( atc )
Lee Coble was honored
with the Issac B. Grainger
Award for his service to
the USGA.
COBLE HONORED BY USGA
Lee Coble, who was the VSGA’s president
from 2012-13, was one of several honored
with the Issac B. Grainger Award at the
USGA’s Annual Meeting in Miami Beach,
Fla., in February. The Grainger Award is
presented to volunteers who have provid-
ed 25 years of service to the USGA. Since
1999, Coble has served on the USGA’s
Rules TV Escort Committee. A member
at Independence Golf Club, Coble is the
head golf coach at Virginia Union Uni-
versity and served on the VSGA’s Board
of Directors from 2003-17.
DRIVE, CHIP AND PUTT QUALIFYING
REGISTRATION OPEN
Is your child interested in trying to qualify
for the 2019 Drive, Chip and Putt Cham-
pionship? Registration for this spring and
summer’s qualifying rounds is open.
This fun, free and nationwide youth
golf development initiative invites boys
and girls ages 7-15 to participate in local
qualifying opportunities in all 50 states
throughout the months of May, June, July
and August. Entrants will play in girls’
and boys’ divisions in four age categories,
with scoring centered on golf ’s three
fundamental skills (Driving, Chipping
and Putting).
8
Top performers at the local level will
advance through subregional and regional
qualifiers in July/August and September,
respectively, at some of the nation’s most
acclaimed venues and championship sites.
From these qualifiers, 80 finalists—40 boys
and 40 girls—will earn an invitation to
compete in the National Finals at Augusta
National Golf Club on Sunday, April 7, the
eve of the 2019 Masters Tournament.
VSGA member clubs hosting local qual-
ifying include: Lakeview GC (June 12);
Evergeen CC (June 13); River Bend Club
(June 26); First Tee of Richmond (June
28); Laurel Hill GC (July 9) and Kiln Creek
GC (July 24). Subregional qualifying will
be held at either River Bend Club (Aug.
21) or Salisbury CC (Aug. 24) with regional
qualifying taking place at Congressional
CC in Maryland on Sept. 9.
For more event information, visit
drivechipandputt.com.
V I R G I N I A G O L F E R | M A R C H / A P R I L 2 0 1 8
Hall of Fame
induction ceremony
tickets available
Interested in attending the induction
ceremony for the 2018 Virginia Golf
Hall of Fame class? Tickets to the May
15 induction ceremony at Hermitage
Country Club in Manakin-Sabot are on
sale. Class of 2018 inductees are Dr. Lew
Blakey, Robbye Unger, Bobby Wadkins
and Lew Worsham. Tickets for the event
are $75 per person and include admit-
tance to the induction ceremony, din-
ner, a pre-ceremony cocktail reception,
a commemorative booklet and a com-
memorative medallion. For more infor-
mation on how to purchase tickets, visit
virginiagolfhalloffame.com.
vsga.org
BACK TO AVENEL
The PGA Tour will return to the Washington,
D.C., area for at least one more year.
In January, the Tour finalized plans for
The National to return to TPC Potomac at
Avenel Farms, which hosted the Quicken
Loans National in 2017. The event will be
held at the Bethesda, Md., club from June
28-July 1. Kyle Stanley is the defending
champion. The Tour is having ongoing
discussions with a number of companies as
it searches for a title sponsor for the event,
which is only guaranteed to remain at TPC
Potomac through 2018.