112th VSGA Amateur Championship

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Dates: Monday, June 23 - Friday, June 27

Format: Two rounds of stroke-play qualifying, with the top 32 players advancing to match play. If necessary, a playoff will be conducted after Tuesday's second round to determine the final match-play spots. Rounds of 32 and 16 on Wednesday. Quarterfinals and semifinals on Thursday. The 36-hole championship match is scheduled to begin on Friday at 7:30 a.m.

Host site: Birdwood Golf at Boar's Head Resort

Championship match: Maclauchlan outlasts Young for 1-up victory

(Liam Maclauchlan, right, celebrates with his dad after winning the VSGA Amateur. Credit: Chris Lang/VSGA)

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By Chris Lang

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Liam Maclauchlan could taste the title on the 15th green at Birdwood Golf at Boar's Head Resort on Friday. Up three holes with four to play in the 36-hole final match at the 112th Virginia State Amateur Championship, the 16-year-old Maclauchlan had about a 20-foot birdie putt to close out his veteran opponent, Justin Young. The putt rolled and rolled and rolled and ... stopped, about one roll short of dropping into the cup. Maclauchlan looked skyward in anguish, fearing he may have let the 47-year-old Young off the hook.

Those fears were founded. Young, who trailed 6 down at one point, simply wouldn't go away. He flopped from the rough on 16 and made a 15-foot birdie putt to live another hole. He chipped in from the rough right of the green on 17 for birdie, and Maclauchlan's lead was down to 1 up going to 18. During their first go-around in the morning, Machlauchlan made possibly his worst swing of the week, driving his ball into the reeds short and left, leading to a bogey. This time, he calmly hit his drive into the fairway and reached the green in regulation. And when Young missed his long birdie putt, Maclauchlan needed only to clean up a 2-foot par putt to win. He sank it, pumped his fist, and finally had reason to celebrate. 

Machlauchlan, a VSGA Junior Golf Circuit member who plays out of Magnolia Green Golf Club in Moseley, defeated Young 1 up and became just the second 16-year-old to ever win the VSGA Amateur, joining Billy Howell, who won the title in dominating fashion in 1928. Maclauchlan's victory earned him a golden ticket into upcoming U.S. Amateur Championship as well.

"This is such an amazing accomplishment," said Maclauchlan, who earns a lifetime exemption into the Amateur with his victory. "Just to see that I could handle the nerves and end up pulling through, it's amazing. I can't even believe it still."

The win was undeniably the biggest of Maclauchlan's budding career. A Class of 2027 homeschooled student, Maclauchlan was making his first appearance in match play at the Amateur, and he made the most of it, winning five matches to become the third straight teenager to win the title. Logan Reilly (17) and Grayson Wood (18) won the previous two Amateurs. Maclauchlan didn't come out of nowhere, however. He teamed with older brother Noah -- who recently committed to play college golf at Liberty University -- to win the MAPGA/VSGA Junior Four-Ball Championship in March, and the pair produced a runner-up finish at the VSGA Four-Ball Championship in May.

Partner events are one thing. Winning five matches to earn a spot on the Schwarszchild Brothers trophy along names like Vinny Giles, Curtis Strange, Lanny Wadkins, Tom McKnight, Keith Decker, and David Partridge, and others is quite another.

Two-time VSGA Amateur winner Jay Woodson has coached Maclauchlan for more than three years now. He wasn't at all surprised at what he saw this week at Birdwood.

"The kid is fearless," Woodson said. "He's not afraid of any player, any opponent, any moment, as you can see. You watched Justin Young make birdie on 16, hole out on his chip shot on 17, and he was still able to keep his composure. He hit two great shots, made a great putt, and he was able to withstand it. He deserved to win."

Young, a member at Roanoke Country Club, was making his first appearance in the Amateur final. A past VSGA Mid-Amateur champion, Young said he struggled early with some back pain, which led to him missing often to the right. During the lunch break, he took ibuprofen and did some stretching, which helped him work his way back into the match. The putting magic that had been there all week never really materialized on Friday, however. He had several chances to cut into Maclauchlan's considerable lead -- including missing a reasonable eagle putt short on 12 -- but he couldn't crack it until it was nearly too late.

