Recently, Bursey, who is also a stud defenceman for the St. Paul’s Intermediate Cardinals, competed in the Provincial Molson Men’s Amateur Golf Championships (July 19-23) at Harmon Seaside Links in Stephenville, and the Provincial Pepsi Junior Golf Championships, also played in Stephenville, July 4-8.
Bursey shot a 320 and tied for 12th at amateurs, and just weeks prior fired a 323 and finished sixth at juniors.
Overall, his 12th-place performance at amateurs isn’t that bad — considering the teen was up against some of the best amateurs on the island.
However, Bursey doesn’t use his age as an excuse, and believes his game is a lot better than what he showed at amateurs.
“It was a good experience. It was sort of like juniors where I didn’t take advantage of my opportunities,” he said from the Gander Golf Club. “It was a great learning experience, but I didn’t play as good as I’m capable of.”
It was Bursy’s second provincial amateur tournament, as the reigning Gander Golf Club men's champion played amateurs in Terra Nova last year.
Unlike his local course, Bursey said Harmon Seaside Links doesn’t suit his game, as golfers with longer drives usually get the upper hand at the west coast course.
“People who can hit the ball 10, 15, 20 yards further than me can get away with spraying it, where here in Gander there are a lot of trees in play, so I can rely on other people making mistakes,” said Bursey.
Besides a challenging course, Bursey also had to adjust to a growth spurt. Though it may sound odd to non-golfers, growing just half a foot alters your typical swing plane, which makes a change in how you make contact with the ball.
“It’s not just going to come to me — I have to put the effort in, put the time in, and be ready to go.” - Blair Bursey
“After amateurs and before amateurs, I was playing really well, but when I got out there, I sort of fell back, and I found I didn’t have all of my confidence — not like last year,” said Bursey. “I’ve grown six inches over the winter, and it’s hard to match my game with how much I’ve physically grown. I didn’t have the day-in, day-out consistency like I had last year. I think I’ll be more prepared next year, and hopefully I’ll do better.”
Despite finishing 12th at amateurs, and narrowly missing out on a possible alternate spot with the provincial junior team, Bursey is using the two tournaments as a reminder of what he has to do to get better.
When you put it into perspective, not many 13-year-old athletes would do that.
“I’m usually a bit better than that,” said Bursey of his 320 and 323 scores. “The first two days of any tournament is the key for me, and after that I’m usually fine. I had a good first day at juniors, but after that…it was really tough conditions. There was a lot of rain and wind on the second day, but it’s no excuse. I should have been better.
“I finished fifth last year and was an alternate on the provincial junior team. This year I finished sixth, so it really puts it into perspective how hard I have to work to get better,” he added. “It’s not just going to come to me — I have to put the effort in, put the time in, and be ready to go.”
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