Summer Rewind( cont.)
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Summer Rewind( cont.)
Lauren Greenlief
92nd VSGA Women’ s Amateur Championship
Laurel Hill Golf Club, Lorton | July 10 – 13 Lauren Greenlief’ s list of amateur golf accomplishments is long. The former University of Virginia standout won a USGA title in 2015 at the U. S. Women’ s Mid-Amateur. She has three VSGA Women’ s Stroke Play titles to her credit. But there was one box on her resumé left to be checked: A win in the VSGA Women’ s Amateur.
After a 3-and-2 victory over Caroline Curtis( Hermitage CC) at Laurel Hill Golf Club, Greenlief( International CC) finally earned the elusive championship in her fourth appearance in the final. Relief?
“ It’ s a goal that I’ ve been working toward for, I guess, a decade now,” she said.“ To kind of check it off the bucket list of my golf resumé, it feels like a huge weight has been lifted. To go to the finals three times and come out of it without the trophy three times, it kind of beats up on you a little bit.”
Greenlief avenged one of those championship defeats in the semifinals, topping 2015 and 2016 champion Abby Portyrata 5 and 4 with a clinical display of golf. Greenlief was close to flawless in stifling summer heat in Lorton. In her two matches on the final day, she made 10 birdies and just one bogey.
“ I felt like I was really dialed in,” Greenlief said.“ I don’ t know if I missed a single green. I felt like I had a birdie putt on every hole. To go out and play that consistent, I feel like I really won the tournament.”
QUICK FACTS:
Field and format: After two rounds of stroke play qualifying, the top 16 advanced to four rounds of match play, culminating with an 18-hole championship match.
Stroke play medalist: Caroline Curtis( 139).
It was over when: Greenlief made birdie on the par-3 14th hole to go 3 up with four to play in the title match with Curtis.
Quotable:“ All of her approach shots, her chipping, her putting, her driving, it was really great. It was a lot of fun to watch, and a lot of fun to play with her.”— Curtis
Delta Dental State Open of Virginia
Ballyhack Golf Club, Roanoke | July 20 – 22
Ryan Zylstra, who spent much of his time after graduating from Virginia Commonwealth University chasing his dream of being a touring professional, made a decision early in 2017 to settle down. That’ ll happen when your wife’ s pregnancy and impending fatherhood become a priority. So Zylstra began down the road toward becoming a PGA professional, taking a job as an apprentice at the Federal Club in Glen Allen.
He’ s learning the business side of golf from all angles, but Tim Dale, his boss, gives him plenty of opportunities to play. Zylstra has taken full advantage and has been a force on the Middle Atlantic PGA circuit in 2017. That success extended to three days at Ballyhack Golf Club, where Zylstra used a sterling final-round 66 to storm from behind to win the Delta Dental State Open of Virginia.
Zylstra, who was born in Canada, posted a threeday 206 to finish three shots clear of the pair who tied for low amateur honors: Ji Soo Park( 1757 GC) and Michael Brennan( River Creek Club). The new gig not only helped Zylstra spend more time at home with family, but it gave him a sense of perspective when he did play competitive rounds. He described himself as a“ basket case” on the course in years past.
“ My wife told me,‘ You need to change your attitude, or you need to find something else to do,’” Zylstra said.“ I’ ve made a more conscious effort to be positive, and it’ s paid huge dividends. I’ ve won a dozen times the last 18 months or so. I only won once my first 12 years as a professional. It’ s been nice. I wish I had a really good answer to what’ s with all the really good play, but I think it’ s just a mindset.”
Zylstra played a bogey-free, 4-under back nine to take control of the championship. Brennan, a 15-year-old sophomore at Tuscarora High School in Leesburg, led by two strokes entering the final round but after a double bogey on No. 8, the tournament got away. In the second round, Brennan shot a bogey-free 64 that tied Ballyhack’ s competitive course record.
“ I thought two rounds in the 70s, making the cut, I would have been happy,” Brennan said.“ I would have taken 7-under and low-am in a heartbeat. Overall, I’ m pretty happy with how I played this week. That 64, that was cool. That was fun.”
CHRIS LANG( 4)
8 V IRGINIA G OLFER | S EPTEMBER / O CTOBER 2017 vsga. org