Around The Commonwealth
VSGA Summer Rewind
WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIPS
91st VSGA
Women’s Amateur
Championship
ALEX AUSTIN AND
MARY CABRIELE
James River CC, Newport
News, July 19-22
Abby Portyrata took a stab at
LPGA Q-School in the fall of
2015, months after winning her
first VSGA Women’s Amateur
Championship. When she didn’t
make it through, she decided it
was time to be an adult, so to
speak. The 20-year-old Portyrata
took a job working at a warehouse
in Richmond, the overnight
schedule leaving her precious time
to work on her golf game.
She didn’t play competitively
again until participating in the
Women’s Virginias-Carolinas
matches in mid-July, and she
had to be convinced at the last
minute to sign up to defend
her title. So much for rust.
Portyrata (The First Tee Greater
Richmond) finished tied for
fourth during two days of strokeplay qualifying, then dominated
match play, a run culminated
with a 6 and 5 win over Amanda
Hollandsworth (Great Oaks CC)
in the championship match. She
defeated stroke-play medalist
Caroline Curtis (Hermitage CC)
in the semifinals, and over 27
holes in those two matches, she
shot a sterling 11 under par.
In her four matches, Portyrata
only trailed once, as Curtis took
a 1-up lead with a win on No. 5
in the semifinal match. Portyrata
squared the match on the next
hole and took the lead for good
on No. 8.
ABBY
PORTYRATA
QUICK FACTS:
Field and format: Thirty-six holes
of stroke-play qualifying with the
top 16 advancing to match play.
Stroke-play medalist: Caroline
Curtis (138)
It was over when: Portyrata
won the first five holes of the
championship match to jump to
a 5-up lead.
Quotable: “It’s really reassuring
that I can be that good. I enjoy
being good at something. This
was a nice way to end my very
short golf summer. I certainly
can’t complain.” —Portyrata
59th VSGA Senior
Women’s Amateur
Championship
The Omni Homestead
Resort's Old Course,
Hot Spring, July 25-29
CHRIS LANG (3)
The evening before the
championship match, Mimi
Hoffman (Belle Haven CC)
went out to the Old Course to
hit golf balls. Not at the range,
mind you, but at two specific
locations: the par-3