Virginia Golfer Sep / Oct 2017 | Page 11

Around The Commonwealth win the championship, the start of a strong summer of play for the 15-year-old Brennan. After squaring his round-of-16 match with Patrick Hineline after three holes, Brennan never trailed again in match play. “I’ve made a more conscious effort to be positive, and it’s paid huge dividends.” WOMEN 40th VSGA Women’s Stroke Play Championship Ryan Zylstra QUICK FACTS: Field and format: 144 players—72 amateur and 72 professional—with the field cut to the low 60 and ties after two rounds. First-round leader: Ji Soo Park (69) Amanda Hollandsworth (Great Oaks CC) broke through after two years of runner-up finishes, a final-round 4-under 68 helping her rally from the pack for a one-shot victory at Blacksburg Country Club. The Virginia Tech junior shot a three-day 217, one better than Elsa Diaz (Independence GC), the 2015 cham- pion and University of Richmond senior. Second-round leader: Michael Brennan (135) It was over when: Zylstra ran a long putt up a tricky slope on 15 for a birdie that gave him a two-stroke lead over fellow competitor Mark Lawrence Jr., who then made a double bogey on 16. Quotable: “I was safe for [low-pro], because some pro was going to have to go really low to overtake me. I was like, I want to win this tournament. So I was going to be aggressive and just try to take flags and hit the shots I need to hit. If it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, then, oh well. … You don’t always get a chance to win golf tournaments. You’ve got to take some chances sometimes.” —Zylstra on his final-round back nine. JUNIORS 65th VSGA Junior Stroke Play Championship Teddy Zinsner Amanda Hollandsworth Teddy Zinsner closed out his junior cham- pionship career with a bang. Playing on his home course at Belle Haven Country Club, Zinsner carded a 4-under 212 over three days to finish two shots clear of Connor Creasy (Glenrochie CC). Zinsner, who began his college career at Yale in August, used a four-birdie barrage on the front nine of his final round to separate from the field before holding on down the stretch for the victory. 48th VSGA Junior Girls’ Championship There was no drama this year. Victoria Tip-Aucha (VSGA Junior Golf Circuit), who won last year’s Junior Girls’ in a playoff, was the runaway winner this year at Salisbury Country Club. Tip-Aucha was the only player in the field to finish under par, her 8-under 136 giving her a 10-stroke victory and her second straight title. She finished with 11 birdies, one bogey and two double bogeys over the two days. 27th VSGA Junior Match Play Championship After squeaking into match play as the 15th of 16 seeds, Michael Brennan bested friend and fellow River Creek Club member Andrew Jacobs 4 and 3 to vsga.org 20th VSGA Senior Women’s Stroke Play Championship Natalie Easterly (CC of Virginia) won her second title a decade after claiming her first, carding a two-day 149 to finish a stroke ahead of Mimi Hoffman (Belle Haven CC), Shelley Savage (Army Navy CC) and Allisyn Terry (River Creek Club). 2nd VSGA Women’s Four-Ball Championship Two-time partners at the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship, Lauren Greenlief (International CC) and Alexandra Austin (Springfield G&CC) teamed to post a 5-under 67 and win the regular division at Meadowbrook Country Club. In the senior division, Natalie Easterly (CC of Virginia) and Amy Ellertson (Farmington CC) repeat- ed as champions. S E P T E M B E R / O C T O B E R 2 0 17 | V I R G I N I A G O L F E R 9