"I just kept trying to apply pressure," Young said. "Hit greens, hit fairways, and see what happens. I made it interesting."

Maclauchlan made some impressive putts, though, to keep Young at bay whenever he threatened. Maclauchlan was 6 up after making birdie on No. 1 on the second 18, but Young took advantage of some mistakes from the youngster to chip away at the lead. A big moment came on No. 6 in the second 18, when Maclauchlan made a 15-foot downhill slider for par to maintain a 3-up edge. Young then three-putted the 7th green, allowing Maclauchlan to push the lead back to 4 up.

Young played the back nine of the second 18 at 3-under with three birdies and no bogeys, but the hole was a little too big. Maclauchlan made the par of his life when it counted on 18, and he walked away a champion.

"Winning an amateur tournament -- it's not just junior golf, there are grown men here, college students -- the fact that I won against so many amazing players, it's a huge accomplishment," Maclauchlan said.

Day 4: Maclauchlan, Young advance to final match

(Liam Maclauchlan, 16, will face Justin Young, 47, in Friday's 36-hole final match. Credit: Chris Lang/VSGA)

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By Chris Lang

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Fans of the late great comic Mitch Hedberg may remember this quip from his stand-up shows.

"I wish I could play little league now. I'd be way better than before."

In a way, 47-year-old Justin Young is getting that opportunity this week at Birdwood Golf at Boar's Head Resort during the 112th playing of the Virginia State Golf Association Amateur Championship.

Not to confuse elite junior golf with Little League baseball, but Young has gone back in time to defeat four straight teenagers on his way to Friday's 36-hole championship match. To win the ultimate prize for the first time, he'll have to beat another -- 16-year-old Liam Maclauchlan of Moseley, who has played a sort of no-fear golf this week that has left opponents stunned.

Friday's final is a study in generations. Young -- the oldest non-senior in the field this week -- has a son two years younger than Maclauchlan, who is the second youngest player in the field and was the youngest to make match play.

Maclauchlan finished his 4-and-3 semifinal win over fellow teenager Josh Cummins about an hour before Young made a two-putt bogey on 18 to clinch a 1-up win over 16-year-old Owen Love of Alexandria. Young's other match-play wins came over 19-year-olds Ryan Leach and Nate Faulkner, and 18-year-old Michael Lee, who is set to begin his University of Virginia career later this summer.

Maclauchlan's road included, strangely enough, wins over mid-amateurs Andrew Crowley and Ryan Rettberg on Wednesday before ousting William & Mary's Preston Burton (the 2023 VSGA Junior Stroke Play champion at Birdwood) and Cummins.

It all adds up to an intriguing final match on Friday. Admission is free, and spectators are encouraged to attend.

NOTABLE

• Maclauchlan has been coached by four-time State Open of Virginia and two-time VSGA Amateur champion Jay Woodson for the last three-plus years. Woodson was on site to watch his pupil on Thursday.
• Cummins led 3-up through six holes before Maclauchlan turned it on, winning seven of the next eight holes to take a 4-up lead. The match ended when both players made par on 15.
• Maclauchlan teamed with brother Noah to win the MAPGA/VSGA Junior Four-Ball title in March. The pair then recorded a runner-up finish at the VSGA Four-Ball Championship in May. This is his first time making match play at the VSGA Amateur.
• Young's match against Love turned on the par-4 14th when Young chipped in for birdie from about 30 yards out to go 3 up. Love scrapped, though, denying Young a chance to close the match by making birdie on 15 after hitting into a penalty area off the tee. Young led 1 up going to 18 and caught a break when Love hit his drive into a penalty area on the right. Young's approach went left into a bunker, and though he got out, it went long. When Love's par chip from just off the green came up short, Young needed only a two-putt bogey to secure the 1-up win.
• Teenagers Logan Reilly and Grayson Wood won the last two VSGA Amateurs. Should Young win, he would be the oldest VSGA Amateur champion since Pat Tallent won at age 53 in 2007. 
• Cummins defeated stroke-play medalist Talon Dingledine in the quarterfinals to advance to the semifinals.
• All four of Love's matches went the distance, with his first-round win against Robb Kinder coming in 19 holes.
• The winner of Friday's match earns an exemption into the upcoming U.S. Amateur Championship. All four semifinalists are exempt from local qualifying for the event and can go straight to final qualifying.

