VSGA Annual Meeting Video [icon name="youtube-play" class="" unprefixed_class=""]
MANAKIN-SABOT — The Virginia State Golf Association honored its award winners and 2017 Golfers of the Year during the VSGA Annual Meeting on Saturday at Hermitage Country Club.
The VSGA presented four awards on Saturday: The President’s Award, the Service to Golf Award, the Volunteer of the Year Award, and the Grow The Game Award—which was presented for the first time. The VSGA also presented 2017 Golfer of the Year Awards to seven individuals, and the VSGA board of directors voted on new officers for 2018.
Note: Video presentations for golfers of the year are linked under the player's name.
» E. Claiborne Robins, Jr. was the recipient of the President’s Award in recognition of his contributions and service to the game. Robins was honored for his longtime contributions to golf initiatives in Virginia, including the Robins Junior Golf Academy at Independence Golf Club in Midlothian. In 2009, Robins became the first recipient of the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame’s Distinguished Virginian Award. Robins is a member of the University of Richmond’s Athletic Hall of Fame.
» Dr. Dave Kovach was the posthumous recipient of the VSGA Service to Golf Award. Kovach, who passed away in June after a battle with cancer, was a past member of the VSGA Board of Directors and was a member of the Virginia Golf Hall of Fame selection committee. Kovach was involved with the Blue Ridge Junior Tour. Kovach graduated from Virginia Military Institute before receiving his DDS degree at Virginia Commonwealth University. After a two-year stint in the U.S. Air Force—where he received the Air Force Commendation Medal—Kovach opened a dental practice in 1971 in Bluefield, Va. In addition to his contributions to the VSGA, Kovach served on the Bluefield Town Council and Bluefield Planning Commission. He was also a member of the Tazewell County School Board.
» Cabell Moore earned the VSGA Volunteer of the Year Award. A volunteer Rules official from the Richmond area, Moore maintained a constant presence at VSGA championships and qualifiers in 2017. In all, Moore worked 20 events and was the lead Rules official at the VSGA Intercollegiate, the VSGA Amateur/Delta Dental State Open of Virginia qualifier at The Federal Club, and the VSGA Junior Stroke Play qualifier at The Crossings. Moore is the immediate past president of the Southern Golf Association, having finished his two-year term in 2017, and he has served on that organization’s board since 1992.
» Andy Weissinger, PGA, is the first recipient of the VSGA Grow The Game Award, which recognizes the positive impact and efforts made to grow the game of golf in Virginia. Weissinger, who was recently elected as secretary of the Middle Atlantic PGA’s board of directors, started the Fort Eustis Wounded Warrior Program in 2004 and has been teaching with the program ever since. He was awarded the National PGA Patriot Award in 2009 and plays a huge role in the PGA’s H.O.P.E. program.
GOLFER OF THE YEAR AWARDS
» Men’s Golfer of the Year: Mark Lawrence Jr. (Independence GC) [icon name="external-link" class="" unprefixed_class=""]: Lawrence, a junior at Virginia Tech, made his presence felt on the national scene when he advanced to the semifinals of the U.S. Amateur Championship. Already a household name in Virginia, Lawrence took a huge step in 2017 by winning the VSGA Amateur Championship. Lawrence needed to survive a five-for-one playoff just to get in the match-play field. When he did, he made a run that included wins over stroke-play medalist Michael Brennan, three-time finalist Ji Soo Park, and two-time finalist Jordan Utley in the final match. Lawrence finished No. 1 in the VSGA Men’s Player Rankings and finished fourth at the Delta Dental State Open of Virginia.
» Women’s Golfer of the Year: Lauren Greenlief (International CC) [icon name="external-link" class="" unprefixed_class=""]: Greenlief’s 2017 included a major breakthrough at the VSGA Women’s Amateur Championship, the one title that had eluded her in recent years. Making her fourth appearance in a championship match, Greenlief bested Caroline Curtis 3 and 2 to claim her first title. Greenlief finished atop the VSGA Women’s Player Rankings and was one of three stroke-play qualifying medalists at the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship. She lost in the round of 16 to eventual champion Kelsey Chugg. Greenlief played in four USGA championships, including the U.S. Women’s State Team Championship, where she was one of three VSGA representatives.
» Junior Boys’ Golfer of the Year: Michael Brennan (River Creek Club) [icon name="external-link" class="" unprefixed_class=""]: A sophomore at Tuscarora High School, Brennan won’t turn 16 until February. But he’s already made his presence felt around the state. A week after winning the VSGA Junior Match Play Championship, he was the stroke-play qualifying medalist at the VSGA Amateur Championship. After a second-round 64—which tied the Ballyhack competitive course record—Brennan found himself in the final grouping at the Delta Dental State Open of Virginia. He tied for low amateur honors with Ji Soo Park. Brennan was part of the Virginias squads for both the Virginias-Carolinas Junior Boys’ Matches and the Captain’s Putter Matches.
» Junior Girls’ Golfer of the Year: Victoria Tip-Aucha (VSGA Junior Golf Circuit) [icon name="external-link" class="" unprefixed_class=""]: Tip-Aucha claimed her second straight VSGA Junior Girls’ Championship in impressive fashion, finishing 10 strokes ahead of her nearest competitors. The following week, Tip-Aucha reached match play at the VSGA Women’s Amateur before falling in the round of 16. Earlier in the year, she had an opportunity to play a MENA (Middle East and North Africa) Tour event in Thailand, shooting a three-day 223 to tie for 42nd in the 139-player field. (She played from approximately 6,500 yards.) Tip-Aucha was a member of the Virginia team at both the Virginia-Maryland Junior Girls’ Matches and the Mid-Atlantic Junior Girls’ Challenge.
» Senior Men’s Golfer of the Year: Rich Buckner (Robert Trent Jones Golf Club) [icon name="external-link" class="" unprefixed_class=""]: Buckner won his first VSGA championship in August, besting Duncan Hardcastle 5 and 4 to claim the title at the VSGA Senior Amateur Championship. The victory came a year after Buckner lost in the Senior Amateur title match to Keith Decker. Overall, he’s 9-1 in his last 10 Senior Am matches. Buckner followed that up with a strong showing at the Senior Open of Virginia, finishing in a tie for third. Buckner finished No. 2 on the VSGA Senior Player Rankings list.
» Senior Women’s Golfer of the Year: Mimi Hoffman (Belle Haven Country Club) [icon name="external-link" class="" unprefixed_class=""]: Less than a year removed from major back surgery, Hoffman earned her second straight VSGA Senior Women’s Golfer of the Year honor. Hoffman reached the championship match at the VSGA Senior Women’s Amateur and tied for second at the VSGA Senior Women’s Stroke Play Championship. She also qualified for the 2017 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur and advanced to match play.
» Super Senior Golfer of the Year: Peter Jacobi (Army Navy Country Club) [icon name="external-link" class="" unprefixed_class=""]: Jacobi earned his second VSGA Super Senior Stroke Play title six years after winning his first. He finished two strokes clear of the field to win at Stonehenge G&CC in June and joined Bill Engel and Bill Chase as the only players to win two Super Senior Stroke Play titles. Later in the summer, he teamed with Engel to finish second at the VSGA Super Senior Four-Ball Championship.
BOARD ELECTION
» The VSGA Nominating Committee has met, and in accordance with Article VII of the Bylaws of the Virginia State Golf Association, the Nominating Committee has elected the following officers for 2018:
» The VSGA Nominating Committee has met, and in accordance with Article VII of the Bylaws of the Virginia State Golf Association, the Nominating Committee has selected the following candidates for election to the VSGA Board of Directors, Class of 2020: