The next few days for Robert Burridge are going to be a whirlwind.

It’s going to start with him celebrating his individual title at the College Disc Golf National Championship and then finishing up the week in Marion, North Carolina with his teammates.

Robert Burridge celebrates his win with his Michigan teammates. Photo: Conrad Meyer / PDGA

Then, for a few days, he’s going back to being a normal college student giving a presentation and taking an exam. After that wraps, he’s back to disc golf.

Burridge, the 2021 United States Amateur Disc Golf Champion, closed out the 2022 CDGNC strong, claiming the Division I singles title by a single stroke on Friday at North Cove Disc Golf Club.

“I’m going to celebrate and rest up before our final team round then on Sunday, I drive back to Ann Arbor,” Burrdige said. “Monday, I have a presentation and a few classes. Tuesday, I have an exam and then I’m leaving for the 12-hour drive to Appling, Georgia for the Champions Cup.

“It’s going to be a long week.”

Full Coverage of the 2022 College Disc Golf National Championship »

Burridge won the United States Amateur Disc Golf Championship in 2021. Photo: Conrad Meyer / PDGA

Juggling schoolwork and sports is a crucial part of college athletics and that’s the case throughout the record field at the 2022 CDGBC, the largest field by far in the history of the event.

That made Burridge’s return and subsequent win at this PDGA Major that much more special.

“I took an exam online here on Tuesday,” he said. “It’s been hard juggling everything, but it’s fun and we’re all doing that because everyone here is in college, everyone is the same age. It’s been a great week of making friendships with people that you’ll see in the future. It’s an important part of this experience to be able to juggle everything.”

On Friday, Burridge had to manage a competitive field of 216 players and battle to the finish for the win. He returned after a sixth-place finish in 2021.

“It was pretty nervy because I know this course is pretty easy to go under pretty far or not under,” he said of the Boulders course. “I had a couple of lapses in judgement yesterday and cleaned it up today. It’s been a while since I’ve won something this big, so it feels good.

“I didn’t change my game plan much – it was more execution this year. It was more risk-reward this year and I laid up a lot more than I did last year. I think that is what ultimately got me here, got me this win, by growing as player.”

Evan Cole finished second at the 2022 CDGNC. Photo Conrad Meyer / PDGA

Burridge, representing Michigan, was one stroke back entering the finals and the race between him, Evan Cole, of Rochester Institute of Technology, and Illinois State’s Collin Thompson was tight until the finish.

That’s when Burridge surged, going six down in six-hole stretch on the back nine, highlighted by an eagle on the 611-foot, Par 4 hole 16. Burridge’s lay up on 17 came a bit short, but he drilled the birdie putt staring down the hazard. On 18, with a two-stroke lead, he laid up again and tapped in as a champion.

“There’s a lot of competition,” he said. “Just the number of people here was definitely a factor in how much you have to focus because someone was going to shoot hot and as much as you want to be that person, just doing the best you can is the important part.

“It means a lot. I haven’t played up to how I felt I could in the past few events this year since Am Worlds which hasn’t felt great. Getting out here, shooting well and consistent two days in a row was definitely on my mind. I wanted to come out here and show what I can do. This is something I want to do for a long time so being able to get the big tournaments is important to me.”

Up next is a big tournament, the first PDGA Pro Major of the year at the inaugural Champions Cup, which begins Thursday at W.R. Jackson at the International Disc Golf Center. Burridge earned his invite as the reigning U.S. Amateur champion.

“It’s going to be fun,” he said. “That’s going to be the first time that I play with the top players in our sport. I’ve played with some great pros before, but being an almost invite-only event and having my name on that list is going to be a lot of fun and a new experience for me.”

He’s just got to pass an exam first.