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By Chris Lang
HAYMARKET — Mount Vernon and Belle Haven Country Clubs are located less than eight miles apart along the busy Route 1 corridor in Alexandria. Naturally, players from one club are friends with the players from the other.
Those friendships will be put on temporary hold Wednesday at Evergreen Country Club, as the two clubs engage in the business of deciding a champion at the 72nd Virginia State Golf Association Women’s State Team Matches.
Mount Vernon, a regular in the title match in recent years, earned its spot in the final once again with a 30½- 23½ win over nemesis Country Club of Virginia in one semifinal on a suffocating Tuesday at Evergreen, where temperatures soared into the upper 90s. Belle Haven advanced with a 33½-20½ win over Leesburg’s River Creek Club.
The championship match—along with final matches in four other flights—will begin Wednesday morning at 9.
Defending champion Mount Vernon is a 13-time winner of this event. Belle Haven is seeking its third title, and its first since 1990.
“It’s been a few years since we had a strong team like this,” Belle Haven captain Nancy Duncan said. “Players like Mimi (Hoffman), Arline (Hoffman) and Kay (Tyler) haven’t played on our team for a while, so we have better depth. We all just enjoy playing with each other, and I think our different pairings have paid off. And we like the golf course.”
Those three players were joined by Duncan (paired with Mimi Hoffman), Maria Kirby (paired with Arline Hoffman) and Ashley Suska (paired with Tyler) this week. In match play, the teams were split into three four-ball sides, with a point available on each hole for a total of 54 available points in the match.
“It’s just a comfort level, in terms of who plays with who,” Duncan said. “Mimi and I grew up together, so we’ve known each other for a long time. The others play together more, and it’s just good chemistry.”
River Creek was represented by Allisyn Terry, Dolly Richards, Shannon Brennan, Lisi Mueller, Donna Moran and Kendall McCaughey.
Mount Vernon and Richmond’s CCV had met in the last four championship matches of this event, but CCV had to scrap just to make the championship flight this year, finishing two strokes clear of fifth-place finisher Army Navy CC.
Still, Mount Vernon captain Joan Gardner took nothing for granted heading into Tuesday’s semifinal.
“As we knew they would, they put up a really great fight,” Gardner said. “After the front nines, I know things were pretty tight with our first two teams. Our third team (Gardner and Katie Cox) had a pretty good front nine, and we were feeling pretty good. But they slammed the door on us on the back nine.
“Linda (DiVall) and Kim (Franks) came on strong on the back. I think they strung three or four holes together that they won. And Shawn (McCullough) and Susan (Podolsky) were just steady.”
CCV was represented by Lindsay Wortham, Didi Bowers, Boodie McGurn, Nancy Williams, Margaret McGehee and Liza Lewis.
Mount Vernon has won all 13 of its State Team Matches titles since Belle Haven won the second of its two titles in 1990. With a win on Wednesday, Mount Vernon would move into second all-time in victories in the event, just behind Army Navy, which has won 15 times.
“It’s going to be just so much fun,” Gardner said. “Our clubs are very definitely rival clubs in northern Virginia. We’re glad they have a team that made the championship flight, and we’re really going to enjoy it. Because we do know each other well and play with and against each other quite a bit.”
72nd VSGA Women’s State Team Matches
At Evergreen CC, Haymarket
Par 73, 5,573 yards
Tuesday’s semifinal matches
Championship flight
#1 Mount Vernon CC def. #4 CC of Virginia, 30½-23½
#2 Belle Haven CC def. #3 River Creek Club, 33½-20½
First flight
#1 Army Navy CC def. #4 Bayville GC, 30½-23½
#2 GC at the Highlands def. #3 Brandermill CC, 28-26
Second flight
#1 Belmont GC def. #4 Cavalier G&YC, 31-23
#3 Evergreen CC def. #2 Washington G&CC, 28½-25½
Third flight
#1 Williamsburg GC def. #4 Greenbrier CC, 29½-24½
#2 Ford’s Colony CC def. #3 Ivy Hill GC, 27-27 (FC won playoff)
Fourth flight
#1 Hermitage CC def. #4 International CC, 32½-21½
#3 Willow Oaks CC def. #2 Fort Belvoir CC, 30½-23½
Wednesday’s championship matches
9 a.m. shotgun start
Championship flight
#1 Mount Vernon CC vs. #2 Belle Haven CC
First flight
#1 Army Navy CC vs. #2 GC at the Highlands
Second flight
#1 Belmont GC vs. #3 Evergreen CC
Third flight
#1 Williamsburg GC vs. #2 Ford’s Colony CC
Fourth flight
#1 Hermitage CC vs. #3 Willow Oaks CC