GLEN ALLEN — Kurtis Grant didn’t let the heat get to him, even after a double bogey early in his first round at the 64th VSGA Junior Stroke Play Championship could have left him, well, heated.
Grant rebounded after the double on No. 3, five birdies helping him post a 3-under 69 that left him two shots ahead of the pack on a sweltering day at The Federal Club.
When the last players turned in their scorecards, around 3 p.m., the temperature was 98 degrees and the heat index hovered around 115. Considering that the juniors walked their 18 holes and got no respite in the form of short cart rides between holes, it made for a long day for everyone involved.
“You just had to find as much shade as possible,” said 17-year-old Brett Loy, a rising senior at Sherando High School and a member at Shenandoah Valley Golf Club. “I just drank the whole day. I probably drank eight or nine bottles of water. It was just tough to keep focused with sweat pouring down your face. A tough day.”
Loy was one of four who shot 1-under 71s to finish the first round two shots behind Grant (Army Navy CC). Joining Loy in the tie for second were 17 year olds Jack Montague (Hermitage CC) and Dylan Taylor (The Dominion Club) and 16-year-old Hunter Duncan (Blacksburg CC).
After Wednesday’s second round, the field will be cut to the low 45 players and ties for Thursday’s third and final round.
Grant, who attends South Lakes High School in Fairfax County, birdied three of Federal Club’s five par 3s and rolled home a 40-foot birdie putt on the par-4 6th hole. Grant won the 1st VSGA Junior Golf Circuit Championship last November at Richmond’s Country Club of Virginia. Grant finished in second place at a PGA Junior Series tournament at Westbrook CC in Mansfield, Ohio earlier this month.
“I just played the par 3s phenomenally,” Grant said. “I played a little cut into a lot of the par 3s, and I had the distance control down. The farthest away I think I had was 20 feet for birdie. So I played the par 3s well and made sure to go for the center of the green on the more difficult holes.”
Loy and Montague had more up-and-down rounds than Grant. Loy made four birdies, including a chip-in on No. 8 from the right of the green and a 40-foot putt on No. 14, against three bogeys. Montague, a rising junior at Collegiate School in Richmond, made five birdies but also had four bogeys on the scorecard. Taylor made three birdies and two bogeys. All three made the cut at the Delta Dental State Open of Virginia two weeks ago.
“I played pretty solid at the State Open,” Montague said. “I’ve felt like I’ve been pretty close with my game, and it feels good to post a good score.”
Matthew Feinstein (River Bend Club) and Cam Barackman (Signature at West Neck), a pair of 16 year olds, shot even-par 72 and are three shots back of Grant. Charlie Musto (Trump National GC), Jimmie Massie (Boonsboro CC), Brian Peccie (VSGA Junior Golf Circuit), Christopher Zhang (Blacksburg CC) and Jacoby Smith (VSGA Junior Golf Circuit) are all tied for eighth after shooting 1-over 71s.
Other notable scores included Connor Burgess (Boonsboro CC) at 75, a day after he earned medalist honors at a U.S. Amateur qualifier at nearby Willow Oaks CC; Teddy Zinsner (Belle Haven CC), who reached match play at last week’s U.S. Junior Amateur, at 75; and Tom Crow (Princess Anne CC), the 2014 VSGA Junior Stroke Play Champion, at 76.
Chris Lang is the Editor of Virginia Golfer Magazine and Manager, Digital Media for the VSGA.