QUOTABLE

• "We're always coming to tournaments expecting to win. That's what we do." -- Liam Maclauchlan
• "I'm just praying out there to God, he's helping me out every step of the way. And I have a process that I go through, every single swing, every single putt. I'm just trusting the process, and that it will help take me all the way. Like today, when I was done, I was like, 'Stick to the process, we have plenty of holes left.' Stick to it, and we'll see what happens, and I actually came out firing, so that was awesome." -- Maclauchlan
• "The biggest thing when your down on yourself is to try to erase it from your mind." -- Maclauchlan
• "We've gone through hard times and good times. But overall, he has just helped me so much, especially on the mental side. Just to stay in the moment, it's what he's taught me. He's helped me out with a few swing things in the last couple of weeks. Jay has been a big part of my golf life, and I'm very thankful for him." -- Maclauchlan on Jay Woodson
• "We love to play golf and we hate when we can't play, but when one of us can't play, the other is right there. We've got a great relationship." -- Maclauchlan on having brother Noah on the bag for the final.
• "It's enjoyable to watch them play. I wish I had half their game when I was their age. To see these kids play the way they do, they're coming out to the highest stakes in Virginia, and it doesn't even faze them. I'm nervous. But it's fun to watch them play, and hopefully I can teach them something too." -- Young on playing a wave of teenagers
• "I've always thought I could get to the finals and win. Actually, I felt really good coming into this for some reason. I got tired this afternoon and made some bad swings. I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing. I'm going to go drink Gatorade like it's cold beer at a frat party. Just get in some AC, eat some dinner, and probably answer a thousand texts from people." -- Young
• "It's going to be a long day. I'm old. And I'm tired. But I have a lot of game left. It would mean a lot, obviously. Just to be in this position, at almost 48, I feel pretty damn good about that." -- Young

Day 3: Top seed Dingledine headlines quarterfinal field

(Talon Dingledine tees off on No. 7 in his round-of-32 match on Wednesday. Credit: Chris Lang/VSGA)

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By Chris Lang

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Top seed Talon Dingledine was one of eight to advance to the quarterfinals of the 112th Virginia State Golf Association Amateur Championship on another steamy day at Birdwood Golf at Boar's Head Resort. Only one of the eight quarterfinalists has reached this stage of the Amateur before, setting up an exciting Thursday of quarterfinal and semifinal action.

Read below to learn more about the eight quarterfinalists.

Talon Dingledine

• Seed: 1 | Road to the quarterfinals: def. #32 Steve Serrao, 19 holes; def. #17 Rylan Shim, 2 up
• Takeaways: Dingledine went to 18 in his first match against Serrao down one, and it looked like there was a chance that the curse of the medalist would continue. The last two No. 1 seeds in this event bowed out in their first match, but Dingledine caught a break on the final hole when Serrao -- a past VSGA Senior Amateur finalist at Birdwood -- made his first bad swing of the day off the tee. That led to a bogey and an extra hole, and Dingledine advanced with a birdie on the first extra hole. It marked the second time the 18-year-old Dingledine had ousted Serrao in an important match, having beaten Serrao to win the 2023 Richmond City Amateur. Dingledine, bound for William & Mary soon, broke open a tied match at the turn against Shim (University of Florida), winning four of the first five holes after the turn and clinching the match with a birdie on 18.
• Quoting: "For me, I had a lot of mental issues with putting. I would go out to my own course and putt great, people would look at my stroke and say there was nothing wrong with it. Then I'd come out to a tournament and have like 40 putts. There was about a nine-month stretch of that. There's a Y word out there that I don't want to use, but I was struggling with the short putter. I tried just about everything. It got to a point where I needed something. I wasn't enjoying golf at the time. I needed a full reset. I don't know if there's more of a different feel that you can get than the broomstick, but it's been great. ... I was hitting the ball too well for the scores that I was shooting." -- On switching to a long putter in May 2024.

