Burden out to break one of Hampshire Golf’s longest held records at home Hayling course

The Hayling member can become the first player to successfully defend the Sloane-Stanley Challenge Cup - if he can qualify as one of the top four players on his home course on Friday - in nearly 40 years.

Instead of the normal 16 qualifiers, just four will head into the matchplay knockout on Saturday, with the semi-finals being played on the seaside links first thing, with an 18-hole final after lunch.

And, even more enticingly, is the fact that is 100 years since the silver trophy was first awarded to the champion.

Former Hampshire, Isle of Wight and Channel Islands Golf Union president Major Roger Sloane-Stanley, whose family owned Bay House in Gosport, the Paultons Park estate in

the New Forest and a large part of Chelsea, presented the trophy to the Hampshire, IoW & CI Golf Union.

Burden finally got his hands on Hampshire’s blue riband trophy more than 12 months ago at Army GC, beating outgoing Hampshire captain Colin Roope, from Blackmoor, with an awesome display of ball-striking.

Since then Burden, now 33, has got married and is due to become a father in the next few weeks.

But unlike former World No. 1 Rory McIlroy, who has been keeping mum about becoming a dad for the first time – leaving pundits to blame his poor post-lockdown PGA Tour form on looming fatherhood – Burden is brimming with joy.

The senior recruitment consultant, who works for Randstad at Whiteley, said: ‘It’s been hectic to say the least since lockdown ended.

‘After getting married, we had an extension put on the house. So juggling that, the pandemic, work, golf and my wife expecting our first child, I can say I’m a little tired!

‘But it’s all good fun. I have had a three-week build up to the county championship – working on my game with time out on the course and practising.

‘I have to allow my practice to build slowly to allow my neck to hold up and be strong enough,’ explained Burden, whose four years on the PGA EuroPro Tour were hampered by injury.

He added: ‘I still get problems. So I need to make sure anything I do doesn’t put to much pressure on my back or neck, so I can do what I need to.’

A second county win would equal Hayling’s European Tour member Matt Blackey’s record after his two victories in 1993 and 1996.

Hayling’s late England Amateur Champion Ian Patey has a total of five victories – the second highest of all-time, including four in a row from 1934-8. Two other club members have two each – J Duncan (1895/6) and S Cole (1951/2), both winning back-to-back, which could be a very good omen for Burden.