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“ We spent a lot of time at the range , and I wasn ’ t used to that . I was used to just going out and playing . So that ’ s where my ball striking has really improved .”
— Grayson Wood
Makayla Grubb breathes a sigh of relief after sinking a birdie putt to win the 98th VSGA Women ' s
Amateur Championship .
Walker ’ s squad at Virginia Commonwealth University .
Walker had to like what he saw out of Wood while walking around Boonsboro Country Club in late June . Wood entered the event with plenty of confidence , and for good reason . In 2022 , he won the VSGA Junior Match Play , Bobby Bowers Memorial , and was a finalist at the Amateur Championship , giving him a match-play record of 14-1 . A deep run at Boonsboro was an expectation , not a hope .
That year at the JPGA clearly manifested itself in Wood ’ s short game . He shot 69-65 — 134 to finish in a tie for second during stroke-play qualifying . As he methodically worked his way through the match-play bracket , he said he hadn ’ t hit the ball the way he wanted to all week .
Short-iron play and his work around the greens compensated . In a key moment in the 36-hole final against his 16-year-old opponent — Blacksburg ’ s Jake Albert — Wood got up and down for birdie from pine straw underneath a tree near the 12th green , giving him a 3-up edge .
Wood trailed only once during the final match , falling one down after 23 holes when Albert made birdie on the par-3 fifth hole . Wood won the next three holes to regain control of the match .
“ We spent a lot of time at the range ,” Wood said of his time at the JPGA . “ And I wasn ’ t used to that . I was used to just going out and playing . So that ’ s where my ball striking has really improved .”
Wood ’ s success didn ’ t end at the Amateur . He also qualified for both the U . S . Junior Amateur and U . S . Amateur championships , heady play for someone who is sure to make a quick impact at VCU .
In a rematch of the 2022 VSGA Junior Match Play final , Grayson Wood topped Jake Albert to win the 2023 VSGA Amateur .
98th VSGA Women ’ s Amateur Championship Winner : Makayla Grubb ( def . Melanie Walker , 1 up ) Fun fact : Grubb became the third junior golfer to win the Women ’ s Amateaur in the last five years , joining Rory Weinfurther ( 2019 ) and Tatum Walsh ( 2020 ).
A quick look at the leaderboard at the 54th VSGA Junior Girls ’ Championship in July shows that Stafford ’ s Makayla Grubb finished in 17th , nine shots
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8 V IRGINIA G OLFER | S EPTEMBER / O CTOBER 2023 vsga . org