddie | 29 | 28 | 25 | 31 | 26 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 226 | $50.00 |
| 8 | Robb Titchell | 32 | 27 | 28 | 31 | 26 | 27 | 30 | 26 | 227 | $50.00 |
| Dom Perry | 28 | 33 | 27 | 28 | 26 | 29 | 27 | 29 | 227 | $50.00 | |
| 10 | William Glisson, Jr. | 26 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 33 | 31 | 30 | 22 | 230 | $50.00 |
| 11 | Craig Williams | 28 | 27 | 26 | 29 | 31 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 231 | |
| Tony Davenport | 30 | 29 | 31 | 25 | 28 | 29 | 32 | 27 | 231 | ||
| 13 | Justin Taylor | 25 | 28 | 33 | 34 | 31 | 30 | 24 | 28 | 233 | |
| 14 | Karl Moe | 30 | 34 | 30 | 29 | 28 | 26 | 29 | 30 | 236 | |
| 15 | William Hammons | 30 | 27 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 28 | 30 | 34 | 239 | |
| 16 | Billy Caudle | 30 | 30 | 30 | 31 | 33 | 31 | 28 | 29 | 242 | |
| 17 | Ray Guthrie III | 33 | 37 | 34 | 31 | 25 | 27 | 28 | 30 | 245 | |
| 18 | Ryon Benton | 37 | 33 | 32 | 31 | 36 | 33 | 29 | 28 | 259 | |
| 19 | Karen Hastings | 34 | 39 | 30 | 29 | 33 | 29 | 31 | 39 | 264 | |
Novice Scores in 1998 National Championship
| Round | ||||||||||
|
Player |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Total | |
| 1 | Lee Ashley | 30 | 29 | 26 | 36 | 37 | 32 | 35 | 31 | 256 |
| 2 | Rodney Rogers | 33 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 35 | 32 | 36 | 36 | 268 |