Around The Commonwealth
“I’ve gotten to meet and know so many people that
I’ll be friends with forever, it’s been an honor to compete
and represent the VSGA in team matches.”
—Mark Lawrence Jr.
• Lawrence was the first player in 35 years
to win the Amateur and the State Open in
the same year. Tom McKnight was last to
do so in 1985.
• He became the fourth player to win both
titles in the same year. Smith, McKnight
and Vinny Giles were the others.
• He claimed his seventh VSGA championship,
moving him into a tie for 11th on
the all-time list. And he accomplished it
all in a six-year span that also included
two State Open runner-up finishes and
another appearance in the Amateur final.
It seems inevitable that Lawrence will
succeed at some level professionally, but
he knows there’s still work to be done on
his game to take the next step in his career.
“Personally, I’d like to just get more
consistent,” Lawrence said. “The one thing
I keep working on the most, besides my
short game, is just distance control with
my approach shots. I think that may be the
least appreciated thing. Tiger Woods is the
best player ever because he’s the best at
distance control. That’s one thing I’ve been
trying to work on a lot, learning to maybe
take an extra club and swing smooth, just
so I can get to where I’m hitting the ball the
right distance. Your accuracy is obviously
important, but if you get the right distance,
you’re typically in a lot better spot.”
The short game Lawrence mentioned
paid serious dividends at River Bend, especially
in key parts of the 36-hole final with
the 17-year-old Stanford, who has committed
to Virginia Tech. He halved No. 2 in the
afternoon match by holing out a delicate,
downhill chip. He extended his lead to 3
up on No. 12 by getting out of a greenside
bunker and holing a 12-foot birdie putt.
“I typically get talked about as a guy who
hits it pretty far,” Lawrence said. “But I work
on my short game more than I work on anything
else, and actually, what I feel is the best
part of my game is my chipping. I have a lot of
confidence in my wedges around the green,
just because I’ve worked at it a lot.”
STANFORD’S SURGE
Stanford has one year of high school golf
remaining at George Marshall before heading
to Blacksburg. He burst onto the scene
last summer by winning the VSGA Junior
Stroke Play title at Winchester Country
Club. This year, he finished tied for seventh
at the State Open, took eighth at the Junior
Stroke Play Championship and won four
matches to reach the final at River Bend.
On the way, he beat four college players:
Virginia Tech’s Drew Brockwell, Liberty’s
Isaac Simmons, Yale’s Teddy Zinsner and
Christopher Newport’s Alex Price.
“It’s just such a confidence builder,
because I beat so many good players to get
here,” Stanford said. “It’s great to know
that I can get compete with them. Especially
in this match. Mark got up pretty big
early, but I was able to hold on throughout
the rest of the match, and I’m proud of
myself for that.”
MEMORIES MADE
After the match, Lawrence took an opportunity
to reflect on his career, and some
of his favorite memories from playing in
VSGA events.
THE WINNER’S BAG
Putter: Bettinardi Armlock
Wedges: Cleveland RTX 4 (46, 50, 56 and
60 degrees)
Irons: Srixon Z-Forged (4-9)
Hybrid: Nike VR S Covert (21 degrees)
3-Wood: Srixon 15 degree
Driver: Callaway Epic Flash
Ball: Titleist Pro V1
Results
Friday’s Match Play Semifinals:
#1 Mark Lawrence Jr. def. #20 Vince
Wheeler, 2 and 1. #6 David Stanford def.
#31 Alex Price, 5 and 4
Saturday’s 36-Hole
Championship Match:
#1 Mark Lawrence Jr. def. #6 David
Stanford, 3 and 2
“I’ve gotten to meet and know so many
people that I’ll be friends with forever,”
Lawrence said. “It’s been an honor
to compete and represent the VSGA in
team matches. Some of those junior team
matches were so much fun. There’s a lot of
stuff that stands out. It’s just been a blast
playing in everything.”
David Stanford
vsga.org S EPTEMBER/O CTOBER 2020 | V IRGINIA G OLFER 13