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Evergreen Country Club in Haymarket will host the 2021 VSGA Women ’ s Amateur Championship in early July . Tatum Walsh , an 18-year-old who will join the James Madison University golf team this fall and who was part of a major youth movement at last year ’ s Women ’ s Amateur , will attempt to defend her title against a very strong field of competitors in the 96th playing of this historic championship . Located in western Prince William County at the foot of Bull Run Mountain , Evergreen was constructed on land that was formerly a 600-acre farm that features rolling terrain , numerous ponds ( water comes into play on six holes ) as well as dense woodlands that create a beautiful landscape for this superb course . Opened in 1968 , Evergreen was laid out by Algie Pulley and his outstanding design will surely test the state ’ s finest golfers and ensure a deserving champion is crowned for this prestigious championship .
Evergreen has a first-rate set of short holes and certainly one of the best is the picturesque par-3 third hole . Played across a placid pond to a shallow , kidney-shaped green , the third is beautifully framed by
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mature , hardwood trees . Featuring play from numerous sets of tees that provide for two distinct angles of approach , the tee shot demands precise club selection and distance control to clear the fronting water and avoid the large , rear-guarding bunker . Errant shots to the left of the green can also find a small creek that feeds the pond .
The third is certainly a challenging hole — particularly when the pin is on the left side of the green — and it is especially dangerous in qualifying when a large number can easily ruin a player ’ s chances of advancing to the championship flight of match play . A significant false front will repel balls off the putting surface — occasionally even back into the water — and any recovery shot from the back bunker to the shallow green with water lurking on the other side is a dicey proposition . The demanding third is a hole where par is always an excellent score and a good reason for golfers to take a long , thankful breath as they make their way to the fourth tee .
Evergreen County Club is a long-time , fervent supporter of golf in the Commonwealth . Over the years , the club has been the site for numerous events including the VPGA Open and Four-Ball Championship and more recently , the Women ’ s
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Black : 169 yards
Blue : 151 yards
PAR 3 YARDAGES
White / Green : 132 yards
Red / Gold : 91 yards
State Team Matches and the Junior Girls ’ Championship . Apart from its ardent support of the VSGA , Evergreen annually plays host to the Dave King Senior Invitational , one of the premier senior tournaments in the country , as well as the club ’ s signature event , the Evergreen Autumn Invitational . Evergreen will be an outstanding venue for the state ’ s elite golfers in the Women ’ s Amateur .
A five-time VSGA Player of the Year , David Partridge was elected to the Virginia Golf Hall of Fame in 2020 . He lives in the Richmond area and works as a mortgage banker .
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