Full field results [icon name="external-link" class="" unprefixed_class=""] | Photos [icon name="facebook-official" class="" unprefixed_class=""] | Day 1 recap [icon name="external-link" class="" unprefixed_class=""]
RICHMOND — Jacob Laughlin was the only player from Virginia Wesleyan, the winner of the 68th Virginia State Golf Association Intercollegiate Championship, to crack the individual top 10 at the event, which concluded Tuesday afternoon at Stonehenge Golf & Country Club.
And to commemorate the feat, he spoke glowingly of teammate Carter Morgan, whose second-round 71 played a key role in the Marlins’ victory. Team before me, as the saying goes.
“I’m not worried about how I played,” said Laughlin, who tied for third overall after posting a two-day 144. “I’m worried about the team and how we’re going to go forward. We’ve got a lot of good talent and a lot of good players, and I think we have a chance to do something pretty special.”
Virginia Wesleyan, the leader after Monday’s first round, posted a two-day aggregate 592 to win the team title by three shots over the University of Mary Washington. The Eagles entered Tuesday 11 shots behind the leaders and recorded the best score of the second round, a 297. But it wasn’t enough to catch the Marlins, who rode first-round 70s from Laughlin and Kevin Duffy and Morgan’s second-round 71 to the win.
“We’ve had a good season,” VWU coach Rick Bidnick said. “We finished third last week at Hanover. We were middle of the pack the previous two events. But this was definitely our best event.
“We’ve been working really hard on our short game. We were really good from inside of 50 yards this week, and I think that was probably the key.”
Ferrum College’s Damian Beasley earned the individual title, following his first-round 69 with a 68 for a two-day aggregate 137 that left him three shots clear of Christopher Newport’s Joey Corlett. Beasley and Corlett were the only players to finish with under-par totals for the two days. Mary Washington’s Sebastien Bonte finished tied with Laughlin for fourth at 144. Averett’s Niklas Grotterud finished in fifth at 145.
Christopher Newport, which won last year’s title, took third overall with a two-day 597, five shots behind Virginia Wesleyan. Washington & Lee placed fourth with a two-day 599, one shot better than Bridgewater College, which finished at 600.
Lynchburg College (605), Ferrum (608), host Virginia Union (609), Emory & Henry (610) and Randolph-Macon (610) rounded out the top 10.
Virginia Wesleyan will host the 69th VSGA Intercollegiate next October at Sleepy Hole Golf Course in Suffolk.