NOTE TO MEDIA: Links to scoring, photos, previous recaps and the event preview can be found on the event portal at the link posted above. Please click on the “Media” tab to find those items. Photos are downloadable and can be used for publication. Please credit Chris Lang/VSGA.
By Chris Lang
GREAT FALLS — Roanoke’s Samir Davidov, who will soon move to Fairfax County to begin his college golf career at George Mason University, fired a 3-under-par 68 at River Bend Club on Tuesday to move atop the leaderboard at the 70th Virginia State Golf Association Junior Stroke Play Championship.
Davidov, a recent Lord Botetourt High School graduate, shot a two-day aggregate 5-under-par 137 to take a one-stroke lead over Vienna’s Matt Moloney, who is competing in his final VSGA event before moving to South Carolina next week.
Those two players were the only ones to post under-par scores over the first two days of the 54-hole championship, which will conclude on Wednesday. Leesburg’s Vaughn McMeans and Lovettsville’s Logan Reilly—the first-round leader—are five strokes back after returning two-day aggregate totals of even-par 142.
THE STORY
Davidov—who was 1-over for the day through eight holes—made his biggest putt of the day on the 636-yard, par-5 9th hole. Though the hole plays downhill from an elevated tee, it still takes a couple of monster whacks to put a player in position to make birdie. Davidov was up to the task, his second shot settling just right of a greenside bunker, hole high.
Still, he needed to flop it high over the bunker to get the ball to stop near the hole. He did, then made the putt for a key birdie heading to the turn.
“That was probably my best putt of the day,” he said. “I’m so glad it dropped, because it probably started me on a little heater.”
Davidov captured the momentum and shot 3-under on the back, including another birdie on 18 to end his round.
Davidov finished tied for 32nd in this event a year ago, but his results this year—including a recent runner-up showing at an AJGA event in South Carolina—have him moving in the right direction. The biggest factor in his improvement?
“I’ve been playing some pretty good consistent golf lately, and I think it’s because I just don’t get too upset anymore,” Davidov said. “I just kind of take what I shoot and go … I think everyone goes through that a little bit, so I’m just glad that I’ve matured a little bit.”
To that end, he said he won’t be too wrapped up with sleeping on the lead and finding ways to handle the pressure on the first tee on Wednesday.
“We’ll see what happens tomorrow, hopefully I can close it out,” Davidov said. “I just want to play good golf. I don’t even care if I win, I just want to play some really great golf, and if I win, that’s a bonus. But I think winning’s not everything anymore.”
Moloney had a chance to match Davidov on the final hole, but his 15-foot birdie putt on 18 came up a couple of rolls short. He settled for a second straight 69 and a two-day total of 138. After a bogey-free first round on Monday, he made two of them on Tuesday but made up for it with four birdies.
“It’s a good spot to be in,” Moloney said. “Obviously, I wish I was in the lead, but you can’t ask for much more. One shot back, that’s a good spot.”
Moloney finished tied for fifth last year, three shots behind champion David Stanford. The biggest key to getting over the hump this year and leaving Virginia a VSGA champion? Rolling in some putts. He said he’s not putting poorly, but he’s also not making anything of significant distance.
“I’ve been hitting the ball well, but I haven’t been converting,” Moloney said. “I’m not taking advantage of the par 5s. I’m close, but I haven’t quite converted everything yet.”
NOTES
- Langley’s Chase Nevins entered the day a shot back of Reilly, but a rough finish has him six shots off the lead heading into Wednesday. He went bogey-triple bogey-bogey to finish his round and posted a 4-over 75 on Tuesday. He’s at 1-over 143, tied for fifth with Hudson Pace.
- Reilly was even par through five holes on Tuesday after making two birdies and two bogeys, but the birdie on 5 was his last of the day. He made four bogeys in his last 13 holes and immediately headed to River Bend’s practice green to hit some putts after his round was done.
- McMeans was 4-under through seven holes but played the rest of the round at 3-over, including a double bogey on the par-3 15th. Still, he put himself in contention with a 1-under 70.
- Forty-five players made the 36-hole cut at 12-over or better. Among them were two players who made big moves on Tuesday. Owen Wolak followed his opening-round 81 with a 71, and Rishi Sundaresen posted a 72 after his first-day 81.
- The final grouping (Davidov, Moloney and McMeans) will go off at 9:50 a.m. Wednesday.
Lang is the VSGA’s manager of media and communications.