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By Chris Lang
MIDLOTHIAN — The last two Virginia State Golf Association Junior Girls’ Championships were decided in a playoff. There was no such drama this time around.
Opening the day with a three-shot lead, Victoria Tip-Aucha (VSGA Junior Golf Circuit) never gave the field a chance to catch up at Salisbury Country Club. She posted a 5-under 67 in Friday’s second and final round to clinch the 48th VSGA Junior Girls’ Championship, 10 strokes better than the closest competitor.
“I think I just felt comfortable with the course,” said the 15-year-old Tip-Aucha, who won her second straight Junior Girls’ title. “I knew where to put it. And I putted really well today.”
Tip-Aucha rallied from a seven-shot deficit last year at Evergreen Country Club before coming out on top in a playoff. On Friday, the tournament was essentially over by the turn. Tip-Aucha posted a 4-under 32 on Salisbury’s Monacan nine to extend her three-shot lead to eight, making her first trek around Salisbury’s Huguenot nine a coronation.
Over the tournament’s two days, she made 11 birdies, one bogey and one double bogey. She finished with a two-day 136. Only two other players managed to post an even-par round, Diana Domenech (VSGA JGC) and Rory Weinfurther (Independence GC). Domenech shot 72 on Friday, Weinfurther a 72 on Thursday. They tied for second at 146.
“She’s just a really good player,” Weinfurther said of Tip-Aucha. “I loved playing with her, and I loved watching her. I wasn’t so much worried about winning today. I think what she did best was where she placed it on the green, which helped her convert a lot of birdies.”
Tip-Aucha became just the second player in championship history to post two rounds in the 60s, joining Jessica Hollandsworth, who shot 66-68 in 2007 at Independence Golf Club and holds the tournament scoring record at 134.
Tip-Aucha’s margin of victory was not close to the tournament record, however. Pamela Clark won by 26 shots in 1971, the second year the tournament was contested. Jenny Suh won by 16 shots in 2000. Both Hollandsworth and Anne Cardea (in 1994) posted 15-shot wins.
Jinny Park (VSGA JGC), Danielle Suh (Reston National GC) and Alisa Marie Carabollo (VSGA JGC) tied for fourth after shooting 3-over 147s. Tatum Walsh (VSGA JGC) finished seventh at 149. Sue Lee (Laurel Hill GC) and Melissa Meng (Blacksburg CC) tied for ninth at 153. Ester Choi (Birkdale GC) rounded out the top 10 at 154.
Lee (13 and under), Weinfurther (14-15) and Domenech (16-18) were the age-group winners.
Tip-Aucha, who grew up in Virginia but moved to Thailand with family several years ago, took advantage of an interesting opportunity in the spring when she played in the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) Tour’s MahaSamutr Masters in Thailand on a sponsor’s exemption. Playing from a shorter set of tees than the professionals (but still around 6,500 yards), Tip-Aucha acquitted herself well that weekend, shooting 73-76-74 for a three-day 223, which tied for 42nd in the 139-player field.
“My golf coach is also a professional golfer,” Tip-Aucha said. “He asked for a spot for me to play. Me being the only girl, it was kind of hard to get the spot. They put me in shorter tees, but the guys still out-drove me. It was a challenge. But it was a lot of fun playing with guys. Just a great experience.”
Tip-Aucha hopes to parlay this week’s experience into a strong showing at Laurel Hill in Lorton, which will host the 92nd VSGA Women’s Amateur Championship next week. Tip-Aucha was a semifinalist last year, and her play at Salisbury showed she has the game to be a factor once again.
“I’ve heard Laurel Hill is a hard course, so it’ll be a challenge,” she said. “But I’m up for it.”
Chris Lang is the Editor of Virginia Golfer Magazine and Manager, Digital Media for the VSGA.