Becker’s Steve Whittaker claimed his first MPGA Mid-Public Links title at Riverwood National Golf Course in Otsego June 20-21. Just three days after the passing of his father-in-law, Whittaker scored a birdie on the final hole on the final day to beat Justin Burleson of Valleywood Golf Course by one stroke.

 

“It was an emotional day, it was hard,” a teary-eyed Whittaker said in a soft, shaky voice. “He was a very humble, gentle, loving and godly man and I would like to be like him. So this is a real meaningful thing to have won this weekend.”

 

Burleson and Whittaker battled throughout the weekend as Whittaker finished day one with a 69 while Burleson had a 70. Whittaker’s three birdies and just one bogey was par for the course as he finished the day at three-under.

 

Steve came out hot the final day, carding four birdies on the front nine to increase his lead to seven-under. However, a double bogey on the 14th trimmed Whittaker’s lead over Burleson to just one stroke as Burleson made a strong chargel. After a pressure-building bogey on 17th put him in a tie with one hole to go, Whittaker was hoping the championship wasn’t slipping through his fingers.

 

Whittaker has struggled over the last few years as his 62-year-old body has battled numerous debilitating injuries. He’s had a knee replaced, a rotator cuff rehabbed and a back surgically repaired. The one constant is his mind, which has stayed sharp and is almost equally as important to the game of golf as his swing and follow-through.

 

Jack Nicklaus once said, “Golf is 80% mental, 10% ability and 10% luck.”

 

If that’s the case, Whittaker leaned on the mental part of his game on the final hole as well as his physical play and pulled out the win when he birdied the final hole to capture the crown.

 

“I hit a lot of good irons today but I really didn’t putt that good,” he said. “I missed eight 10-footers. At my age you don’t get a lot of days where you are able to shoot at the flag every time. It comes and goes and the older you get, the more it goes.”

 

Whittaker won both the Twin Cities Senior Championship and Minnesota Senior Open in 2010 and successfully defended his title at the Minnesota Senior Open in 2011.

Then the injuries mounted, which caused Whittaker to be away from the game he so loves.

 

But his body healed and by 2013, he came charging back with six top-10 finishes, including a victory at the Minnesota Golf Association Senior Players’ Championship. Whittaker added four more top-10 finishes in 2014.

 

However, after the opening round of the Minnesota Senior Open at Island View earlier this month, Whittaker was told by his doctors that his knee needs to be replaced again.

 

But don’t count Whittaker out despite the physical setbacks. He’s still got his mind game and if he can somehow overcome the aches and pains his 62-year-old body keeps delivering, he’ll still be in the running for winning tournaments and making runs for titles.

 

Eighty percent of his game is still there.

 

Whittaker is the Becker High School girls golf coach and coached his team to a second place finish in the conference and a third place finish at sections.