Virginia Golfer Jul / Aug 2016 | Page 9

( ) compiled by CHRIS LANG VIRGINIA GOLFER A R O U N D T H E COMMON WEALTH » Virginia Golf & the folks that make it great N EWS & NOTES: 7 CLARK'S ROAR 8 CHAMPIONS CROWNED | 11 FARMINGTON'S FOURTH | 12 THE RULES Clark Helps Lions Roar To Title ST. LEO UNIVERSITY G riffin Clark, a VSGA member at the Country Club of Petersburg, was not the No. 1 player in St. Leo University’s lineup when the Lions faced Chico State in the NCAA Division II championship match in Denver in May. No matter. His score was just as important as the one posted by Hugo Bernard, who won the DII individual stroke-play championship. In fact, St. Leo’s national championship hopes ultimately rested on Clark, a redshirt sophomore who was the No. 4 player in the Lions’ five-man lineup. He defeated Kelley Sullivan to clinch the winning point in the Lions’ 3-2 win. vsga.org “Especially when you get to that stage at the end of the season, whoever has the best bottom of the lineup is usually the best team,” Clark said. “When you get into match play, every match counts. You’ve got to get all of the points you can.” Clark, a graduate of Thomas Dale High School in Richmond who spent time at John Tyler Community College before transferring to St. Leo in Florida, did well just to crack the Lions’ lineup this year. With 12 players on the roster, competition for playing time was fierce. He played 18 rounds in the spring, finishing with a 75.27 stroke average. He shot 1 under in his title-match round. “When I transferred in my first semester, I didn’t play in one tournament,” Clark said. “That kind of made me anxious to get back and work hard and get in the lineup. It is pretty hard. But it keeps you on your toes and it keeps your game sharp knowing you have to work for your spot every week.” Clark, who was set to participate in the 103rd VSGA Amateur Championship earlier this summer, said his biggest improvement this year came between the ears. “If this makes sense, it was learning how to play with more focus and understand that every shot matters and understanding the importance of grinding over every shot,” Clark said. “Before, I would lose focus easily and make careless mistakes. But I’ve worked hard on just the mental side of my game.” J U LY /A U G U ST 2 0 16 | V I R G I N I A G O L F E R 7