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Saying Goodbye
The Eastern Amateur closes up shop— likely for good
by CHRIS LANG
Blacksburg’ s Jake Albert will likely be the last winner of the Eastern Amateur Championship, which will not be held in 2026.
BILLY SCHUERMAN / VIRGINIAN-PILOT / TCA
VIRGINIA GOLF Hall of Famer J. P. Leigh has been to each edition of the Eastern Amateur Championship, which was contested every year from 1957 to 2025, save for the 2020 COVID cancellation.
Leigh has fond memories of watching his mentor, Tom Strange, beating Jordan Ball by two strokes in 1957. He recalled the 1973 Eastern Amateur, when Vinny Giles survived a four-man playoff to win as nearly 2,000 spectators looked on at Portsmouth’ s Elizabeth Manor Golf & Country Club.
Oh, and Leigh’ s favorite memory— hoisting the trophy after winning the Eastern in 1983.
“ My whole life had been spent at the Eastern, with my family,” said Leigh, who played college golf at nearby Old Dominion.“ So it was wonderful.”
After 68 editions— 66 of which were played at Elizabeth Manor— the Eastern Amateur is no more. According to an official statement from the tournament committee:
“ After careful evaluation, Elizabeth Manor Golf and Country Club, host of the Eastern Amateur since 1957, has determined that continuing the event no longer aligns with the club’ s long-term objectives,” the statement reads.“ The tournament’ s founder,
vsga. org M ARCH / A PRIL 2026 | V IRGINIA G OLFER 5