The victory capped four days of solid ball-striking and even more effective short game play for Crofton CC member Eure, 21, a University of Arkansas senior. On the first day, he earned the qualifying medal with a course-record tying 64. Professional Mark Alwin had set the standard in a U.S. Open qualifier some 35 years ago. By working through four rounds in two days to reach the final, then winning the historic title, he became the first medalist to collect the championship since Chuck Freedman, a Crofton CC member at the time, beat Pat Tallent in the 1994 final at Norbeck CC.

This time, Bosdosh, 20, a University of Maryland junior and the 2010 Amateur champion, recovered from the early blitz to get one back at the ninth, only to have his opponent go off on another run, charging into a 6-up lead after 20 holes. However, Bosdosh ended any hopes of a Eure runaway when he won four holes in the next eight to be only 2-down going to the last nine holes.

Eure came out of Nos. 10-11 in the afternoon -- what turned out to be the pivotal holes of the match -- with a win and a tie for 3 up. Bosdosh won 15, but Eure took care of any comeback hopes with a winning par at the 16th.

"I knew it wasn't going to be easy," Eure declared. "I've seen Sean get hot before and for that front nine he shot 31." Some of those occasions were in MSGA Junior championships when Eure became the only player to win three successive titles. He also won two State public high school titles. When he won his second one, in 2008, his South River High School coach, Bruce Bowen, said, "What separates Josh Eure from other golfers is his commitment to the game." It was true then and is true today and it provides the foundation for his success.

“Overall, I played pretty solid," the winner said. "I struck the ball well in the first couple of matches, not so well in others, but my short game saved me."

At the 509-yard 10th ( the Chartwell nines were switched for this event), Bosdosh appeared to be in command when he was 10 feet from the cup in three after a short pitch shot from the bank below the green. Eure, almost out of bounds on the right, got relief from a cart path and wound up over the green in three. With the hole cut back left, he chipped on and holed a short putt for par. From 10 feet, Bosdosh knocked his first putt past the hole, then missed the comebacker for a three-putt six.

At the 163-yard 11th, Bosdosh was on the green 22 feet from the hole. Eure drove into the high grass bordering the hole on the left, got a free drop (embedded ball) and got enough club under the ball to loft it onto the green where it stopped just in front of the his opponent’s ball. Bosdosh's birdie bid slid just below the cup and Eure, getting a good read on the line, ran his putt home for a half. Bosdosh stayed alive with a par-win at the 15th but it truned out to be his last gasp.

"[No.] 10 was a mental error. I just misjudged the speed," said Bosdosh, from Clarksburg and a Holly Hills CC member. "At 11, he made a great shot and a great putt." Two years ago, Bosdosh was able to sink the putts when he needed them in his march to the title. This time, he handled fairways (missed four in the morning, two in the afternoon) and greens (missed four in the morning, four in the afternoon), reasonably well, but the putts didn't drop.

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