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By Chris Lang
ALEXANDRIA — Teddy Zinsner and Drew Brockwell tied for third in stroke-play qualifying at the 104th VSGA Amateur Championship last month, so it was no surprise to see those two atop the leaderboard after 18 holes of the 65th VSGA Junior Stroke Play Championship.
Joining them at 3 under par after shooting 69s Tuesday at Belle Haven Country Club was Kyle Cardenas, who is seeking to make his first Junior Stroke Play cut in three tries but is riding a surge of confidence due to recent success in an AJGA event.
Zinsner (Belle Haven CC), Brockwell (GC at the Highlands) and Cardenas (Army Navy CC) will enter Wednesday’s second round two strokes clear of a strong trio of players who shot 1-under 71s at Belle Haven’s 6,690-yard track. After Wednesday’s second round, the field will be cut to the low 45 players and ties for Thursday’s third and final round.
Cardenas, a rising senior at Colonial Forge High School in Stafford, came into the championship with some momentum after tying for 10th at last weekend’s AJGA Amino VITAL Junior Championship in Durham, N.C. (Two others in the Junior Stroke Play field – Isaac Simmons and Connor Creasy – also carded top 10s.)
Cardenas opened with birdies on three of his first four holes before leveling off and finishing with 14 straight pars.
“I guess it started when I qualified [for the Junior Stroke Play] and I shot 69,” Cardenas said. “Then I went to the Bobby Bowers and shot a 1 under in the qualifying there. At the AJGA in Durham, it was a pretty crazy field, pretty stacked. In the first round, I shot 1 under. When I was tied for fourth there, it kind of let me know I could hang with those guys at the top.”
Zinsner and Brockwell are no strangers to strong performances in VSGA championships. Both advanced to match play at the VSGA Amateur in each of the last two years, and Zinsner advanced through U.S. Open local qualifying earlier this year. Zinsner wasn’t happy with his ball striking on Tuesday, but his comfort level with his home course allowed him to scramble for a solid score.
“When I did miss, I missed it in good spots,” Zinsner said. “The only time I didn’t miss in a good spot was on No. 6, which was the only bogey I made. … I’m really comfortable. I’ve played it a ton, obviously, and I’ve shot a lot of good scores here. I can go really low on this course. It definitely a comfort thing, especially with lines off the tees. I can hit driver a lot and swing pretty hard.”
Zinsner made the day’s lone eagle on No. 16, when he hit his approach on the par-5 hole over the green but chipped in on his third shot.
“That definitely helped,” Zinsner said. “From 9 through 15, I made six straight pars. I had a decent amount of good birdie looks but didn’t make any of them. So chipping in was big.”
Brockwell nearly eagled 16 himself chipping from left of the green.
“I thought I made it,” he said. “But it just broke out of the hole.”
Brockwell finished with five birdies and two bogeys, a round that included a 35-foot birdie putt on 4 and a 30-foot birdie putt on 10.
“I think I hit 16 greens, I hit a lot of fairways, I putted well,” Brockwell said. “I think I played pretty well today.”
Included in the group two shots behind the leaders are Michael Brennan (River Creek Club), fresh off tying for low amateur honors at Delta Dental State Open of Virginia; Brett Loy (Shenandoah Valley GC); and 2016 VSGA Junior Stroke Play champion Kurtis Grant (Army Navy CC).
Loy made five birdies but had to work around two bogeys and a double bogey. Brennan finished with four birdies and three bogeys, Grant with three birdies and two bogeys.
Ryan Hammer (Loudoun G&CC) and Creasy (Glenrochie CC) were tied for seventh after shooting even par 72s. Ethan Kelly (Heron Ridge GC), Jimmie Massie (Boonsboro CC) and Patrick Gareiss (VSGA Junior Golf Circuit) were tied for ninth after returning 1-over 73s.
Chris Lang is the Editor of Virginia Golfer Magazine and Manager, Digital Media for the VSGA.