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Opening Drive
YOU MAY HAVE NOTICED THIS EDITION OF VIRGINIA GOLFER IS A
LITTLE BULKIER THAN MOST. As we move into 2019, we’re introducing a big
change to our printed product, namely folding the VSGA Member Club Directory
into the January-February “Planning Guide” issue of the magazine.
Listings for all of the VSGA’s green-grass facilities can be found in the back of this
issue, and as always, you can find more detailed information about a club—including
key personnel and handy maps—online at our revamped website, VSGA.org.
So what are we looking forward to in the
new year? Just a few things:
• The new Rules of Golf are now the only
“The new PGA
Rules of Golf, and the VSGA has you
Tour schedule
covered with Rules seminars throughout
debuts, with a
the spring to get you ready to take advan-
tage of everything the new Rules have to
‘major a month’
offer. Is your club interested in setting
approach that should
up a 90-minute nighttime Rules session
keep enthusiasts
with a VSGA staffer? Contact VSGA
headquarters for more information.
engaged throughout
• The World Handicap System is set to
the summer.”
debut in 2020, and toward the end of the
year in Virginia Golfer, VSGA director of
handicapping Michael Walder will help
you learn everything you need to know
about the changes.
• Better weather? We can only hope.
• More new faces? In 2018, the VSGA crowned 13 first-time winners in various men’s,
women’s and junior championships.
• The new PGA Tour schedule debuts, with a “major a month” approach that should
keep enthusiasts engaged throughout the summer.
• Another first-time men’s major winner? Since 2007, every year save for one (2014) has
produced a first-time major champion, including Patrick Reed and Francesco Moli-
nari in 2018. My choices for a breakthrough in 2019: Jon Rahm or Tommy Fleetwood.
• In each of the last four years, an American woman has won exactly one major
championship. Will the trend continue in 2019? Give me Jessica Korda, the world’s
14th-ranked player, to snag major hardware.
We hope you enjoy this Planning Guide—in which you’ll find tips on honing your
swing, your fitness and your family golf vacation itinerary—and that 2019 will be
your best yet on the golf course.
News & Notes
KINGSMILL EVENT GAINS NEW
TITLE SPONSOR
After years of uncertainty regarding the
future of the LPGA at Williamsburg ’s
Kingsmill Resort, a new title sponsor will
ensure the event remains at the River
Course through at least 2021.
Pure Silk is the sponsor of the newly
renamed Pure Silk Championship, with
the 2019 edition of the event coming May
20-26.
“Pure Silk brings to the table energy
that we are sure will elevate the player
and fan experience,” Kingsmill CEO John
Hilker said. “Their sincere commitment
to service and quality goes hand-in-hand
with our core values—it just makes sense.”
The event has routinely produced win-
ners who are some of the biggest names
in women’s golf, including 2016 and 2018
champion Ariya Jutanugarn, 2017 cham-
pion Lexi Thompson and past winners
like Karrie Webb, Annika Sorenstam and
Se Ri Pak and Cristie Kerr.
COUGHLIN EARNS 2019
LPGA CARD
Lauren Coughlin, a two-time VSGA
Women’s Amateur champion, survived a
grueling eight-round stretch in Novem-
ber to earn her LPGA Tour Card for the
second straight year. Coughlin was one
of 48 players to advance from the LPGA
Q-Series, held at Pinehurst Resort in
North Carolina. Coughlin finished at
9-over-par 585 to tie for 39th, just two
shots clear of the cut line. Coughlin
earned $12,625 as a rookie in 2018, her
best finish a tie for 50th at the Kingsmill
Championship.
The top 45 players and ties earned
2019 cards. Jeongeun Lee6 was the med-
alist after posting an 18-under 558.
Chris Lang, Editor
6
V I R G I N I A G O L F E R | J A N UA R Y / F E B R UA R Y 2 0 1 9
vsga.org
New Year,
Big Changes