Josh Cummins

• Seed: 9 | Road to the quarterfinals: def. #24 Drew Carlin, 2 and 1; def. #8 Aryan Vuradi, 20 holes
• Takeaways: Cummins is set to begin his career at Longwood later this summer. But he's already found a groove against college players, defeating Carlin (Richmond) and Vuradi, a former George Mason player who is currently in the transfer portal. Cummins rallied from a small deficit against Carlin before closing that match out when both players made par on 17. In the second match against Vuradi, Cummins started hot, winning three of the first five holes. Then, as he said, "I blinked," and Vuradi had a 1-up lead after 14 holes. Cummins tied the match with a birdie on 16 and won it on the second extra hole by sinking a 20-foot putt for birdie.
• Quoting: "It really elevates my confidence. Going into the week, I wasn't feeling great with my swing, then I figured something out on Monday. That just carried me through. Feels really good to beat to two rising (college) seniors to get there."

Liam Maclauchlan

• Seed: 13 | Road to the quarterfinals: def. #20 Andrew Crowley, 19 holes; def. #29 Ryan Rettberg, 8 and 6
• Takeaways: The younger of the Maclauchlan brothers at 16, Liam is the youngest player remaining in the field. He navigated his way to the quarterfinals by knocking out two mid-amateurs, topping Crowley (who participated in last year's U.S. Mid-Amateur) in 19 holes before blitzing Rettberg, a former Radford standout who had earlier ousted Adam Hooker. Maclauchlan jumped out to a 7-up lead through 10 holes and coasted to the finish, closing the match on 12 with an eagle. Maclauchlan likes Birdwood, having finished tied for 7th in the 2023 Junior Stroke Play Championship here as a 14-year-old.
• Quoting: "I always look forward to coming back to Birdwood. The course is always in amazing shape, it's definitely a treat. It definitely fits the eye. We'll see if we can keep it going tomorrow. ... This is my first state Amateur, so to make it this far and see that I can handle the pressure, it's awesome to see. I love match play. I'm very excited and looking forward to tomorrow."

Preston Burton

• Seed: 12 | Road to the quarterfinals: def. #21 Tim Pemberton, 20 holes; def. #5 Benjamin Baker, 3 and 2
• Takeaways: Burton knew his first-round opponent well -- not surprising since Pemberton is his coach at William & Mary and the two spar often during practice sessions. The opening match was tense at times, two very competitive players not wanting to give an inch. On 18, Pemberton gave just the slightest of openings, three-putting the final green to send the match to extra holes. Burton won on the 20th. With his first Amateur match victory in pocket, Burton -- who won the 2023 VSGA Junior Stroke Play here -- built a 4-up lead through 12 on Virginia Tech signee Baker and cruised to the win.
• Quoting: "Tim and I are very competitive people. We grew up in the same area, went to the same school, know all of the same people. It was a really competitive day. He got off to a super hot start, birdieing like four of his first five holes. I just stayed really patient. I didn't really get anything going, but I didn't make many bogeys. I think I made two bogeys the whole 18. That's solid out here. ... One of us had to win today."
  
  "This is the first time I've won any matches in the tournament. My expectation is to win the golf tournament at this point. I've already gotten this far and handled the heat thus far. I'm ready to handle it some more. Just need to do my thing. Make pars, make a couple of birdies, try not to make any bogeys."

