Around The Commonwealth
CHRIS LANG
GROW THE GAME AWARD: Ed Gill, PGA, who has been the VSGA Junior Golf Circuit’ s Richmond region coordinator for the last seven years. Gill, who is director of instruction at The Dominion Club, administers 15-20 JGC events per year. He was voted one of Golf Digest’ s Best Young Teachers and Best Young Teachers in Virginia in 2005. Gill is a tireless fundraiser who played 100 holes for two different organizations( Heritage Cares Foundation and Youth On Course). He also ran the New York City Marathon to raise money for the PGA Reach Foundation.
NAMED SCHOLARSHIPS The VSGA-VIP Scholarship Foundation announced the addition of three new named awards in 2026: The Linda A. DiVall Award, the Jake Allison Award, and the Ned Baber Award. The Benny Wang Trust Award, previously announced last June, will also debut this year.
“ Such awards are a vital part of our mission to enhance the educational opportunities for Virginia’ s youth with an interest in golf,” VSGA-VIP Scholarship Foundation President Joan Gardner said.“ While the annual revenue from VSGA-VIP cards is our bedrock, donations that establish major named awards ensure we will be able to acknowledge and support outstanding student golfers well into the future.”
The Linda A. DiVall Award will be the third $ 10,000 award offered by the foundation and will go to a deserving student
Linda DiVall, a six-time VSGA individual champion, will sponsor one of four new named VSGA-VIP
Scholarship Foundation awards in 2026.
with stellar academic performance who participates in VSGA events. DiVall is a six-time VSGA individual champion and has been on numerous winning Mount Vernon CC teams at the VSGA Women’ s State Team Matches.
The Jake Allison Award is a $ 7,500 scholarship to be awarded to an academically strong, active VSGA participant from southwest Virginia. Allison died unexpectedly in March at 61, shortly after beginning his first term on the VSGA Board of Directors. He was an accomplished player, past VSGA Four-Ball champion, and the first Academic All-American in Virginia Tech golf history.
The Ned Baber Award will be a $ 5,000 award given to a deserving student from southwest Virginia with an interest in golf. Baber, who died in 2024, was a past VSGA Amateur champion who helped form the Roanoke Valley Golf Hall of Fame.
BOWERS ENDS AFTER 50-YEAR RUN The Bobby Bowers Memorial Tournament was played for the 50th time last summer at Springfield Golf & Country Club. It proved to be a swan song for a junior golf event that produced a laundry list of great past champions.
In November, the event’ s board of directors announced the end of the tournament, which was named after Springfield’ s first head golf professional, who died in 1974 and was a heavy supporter of junior golf. The event produced a particularly strong roster of age 14-15 winners, including PGA Tour players Scott Marino, Smylie Kaufman, and Michael Brennan. Notable girls’ winners included Virginia Golf Hall of Famer Donna Andrews, Jenny Chuasiriporn, Kansas Gooden, Jenny Suh, Elizabeth Brightwell, Sky Sload, Julie Shin, and Melanie Walker.
RELAN EARNS NATIONAL RECOGNITION Bide-A-Wee Golf Course PGA Director of Golf Adam Relan was honored with the 2025 PGA of America Patriot Award at the association’ s annual meeting, held in
Texas in November. Relan was honored for his extensive work with PGA Helping Our Patriots Everywhere( HOPE).
“ Everybody that’ s been involved in PGA HOPE, all the professionals, everyone who’ s stepped up, we all get more out of it than what we ever intended,” Relan said.“ I can’ t put it into words, it’ s the best program the PGA of America has. You spend one hour at a HOPE program and it will change you. It’ s my way to give back to our veterans. When I couldn’ t serve like my father, my grandfather and my nephew, PGA HOPE has become my way to give back.”
GLOBAL GOLF POST ALL-AMATEUR TEAMS Four VSGA members earned recognition on Global Golf Post’ s annual All-Amateur teams.
Princess Anne CC’ s Evan Beck, the 2024 U. S. Mid-Amateur champion, earned firstteam Men’ s Mid-Amateur recognition. Beck advanced to the semifinals of the 2025 U. S. Mid-Am, and along with Dan Walters, reached the final match at the 2025 U. S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship.
International CC’ s Lauren Greenlief was a first-team Women’ s Mid-Amateur pick. Greenlief, the 2015 U. S. Women’ s Mid-Amateur champion, won The Farrell and advanced to the round of 64 at the 2025 U. S. Women’ s Mid-Amateur. She also won the VSGA Women’ s Mid-Amateur and was fifth at the Women’ s Open of Virginia.
In addition, two players were honorable mention picks: Jessica Spicer( Williamsburg GC, women’ s mid-amateur) and Amy Ellertson( Farmington CC, senior women’ s).
Lauren Greenlief earned first-team Global Golf Post
All-Amateur honors( Women’ s
Mid-Amateur).
vsga. org J ANUARY / F EBRUARY 2026 | V IRGINIA G OLFER 7