Around The Commonwealth
REILLY WINS 40th SCOTT ROBERTSON MEMORIAL Over the last 40 years , the Scott Robertson Memorial has grown from humble roots as a local championship to one with major national recognition . It features one of the strongest junior fields in the country and is a top-level AJGA event — and the list of past champions reflects that rise .
Past winners Hunter Mahan , Kevin Na , Webb Simpson and Austin Eckroat have all spent time on the PGA Tour . Another past winner , Stewart Hagestad , is a three-time U . S . Mid-Amateur champion . The list of girls ’ past winners includes standouts like Miriam Nagl , Aree Song , Paula Creamer , Jessica Korda , Moriya Jutanagarn , Brooke Henderson and Megha Ganne .
In recent years , elite Virginians have topped the leaderboard . Connor Johnson became the first Virginia player in 26 years to win the event when he claimed the title in 2018 . A year later , Michael Brennan made back-to-back wins for VSGA members . Now Logan Reilly , a member at Loudoun Golf & Country Club , can add his name to the list .
In mid-May , Reilly posted a 7-under three-day total of 68-69-69 — 206 to win by one stroke over fellow Virginian Michael Lee . Five Virginians finished inside the top 10 in 2024 . Jake Albert tied for sixth , Xander Goboy tied for eighth and Nate Faulkner tied for 10th .
“ It was definitely a big win ,” Reilly said . “ A lot of good players have won it , and to kind of follow in their footsteps gives me a lot of confidence heading into the summer .”
The Robertson is an annual 54-hole stroke play event held in memory of Scott Robertson , a promising young Roanoke Country Club golfer . Scott , a 14-year-old ninth grader at North Cross School , was a top student and sports enthusiast who had won his age division in several junior golf tournaments . Scott died of infectious mononucleosis in the summer of 1982 , and the tournament began in his honor in 1984 . The first winners were Bassett ’ s Clint Wade ( overall ) and Roanoke ’ s Vickie Linkous ( girls ).
Hagestad , who grew up in California and was headed to Hilton Head to play academy golf when he won the Robertson in 2009 , has fond memories of Roanoke Country Club , which is celebrating its 125th anniversary in 2024 .
“ I had heard such good things about the event for the longest time ,” Hagestad said . “ They ran a great event , and I really liked the golf course . It was really cool , it was great . … I remember I was hitting it well and rolling it good all week , it was just one of those kinds of weeks where it all came together .”
SENGUL QUALIFIES FOR U . S . ADAPTIVE OPEN Cassandra Sengul , a member at Dominion Valley Country Club , will become the third Virginian to compete in the U . S . Adaptive
Cassandra Sengul
Open . She qualified in late April at Haworth Country Club in New Jersey and will compete in the women ’ s neurological impairment division . The 2024 U . S . Adaptive Open will be played at Sand Creek Station in Newton , Kan ., from July 8-10 .
“ I am happy to represent the young girl golfer ,” Sengul told the Metropolitan Golf Association after qualifying . “ I get to experience something I have never done before and I am stoked about it . I have a lot of practicing to do before I get to Kansas , but I have some time to make sure everything is dialed in .”
Sengul is a graduate of Gainesville High School and will play college golf at Drew University in New Jersey . Grace Anne Braxton and Judi Brush were the first two Virginians to participate in the U . S . Adaptive Open .
JUNIOR SOLHEIM CUP COMES TO VIRGINIA Before the world ’ s best women tee it up at Robert Trent Jones ( RTJ ) Golf Club for the Solheim Cup in September , the world ’ s best girls will get their shot at the PING Junior Solheim Cup . The event will be held Sept . 8-10 at Army Navy Country Club in Arlington . The event is modeled after the Solheim Cup and features the 12 top-ranked female junior golfers ( ages 12-18 ) from the U . S . against their counterparts from Europe . VSGA member Kathryn Ha of Roanoke Country Club represented the U . S . last year in Spain .
The U . S . leads the all-time series 7-4-1 . Europe won last year ’ s event 15-9 .
The Solheim Cup will be held Sept . 13-15 at RTJ .
METROPOLITAN GOLF ASSOCIATION
VIRGINIA GOLF HALL OF FAME ADDS FOUR The Class of 2024 of the Virginia Golf Hall of Fame will feature four individuals with outstanding contributions to golf in Virginia and beyond . It includes Tom Strange , five time State Open winner and father of Curtis and Allan Strange ; Jane Mack , a five-time VSGA champion and member of the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame ; Robert Wrenn , three-time State Open champion and winner on the PGA Tour ; and J . P . Leigh , a 10-time VSGA champion . The induction ceremony will be held on Tuesday , Oct . 25 at Hermitage Country Club . Check the September-October issue of Virginia Golfer for a detailed look at the class of 2024 .
vsga . org J ULY / A UGUST 2024 | V IRGINIA G OLFER 9