Channing Blevins

• Seed: 31 | Road to the quarterfinals: def. #2 Austin Smith, 2 and 1; def. #15 Jake Lopes, 1 up
• Takeaways: The storyline seems to crop up every year at the Amateur. A guy puts together a solid second round to sneak into match play, takes that opening, and runs with it. That was exactly the case for the former Radford standout Blevins, who posted an even-par 71 in Tuesday's second round of stroke-play qualifying, just enough to finish under the cut line and earn a spot in the field of 32. After ousting Smith in a tight match in the morning, Blevins -- who hails from Wytheville, the hub of Southwest Virginia -- made a two-putt par on 18 to clinch his 1-up win over Lopes.
• Quoting: "I didn't miss many greens. I wasn't playing conservative, but I was kind of letting the guys I was playing with mess up a little bit to get my holes. I ended up making a couple of putts here and there. But I was thinking fairways and greens and let the putter control the round. If you don't have to scramble out here, it's not that bad. But if you start scrambling, that's where you make numbers. I just tried to take it one shot at a time, and it worked out."

Owen Love

• Seed: 10 | Road to the quarterfinals: def. #23 Robb Kinder, 19 holes; def. #7 Gage Foddrell, 1 up
• Takeaways: From last-chance qualifier to one of the last eight standing, Love -- a member at Belle Haven CC -- survived a 37-hole day to advance  the quarterfinals, a year after missing match play by one stroke at his home course. Love missed out on qualifying at Laurel Hill GC only to turn around and earn medalist honors with a 66 at Lake Chesdin GC in the Last Chance Qualifier. Down 1 going to 18 in his first match against Kinder, Love won the final two holes to advance to the round of 16. In that round, Foddrell made back-to-back eagles on 2 and 3 to race to an early lead, but Love, 16, composed himself and eventually squared the match by 12. He won by making a 7-footer for birdie on 18.
• Quoting: "It's great. Definitely wanted to come to Birdwood. It's a really nice place. I'm happy to be here, taking the advantage of the opportunity of the last-chance qualifier. Hopefully I can continue the momentum. ... I've definitely gained a lot of distance (since last year), which has really helped. I have more accessibility to pins with better distance, with wedges and lower irons into greens. My process, my routine have definitely improved. I feel good about my game heading into tomorrow."

Michael Lee

• Seed: 3 | Road to the quarterfinals: def. #30 Stephen Bain, 2 up; def. #19 Sam Beach, 2 and 1
• Takeaways: Lee, a UVA signee, used the Y word Dingledine was loath to earlier, noting some putting yips early in his first match against Bain had him searching for answers. One of the answers was to kindly ask older brother Bryan Lee to leave after three holes, as Michael noted, "Sometimes I just don't play well in front of him." Lee took no offense and headed across the street to Farmington to congratulate UVA women's golfer Kennedy Swedick on her Women's Open of Virginia victory. Michael finally settled down and went on a back-nine heater. With Bain 3 up through 14, Lee won the final five holes to steal the win and advance. He survived a strong putting effort from past VSGA Golfer of the Year Beach in the second match before closing him out on 17.
• Quoting: "I need to work on my putting and get some practice in, but I'm feeling good. My ball striking is there. I was struggling hitting the ball in stroke play, but we've got it back. Driver is looking good."

Justin Young

• Seed: 6 | Road to the quarterfinals: def. #27 Ryan Leach, 4 and 3; def. #11 Nate Faulkner, 2 up
• Takeaways: Young is making his first quarterfinal appearance since 2016 at Pete Dye River Course at Virginia Tech. He hasn't played in the Amateur every year since then -- work has gotten in the way a few times -- but the 47-year-old continues to be one of the steadiest amateurs in Virginia. He showed it by taking out a couple of college players on Wednesday, first beating William & Mary's Mike Leach before defeating Davidson's Nate Faulkner in the round of 16. It marked the second straight year Young had to face a fellow Roanoke CC member in this event. He lost to Jason Spaar last year. Young said it was tough having to play a younger club mate who "you care a lot about, like playing your own son," but added that the future is bright for players at the club. Faulkner reached the round of 16 by beating another RCC member, Ashton Harper of Virginia Tech.
• Quoting: "I kind of came into this week with zero expectations, simply because I haven't played in 14 days. I practiced some last week, but oddly enough, coming back is just like riding a bike. Everything feels good."

