While many players at the CIMB Classic are remaining in Asia for one of the next two PGA Tour events, Bronson Burgoon is heading home.
Burgoon took the opening-round lead at TPC Kuala Lumpur, and a closing 68 left him at 21 under for the week. While that wasn’t enough to catch Marc Leishman, it still left Burgoon in a three-way tie for second alongside Emiliano Grillo and Chesson Hadley that matches his career-best finish on Tour.
While Burgoon will leave Malaysia with a palatable result, he still offered a candid take on what exactly held him back from getting closer than five shots of the winner.
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“I played a lot better than what I shot today. I don’t know what happened in my putting, but it was really bad. I mean, it was really, really bad,” Burgoon said. “Today was by far the best ball-striking day, without question. Until the last hole, honestly, I felt like I had zero drama and I just couldn’t make an 8-foot putt.”
The 31-year-old has struggled to find his footing in recent years as a pro, but he’s coming off the best season of his career that included a runner-up finish at the John Deere Classic. Having gotten his new season off to a nearly ideal start, he told reporters he’s equally excited to head back home to be with his wife, Kelly, who is due to give birth to the couple’s first child in early December.
“Honestly, I think it will be good for me. Golf’s finally starting to take its place in my life,” Burgoon said. “It was really hard to find its place. I made it everything, and now it’s starting to take a backseat to a couple different things and I’m starting to play a lot better.”
