Virginia Golfer Jul / Aug 2020 | Page 8

at c ( ) Opening Drive Return of Competitions Sparks Excitement by CHRIS LANG Back in Business. It’s a snappy, catchy cover line that captured the feeling around VSGA headquarters—well, the virtual VSGA HQ set up on Microsoft Teams, anyway—as we began to creep closer to June 29, the date on which we resumed championships and events. We do a lot here at the VSGA, but there’s no denying that conducting championships and events for men, women and juniors of all skill levels around Virginia is among the most satisfying aspects of our jobs. We’ve missed you, and we’re thrilled to be back on the golf course providing competitive opportunities for players. Back in business should not be confused with back to normal, however. It’s clear that it will be some time yet before the coronavirus pandemic that has gripped the world will allow for a true “back to normal” experience in many aspects of daily life. The same goes for golf tournaments, and you’ll notice several changes at our competitions that reflect the continuing effort to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Social distancing, digital scoring, and masks represent some of that new normal. For more information on what to expect at an event, please visit vsga.org/play/vsga-covid-19-safety-measures for the full details on these expanded measures. We’re fortunate that our three biggest events—the VSGA Amateur, Delta Dental State Open of Virginia and VSGA Women’s Amateur—will be played in 2020, though with some changes in qualifying for the Amateur and State Open. Though the field sizes will be smaller at the Amateur and State Open, we were excited to be able to give amateurs opportunities to qualify for each event. With the State Open finishing a seven-year run at Ballyhack and the Amateur visiting picturesque River Bend Club, we expect plenty of storylines and rugged competition to emerge. One bit of bad news, however, came out on the competitions side as the USGA canceled the 2020 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship, scheduled for September at Kinloch Golf Club and Independence Golf Club in the Richmond area. Given the field size (256 players) and the difficulty of contesting nationwide qualifying, the decision was understandable, and it wasn’t limited to that event. The two U.S. Opens and two U.S. Amateurs were the only championships salvaged from the original 2020 calendar. It’s unfortunate that these two great clubs will lose an opportunity to be showcased on the national stage. Also in this issue: • Ever wonder how tournament and club officials determine when to call players off the course for lightning? Arthur Utley has the scoop. • Liz Cooper’s excellent work at Springfield Golf & Country Club afforded her an opportunity to spread her grow-the-game mission to a national level with the LPGA Amateur Golf Association. Lisa D. Mickey profiles Cooper inside. • Read about Heronwood, the northern Virginia course you never knew you wanted to play, probably because you didn’t know it existed. Leonard Shapiro tells that story. Chris Lang, Editor Contact me: [email protected] News & Notes Compiled by CHRIS LANG 107 TH VSGA AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP Site: River Bend Club Dates: Aug. 2-7 With expanded exemptions and reduced qualifying, the VSGA Amateur—moved from its original late-June date—will have a different look in 2020. But the 96-player field figures to be as strong as any in recent memory. The two participants in last year’s stirring 36-hole final at Keswick Golf Club— Michael Brennan and Christopher Zhang— will participate at River Bend before each begins his respective college career, Brennan at Wake Forest and Zhang at Northwestern University. The field features past champions in Brennan, Mark Lawrence Jr. and Scott Shingler. The last time this event was held in northern Virginia at Creighton Farms, Lawrence shook off a 10 in the second round of stroke-play qualifying, snuck into the match-play field through a playoff, defeated the medalist Brennan in the first round and ran all the way to the title. There are plenty of other storylines to watch at River Bend. Can Peter Gasperini, who advanced to the semifinals of the last two VSGA Amateurs, break through for a trip to the championship match? Gasperini recently transferred from Radford to VCU for his final season of eligibility after the NCAA granted participation waivers for spring sports athletes affected by the pandemic. Will another from the 25-and-over set emerge to join 2018 champion Trey Smith and Shingler (2011) as recent mid-amateur winners of the event? Candidates include John Rosenstock, Tyler Gulliksen, Dustin Groves and Jimmy Delp. The club itself should be a star of this show. River Bend hosted the VSGA Four- Ball Championship in 2016, an event won by Kyle Bailey and Harold Dill. Both are in the field this year. Will good memories and course knowledge translate into another run? 95 TH VSGA WOMEN’S AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP Site: Roanoke Country Club Dates: July 14-16 6 V IRGINIA G OLFER | J ULY/A UGUST 2020 vsga.org