By Arthur Utley
VIRGINIA BEACH — Mount Vernon Country Club and the Country Club of Virginia are at it again, but with a change of order at the 70th Virginia State Golf Association Women’s State Team Matches at Princess Anne Country Club.
The six-golfer CCV team posted a 3-under-par total of 207 on the par-70 layout to lead stroke-play qualifying and claim the top seed for match play in the four-team Championship Flight.
Mount Vernon, the tournament’s defending champion and the top seed the previous two years, and Williamsburg Club finished five strokes back at 2-over 212. Mount Vernon gained the second seed in a blind draw. Army Navy Country Club (225) is the fourth seed.
These are the same four teams from last year’s semifinals, and even though the seeds have changed, the pairings are the same.
The tournament is the second oldest on the women’s schedule. Alexandria-based Mount Vernon has won six of the past eight renewals and 12 times overall. Richmond’s CCV, which last won in 2014, has been the victor 11 times. Army Navy (Arlington and Fairfax) has won 15 times, including seven in a row from 1968 to 1974, but the club hasn’t hoisted the winner’s trophy in 20 years.
Twenty teams are participating in this year’s tournament. Each club consists of three two-person teams. There are five flights. Qualifying scores determined the four teams in the Championship Flight. The remaining flights were predetermined by handicaps and seeded by qualifying scores.
Boodie McGurn and Lindsay Wortham teamed to shoot a better-ball score of 2-under 68 as did Cheryl Grigg and Margaret McGehee for CCV. Natalie Easterly and Brenda Baril returned 71.
Katie Cox and Shawn McCullough paced Mount Vernon with 68. Linda DiVall and Judy Adams contributed 71, and Susan Podolsky and Debbie Simpson added 73.
The low score of the day, 4-under 66, came from the Williamsburg Club side of Barbara Wetters and Jo Ann Combs. Virginia Wells and Betsy Bocklet shot 72, and Ann Mennell and Ellen McGowan finished with 74.
The Elizabeth Manor G&CC tandem of Cindy Morris and Nancy Shiffler also broke par with a 1-under 69. Elizabeth Manor is the third seed in the First Flight.
Championship matches in all flights are set for Thursday.
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Pairings for the semifinal matches in each flight. Qualifying scores are in parentheses.
CHAMPIONSHIP FLIGHT
No. 1 Country Club of Virginia (207) vs. No. 4 Army Navy CC (225); No. 2 Mount Vernon CC (212) vs. No. 3 Williamsburg GC (212).
FIRST FLIGHT
No. 1 Hermitage CC (226) vs. No. 4 Broad Bay CC (234); No. 2 Washington G&CC (227) vs. No. 3 Elizabeth Manor G&CC (232).
SECOND FLIGHT
No. 1 Bayville GC (236) vs. No. 4 James River CC (257); No. 2 Greenbrier CC (241) vs. No. 3 Willow Oaks CC (248).
THIRD FLIGHT
No. 1 Princess Anne CC (228) vs. No. 4 Belle Haven CC (239); No. 2 Farmington CC (235) vs. No. 3 Cavalier G&YC (237).
FOURTH FLIGHT
No. 1 Fort Belvoir GC (234) vs. No. 4 The Dominion Club (252); No. 2 Belmont GC (240) vs. No. 3 Country Club at The Highlands (248).
Retired Richmond Times-Dispatch staff writer Arthur Utley is a frequent contributor to VSGA.org.