Burke wins second Long Drive title in three years with 394yd effort

By

Jason Crook

THACKERVILLE, Oklahoma – Under the bright lights of the World Long Drive Championship, one of the circuit’s biggest stars shined the brightest.
Tim Burke of Orlando, Florida, blasted a 394-yard piercing drive through an Oklahoma crosswind to top Jeremy Easterly and take home his second World Long Drive title belt in three years as his personal cheering section roared from the stands.
“I just wanted to make sure I put a good golf swing on it … and I hit it pretty good,” Burke said shortly after claiming his $150,000 first-place prize. “I got dedicated this year, got a little better golf swing, learned how to handle the pressure a little better and everything came together tonight.”
Burke, 29, wasted no time getting to the championship round, bombing drives of 401 and 403 yards on his first attempts in the quarterfinals and semis to roll past Justin Young and Will Hogue, respectively. Each time he asked his fans for help before, during and after his turn. And each time, they delivered.
“It’s awesome; they were at the first one, too. It’s the best, just having a little section, it makes me feel comfortable and able to let go,” Burke added.

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Easterly, for his part, said he was “speechless” just making it to the final. The 38-year-old beat out the only other two-time winner of this event in the field, superstar Jamie Sadlowski, in the semifinals.
After registering a 380-yard drive, Easterly watched as Sadlowski couldn’t manage to find the grid, hitting ball after ball out of bounds, even switching drivers halfway through his turn and frantically jumping off the stage to find a tee to hit his final ball before time ran out.
“It hurts a little bit when you beat yourself and not hit a good shot in, but that’s life,” Sadlowski said. “It’s hard. Maybe I took those first two world championships for granted, maybe I didn’t enjoy them enough to realize how hard this is. Falling short, it hurts.”
But in the end, Burke put an end to Easterly’s Cinderella run. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound fan favorite proved to be too much.
“He’s a great competitor, you’ve got to give him everything you got and it still may not be enough," said Easterly, who came up eight yards short in the final. 
“I hit a good ball, not a great ball, but he’s got a lot of horsepower and he can put a good number up.”
That number Easterly refers to may be something long drivers are chasing for a long time to come, because Burke is already looking ahead.
“I was definitely hungry to get No. 2 after last year. I just worked really hard this year. I feel blessed and I’m just going to keep it rolling,” Burke said while surrounded by friends and family on stage.
 “I’m in an elite club and I’d like to get Nos. 3, 4 and 5.”
So, rest of the long-drive world, consider this your official notice - this may only be the beginning of the Tim Burke Era.

Link to live scoring from the Hong Kong Open

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LU CLUBHOUSE LEADER WITH A 64

IN HONG KONG OPEN

Three years ago Lu Wei-chih feared he may never play golf again. On Thursday morning he fired an opening 64 to take the clubhouse lead at the UBS Hong Kong Open.
The 36 year old claimed his first Asian Tour victory in 2005 at the Mercuries Taiwan Masters but had to wait six years to claim another at the Yeangder Tournament Players Championship.
A tie for third at the Hero Indian Open followed and, when he claimed a second Mercuries Taiwan Masters crown just a month later, he sealed a ninth-placed finish on the Order of Merit.
2012 looked set to be his year but then disaster struck as a non-malignant tumour was found, forcing the father of two to undergo brain surgery and take nearly a year out of the game.
"After the surgery, for the first six months after the surgery, I pretty much gave up all my confidence and trust because I have no power and I didn't think I can play golf anymore," he said.
"So I had to rest over six months and then finally, I started playing a little bit of the Taiwan Tour. But for the next several months, I played in Taipei and the rest of Taiwan.
"If I played 18 holes, I can barely play until 14 or 15 and then the last three holes, I don't think I can even walk through all 18 holes. I just lost all my physical ability.
"Also, because of the surgery, my weight went up to 93 kilograms. I lost a lot of metabolism and lost a lot of power.
"But about a year after my surgery, I started talking to the Asian Tour and they gave me the opportunity to get back on the Tour and play some events. And finally, I started coming back mentally and physically."
The road back was still not smooth, however, with Lu having to limit his schedule due to fatigue.
"The doctor said after the surgery, there's no quick fix; no pill that can really make the recovery much quicker," he said. "It all depends on the exercise and nutrition, and it's going to take a long time to recover physically. I just have to be patient.
"For the last two years, because of my brain tumour surgery, I can only play two events and then have to rest. But this is my sixth week, so this is very much a challenge for me; the longest stretch since my surgery."
Lu has played eight events this season with his best finish a tie for 16th at that happy hunting ground of the Mercuries Taiwan Masters.
He has the chance to improve on that this week in Fanling and if he does, he will put much of the credit down to his medical staff and the support of his family.
"When I was playing every week two years ago, at that moment, I wasn't quite sure how much longer I would last," he said.
"It's all the support and encouragement from parents and my wife and especially from my kids. They keep supporting me, and I just have to tell myself that I want to be a real golfer again and compete on the Tour."
Lu is very much competing in Hong Kong so far and should he go on and win this week, it would be one of the stories of the season.