Tallent-Decker Win Third VSGA Senior 4-Ball Title
May 26, 2017
Northern Virginia’s Pat Tallent and Martinsville’s Keith Decker won their third VSGA Senior Four-Ball Stroke Play Championship yesterday at International CC with rounds of 62-66 for a 14-under 128 total to win by one shot over Leon Roday and Scott Reisenweaver. The pair have 33 state championships between them – Decker has 28, which is why he was inducted into the Virginia Hall of Fame this week, and Tallent has 5, plus a U.S. Senior Amateur and Senior British Amateur. RTJ’s Tim Vigotsky teamed with Farmington’s Philip Malone to tie for third at 131 with Old Hickory’s Pete DeTemple and Mike Krulich (Ballyhack GC). Andy Heye (Chantilly National GCC) and Rich Buckner (RTJ) finished fifth with 134. Other top-ten finishes for Northern Virginians were Chantilly’s Bob Harwick and Rob Keith, along with Harry Thomas (Washington Golf) and George Kapetanakis (Trump National) tying for seventh (136); and three teams tying for ninth at 137: Jon Zampedro (Chantilly GCC)- Jack Allara , Joe Johnson (Springfield GCC) – Randall Newsome (The Piedmont Club) and Daniel Yates (Stonewall GC) – Dean Griffith (Shenandoah Valley GC). For complete story and results, see www.VSGA.org
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Brandon Cigna is Metropolitan Mid-Am Champion
May 23, 2017
Arlington’s Brandon Cigna won the 2017 Washington Metropolitan Mid-Amateur Championship yesterday with a two-under 142 at the Old South CC in Lothian, MD. Cigna, runner-up in last year’s USGA Four-Ball Championship with Olney, Maryland’s Ben Warnquist, took a two shot lead into the afternoon’s second round after an opening 3-under 69, then finished with a 73 for a two-shot victory over Andrew Kolarik (Cockeysville, MD). Vienna’s Tony Bostic opened with a 76, but then matched Cigna’s low score of the tournament with a 69 in the final round to finish third with a 1-over 145 total. Northern Virginia golfers Rob Menefee (Belle Haven CC) and Dan Lesando (Trump National) also had top-10 finishes, tying for seventh at 150. For complete story and results, see www.WMGAGOLF.org
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Maben-Mutter Win VSGA 4-Ball Stroke Play – Northern Virginia Teams 2 Shots Back
May 21, 2017
Suffolk’s BJ Maben and Kyle Mutter captured the VSGA Four-Ball Stoke Play Championship yesterday on the first playoff hole against the team of John Rosenstock (Portsmouth)and Brett Chambers (Richmond). Both teams shot 12-under at the Willow Oaks CC in Richmond. Three teams with Northern Virginia players tied for fifth at 10-under 130 – Scott Shingler (Evergreen CC) and Justin Young; Jeffrey Long (Evergreen CC) and Adam Horton; and Jimmy Delp (Laurel Hill) and Ben Keffer. The latter two teams will play in the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship later this month at Pinehurst. For complete results and story, see www.VSGA.org
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Entry Forms Available for Northern Virginia Championships – Senior Am Entries Due June 7
May 17, 2017
The 2017 Northern Virginia Championships will begin June 12-13 with the Senior Amateur hosted by the Mount Vernon CC in Alexandria. Mount Vernon recently completed renovation of their fairways and has hosted several Northern Virginia championships in the past. Mike McLister (Loudoun CC) is the defending champion. Entires are due June 7. The “regular” Northern Virginia Amateur follows August 11-13 at The Club at Lansdowne in Leesburg. The first round will be on the RTJ course, with the Norman and RTJ courses being used for the second and third rounds respectively for those making the cut. Jeff Long (Evergreen CC) is the defending champion. The Senior Four-Ball is next on the schedule on August 28 at Heritage Hunt GCC in Gainesville. This will be the third senior championship hosted by Heritage Hunt, which held the Senior Am in 2014 and the Senior Four-Ball in 2005. Michael Keating (Laurel Hill GC) and Richard Lion (Springfield GCC) are the defending champions. The 2017 championships will conclude September 9-10 at Raspberry Falls GHC in Leesburg with the “regular” Four-Ball. Raspberry Falls is one of the premier public venues in the Northern Sections, offering a challenging links-style design with several risk/reward opportunities, especially in a team format. South Riding’s Conor Cafferty and Harold Dill are the defending champions. The senior championships are open to players age 55 years and older, will the “regular” championships are open to any age. The entry forms are currently posted on the “Entry Forms” page (the Senior Four-Ball will be posted at a later date) .
