CHRIS LANG; USGA; LOGAN WHITTON
It’ s hard to believe, but a quarter of a century ago, the world’ s biggest concern was that the calendar changing from 1999 to 2000 would trigger the Y2K bug, leading to worldwide chaos across computer networks that would wreck systems for banks, hospitals, governments, and more.
Of course, Y2K turned out to be a total nothingburger, as they say. But it’ s a snapshot reminder of a different world. As we head into the next quarter of the 21 st century, it feels like a great moment to reflect on what the first 25 years of the century meant for golf in Virginia.
In no particular order, here are 25 things that defined golf in Virginia in the first quarter of the century.
Billy Hurley III
8
THE PLAYERS
It started in 2009, when 66-year-old Vinny Giles( 1) decided he wasn’ t done winning United States Golf Association championships. Giles nailed a downhill 18-foot birdie putt on the final hole at Beverly Country Club in Chicago to outlast John Grace 1 up and win the U. S. Senior Amateur title 37 years after he won the 1972 U. S. Amateur. He also won the 1975 British Amateur, making him the only American in history to win all three titles.“ I’ m done,” a giddy Giles said afterward.“ I’ ve done everything in golf I’ ve wanted to do.”
Three more Virginians followed with USGA titles. Pat Tallent( 2) won the 2014 U. S. Senior Amateur, defeating Bryan Norton 2 and 1 in the final. A year later, Lauren Greenlief( 3) became the first woman from Virginia to claim a USGA championship, winning the U. S. Women’ s Mid-Amateur mere weeks after turning 25 to become eligible for the championship. Evan Beck( 4) fulfilled a lifelong dream nine years later, finally breaking through to win the U. S. Mid-Amateur on home soil at Kinloch Golf Club a year after falling in the final to Mid-Am legend Stewart Hagestad.
Two others had impressive runs closer to home. In 2002, James Madison University’ s Jay Woodson( 5) won the first of two straight VSGA Amateurs. He added four State Open of Virginia titles in the 2010s and earned $ 100,000 for winning“ Big Break Mexico,” a Golf Channel reality show. In 2008, a plucky 17-year-old from Virginia Beach named Brinson Paolini( 6) won the first of three straight VSGA Amateur titles, including an incredible comeback victory over future PGA Tour member Lanto Griffin. He added a fourth title in 2013.
6
Brinson Paolini
5
Jay Woodson
7
Lanto Griffin vsga. org J ANUARY / F EBRUARY 2026 | V IRGINIA G OLFER
27