Berganio Gets to Final With Pitch ‘n’ Putt : U.S. Public Links: Sylmar resident rolls in a 35-footer to set up playoff victory in quarterfinals, then chips in for an eagle to take charge in semifinals.

Heading to the 17th green in his quarterfinal of match play at the United States Public Links Championships, Dave Berganio reached for something special that only a select group of golfers carry in their bags--his memory.

After sinking a 35-foot birdie putt to pull even with Jody Roudebush of Noblesville, Ind., Berganio rallied for a sudden-death victory Friday with a five-foot birdie putt on the second hole of their playoff to advance to the semifinals--where the former Alemany High standout eliminated Stanford junior Notah Begay, 4 and 2.

Berganio, of Sylmar, will face Brandon Knight of Argyle, Tex., in today’s 36-hole championship match at the Riverdale Dunes Golf Club.

After struggling through a sporadic round against Roudebush in the quarterfinals, the clutch putt on No. 17 was the turning point.

“I had a flashback to some of the putts I’ve made in more pressure situations than this,” said Berganio, a 1993 All-American at Arizona.

“I went back to the putt I made on the 16th hole of the NCAA Championships in 1992. There I made a 50-foot putt on a green with five turns on it.”

That putt helped lift Arizona to the team championship. But Friday’s putt puts Berganio in position to win his second Public Links Amateur title in three years. He won the tournament title in 1991.

“As soon as I hit it, I knew it was in--the speed and everything was just right,” Berganio said. “All tournament I haven’t had to hit a long putt because I’ve been hitting close (to the pin).”

After both players parred the 18th and the first hole of sudden death, Berganio spun his approach shot to within five feet. He sank the putt and moved on to Begay, who was fresh from tying the course record with a round of 64 in his quarterfinal.

But it was Berganio who was hot in the semifinals. Behind the stellar play of his irons and a 16-hole round that required only 25 putts, Berganio kept the pressure on Begay with his four-under round.

Through 13 holes, Begay nearly met the challenge, trailing by a hole. But on the 14th, Berganio all but closed the door on any comeback hopes in dramatic fashion.

After a 300-yard drive put him in prime birdie territory, Berganio watched Begay’s approach shot roll to within five feet of the hole for a potential birdie.

But Berganio broke the match open when his 75-foot chip toward the green caught the fringe, skipped onto the green and rolled into the hole for an eagle.

“I just picked out a spot and knew it had a chance of going by six inches either way,” Berganio said. “But I knew it had a chance to turn back toward the hole--and that’s exactly what it did.”

The eagle lifted him to a two-hole advantage with five to go, but more importantly it took the steam out of Begay’s pending charge.

“It was a big momentum swing at that point because I was kind of knocking at the door,” Begay said. “I was burning the edges on my putts and just waiting for something to fall.”

But when Berganio’s pitch fell, so did Begay’s chances. With Begay trailing by two with four holes to play and Berganio playing at the top of his game, Begay’s only hopes of getting back into the match were to hit two similar shots. But on the 15th, Begay three-putted from 110 feet for a bogey and Berganio got up and down for par from a similar distance to win the hole and take a three-hole advantage with three to play.

Berganio closed out the match on the par-five 16th with a delicate, downhill chip that stopped two feet from the hole to assure par while a misplayed chip put Begay in trouble. When his par putt came up short and needing to win the hole to stay alive, Begay conceded the match.

“His pitch on 14 was a great shot and he played solid all afternoon.” Begay said. “I don’t mind losing to someone someone hitting those kind of shots.”