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Morris/West Capture Mid-Atlantic Senior 4-Ball – LeClere/Howell Lose to Birdie On 4th Playoff Hole
May 16, 2017
The teams of Bob Morris (Congretional CC) – Marty West Columbia CC) and International’s Dave LeClere and Mike Howell shot 3-under 68s yesterday at the U.S. Naval Academy GC to tie for first place in the Middle Atlantic Senior Four-Ball. After three pars, Morris and West won with a birdie on the fourth playoff hole. Defending champions Tim Vigotsky (RTJ GC) and Tim Krouse (Westwood CC) finished third with 69. Barry Flaer – George Eashburn II won the Super-Senior Division with 68. Army Navy’s Lynn Wessman and Bill Engel tied for second with 70. For complete story and results, see www.MIDDLEATLANTICGA.org
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Cigna-Mease Belle Haven Champions – Tallent-Sughrue Senior Winners
May 8, 2017
Brandon Cigna and Bart Mease teamed for rounds of 68-66-67 to finish at 15-under 201, winning the 68th Belle Haven Four-Ball yesterday by two shots over Christopher Baloga and Ray Sheedy (71-65-67 – 203). Pat Tallent and Matt Sughrue opened with an 8-under 64 and won the Senior Division by seven shots (64-69-68 – 201) over Lee Flemister and Dave Nocar, Jr. (67-70-71 – 208). Results
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Entries for Northern Virginia Amateur and 4-Ball Available May 12
May 7, 2017 (updated May 10, 2017)
Entry forms for both the Northern Virginia Amateur and Northern Virginia Four-Ball will be posted on the “Entry Forms” page by Friday, May 12. The Amateur is set for August 11-13 at the Club at Lansdowne, while the Four-Ball is scheduled for September 9-10 at Raspberry Falls GHC.
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Chantilly National A-Team Champions – “Snowman” Title is Overall Best
April 22, 2017
A snowman on the golf course is generally not a good thing, but when Chantilly National CC narrowly defeated defending champion Raspberry Falls GHC 9.5 to 8.5 in today’s A-Team finals, the number “8” represented the number of A-Team titles Chantilly now owns – which is the best thing, as in “best” all time. In a closely contested match under trying conditions, Raspberry Falls won its first two matches at home with Pat McGuire and Andrew Brenneman capturing 2 points, while Tom and Greg Brouse won 2.5 points. In the final match at Raspberry Falls, however, Chantilly’s Chris Warfield and Geoff Castleton swept all 3 points giving each team a split of 4.5 points each.
At Chantilly, Jason Dunn and Blair Johnson of the home team won two points in the opening match, while Raspberry Falls’ Francesco Romano and Scott Hoover captured 3 points in the second match. In the final match, Greg Kozy made a 10 foot birdie putt on the seventeenth hole to win the final 3 points at home with partner Brian Marfori. All results, including individual results of the finals, overall final standings and the playoff results are available on the A-Team page.
Pictured: Chantilly National’s home playoff team (L to R) – Jason Dunn, Brian Marfori, Greg Kozy, Blair Johnson, Rob Keith, Rodney Peters.
Not Pictured: Scott Purpura (PGA Professional), Curtis Congdon, Chris Coyer, Jon Zampedro, Chris Warfield, Geoff Castleton, Rich Buckner, Phil McQuitty, Bob Cunningham, Chris Arbore, Dean Olivieri
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Curly Licklider Rescheduled for June 5 – Revised Entry Form Available
April 17, 2017
The Curly Licklider Memorial Four-Ball Amateur Championship has been rescheduled for June 5. A revised enty form for those who have not already entered is avaiable on the Area Schedule page.
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Raspberry Falls vs. Chantilly in A-Team Finals
April 9, 2017
Defending champion Raspberry Falls GHC defeated Springfield CC 12 – 6 in today’s semifinals to advance to the finals against Chantilly National CC, which won over South Riding GC 9.5 to 8.5. Raspberry Falls is trying to be only the second club to go back-to-back since 1999, while Chantilly National will have its fourth chance in the finals to break out of a tie with Army Navy CC for the most A-Team titles. Each have won seven times in the 47 year history of this annual event. The finals are scheduled for Saturday, April 22. All results, final standings and the playoff schedule are available on the A-Team page.
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A-Team Playoffs Are Set – Raspberry Falls Top Seed, International Wild Card
April 3, 2017
Update 4/8: Raspberry Falls, Springfield, Chantilly and South Riding advance to semifinals.