Day 2: Talon Dingledine earns medalist honors on sizzling day at Birdwood

(Talon Dingledine tees off on No. 3 on Tuesday at Birdwood. Credit: Chris Lang/VSGA)

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By Chris Lang

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Electrolyte hydration packets and ice-cold neck towels were the stars of the show on Tuesday at the 112th Virginia State Golf Association Amateur Championship at Birdwood Golf at Boar's Head Resort, as players battled brutal, unrelenting heat from nearly start to finish as the field was whittled to 32 players for the match-play portion of the championship, which begins early Wednesday morning.

Talon Dingledine, a William & Mary signee and past VSGA Junior Match Play champion, posted an even-par 71 on Tuesday for a two-day total of 4-under 138 to earn medalist honors and the top seed for match play. He'll open play at 7:30 a.m. against No. 32 seed Steve Serrao. The two met in the final of the Richmond City Amateur in 2023, with Dingledine coming out on top.

Three players returned rounds of 4-under 67 on Tuesday to earn spots in the match-play field: Incoming UVA freshman Michael Lee, Aryan Vuradi, and Austin Smith.

For the second straight year, the match play field was set without a playoff. Four players tied for 29th at 4-over 146 to earn the final spots.

NOTABLE

• Dingledine, a member at Stonehenge G&CC, is seeking to become the fifth player to win both the VSGA Amateur and VSGA Junior Match Play titles. Grayson Wood, Michael Brennan, Mark Lawrence Jr., and Chris McCartin have all accomplished the feat.
  
• Lee and Smith tied for second at 2-under 139. Smith played two years at Christopher Newport before joining the professional work ranks. He said he may try to play professional golf in the near future but is just concentrating on amateur events for now.
• First-round leader Adam Hooker followed his 65 with a 4-over 75 but still finished qualifying in a tie for fourth at 2-under 140 with Benjamin Baker and Justin Young.
• The lone past champion in the field, 53-year-old Scott Shingler, tied for 22nd to earn a match-play spot. Also earning a spot: 57-year-old Steve Serrao, who was a VSGA Senior Amateur finalist at Birdwood in 2021. 
• Eight mid-ams and two seniors made it to match play. Robb Kinder also advanced, and he'll achieve mid-am (25 or older) status in August.
• The biggest moves to make match play: Stephen Bain followed his opening-round 76 with a 1-under 70 to advance, and Ashton Harper followed a 75 with a 70 to earn a spot.
• Some fun first-round matchups: William & Mary coach Tim Pemberton will face one of his players, Preston Burton. Ashton Harper will face off against Nate Faulkner in a battle of Roanoke Country Club members. Scott Shingler and Aryan Vuradi, both former George Mason players, will square off in round 1 for the second time in three years. Vuradi won 1-up at Boonsboro CC in 2023.
• Both Liam and Noah Maclauchlan, who teamed to win the MAPGA/VSGA Junior Four-Ball Championship in March, advanced to match play.
• Due to a fallen power line, Boar's Head Resort lost power for more than an hour on Tuesday, but the staff at the golf course responded quickly, shuttling ice and water out to players during a day where temperatures reached 97 degrees and the heat index reached 102.

