Coyotes’ Burke still alive at California Amateur

Cal State San Bernardino graduate Micah Burke is faring well at the 98th annual California State Amateur Golf Championship at Lake Merced Golf Club in Daly City.

Burke tied for 12th in a field of 156 golfers through two 18-hole rounds. He then posted a 3 and 1 win over Al Geiberger Jr. of Palm Desert in the round of 32 match play on Wednesday.
San Bernardino resident Scott Clayton, who led after the first round and qualified for match play in fifth, suffered a 1-up loss to Steve Woods of Cupertino.

Burke, a 23-year-old Los Angeles resident playing out of Empire Lakes Golf Club in Rancho Cucamonga, will face Nick Delio of Valencia in the Round of 16 on Thursday. The two will tee off at 8:10 a.m.

Burke, who earned third-team NCAA Division II All-America honors after finishing ninth in the Division II national championship tournament last month, went 2-up on Geiberger Jr., the son of former PGA tour veteran Al Geiberger Sr., in the first two holes of the match, gave a hole back at No. 3, then regained his 2-up advantage at No. 4.

The two halved the next seven holes until Geiberger Jr. birdied the par-3, 196-yard 12th hole to cut the lead in half again.

However, Burke reclaimed his 2-up advantage with a birdie three at the par-4, 376-yard 13th hole. Burke then went 3-up with an eagle three at the par-5, 496-yard 14th hole.

Burke qualified for the State Amateur Championship by shooting a 70 on May 11 at the qualifier conducted at the SCGA (Southern California Golf Association) course in Temecula to tie for seventh spot.

Clayon, a senior at UC Riverside who won the San Bernardino County Amateur last month, lost a close match later in the day. He was even with Woods until his opponent birdied a short par-4 No. 16 hole.

Both players made par at the 17th and the 18th, leaving Clayton one stroke short.

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