Wake up at 6 a.m. Drive to the Lake Bluff Golf Club. Play nine holes. Arrive at school by 8:15 a.m.
Repeat the next day.
That’s life for Lake Forest junior Tadgh Burke.
It’s a grind. Why do it?
“I ask myself that all the time,” Burke said. “I just love to play. I’m obsessed with golf. I’ll play whenever I can.”
Burke’s dedication to the sport no doubt was a factor when he finished second in the Class 3A state meet in Bloomington in October. But golf isn’t his only sport.
“We knew he was good,” said Lake Forest baseball coach Ray Del Fava, who also is an assistant for the golf team. “But his composure and competitiveness showed so much growth and maturity. I knew he’d carry that into the spring.”
Indeed, once spring rolled around, Burke’s dominance stretched to the diamond. In his first full varsity season, Burke has evolved into Lake Forest’s most reliable pitcher. The right-hander is 4-1 with a 1.97 ERA in 32 innings for the Scouts (12-6). He has struck out 43 and walked just 12.
“His willingness to take on more responsibility as a leader of the team is impressive,” Del Fava said. “He’s established himself as the ace of our staff while also being the best player on one of the best golf teams in the state, and that’s not an easy thing to do as a junior. He’s done it with ease.”
Burke’s path to two-sport stardom began when he started playing baseball as an 8-year-old. He met Del Fava two years later as Burke’s older brother, Scott Frevert, helped the Lake Forest boys golf team win three straight regional titles and finish as high as second in the state.
“I would go to all of his tournaments and watch my brother play,” Burke said. “That made me interested in golf. After seeing him be successful, that made me want to do it, so my dad would take me out to the course.”
By his sophomore season, Burke realized he wasn’t just enjoying golf. He had elite potential. It struck him on a trip to Florida during winter break.
“We were visiting my grandpa,” he said. “I remember I played well that entire trip. The practice was really starting to pay off.”
Last fall, Burke expected to do well but not necessarily come so close to winning a state championship. He and New Trier’s Johnny Creamean both finished the two-round tournament at 2-over-par 146, and then Creamean won a one-hole playoff.
“My goal was a top-five or top-10 finish,” Burke said. “I was really consistent. I believed I could play that well.”
Burke credits his success to a mature, loose mindset. That’s his modus operandi on the links, at least. On the mound, however, his fire flares.
“When we play golf, he’s more chill,” Lake Forest senior third baseman Sheppard Graf said. “But in baseball, he’s a competitor. He gets angry during games. If he walks a guy or two, he gets fired up. It shows that he wants to compete and wants to win.”
Burke is self-aware.
“Yeah, I don’t like when people get hits off of me,” he said. “But I regain my composure and throw good pitches.”
Burke’s fastball tops out around 85 mph, and he especially prides himself on his curveball, which regularly deceives hitters. His curve clicked on April 18, when he struck out 13 in just six innings against Zion-Benton.
High standards have spurred Burke to his breakout season.
“He does not accept mediocrity,” Del Fava said. “He’s his own harshest critic, and he’s able to make adjustments on the fly, whether it’s on the golf course or on the mound.”
Sam Brief is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.
