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Opening Drive by CHRIS LANG
Remembering Bill Milsaps (cont. from p.5)
Optimism Amidst
Uncertainty
THERE’S AN OLD SAYING OUT THERE: No one cares how the sausage gets made.
In the case of the strange world in which we find ourselves living in 2020, I think
an exception is in order.
I want to talk about deadlines, especially when it comes to how the COVID-19 situation
affects this magazine. This issue of Virginia Golfer was put to bed on April 27 and sent
to the printer on April 30, a full three weeks before it hit your mailboxes. Normally, this
would not be notable. It’s the way magazines do business. There needs to be time to print,
sort and distribute the magazine, thus the lag between print time and in-home delivery.
The coronavirus pandemic forced us to scramble a bit with this issue, because
nothing is normal right now. The original
editorial deadline for this issue was in late
March, right when Virginia’s government
began issuing stay-at-home orders and
encouraging citizens only to leave their
homes for essential business.
Exercise was deemed essential in the
eyes of the government, provided social distancing
measures could be maintained. Our
big question: How would golf be affected?
There was so much uncertainty that week
that we felt it was prudent to delay production
until we had a clearer picture of where
golf stood in the grand scheme of things.
By the first full week of April, the PGA
Tour and LPGA Tour had announced the
tentative rescheduling of events. And
after two executive orders in late March, golf courses could remain open, providing
a much-needed jolt of exercise and sunshine and a necessary respite from the
soul-crushing news cycle.
Virginia golfers heard the social distancing directives loud and clear and have
played responsibly during the crisis, and clubs did everything possible to keep members
and customers safe. The coronavirus news cycle is volatile, to say the least, so
plenty could have changed in the three weeks between this issue’s print and delivery
dates. But our hope is that you had a chance to get out and play, and rediscover the
beauty and solitude golf offers, and the distraction it provides from everyday life.
There’s optimism that life will soon return to something resembling normal, even
if “social distancing” is part of that new normal. There’s still plenty to look forward
to in 2020. The U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship is still scheduled to visit Virginia
in September. And the professional golf calendar—should it hold—is stacked in the
fall and early winter with major events like the U.S. Open, Masters and Ryder Cup.
The coronavirus epidemic may have forever changed our lives, but it can’t hurt our
passion for the game we all love.
Chris Lang, Editor
Contact me: [email protected]
“But our hope is that
you had a chance
to get out and play,
and rediscover the
beauty and solitude
golf offers, and the
distraction it provides
from everyday life.”
“Having had the pleasure of spending
many hours with Saps over the years, it
is easy to say he was always at the top of
his game,” Virginia amateur legend Vinny
Giles said. “He could be trusted with an
‘off the record’ comment, and you always
trusted Saps to be accurate in an interview
regardless of what translation may have
been beneficial to his reporting. He was
a master of his profession and a definite
Hall of Famer in all areas of the world of
sport and life.”
Curtis Strange, Virginia native and twotime
U.S. Open champion, recalled his
relationship with Millsaps.
“At first, I didn’t have much dealings
with him because he was covering the
Redskins, the Masters, all the big events,”
Strange said. “And we were young guys
coming up as golfers in the state of Virginia—Lanny
(Wadkins) and me, Bobby (Wadkins)
and Vinny. But when I got to know
him, I was a little intimidated, because he
was, you know, the big guy.
“But he just put you at ease. He had a great
personality, a great laugh. Loved a good joke.
And we became good friends—as he did with
everybody. I think the common statement
here is that he was a good friend to everybody,
and everybody felt the same way back.
… I feel like when you’re around a guy like
Bill Millsaps, it makes you a better person.”
Millsaps—who served on the VSGA
board from 2007-18—played a key role as
a member of the Virginia Golf Hall of Fame
selection committee, lending historical
perspective to the selection of an inaugural
class that included Giles, Strange, Lanny
Wadkins, Clyde Luther, Chandler Harper
and Sam Snead. Later, he left that role, but
for good reason. In 2019, Millsaps himself
was inducted into the Virginia Golf Hall
of Fame, and at the induction ceremony at
Farmington Country Club, he spoke of his
love for the game, and his endearing, dry
wit was on full display.
“I was originally attracted to writing
golf because it’s played in God’s sunshine,
and it’s a game that often revolves around
stories told over ardent spirits at the 19th
hole,” Millsaps said that night. “On occasion,
some of these stories have the added
benefit of being true.”
One truth is certain—Millsaps’ legacy,
his impact on golf and journalism in
Virginia, is unquestioned.
6 V IRGINIA G OLFER | M AY/J UNE 2020 vsga.org