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By Chris Lang
VIRGINIA BEACH – Becca DiNunzio and Rory Weinfurther have
spent the last several years crossing paths in Virginia State Golf Association
Championships and playing as teammates representing Virginia in interstate
events. They met in the semifinals of the VSGA Women’s Amateur Championship
earlier this month, and they’ll be in the final grouping Tuesday at the 50th
VSGA Junior Girls’ Championship.
The two good
friends wouldn’t have it any other way.
“It’s definitely
fun. We love the competition, and we are friends,” DiNunzio said Monday after
shooting a 1-under 69 at Broad Bay Country Club to share the 18-hole lead with
Weinfurther. “It’s always good to see each other at the top, and we look
forward to the good competition.”
Midlothian’s
Weinfurther, who has committed to play at the University of Richmond, got the
best of Norfolk’s DiNunzio at the Women’s Amateur at nearby Princess Anne
Country Club, defeating DiNunzio on her way to winning the championship. They’ll
join Herndon’s Danielle Suh in the final grouping Tuesday after Suh posted an
even-par 70.
Just behind those
three are Midlothian’s Ester Choi and Fairfax’s Katie Park, each of whom signed
for rounds of 1-over 71. Five players were tied at 72, three strokes behind the
leaders.
Weinfurther made
the turn at 2 over on Monday before mentally resetting for the back nine. She
started that nine with four birdies in five holes.
“I was just really
confident on the back nine,” Weinfurther said. “I was hitting the ball much
better, more solid. My proximity to the hole with irons was a lot closer. I was
just able to make the putts, so it felt really good.”
DiNunzio, who will
begin her Virginia Tech career next month, had a similar round. She was 2 over
through seven holes but gave herself a confidence boost with a birdie at No. 9.
She played the back nine bogey free and added birdies on Nos. 10 and 13 to earn
her share of the lead.
“I think there are
some interesting holes here where you have to play smart shots,” DiNunzio said.
“There can be trouble, especially off the tee. But if you hit smart shots and
get it in the fairway, this course is pretty scoreable.”
Suh, who is
committed to High Point University, made birdies at Nos. 4 and 10 and parred
her final eight holes to end the day level. She’s had a strong summer in which
she made match play at the Women’s Amateur and recorded a top-five finish at
the VSGA Women’s Stroke Play Championship.
“I was just trying
my best to hit to six or eight feet,” Suh said. “I didn’t feel like the pin
positions were super tough today. I just really need to take advantage of the
easier holes and try to make birdies.”
Of note, defending
champion Jayde Dudley of Roanoke, who will begin her Radford University career
next month, posted a 4-over 74 and will open Tuesday five shots back of the
leaders. Two-time Junior Girls’ champion Victoria Tip-Aucha is four strokes
back after carding a 3-over 73 on Monday.
Weinfurther is
vying to become the third player ever to win both the VSGA Women’s Amateur and
Junior Girls’ titles in the same year. She admitted that she had thought about
it in the week leading up to the tournament, but she’s tried to push those
thoughts out of her mind as she concentrates on posting two good scores at
Broad Bay.
Though the Women’s
Amateur is a match-play championship, the experience of playing well down the
stretch to win at Princess Anne can translate into confidence this week, she
said.
“Just coming down
the home stretch, I think it will help,” Weinfurther said. “The attitude that I
had at the State Am, that helped a lot. I think my attitude will be similar
this time.”
Lang is the editor of
Virginia Golfer magazine and the VSGA’s manager, digital media.