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Opening Drive
Recognizing a High-School Dynasty
by CHRIS LANG
WINNING A VIRGINIA HIGH SCHOOL LEAGUE GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP ISN ’ T EASY .
Eight teams each in six different classifications , having qualified through regionals , compete for glory . Championships are conducted over 18 holes on one day , opening the door for chaos . What if a star player is sick or injured ? What if the conditions level the playing field ? What if your best player simply has a bad day ? It happens in golf . Even the best players are prone to shoot an 80 now and then .
So what Langley High School in McLean has accomplished in the last seven years in Virginia ’ s largest classification ( Class 6 ) is remarkable , to say the least . One might even say it ’ s dynastic .
On Oct . 10 at Heritage Oaks Golf Course , Alina Ho posted a 3-under-par 67 to win the individual title and lead the Saxons to their seventh straight Class 6 title .
This one was a little closer than the others , as Langley shot a 9-over 289 and held off Virginia Beach ’ s Floyd Kellam High School by a mere six strokes , the only time during the VHSL-record seven-year championship run that anyone had gotten within 10 strokes of the Saxons .
“ This one was the hardest and closest to win ,” Langley coach Al Berg told the Sun Gazette newspaper . “ I thought it would be that way because this course made it harder . It was tight and tough with a lot of trouble off the tee . Players had to try to minimize the trouble .”
No one did that better than Ho , a Langley junior and VSGA Junior Golf Circuit member . She missed just one fairway and one green on her way to the 67 . Chase Nevins ( who is headed to Vanderbilt next year ), shot 72 , followed by Andrew Hwang at 74 and Catherine Qiu at 76 .
Langley ’ s run is unprecedented . Last year , the Saxons broke the record held by Richmond ’ s Deep Run HS ( five straight in Class 5 from 2015-19 ). But six wasn ’ t enough .
“ I never take it for granted we are going to win the state again ,” Berg told the Sun Gazette . “ It motivates the team to win and see that banner hanging up there ( in the school gym ). They want to keep the streak going .”
Ho was the third Saxons golfer to win an individual title during the run , joining Kelly Chinn , the second-year Duke University player who won in 2017 and 2020 and was runner-up in 2018 . Nevins was runner-up in 2021 . Suneil Peruvemba ( now at JMU ) tied for runner-up honors in 2019 . A quick shoutout to the rest of the VHSL champions in 2022 :
• Class 5 : Independence HS ( team ); Josh Haggerty , F . W . Cox ( individual )
• Class 4 : Blacksburg HS ; Kathryn Ha , Salem
• Class 3 : Abingdon HS ; Preston Burton , Charlottesville
• Class 2 : Floyd County HS ; Dylan Olinger , Bruton
• Class 1 : Galax HS ; Grayden Laird , Galax
Thanks for reading this issue , everyone , and as always , my inbox is open for story ideas and comments .
Chris Lang , Editor clang @ vsga . org
News and Notes cont ’ d ...
in October and the Special Olympics Fall Championship in November . Special Olympics athletes are able to use the First Tee Hampton Roads facility year-round free of charge .
• Provide financial assistance to military families through military voucher programs as well as financial assistance to youth through Open Door financial assistance . This chapter has extended military vouchers to NATO Mission Military families from Finland , Norway , France and Italy .
• Partner with Kappa Alpha Psi , a historically Black fraternity , for a sixweek class session capped off with a golf tournament . “ The USGA ’ s support is a game changer for the communities that we serve ,” First Tee CEO Greg McLaughlin said . “ With these grants , our chapters are opening the door to even more youth , especially in underserved and underrepresented communities , to explore the possibilities in golf and beyond as they build their character and life lessons through the game .”
McGETRICK NETS HOF HONOR Mike McGetrick , the director of instruction at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville , was inducted into the World Golf Teachers Hall of Fame in November at Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale , Ariz .
McGetrick has built a reputation as one of America ’ s premier golf instructors due to the thousands of golfers who have successfully improved their games at his award-winning golf academy . McGetrick was the 1999 National PGA Teacher of the Year and a five-time Colorado PGA Teacher of the Year before moving to Virginia . He ’ s made regular appearances on Golf Channel and has authored a book titled “ The Scrambler ’ s Dozen — 12 Shots Every Golfer Needs To Score Like The Pros .”
The majority of McGetrick ’ s teaching time is devoted to amateurs , but he ’ s also coached professionals like Juli Inkster , Meg Mallon , Beth Daniel , Wendy Ward , Karrie Webb , and Brandt Jobe , among others .
McGetrick was joined in the 2022 class by Randy Smith ( Royal Oaks CC in Dallas ) and the late Ben Doyle , who taught at Quail Lodge in California and died in 2014 at the age of 82 .
6 V IRGINIA G OLFER | N OVEMBER / D ECEMBER 2022
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