Union-Endicott junior Dante Bertoni went from thinking he let a state title slip away to sinking the birdie putt of his life to capture the New York State Public High School Athletic Association boys golf championship in a playoff Monday afternoon at Mark Twain Golf Course in Elmira.
Bertoni’s 10-footer on the 18th hole came minutes after he bogeyed the same hole with a chance to win with a par. Victor sophomore Brody Burgess played strong down the stretch, then waited to see if a playoff was on the table. Burgess had a birdie try in the playoff before Bertoni’s putt dropped.
U-E coach Matt Morley joined Bertoni for a celebratory hug to cap the two-day tournament at the Donald Ross-designed course. Some of Bertoni’s teammates and family members greeted him shortly thereafter.
“It feels good. I don’t even know what to say,” Bertoni said. “It’s crazy.”
Bertoni had back-to-back rounds of 1-over-par 73 for a two-day total of 146. Burgess reached that score with a 2-under 70 on Monday after opening with a 76 in windy conditions Sunday.
Bertoni needed a bogey save after his par putt on the tricky, fast 18th green ran a few feet past the cup. At that moment he believed he had finished second.
“I actually thought I lost, then my coach said, ‘Playoff.’ I was like, ‘Oh, all right.’ “
Said Morley of Bertoni’s bounce-back from the bogey: “That’s kind of him as a golfer. That sums it up right there. He’s just a resilient kid. When his back is against the wall, he seems to always do better. He’s been like that since he was young.”
Scoring Recap
Owen Corby of Pittsford Sutherland took third in the field of 99 players at 4-over 148 (74-74), Jackson Saroney of Jamesville-DeWitt was fourth at 150 (78-72) and Matt Carpentier of Pittsford Mendon followed an 82 with a 69 for Monday’s low round to place fifth at 151.
The No. 5 spot went to Carpentier based on USGA tiebreaker criteria over Lewiston-Porter’s Rocco Randazzo (74-77) and Bishop Kearney’s Danny Wehle (73-78). Wehle entered the day…
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