Around The Commonwealth
Makayla Grubb
Mark Lawrence Jr . ABOVE : Josh Speight
News & Notes
Grubb to Defend Her Title in Great Falls
Compiled by CHRIS LANG
CHRIS LANG ( 2 )
assistant professional at Westwood Country Club in Vienna while Speight is director of instruction at the Club at Viniterra .
• Brandon Berry ( p ) – Berry , a former Loyola ( Md .) standout from Great Falls , knows his way around a Monday qualifier , as he participated in two PGA Tour events this spring by making it through the qualifying grind . He made the cut in his PGA Tour debut at the Corales Puntacana Championship in April , then qualified for the Myrtle Beach Classic in May . He also played in a Korn Ferry event in Colombia this past winter .
• Mark Lawrence Jr . ( p ) – The 2020 State Open champ and two-time VSGA Amateur winner knows Independence as well as anyone . Hindered by injuries the last two years , he still finished tied for third in both 2022 and 2023 .
• Nick Taliaferro ( a ) – The 2022 State Open champion won his second VSGA Four-Ball title in May .
• Jake Albert and Logan Reilly ( a ) – Both are elite Class of 2025 juniors who have committed to play for defending NCAA champion Auburn University .
• Roger Newsom ( a ) – One of the nation ’ s elite senior golfers , Newsom is a two-time State Open champion with both titles coming at Independence . Even at age 60 , it ’ s tough to count Newsom out .
99th VSGA WOMEN ’ S AMATEUR PREVIEW Site : River Bend Club ( Great Falls ) Dates : July 22-24 Format : One round of stroke-play qualifying ; top 16 advance to match play championship flight , others flighted in consolation brackets ; rounds of 16 and quarterfinals on Wednesday ; semifinals and 18-hole championship match on Thursday . Defending champion : Makayla Grubb ( Augustine Golf Club ) About River Bend : Located near the Potomac River in far northern Fairfax County , River Bend has hosted several VSGA championships in recent years , including the Four-Ball ( 2016 ), Amateur ( 2020 ) and Junior Stroke Play ( 2022 ). River Bend is hosting a women ’ s championship for the first time , though it hosted the VSGA Junior Girls ’ Championship in 1994 . Trends and storylines : At 16 , Grubb became one of the youngest winners in event history last year when she made a run through four strong competitors to claim the title at Cedar Point . Along the way , she beat Kathryn Ha ( Junior Solheim Cup participant ), Lauren Greenlief ( past USGA champion and two-time VSGA Women ’ s Amateur champ ), Mallory Kane ( ODU women ’ s golf coach ), and Melanie Walker ( 2023 VSGA Women ’ s Golfer of the Year ). Grubb is in the field , along with Greenlief and Ha . … The champion will receive an exemption in the U . S . Women ’ s Amateur Championship , to be played Aug . 5-11 at Southern Hills CC in Tulsa , Okla . … The stroke-play medalist has only won once since 2018 ( Becca DiNunzio in 2021 ). … The 100th VSGA Amateur , set for summer 2025 , will be held at Keswick Golf Club .
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. org J ULY / A UGUST 2024 | V IRGINIA G OLFER 7