Divisional play in the Northern Virginia A-Team matches has been completed with seven former champions, and one club seeking its first title. Defending champion Raspberry Falls is the top seed and will meet International in the opening round of the quarterfinals next Saturday. International edged out Belle Haven for the wild card spot. 2015 champion Piedmont will face 2013 champion Springfield to round out the upper bracket. In the lower bracket, second-seeded Chantilly faces Fauquier Springs and Washington Golf meets South Riding, which is vying for its first title. The semifinals will be played next Sunday. All results, final standings and the playoff schedule are available on the A-Team page.
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Lew Blakey Receives Prestigious USGA Award
March 29, 2017
The United States Golf Association honored Northern Virginia’s Lew Blakey as an Ike Granger Award recipient at their Annual Meeting last month which was conducted in Bethesda, MD. The award is in honor of Blakey’s 25 years of volunteer service to the game as a USGA Rules Official and PGA/USGA Rules of Golf Workshop instructor (noting that he conducted these duties at the Virginia and Mid-Atlantic levels as well). Blakey has officiated at all four USGA men’s major championships, including nearly 20 U.S. Opens, as well as numerous women’s championships. In all, he has officiated at over 100 national championships, including the Masters, British Open and PGA Championship in addition to the USGA championships. Blakey has served on the USGA’s Executive Committee (2001-2006), the Joint USGA/RA Rules of Golf Committee (2001-2007) and is a member of the Middle Atlantic Golf Association Hall of Fame. Many know him as one of the leading experts in the game on the rules, but most do not know that he had an accomplished career as a golfer himself. He won the Washington Metropolitan Golf Association Senior Amateur twice (1992 and 1998), the 1991 Northern Virginia Senior Amateur and captured two Northern Virginia Senior 4-Ball titles with Dave King.
The ceremony took place following Blakey’s last workshop, but he says he will still continue to be involved with the rules. Scott Lipsky of the USGA has written an excellent article on Blakey’s career (see link below). His concluding statement bears repeating – “It’s a fitting tribute. Blakey’s years of service have left an indelible mark on the Rules of Golf”.
USGA Article:”Blakey’s Love of the Game Fueled by Admiration for the Rules”
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Raspberry Falls Opens Strong Defense in A-Team Matches – Nine Teams Remain Undefeated
March 26, 2017
Defending champion Raspberry Falls GC won their first two matches in Division play, each by convincing margins of 15-3, as the Northern Virginia A-Team matches finally caught a break in the weather this past weekend. Raspberry Falls will face Belle Haven (2-0) on Saturday to determine the Division A winners. Other key matches in the final weekend of Division play include undefeated teams Springfield versus Winchester in Division C, and South Riding versus Trump National in Division G. Division E will head into the final weekend with all four teams – Fauquier Springs, Prince William, Loudoun and River Creek – tied at 1-1. Raspberry Falls is looking to become the first club to successfully defend their title since River Creek won back-to-back in 2004 and 2005. Results are posted on the A-Team page.
Pictured: Creighton Farms’ Jason Ward and Shane Lanhardt and Raspberry Falls’ Tom and Greg Brouse
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Curly Licklider Entry Form Available – March 31 Deadline
March 1, 2017
The entry form for the Curly Licklider Memorial Four-Ball Amateur Championship is now avaiable on the Area Schedule page. The annual event, hosted by the Winchester CC, has both regular and senior divisions. It is an 18 hole, no handicap event. The entry form includes additional information. Brian Hill and Jason Pool are the defending champions, with two teams typing for first place last year in the senior division – Larry Stock and Tom Dilli along with Bob Harwick and John Steele.
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A-Team Entry Form Available – February 20 Deadline
January 30, 2017
The entry form for the Northern Virginia A-Team matches is now available with an entry deadline of February 20th. The competition, which has the been the “unofficial” start to the area’s golf season each year for over 45 years, will begin with the round-robin preliminary round March 17th, and provided no weather delays, will move into the playoffs on Aril 8th. The competition is open to all clubs in the VSGA Northern Sections (Northern Virginia – East, Central and West Sections as well as the Fredericksburg Section). Additional information is contained on the A-Team page, in the Entry Form and in the A-Team Rules. Please note the new mailing address: VSGA NE Section, P.O. Box 2328, Ashburn, VA 20146. Northern Virginia Tournament Director, Mark Vandegrift, is the new A-Team Coordinator, taking the reigns from Tim Krouse who expertly handled the duties for more than a decade. Raspberry Falls is the defending champion.