QUOTABLE

• "I was 2-under through 6, I think, playing just solid golf. My two birdies were two two-putts. Then on 18 (where he made double bogey) I just made a couple of dumb, avoidable mistakes. But making the turn, I was still 3-under for the tournament, still well within the cut line. So I just went on autopilot a bit, fairways, greens. Definitely left some out there, but happy to finish up with a solid round out there." -- Talon Dingledine
• "I definitely love match play. City Am from Richmond is match play, and obviously the Junior Match Play (which Dingledine won in 2023). I love it. It's a completely different style of golf. Out here, with how good the greens are, you can get it rolling for sure. Just excited to see what the course looks like. I know Kent and his people have different tees they can use. Excited to see it and grateful to be there this year." -- Dingledine
• "I think it starts with hydration. I've been eating most of the day both day, making sure I'm drinking lots of fluids. I think that's where it starts, just so you don't have a bad hole or a bad swing. I think out here, you're one bad swing away and you can make triple. You've just got to keep it in play, take your medicine when you need to, and be aggressive when you can." -- Austin Smith
• "The last two years, I've missed it by one, right on the cut line. So this will be my first time. I think this course definitely fits me well. I'm excited to see what I can do." -- Smith
• "You know, I just didn't really get off the tee very well today. That's just how it goes. It was a quick turnaround. Really, I thought I played pretty well for a stretch of holes today. Just couldn't get any putts to drop. But I'm going to work on here (at the driving range) to get ready, and just get ready for match play tomorrow." -- Adam Hooker
• "I think it's going to be a great match-play venue. They can use a lot of tee boxes here, especially on those par 3s. Definitely a few of those par 4s, if guys want to go for it, like 16. Possibly, you could use 5 from up top there (as a drivable par 4), I thought that would be a pretty good one from when I looked at it earlier. I think it's a great venue, I think it sets up very well for me, and I look forward to the challenge tomorrow." -- Hooker
• "The heat was pretty tough, but we were the first group off in the afternoon wave, so we didn't really have to wait on much. I just made a couple of putts in the beginning and it just kind of got rolling from there." -- Aryan Vuradi, one of three players to post 4-under rounds on Tuesday.
• "This course is a little different than the past (Amateur) courses we've played. It's a lot more challenging off the tee. Pars are going to be important, especially on the tougher holes. Then you have to take advantage of the par 5s and the shorter holes and try to wedge it in there close and make birdie." -- Vuradi
• "We were waiting on every single shot on every single hole. But I got lucky. I got paired with one of my friends from home, we were just riding in a cart all day. We were just on our phones and chilling. We had a good time, which was nice. That got me through it. That, and a lot of water." -- Michael Lee
• "I had high hopes. But for me, when I go to a tournament, I try not to set expectations. ... The results are just going to happen. I practice hard. Just hit the ball, and the results will come." -- Lee

Day 1: Hooker races to two-shot lead

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(Adam Hooker tees off on 7 on Monday at Birdwood. Credit: Chris Lang/VSGA)

By Chris Lang

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Glenrochie Country Club's Adam Hooker beat the heat and the field during Monday's first round of stroke-play qualifying at the 112th Virginia State Golf Association Amateur Championship at Birdwood Golf at Boar's Head Resort. Hooker posted a 6-under-par round of 65 to take a two-stroke lead into Tuesday's second round. Talon Dingledine (Stonehenge G&CC) played in the same afternoon group with Hooker and returned a 4-under 67.

In the morning wave, Falling River CC's Nick Rakes posted a 3-under 68 and stands in third, just ahead of Benjamin Baker, a Virginia Tech signee who carded a 2-under 69.

After Tuesday's second round of stroke-play qualifying, the low 32 players will advance to match play, which begins Wednesday with the rounds of 32 and 16. If necessary, a playoff will be utilized to break any ties for the final match-play spots.

