Around The Commonwealth
LEFT: Hayden Miller leads George Mason University in
scoring average and several other categories.
BELOW: Caroline Curtis posted a 72.83 average for
the University of Alabama.
Highlanders. Curtis, DiNunzio and Dudley
are all past winners of the VSGA Junior
Girls’ Golfer of the Year award, and Turner
was a staple on VSGA rosters for invitation-
als against Maryland and the Carolinas.
FRESHMEN OF IMPACT: DiNunzio and
respective teams’ lineups. Miller, who
won the Virginia 4A title for Heritage High
School in Leesburg in 2018, leads George
Mason in scoring average, par-3 scoring
(3.04), par-4 scoring (4.08) and birdies
(42). He also has the fewest bogeys per
round (3.0) on the Patriots’ roster.
Jimmy Taylor, a Belle Haven CC mem-
ber whose strong summer included a semi-
final appearance at the VSGA Amateur and
a trip to the VSGA Junior Match Play final,
has become a regular in the William and
Mary lineup. Taylor finished the fall with a
73.87 scoring average in 15 rounds, includ-
ing a low round of 69. Funderburke has
seen regular action for Furman, recording
a 73.6 average in 12 rounds, and Connor
Creasy (Glenrochie CC) has played nine
rounds for SEC power Georgia, averaging
73.4 strokes per round.
college level. The Hermitage CC member
posted a 72.83 scoring average in 12 rounds
at SEC power Alabama, a big reason why
the Crimson Tide are 10th in the Golfstat
rankings after the fall season.
LOW ROUNDS: Curtis posted the best
round of any VSGA member in the fall, a
66. Virginia Tech’s Becca DiNunzio (VSGA
Junior Golf Circuit) recorded a 70, as did
James Madison’s Kendall Turner (Green-
brier CC). Radford’s Jayde Dudley (Hid-
den Valley CC) counts a 71 among her fall
rounds as she’s seen quick action for the
Dudley have quickly become key parts of
their respective teams’ lineups. So too has
Turner, who has posted a 74.3 scoring aver-
age in 12 rounds for the Dukes, including
two top-10 finishes in events. DiNunzio has
a 74.3 average in 11 rounds, and Dudley has
a 75.3 average in 12 rounds, including one
top-five finish.
TEAM REPORT: Virginia Tech cracked
the Top 25 of the final Golfstat rankings
of the fall, coming in at No. 22. Behind
the Hokies are Virginia at No. 43 and Old
Dominion—coached by VSGA member
and 2019 VSGA Women’s Amateur finalist
Mallory Hetzel—at No. 61.
TEAM REPORT: Per Golfstat, the top
ranked team in Virginia is Liberty, which
checks in at No. 33 in the latest national
rankings. James Madison comes in at
No. 49, followed by Virginia Tech (110),
Virginia (115), Old Dominion (120) and
VCU (124).
WOMEN’S GOLF
TOP SCORER: Caroline Curtis made her
mark in Virginia, twice earning stroke-play
medalist honors at the VSGA Women’s
Amateur and once advancing to the finals,
where she lost to Lauren Greenlief. It’s no
surprise she’d make a quick impact at the
vsga.org
J A N UA RY / F E B R UA RY 2 0 2 0 | V I R G I N I A G O L F E R
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