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By Chris Lang
MIDLOTHIAN — Victoria Tip-Aucha has been back in the United States for about a month now. After another strong round at a Virginia State Golf Association championship, it seemed like she had never left.
Tip-Aucha, who lives in Thailand but stays with family in Falls Church in the summer so she can play in VSGA events, posted a 3-under 69 at Salisbury Country Club Thursday to take a three-shot lead into Friday’s second and final round of the 48th VSGA Junior Girls’ Championship.
Tip-Aucha was the only player to break par at soggy Salisbury, which features three nines. The planned rotation was for players to open on the Monacan nine and finish on the Huguenot, but the course was pelted with heavy rain Wednesday night, leaving the Huguenot nine unplayable. The field played the Monacan nine twice on Thursday. A decision will be made Friday morning on whether or not the Huguenot nine can be used for the final round.
Rory Weinfurther (Independence GC) shot an even-par 72 and stands alone in second, a shot ahead of Alisa Marie Caraballo (VSGA JGC). Danielle Suh (Reston National GC), Diana Domenench (VSGA JGC), Julie Shin (VSGA JGC) and Jinny Park (VSGA JGC) each returned 2-over 74s and are tied for fourth, five shots behind Tip-Aucha.
Tip-Aucha (VSGA Junior Golf Circuit), is the event’s defending champion, having won last summer at Evergreen CC in Haymarket. The 15 year old spent much of her early life in Virginia before her parents moved overseas for a job opportunity. In her brief time stateside last summer, she made a major impact, winning the Junior Girls’ and reaching the semifinals of the VSGA Women’s Amateur Championship.
She made the turn at 3 under Thursday after posting birdies on holes 2, 4 and 8. She gave two back when she four-putted No. 1 to open her second nine, but she immediately rebounded with a birdie on No. 2. She birdied No. 6 to get back to 3 under for the day.
“It’s kind of a lot of pressure, because I feel like everybody expects me to play well,” Tip-Aucha said. “I guess I just have to play my game and see what happens.”
Weinfurther, a rising sophomore at Richmond’s St. Catherine’s School, turned at even par following a volatile front nine that included four birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey. She stabilized once the back nine started, making birdies on 12 and 14. Weinfurther, a former Salisbury member, took advantage of some of her local knowledge on Thursday.
“I think it helped me off the tee more, because I knew where to go,” she said. “There were a couple of shots where I kind of had to shape them a little bit, and I think it helped that I knew how to do that just from being here so long.”
Weinfurther was right there with Tip-Aucha until the end, but she dropped two shots on her 18th hole with a double bogey. She said she felt fortunate to walk away with a six on that hole.
“I really wanted to go for it on my drive, but then I hooked it and had a really long shot in, almost 190 [yards],” Weinfurther said. “Then I hooked another shot into the bunker, two shots in the bunker, but I had a good save for double bogey. … I was just trying to get out of there without messing up my round too much.”
Though Tip-Aucha’s lead is significant, it’s far from insurmountable. Last year at Evergreen, Domenech led the field by four strokes after the first round. But Tip-Aucha stormed back from an opening-round 78 by posting a second-round 67 that forced a playoff.
Nine players will enter Friday within seven shots of Tip-Aucha, including Domenech, which should make for an interesting finish at Salisbury.
Chris Lang is the Editor of Virginia Golfer Magazine and Manager, Digital Media for the VSGA.