The VSGA championship season concluded Sunday, Oct. 30, with Matt Chandler and Brandon LaCroix of Hunting Hills Country Club in Roanoke teaming up to win the 2nd VSGA Four-Ball Match Play Championship at Keswick Golf Club.
That championship was also the last event included in the 2016 VSGA player rankings. The players who topped the season-ending points lists were (click links for full rankings):
- MEN: Scott Shingler (Evergreen CC)
- WOMEN: Alexandra Austin (Springfield G&CC)
- SENIOR MEN: Jim Gallagher (Tidewater Amateur Golf Tour)
- SENIOR WOMEN: Mimi Hoffman (Belle Haven CC)
- SUPER SENIOR MEN: Charles Green III (The Virginian GC)
Shingler earned points in eight VSGA events in 2016 and finished with 576 points total, more than 100 better than 2015 VSGA Men’s Golfer of the Year Justin Young. Shingler received 175 points for two strong appearances in USGA events. Shingler and Young teamed for the 2016 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship and reached the round of 16. Shingler also advanced through local qualifying for the 2016 U.S. Open.
Shingler also earned 115 points for finishing in the top 10 at the Delta Dental State Open of Virginia. He reached the round of 32 at the VSGA Amateur and finished inside the top 10 of four other VSGA player rankings events.
Young (Ballyhack GC) finished second in the rankings, just ahead of Buck Brittain (The Virginian GC, 463 points) and Keith Decker (Chatmoss CC, 456). VSGA Amateur champion Joey Lane (Reston National GC) finished fifth with 440 points.
Austin finished 25 points clear of 2015 VSGA Women’s Golfer of the Year Lauren Greenlief (International CC) in the final women’s player rankings. Austin won her first VSGA championship in 2016, rallying to win the Women’s Stroke Play title in June at Winchester Country Club. Austin and Greenlief teamed to reach the semifinals of the 2016 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship. Austin won the 2016 Keefer Cup and reached match play at the VSGA Women’s Amateur Championship.
Alex Wright (Salisbury CC) finished third in the rankings with 206 points, 150 of them earned for her victory at the 2016 Women’s Southern Amateur Championship. She also took fourth at the Harder Hall Invitational. Abby Portyrata (First Tee of Greater Richmond) finished fourth at 205 points, all of them coming via her win at the VSGA Women’s Amateur. Lyndsey Hunnell (Botetourt Golf & Swim Club) finished fifth with 203 points, three points ahead of Amanda Hollandsworth (Great Oaks CC).
Gallagher finished with 593 points earned over 12 events to finish atop the men’s senior player rankings, more than 100 points clear of Decker. A fourth-place finish at the 11th Senior Open of Virginia earned Gallagher 113 points, and he received 100 for reaching match play at the 2016 U.S. Senior Amateur.
Gallagher finished in a tie for third at the VSGA Senior Stroke Play Championship, reached match play at the VSGA Senior Amateur and tied for second (paired with Jim Nirich) at the VSGA Senior Four-Ball Championship. Gallagher also won the senior division at the 2016 Two Rivers Invitational.
Decker took second in the senior player rankings with 483 points, just five clear of Mike Krulich (Ballyhack GC), who won the VSGA Senior Stroke Play title and as on the winning side at the VSGA Senior Four-Ball Championship. Leon Roday (Kinloch GC) was fourth with 444 points and Rich Buckner (Robert Trent Jones GC) finished fifth with 346 points.
In his first year eligible for super senior ranking points, Green racked up 377 points over seven events to finish atop the super senior player rankings. Green recorded wins in the VSGA Super Senior Stroke Play Championship, the Bay Creek Amateur Super Senior and the Southwest Virginia Open Super Senior Division. He also teamed with Bob Rotella to tie for second at the VSGA Super Senior Four-Ball Championship.
Rounding out the top five, Lynn Wessman (Army Navy CC) finished second with 259 points, followed by Bill Nunnenkamp (Blue Hills GC) with 238, Tom Grady (Shenandoah Valley GC) with 224 and Bill Engel (Army Navy CC) with 196.
In the closest points race of 2016, Hoffman finished just 11 points clear of two-time defending VSGA Senior Women’s Stroke Play champion Mary Cabriele (CC of Fairfax). Hoffman earned 205 points for her win at the VSGA Senior Women’s Amateur, where she defeated Dot Bolling (Hidden Valley CC) for the title. Hoffman also tied for third at the VSGA Senior Women’s Stroke Play Championship.
Cabriele, who was the 2015 VSGA Senior Women’s Golfer of the Year, won the VSGA Senior Women’s Stroke Play Championship, reached the semifinals at the VSGA Senior Women’s Amateur and took second at the Women’s District of Columbia Golf Association Senior Championship. She also qualified for the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur.
Bolling was third in the final senior women’s player rankings with 250 points. CC of Virginia members Lindsay Wortham (238 points) and Boodie McGurn (233) rounded out the top five.
A number of players earned exemptions into top events for the 2017 season due to their high finishes on the 2016 VSGA player rankings list. Some players are already exempt into these events. Those who earned exemptions based solely on player rankings are as follows:
- VSGA Amateur Championship (top 20 eligible): Brittain, Vincent Nadeau (Spring Creek GC), Kyle Bailey (Roanoke CC), Adam Horton (Elizabeth Manor G&CC), Jeffrey Long (Evergreen CC), Matt Ashley (1757 GC), Brandon Cigna (Laurel Hill GC), Adam Houck (The Federal Club), Connor Burgess (Boonsboro CC), Dudley Payne III (Fauquier Springs CC) and Harold Dill III (South Riding GC). Dill is No. 21 in the player rankings, but is a top-20 eligible player because Conner Hayden, who finished inside the top 20, turned professional
- Delta Dental State Open of Virginia (top 10 eligible amateurs): Young, Brittain, Decker, Nadeau, Bailey.
- VSGA Senior Amateur Championship (top 15 eligible): Pete DeTemple (Old Hickory GC), Tim Vigotsky (Farmington CC), Jack Allara II (Hidden Valley CC), Jon Zampedro (Pleasant Valley GC), John Steele (Westwood GC) and Allen Barber (James River CC).
- Senior Open of Virginia (top 10 eligible): Krulich, Roday, Buckner, DeTemple, Vigotsky and Allara.