ROBERT WRENN When reflecting on his two-phased golf career , Robert Wrenn puts winning the Buick Open at the top of the list . A decade after this record-breaking PGA Tour victory , Wrenn transitioned to TV broadcasting , serving as a walking rover for ESPN and later CNBC during its shift to Golf Channel .

“ I would describe my inner voice as a player as quite different from what my realistic assessment of the final hole would have been as an announcer ,” the Virginia Golf Hall of Fame inductee says .

Consider the following , in Wrenn ’ s own words :

Announcer : Robert Wrenn still has one hole to go — but barring a disaster , he is going to win the Buick Open . The question remains whether he will tie Ben Hogan and Mike Souchak at -27 for the most number of strokes under par for a 72-hole tournament . To do that , he ’ ll need to find a way to birdie the final hole . With his nerves on edge as he marches toward his first PGA Tour victory , it will be a difficult challenge to reign in his focus .

This should be a perfect 7-iron for Robert … he has pulled it … this looks like it ’ s going to miss the green just to the left — certainly not what he was looking for to set up a birdie opportunity .

The lie down here is pretty thick . It could be easy to catch this chip heavy due to the texture of the rough , so he ’ ll need to play this ball back in his stance to engage a more vertical angle of attack and keep accelerating through the shot to ensure it pops out …

Wrenn : With a seven-shot lead and needing birdie to tie the all-time 72-hole record for most number of shots under par , you would think the player ’ s inner voice would have been super confident and aggressive . But … the tee shot did not set up well for me . My brain was absolutely racing as I considered my options … What if ? What if ? … see your shot … execute … center of the fairway !

Now I was feeling confident and aggressive … I had a shot I loved ( perfect 7-iron ) and no way to lose the golf tournament at this point . I pulled it into thick rough … It was sitting down in a juicy lie , but the chip shot popped right out . Halfway to the hole , I thought it was going in , but it just ran out of speed and hung on the lip ! Regardless , I had won the Buick Open at -26 , and my parents were there to watch !

Career Highlights

• Won PGA Tour ’ s Buick Open in 1987 by seven strokes with tournament record score of 26-under par 262 .

• Competed in 308 PGA Tour tournaments between 1982 and 1998 with 15 top 10 finishes including three runners-up ; won 1983 Indonesia Open on Asian Tour .

• Won 1983 VSGA Open and merged State Opens in 1989 and 1991 ( by record 12 strokes ).

• Was four-year all-ACC player at Wake Forest and won 1981 Trans-Mississippi Amateur before turning professional .

• Won Richmond Golf Association Men ’ s Amateur titles in 1976 , 1980 and 1981 ; won RGA Junior Boys in 1977 .

Did You Know ? “ Many people don ’ t know that just before I qualified for the PGA Tour for the first time in 1984 , I won the European Qualifying School in Spain . Three weeks later , I qualified for the PGA Tour at La Quinta , CA , and never played a tournament on the European Tour . The PGA Tour is where everyone wants to be — I woke up every day excited to work on improving . When everything clicked , the highs at the PGA Tour level were incredible — but the lows were gut wrenching . All in , it was a great ride and I have so many fond memories of my years competing .” – Robert Wrenn

J . P . LEIGH Technology has given J . P . Leigh a lift when it comes to length off the tee .

He put a shaft that weighs only 40 grams in his driver and says he has picked up 15 yards on his tee shots . “ I ’ m hitting it as far now as I

J . P . Leigh LEFT : Robert Wrenn

was 15 years ago . You can still learn something when you are 77 years old ,” Leigh remarks .

Distance is relative for the short-hitting Virginia Golf Hall of Fame inductee .

Fellow inductee Tom Strange gave Leigh his first lesson at Elizabeth Manor Golf and Country Club in the late 1950s .

“ When I was about 13 years old , he took me aside and said , ‘ J . P ., you know you are never going to be a long hitter . So , here ’ s what you need to do : use all your time chipping , putting , hitting bunker shots around the green . And if you do , with the talent you have , you ’ re going to be a very good player .’ And what do you think I did ? I said , ‘ Thank you , Mr . Strange ,’ and that ’ s what I did ,” Leigh says . “ I had to . I ’ ve always hit it short . I ’ ve never hit it long . Never .”

Leigh has competed in VSGA tournaments for 65 years , starting at age 12 . He participated in every State Open from 1977 to 2012 , before and after the VSGA and VPGA merged their State Opens in 1985 .

He was a consistent presence in the VSGA Amateur , qualifying for match play 32 consecutive years . He played in the Virginia-Carolinas and West Virginia-Virginia team matches for many years .

The past champions list in the VSGA record book shows eight players with 10 or more VSGA titles . Seven of those players , including Leigh , are in the Virginia Golf Hall of Fame .

Career Highlights

• Won four consecutive VSGA Senior Stroke Play titles from 2003 to 2006 .

• Teamed with John Cuomo to win VSGA Super Senior Four-Ball Championships in 2015 and

ASSOCIATED PRESS , VSGA ARCHIVES