NOTABLE

• Hooker, who played at Western Carolina University, started his day right, making birdies on his first two holes, part of a seven-birdie day that included three straight from holes 15-17. Hooker made just one misstep, a bogey on the par-5 10th. 
• Hooker has played in two U.S. Amateurs and advanced to match play at last year's VSGA Amateur.
• Dingledine, who is set to start his William & Mary career this upcoming season, closed his round with a birdie on 18. He opened with 10 straight pars but got going on the inward nine. He went birdie-eagle-birdie on 12-13-14 to jumpstart his round. Dingledine finished tied for 19th when the VSGA Junior Stroke Play Championship was held at Birdwood in 2023, but he closed that tournament with a 69.
• Rakes, a former Longwood standout, had an up-and-down round that included a eagle, four birdies, and three bogeys.
• Baker double bogeyed the par-4 5th hole but rallied with birdies on his next three holes to get to 2-under for the day.
• Five players are tied for fifth at 1-under 70, including Farmington CC's Preston Burton, who won the VSGA Junior Stroke Play title at Birdwood in 2023.
• Also in that group is Rylan Shim, who plays for Florida and advanced to the semifinals of last year's VSGA Amateur.
• It was a rough day for two players who advanced to last year's semifinals. Last year's finalist, Nikita Gubenko, posted a 7-over 78. Drew Brockwell, who lost to Gubenko in the semifinals, struggled to a 10-over 81.
• Temperatures reached 95 degrees in the afternoon with heat indices of over 100. Tuesday's expected high in Charlottesville is 97.

QUOTABLE

• "I felt good warming up. I just told myself, fairways and greens and make some putts today. We looked at the morning scores and saw there wasn't anything too low. But we felt like we could get a low one today. Pins were tucked, they were in some tough places." -- Adam Hooker
  
• "We just tried to play smart down the stretch there and put ourselves in position to score. It was good to come down the stretch there and make some birdies coming in." -- Hooker
• "It's awesome having him out there. He keeps me calm, cool and collected. He gives me lots of positive information. He keeps me level grounded. When you make a mistake, like today, we made a bogey on a par-5, it's OK, you have plenty of more holes to go. He'll remind me of that." -- Hooker on having his dad on the bag with him.
• "I just tried to stay patient. Early on, I had a lot of makeable birdie putts but some just lipped out, or some came up just short. They weren't bad putts, I just kept telling myself they were going to fall. Then I hit three really good shots out there on 11, 12, and 13. I had a 3-footer and two pretty much kick-ins. Not too much stress over those putts. I got some good momentum going." -- Talon Dingledine.
• "I just want to go into tomorrow with the same idea, just play as well as I can. I don't want to go in thinking I just want to make match play. I want to be the highest seed that I can." -- Dingledine
• "It's just the importance of hitting fairways. This course out of the rough is a different ballgame. Fairways, and greens are receptive, so you can just fire at pins. The driver was good today. You just have to be smart. You cannot miss long here. If you short-side yourself here, you're making bogey. You have to play smart around the greens. If you don't have a perfect number, just send it to the green, two-putt par, and get out of there." -- Dingledine
• "The greens are quick, so I had to get used to them. I three-putted (11), the par 3, after that I started rolling in putts once I got the speed down. That really was the difference today. Hitting fairways, hitting greens, making putts. That's really all there is to it." -- Nick Rakes
• "You have to stay below the hole. You can't get aggressive from above it. Even if you lag it up there, you're going to see it run 5, 6 feet by if you're above the hole. Having those 5- or 6-footers when it's 100 degrees out here, that's not a recipe for success. You need to stay under the hole and make tap-in pars." -- Rakes
• "I haven't been playing too much golf, so I didn't have much in the way of expectations. But I'm really happy with how the round turned out. It's a really nice course, greens are rolling great, couldn't ask for much more." -- Rakes
• "I just told myself that bad swings happen. So I regrouped quickly and was lucky enough to roll in three birdies in a row there." -- Benjamin Baker on his recovery from a double bogey on 5.
• "It's a tough tee shot for me, looks wise. Because if you miss it right and end up in the water, you have to re-tee it. I didn't really make a good swing with the driver and didn't make a good swing on the second shot. I feel if you hit the fairway there the hole becomes a lot easier." -- Baker on No. 5.
• "It's pretty big. Just want to keep in the groove and get plenty of reps in to get ready for the fall, so when I play at Virginia Tech, hopefully I play well." -- Baker
• "Drinking water before every shot and staying in the shade as much as possible. I'd say those are the two biggest pointers I have." -- Baker on beating the heat.