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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