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By Chris Lang
PURCELLVILLE — The 2018 Virginia State Golf Association championship season came to a close Thursday afternoon at Loudoun Golf & Country Club with the conclusion of the 3rd VSGA Mid-Senior Amateur and 24th VSGA Super Senior Amateur championships.
David Partridge (Hermitage CC) won the 3rd VSGA Mid-Amateur, a championship for players ages 60-64. The winners in the 24thVSGA Super Senior Amateur were Dayton Slater (Shenandoah Valley GC) in the 65-69 age division; Mike Brown (CC of Fairfax) in the 70-74 age division; and Jack Vardaman (The Homestead) in the 75-and-over age division.
More on each of Thursday’s championship matches follows:
Mid-Senior Amateur
Partridge had played Loudoun’s layout better than anyone during the week. He was the only player under par during stroke-play qualifying and won a pair of matches on Wednesday. But he admitted his nerves got to him a bit in Thursday’s title match against Harry Thomas (Kinloch GC).
Partridge was vying to become the first player in VSGA history to win the VSGA Amateur, VSGA Mid-Amateur, VSGA Senior Amateur and VSGA Mid-Senior Amateur. The moment weighed on his mind.
“It was something that I think I wanted so badly that it got in the way a little bit on the front,” he said.
After a shaky front nine, Partridge rallied on the back to record a 2-and-1 victory and earn his 13th VSGA championship. He clinched the match by sinking a seven-foot par putt on No. 17.
Partridge was 5 over at the turn and fortunate to only be down two heading to the back nine.
“I just kind of said, OK, slow down, start again, begin the process again,” he said. “I tell you what, it was a little dicey there. I had to make about a five footer for par on 10 to keep from going three down. But fortunately, I won the next four holes.”
Thomas struggled mightily off the tee on the back, and Partridge took advantage, winning four straight holes to take control of the match. He went from two down after 10 holes to two up after making birdie on 14. The players each made par on the final three holes to end the match.
Partridge, 63, has one chance to defend his Mid-Senior Amateur title before turning 65, when he’ll set his sights on adding to his age-group title tally as a super senior.
Super Senior 65-69
Ten years removed from winning a Senior Four-Ball championship with Steve Isaacs, Slater added an individual title to his mantle with a 3-and-2 win over Marc Halley (Raspberry Falls G&HC) in the championship match.
“This is super, really exciting,” Slater said. “There’s not much match play anymore. You get a couple of tournaments, maybe the club championship. Really, that’s much more exciting for us bogey-par guys. Much more exciting.”
Slater again got off to a fast start, winning the first two holes to take the early lead. Halley rallied to square the match by No. 6 but never took the lead. Slater won holes 14 and 15 with birdies to close out the match.
“Nobody ever got three up until the very end,” Slater said. “It was 1-up, even, 1-up, even. It could have gone either way.”
Super Senior 70-74
Brown claimed his first VSGA championship with a pair of comfortable match play victories. After winning 6 and 5 in Wednesday’s semifinals, he defeated Don Jeanes (Heritage Hunt G&CC) 4 and 2 in Thursday’s championship match.
Brown played college golf at North Carolina and played professionally before settling back into amateur golf. Currently the varsity golf coach at Robinson Secondary School in Fairfax, Brown was playing in the VSGA Senior Amateur for the second time. He didn’t make it to match play the first time.
“But I was coming off being ill,” the first time he played, he said. “So this is the first time I really had my game together. I’m a 1 handicap. I should make match play.”
He did more than that. He was the stroke-play medalist and top seed in match play. In the title match, he went 3 up by the 7th hole and cruised from there.
“I played college golf and played on a pro tour for a while, but as an amateur, I haven’t played much,” Brown said. “So winning a state championship in the 70-and-up category is pretty great.”
Super Senior 75 and over
For Vardaman, it was two starts and two wins in VSGA championships in 2018.
Vardaman won the 33rd VSGA Super Senior Stroke Play Championship in June at The Homestead. He followed that up with by finishing as stroke-play medalist at Loudoun and winning two matches for his second VSGA Super Senior Amateur title. He topped Joe Cochran (The Club at Ironwood) 5 and 3 in the championship match.
“There are a lot of good players out there, and you like to win,” Vardaman said. “I love to play golf. I love to play competitive golf. You don’t win a lot in this game, so when you get a chance to win, it’s special. It means a lot to me to win a golf tournament, because I’ve lost more than my share.”
Vardaman took control of the championship match from the start. He was 4 up through five holes and his lead never slipped below 3 up the rest of the way. He clinched the title by winning No. 15 with a par.
3rd VSGA Mid-Senior Amateur Championship
At Loudoun G&CC, Purcellville
Par 72, 6,188 yards
Wednesday’s quarterfinal matches
#1 David Partridge def. #8 Wil Fekeci, 4 and 2
#5 Ron Clatterbuck def. #4 Kurt Swenson, 3 and 2
#7 David Prokop def. #2 Tim Vigotsky, 4 and 3
#3 Harry Thomas def. #6 Richard Lion, 1 up
Wednesday’s semifinal matches
#1 Partridge vs. #5 Clatterbuck, 1 up
#3 Thomas def. #7 Prokop, 1 up
Thursday’s championship match
#1 Partridge def. #3 Thomas, 2 and 1
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24th VSGA Super Senior Amateur Championship
65-69 age division
Par 72, 5,771 yards
Wednesday’s quarterfinal matches
#1 Marc Halley def. #8 Brian Maloney, 4 and 2
#5 John Hoffman def. #4 Corky Bishop, 19 holes
#2 Dayton Slater def. #7 Jeff Johns, 5 and 4
#3 Van McCarter def. #6 Bert Wilson, 3 and 2
Wednesday’s semifinal matches
#1 Halley def. #5 Hoffman, 20 holes
#2 Slater def. #3 McCarter, 5 and 4
Thursday’s championship match
#2 Slater def. #1 Halley, 3 and 2
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70-74 age division
Par 72, 5,511 yards
Wednesday’s semifinal matches
#1 Mike Brown def. #4 Charles Ballou, 6 and 5
#2 Don Jeanes def. #3 Ray D’Amore, 2 and 1
Thursday’s championship match
#1 Brown def. #2 Jeanes, 4 and 2
--
75 and over
Par 72, 5,511 yards
Wednesday’s semifinal matches
#1 Jack Vardaman def. #4 David King, 1 up
#3 Joe Cochran def. #2 Bob Moyers, 1 up
Thursday’s championship match
#1 Vardaman def. #3 Cochran, 5 and 3