A Major Achievement: Ex-Minor-Leaguer Cromer Set for Second U.S. Senior Open

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For Burke Cromer, the ultimate goal was to pitch in one of baseball’s cathedrals, places like Fenway Park, Wrigley Field and Yankee Stadium. Instead, the 56-year-old from Columbia, S.C., is competing on a different type of hallowed ground.

This week, Cromer, the head professional at Mid Carolina Club, in Prosperity, S.C., will tee it up in the 46th U.S. Senior Open at historic Scioto Country Club, 100 years after the Donald Ross design hosted the U.S. Open won by Bob Jones, and the place where 18-time major champion Jack Nicklaus honed his talent. A year ago, Cromer missed the cut at The Broadmoor, in Colorado Springs, Colo., like Scioto a three-time U.S. Senior Open site.

He isn’t the first ex-ball player to compete in this championship. Hall of Famer John Smoltz qualified in 2018, Erik Hanson played in 2015, and Rick Rhoden qualified four times.

But none came from a baseball family mirroring the Cromer clan. Few families can claim four or more siblings playing professionally, especially at the same time. Matty, Felipe and Jesus Alou all made the big leagues, as did Joe, Dom and Vince DiMaggio; Bengie, Jose and Yadier Molina; and Ken, Clete and Cloyd Boyer.

For a brief moment, all four Cromer brothers were in the minors.

Older brother, Tripp, spent seven seasons in the big leagues with the St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Dodgers and Houston Astros, while younger sibling, D.T., one year his junior, had a short stint with the Cincinnati Reds after being taken in the 11th round by the Oakland Athletics. A left-handed first baseman, he got stuck behind Mark McGwire with the A’s and later Sean Casey in Cincinnati and was out of baseball in 2003 after a two-year stint in Japan.

And the youngest Cromer brother, Brandon, was the No. 23 overall pick of the Toronto Blue Jays, who reached the Triple-A level before eyesight issues ended his career. 

Even their father, Roy, got to Triple A with the Cardinals, but homesickness brought him back to South Carolina, where he became a successful coach at Lake City High School.

So, who was the best Cromer brother? Burke, having been asked this question many times, smiled before saying Tripp because, “he played seven seasons in the majors.” The backup infielder hit 12 homers and drove in 48 over his career.

While Roy never pushed his kids to the sport, they all gravitated to the diamond as well as the gridiron, hardwood, and in Burke’s case, the tennis court. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, Burke competed for the tennis team. Tuesdays and Thursdays were reserved for baseball games. He recalled one day as a senior at Lexington High running in his baseball uniform from practice to the tennis courts for a match.

Baseball, however, landed him a scholarship to the University of South Carolina, where he played his freshman season with Tripp and the final three years with D.T.

After being a first-round pick, Brandon went straight from high school to the minors.

The Pittsburgh Pirates drafted Burke out of high school in the 65th round, but Burke opted for college; he later signed with the Atlanta Braves as an undrafted free agent after completing his eligibility in 1992.

A shortstop/third baseman by trade, the Braves converted him to a pitcher, where his fastball topped at 94 mph. Except a shoulder injury eventually led to him retiring in 1993 after posting a career 4-5 record with a 4.57 ERA. In 84.2 innings, he fanned 62 over 38 games, including eight starts. Cromer would start a game throwing in the low-90s and by the fourth inning, he could barely top 70 on the radar gun.

“I remember going to spring training with the Braves [in 1993] and they put all the minor-league guys on one field,” said Cromer, whose roommate was ex-Florida State standout Chris Brock, who pitched for six seasons in the big-leagues for four different franchises. “There were 400 or 500 of us out there. Take a look around. Four of five of y’all are going to make it to the big leagues.”

As for golf, Cromer basically fell into the profession during a crossroads. Out of baseball at 26 and needing a job, he contacted his parents who had moved to Murrells Inlet near Myrtle Beach. They knew a friend who operated Sea Gull Golf Course (now The Founders Club at Pawleys Island) who got him a job working in the cart barn.

Six months later, a friend, Roddy Guest, who played collegiately at Coastal Carolina, invited him to attend a Player Ability Test, a requirement for all future PGA of America professionals to pass. Using a makeshift set of clubs that included a 4-degree TaylorMade driver with a dent on top, Cromer passed, leading to a career in the game.

Cromer, the head professional at Mid Carolina Club, in Prosperity, S.C., the past four years recently received his 25-year PGA Class A certificate.

During that time, he managed to Monday qualify for the 2002 Greater Greensboro Open (now Wyndham Championship) on the PGA Tour, nine Korn Ferry Tour events and “six to seven” PGA Professional Championships.

Now he’ll compete in his second consecutive U.S. Senior Open, both times getting into the field as the first alternate from his final qualifying site. This year, he survived a five-man playoff at Treyburn Country Club, in Durham, N.C., to earn first-alternate status. Three of the players he bested – Matthew Goggin, Jason Widener and Bradley Hughes – played on the PGA Tour.

He’s just hoping this year’s experience at Scioto goes a little smoother than The Broadmoor. The weekend before he was to leave for Colorado, his club had its big member-guest event, where he put in three consecutive 15-hour shifts. Then his flight to Colorado Springs that Monday was canceled, forcing him to divert to Denver, landing at 2:30 a.m. To make matters worse, his Tuesday practice round was canceled due to inclement weather. Needless to say, he shot 82-73 to miss the cut.

“Before I even knew it, I was like seven or eight over,” he said. “It was a good experience.”

While Mid Carolina has been closed for an extensive renovation, Cromer has barely found the time to play. Counting his two Senior Open qualifiers, he’s played four rounds in the last four months. Last Friday, he and an assistant were picking the driving range, and on Monday, Cromer was hitting balls next to the stars of the PGA Tour Champions.

That’s quite a transition.

But this time around, Cromer won’t be in awe of the assembled field. Having been around big-league clubhouses, he never got starstruck by guys like Ozzie Smith, whom his brother backed up in St. Louis. He certainly won’t be bothered by the oppressive heat expected to his central Ohio this week. The weather is plenty stifling this time of year in South Carolina.

“I know what to expect,” Cromer said. “Seeing these guys that I have watched on TV … don’t mean anything to me. I’m not in awe. I respect them. They are all awesome players. I have played with [South Carolinians] Kyle Thompson, Dustin Johnson and Tommy ‘Two Gloves’ Gainey (in the field). I’m not trying to embarrass myself.”

Hopefully, his golf fastball will be on full display.

David Shefter is a senior staff writer at the USGA. Email him at dshefter@usga.org.