Around The Commonwealth
LEFT: Janet Zwetkow made a hole in one at
Bull Run Golf Course on June 2, which earned
her a check worth $29,473.
BELOW: Joey Lane moved to No. 8 on the
PGA Tour Series China money list after earning
his first professional victory at the PGA Tour
Series China's Dongguan Open.
area of player development. Cooper’s
philosophy is to create a positive atmo-
sphere in which golfers feel welcomed
and comfortable. In 2017, Cooper created
the first all-girls PGA Jr. League program
at Army Navy Country Club, which led
to a 50 percent increase in LPGA/USGA
Girls Golf Programming participation
from 2017-18. As a result, she plans on
creating an all-girls PGA Jr. League team
at Springfield in 2020.
One of her most successful programs
is the 101ers Ladies Academy, an eight-
week class that teaches and improves the
skills of women golfers. Cooper was the
lone member of the PGA Middle Atlantic
Section to earn a PGA of America Award
in 2019.
JOEY LANE WINS IN CHINA
Former Virginia Tech standout Joey
Lane, winner of the 2016 VSGA Amateur
Championship, earned his first profes-
sional victory on July 28 when he record-
ed a three-stroke victory at the PGA Tour
Series China’s Dongguan Open.
Lane opened with a 62 and concluded
with a 68 for a 10-under total of 130, three
strokes better than Japan’s Yuwa Kosaihi-
ra. Lane was declared the champion
when the event, which had already been
reduced to 54 holes, was reduced again to
36 holes due to inclement weather.
“It’s an awesome feeling,” Lane told
the PGA Tour. “This is actually my first
professional win on any tour, and this
is the best tour I’ve played on, so it’s an
awesome week.”
vsga.org
The win moved Lane to No. 8 on the
PGA Tour Series China money list. The
top 10 at the end of the year are exempt
into the finals stage of qualifying for
the 2020 Korn Ferry Tour, formerly the
Web.com Tour.
USGA ELIGIBILITY CHANGES
Beginning with the 2019 championships,
the reigning U.S. Amateur and U.S. Women’s
Amateur champions will have the oppor-
tunity to utilize their exemptions in the
following year’s U.S. Open and U.S. Women’s
Open as an amateur or professional. Previ-
ously, the reigning winners of the U.S. Ama-
teur and U.S. Women’s Amateur received
an exemption into the following U.S. Open
and U.S. Women’s Open, respectively, only
if they maintained their amateur status.
Moving forward, the reigning champions
will have the option to turn professional
while maintaining their exempt place in
the field.
“We believe this change gives our cham-
pions an important option as they choose
whether and when to embark on their
professional careers,” said John Boden-
hamer, USGA Senior Managing Director,
Championships. “Given the significant
purses awarded at the U.S. Open and U.S.
Women’s Open, we realize how important
it is for players to make the most appropri-
ate decision for his or her career, and the
positive impact it could have at the outset
of their professional careers.
“We feel strongly that our reigning
champions have earned their places in
the U.S. Open and U.S. Women’s Open,
regardless of their amateur status.”
“This is
actually my first
professional win
on any tour, and
this is the best
tour I’ve played
on, so it’s an
awesome week.”
—Joey Lane
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