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By Chris Lang
WINCHESTER – If there was one thing that struck the
people who played with David Stanford this week at the 67th Virginia
State Golf Association Junior Stroke Play Championship, it was his soft hands
around the greens. As he clung to a one-stroke lead during the closing stretch
of the final round Thursday, that ability to scramble around the greens proved
to be a difference maker.
Though he took the
lead for good with a 25-foot birdie putt on the par-4 16th at
Winchester Country Club, Stanford made crucial up and downs for par on the
final two holes to stave off his closest pursuer, Michael Brennan, and claim
the F.J.D. Mackay Trophy.
Stanford closed
with a 3-under-par 68 Thursday for a three-day aggregate of 204, securing a
one-stroke win. A 15-year-old rising junior at George Marshall High School in
Falls Church, Stanford survived every charge thrown at him to win.
“It’s just such an
honor to win this,” Stanford said, “because this is a state championship.”
Brennan matched
Stanford’s 68 but finished a shot back at 205. Roanoke’s Ross Funderburke, a
Hidden Valley Country Club member headed to Furman University, showed well in
his final junior event, posting a 2-under 69 for a three-day 206, two shots
behind Stanford. Funderburke was the only player in the field to shoot in the
60s all three days.
By the turn in
Thursday’s final round, the three players in the final grouping had separated
themselves from the field. Winchester’s closing stretch featured plenty of
theatrics, starting on the par-5 15th when Funderburke chipped in
for eagle to move into a tie for the lead with Stanford at 8 under. Brennan
remained a shot back when he made par.
On No. 16, Stanford
remained steady and regained the lead. All three players reached the green in
regulation, though Stanford was about 25 feet left of the flagstick and
Funderburke was off to the right. Brennan was last to hit his approach, and he
stuck it to two feet, where he’d tap in for birdie.
Stanford bombed
home his bendy putt, letting out a huge fist pump as he took the lead for good.
“I couldn’t give up
the momentum. I had to keep the lead,” Stanford said. “I knew if I didn’t make
it, it would just be an even bigger chance for (Brennan) to win, because he’d
have the momentum. That was definitely a must make for me.”
Funderburke had a
chance to remain in the hunt, but he missed his birdie putt, and the comebacker
made a 180-degree spin around the cup before lipping out. He settled for bogey
to fall two shots behind the lead with two holes to play.
“That would have
kept me one back,” Funderburke said, “so that was kind of a blow.”
On 17, Brennan
elected to hit an iron off the tee and drove it to the middle of the fairway.
Both Funderburke and Stanford hit their drives long and left into a wooded area
near the green. Stanford’s first chip attempt caught grass, and the ball landed
well short of the green. He displayed little in the way of nerves, however,
hitting a perfect flop shot to two feet, where he tapped in for par.
Brennan had about a
16-foot birdie putt, but it just slipped past the hole.
Stanford credited
his father with helping him develop a calm demeanor on the golf course,
something that came in handy all week.
“As a kid, I think
everybody goes through that stage where they’re a little emotional, and they
need to work on that,” Stanford said. “He always told me to keep my head in it.
It doesn’t matter if nobody’s watching, or if there are 100 people watching. It’s
just what you have to do to win.”
On 18, Stanford’s
approach shot flew the green, leaving him another tough pitch to a tricky,
sloping putting surface. He lobbed it to four feet, leaving him an excellent
par chance, which he converted.
“He didn’t make
many mistakes at all,” Brennan said of Stanford. “He hit the ball decent. He
hit his irons well and made some nice putts. He chipped it really well. That
was the strongest part of his game. If he missed the green, it’s not like he
even had four-foot putts. On 17 and 18 today, he almost chipped it in twice.”
Brennan still had a
chance to answer and force a playoff, but his 15-foot birdie putt started left
and never broke, sealing Stanford’s victory.
“I played it
outside left, and it just stayed there,” Brennan said.
In the end,
Stanford was a wire-to-wire champion who took the lead with a sensational
5-under round on Tuesday and held off multiple challengers over the next two
days. He certainly left an impression on his fellow competitors at Winchester.
“He made one bogey
all day,” Funderburke said. “He just doesn’t make any mistakes, just really
solid. There are a lot of great things in his future.”
Lang is the editor of
Virginia Golfer magazine and the VSGA’s manager, digital media.