Berganio Wedges Out Publinks Title : Golf: Left behind off the tee, he hits it close often enough to score 2 and 1 victory in final.

When Dave Berganio started the USGA Amateur Public Links Championship, he had one thing on his mind--to win.

Berganio finished what he started, defeating Brandon Knight of Argyle, Tex., 2 and 1, in the championship round of match play at the Riverdale Dunes golf club.

The victory makes him the seventh golfer to capture the Public Links title more than once in its 68-year history. He also won in 1991.

“Coming into the week I told myself it was time to win again because I hadn’t won in a while,” Berganio said.

“I just started hitting the ball well--driving well, hitting the irons excellent and making some putts.

“First one’s always sweet because it’s like you’re breaking in. But there’s nothing wrong with stacking them up.”

In the 36-hole championship match, the Sylmar resident fired a round of three-under-par 68 in the morning and was one up after the first 18 holes.

Keying his success during the entire week was the play of his irons--and they never failed him.

“I can make that ball dance with those wedges,” Berganio said. “I’m just comfortable with that club in my hand.”

He won’t get any arguments from Knight. Playing his first tournament with a Big Bertha driver, Knight consistently drove long and straight, outdistancing Berganio off the tee most of the match.

But from the point of the drive to the bottom of the cup, Berganio ruled.

Not only did he hit 30 out of 35 greens, but on roughly half of those occasions he put himself 15 feet or closer to the pin--providing plenty of birdie opportunities.

Berganio eased out to a two-hole lead with a 15-foot birdie on the par-four, 379-yard No. 2 hole in the afternoon.

The two-hole margin was intact after 24 holes when Berganio caught fire. Three consecutive birdies threatened to end the match early on the back nine.

His 178-yard approach shot on the par-four seventh stopped four feet from the pin and he sank his putt for a birdie to start the spree.

His eight-iron drive on the par-three eighth landed 14 feet from the pin and his birdie putt opened a four-hole advantage.

Knight dropped his approach shot within 15 feet on the par-four, 475-yard No. 9, but Berganio answered by hitting another iron shot inside of Knight.

After Knight’s birdie putt slid past the hole, Berganio’s putt broke right to left, caught the lip of the hole, did a 360-degree circle around the cup and dropped.

His third consecutive birdie put him three under par on the front side of the afternoon round and gave him a five-hole cushion with nine remaining.

“He’s deadly any time he’s got those wedges in his hand,” Knight said. “Dave’s a quality player and he’s proved it.

“Both of us played pretty good this morning and then made some pars to start the second round and then he just put it into another gear.”

To his credit, Knight didn’t cave in. He took advantage of a pair of bogeys by Berganio and birdied at 15 to cut the lead to two with two holes left to play.

Berganio parred the 17th and Knight’s 20-foot putt for birdie stopped three inches short of the hole, ending the match.

Berganio, 24, has one last desire in the amateur ranks--to be selected to the Walker Cup team and represent the United States in international play.

“Anytime you represent your country it’s a big thing. Not everyone gets a chance to give back what (their country has) given them. A lot of people seem to take the things of this country for granted.

“I’d like to look back when I’m 50 or 60 and say I was a member of the Walker Cup and one of the better players of my day,” Berganio said.

The announcement of the team will come next month.

“He deserves to make the team,” said Notah Begay, who was defeated by Berganio in the semifinals. “He deserved it the first time he won this tournament. I hope he gets a spot.”