QUICK TIP Lane ’ s success came as a result of , as he put it , “ practicing with a purpose .”

“ Whether it means doing a drill , fine-tuning fundamentals or even playing a quick competitive game , it ’ s very important to be focused and just always working with the goal to get better ,” he said . “ I used to whack balls on the range for hours with little to no improvement , but I ’ ve recently learned how to be more effective and efficient with my practice time . It ’ s not about just working hard , it ’ s also about working smart .

“ An hour of focused practice can be way more beneficial than three hours of practice without direction or purpose .”

CHAMPIONSHIP MOMENT Lane put together one of the more dominating VSGA Amateur performances in the last decade , winning stroke-play medalist honors before going on a five-match run to the title . It ’ s easy to forget , though , that Lane was in serious trouble in his quarterfinal match against former Radford standout Conner Hayden .

Hayden held a 2-up lead on Lane through 13 holes before Lane made back-to-back birdies to square the match . Lane then made a par on No . 17 and halved the final hole to secure a 1-up victory .

“ At that point , I felt like it might just be my week ,” Lane said . “ But it was also hard to tell because of the way the bracket works , the matches only get tougher and more important as the tournament goes on .”

Indeed , the competition got fiercer after that quarterfinal victory . Lane had to knock out three-time VSGA Junior Match Play champion Mark Lawrence Jr . in the semifinals before taking out threetime VSGA Amateur finalist Ji Soo Park in the final match .

For now , at least , Lane looks like he ’ ll have a chance to defend his Amateur title . The event will be held at The Club at Creighton Farms in Aldie , not far from his home in Great Falls .

“ Right now , I ’ m planning to turn professional after the summer ends , shortly before Q-School begins ,” Lane said . “ I ’ m planning on doing one last summer of amateur golf before turning pro . It ’ s been a dream of mine since I was young to play professionally , so I ’ m pretty pumped for that next chapter .”

OFF THE COURSE Unsurprisingly , Lane loves competition , across the board and in any sport .

“ I enjoy watching sports but more importantly , playing them ,” he said . “ To me , there ’ s not much better than a competitive

2016 ACCOMPLISHMENTS

» Became the first player since Billy Hurley III to win both stroke-play medalist honors and the championship at the VSGA Amateur . Defeated Ji Soo Park 7 and 6 to win the 103rd VSGA Amateur at Pete Dye River Course of Virginia Tech .

» Won the Eastern Amateur at Elizabeth Manor Golf and Country Club a week after his VSGA Am title , claiming a four-shot victory over Ryan Douglass , Hayden Buckley and Jeg Coughlin . Lane shot four rounds in the 60s , including 65s in the first and final rounds .

» Shot 68 at Worthington Manor Golf Club in Urbana , Md ., to advance through qualifying for the U . S . Open .

» A senior at Virginia Tech , Lane led the Hokies in scoring with a 72.23 average during his junior season and advanced to the 2016 NCAA Franklin Regional as an individual .

» Improved his scoring average to 71.85 during fall 2016 , the first semester of his senior season .

pickup game of basketball or football . I think that playing other sports for fun is also a great way to keep your body working in different ways .”

PHOTOS BY CHRIS LANG