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By Chris Lang
SUFFOLK — Abingdon’s Connor Creasy, a senior at the University of Georgia, started his day Tuesday at the 109th Virginia State Golf Association Amateur Championship by setting Cedar Point Club’s competitive course record. He ended it as stroke-play medalist as the event transitions to match play beginning Wednesday.
Creasy, a member at Glenrochie Country Club, posted a two-day aggregate 11-under-par 133—a total that included a course-record 7-under 65 in his first round, which he completed early on Tuesday morning.
Creasy finished two strokes clear of Virginia Beach’s Evan Beck (Princess Anne CC), who shot 66-69 for a two-day total of 9-under 135. Loyola (Md.)’s Carlo Pizzano shot a 1-under 71 on Tuesday for a two-day total of 6-under 138 to finish alone in third. Fredericksburg’s Grayson Wood, who won last week’s VSGA Junior Match Play Championship, finished alone in fourth at 5-under 139.
Match play begins Wednesday with the rounds of 32 and 16. The quarterfinals and semifinals are scheduled for Thursday, and the 36-hole championship match is scheduled for Friday.
THE STORY
Creasy’s third season at Georgia was a bit of a struggle, but he said his game started to click later in the spring. He played in just 14 rounds (with only six counting) for the Bulldogs during the 2021-22 season. But in the spring, he advanced to U.S. Open final qualifying and his game started to turn around.
“I was kind of in and out of the lineup. But the last three months or so, I really have seen a turn in the right direction, which is nice,” Creasy said. “This game, it just beats you up, if you let it. To have my game back and playing well and having fun again, it’s nice to see.”
He played free and easy during his first round of qualifying. When a weather delay hit on Monday, he was in the 18th fairway, waiting to hit his approach. He hit the green and made birdie once play resumed Tuesday, clinching a bogey-free opening-round 65, the first time in his life he had set a course’s scoring record.
“I just kept it front of me all day and made a few putts,” Creasy said. “Honestly, nothing too special.”
Creasy opened his second round with a bogey on No. 10, but he quickly recovered with a birdie on 12 and an eagle on the par-5 14th. He followed that with another bogey on 15, but he played his final 12 holes at 3-under to secure the stroke-play medal.
Creasy will open match play Wednesday morning against Jed Rasnick.
“I’m feeling solid,” Creasy said. “Obviously, tomorrow’s a whole new day, a new start. I really like match play. For some reason, it frees me up, and I guess that’s when you play your best. I do at least. So I’m excited.”
Beck, who last Saturday won the prestigious Thomas Invitational at Los Angeles Country Club, has a hunger to finally add a VSGA Amateur title to his resume. He shook off any jetlag from a cross-country red-eye flight and played steady, even golf to easily secure his match-play spot. Seeded second, Beck will face Chase Nevins Wednesday morning.
“Really steady. Everything is working,” Beck said. “I’m driving it well. I’m hitting my iron shots well. And those iron shots that I missed, I got them up and down today. And I’ve been putting pretty well. Everything seems to be working.”
Beck made just one bogey in stroke-play qualifying (No. 4 in his first round on Monday) and will look to erase the sting of last year’s semifinal loss to champion Jimmy Taylor. It was no fault of Beck—he shot 65 that day at CC of Petersburg but simply ran into a short-game buzzsaw in Taylor.
“The tournament starts over tomorrow, and you just have to beat one guy at a time,” Beck said. “Hopefully I can keep doing that.”
Pizzano continued his strong play, posting a steady 1-under 71 on Tuesday for a two-day total of 6-under 138. He earned the No. 3 seed for match play and will open against Adam Marshall.
“The course suits my game really well,” Pizzano said. “I made a lot of putts, and that’s what I’m happy about. I know in match play, it comes down to making pars and turning some pars into birdies.”
Finishing fourth was the 17-year-old Wood, who shot 70-69—139. Wood, who recently graduated from Massaponox High School and will take a gap year before deciding on a college destination, is riding a wave of confidence after winning last week’s VSGA Junior Match Play Championship at Willow Oaks Country Club in Richmond.
“I’m just playing my game, honestly,” Wood said. “I haven’t changed much in the past few weeks. I’ve been taking less range time and spending more time on on-course situations. I’ve really been focusing on the putting, which has been the key to how I’ve been playing right now. I’ve been making everything I see.”
Prior to last week, he had never qualified for the match-play portion of the Junior Match Play, but he quickly took to the format at Willow Oaks. He’ll open match play Wednesday against Matthew Feinstein.
“I’m 4-0 in match play so far,” Wood said. “I can’t ask for anything more.”
NOTES
- Ten players who have won VSGA titles advanced to the match play portion of the event, including 2011 Amateur champion Scott Shingler. The others include Beck (Mid-Amateur, State Open); Jack Montague (State Open); Steve Serrao (Senior Amateur, Senior Four-Ball, Senior Stroke Play, Junior Stroke Play); John Ferguson, Wood and Dustin Groves (Junior Match Play); Trey Marrion and Xander Goboy (MAPGA/VSGA Junior Four-Ball); and Blake Carter (Mid-Amateur, Four-Ball).
- After the conclusion of play on Tuesday, nine players competed in a playoff for the final five match play spots, with Nevins, Marshall, Rasnick, Feinstein and Shingler advancing.
- Hunter Duncan was the lone player to make an eagle on a non-par-5 hole, making an eagle 2 on the par-4 2nd in Monday’s first round.
- Two players made big-time moves to earn match-play spots. Both Aryan Vuradi (George Mason signee) and Patrick Gareiss (Radford) shook off opening-round 76s to advance. Vuradi posted a 68 and Gareiss returned 69.
- The par-4 11th was the most difficult hole in qualifying, playing at a 4.45 stroke average. The easiest hole was the par-5 17th, which played to a 4.68 average and yielded six eagles.
Lang is the VSGA’s manager of media and communications.