MIDLOTHIAN — The State Open of Virginia is returning to familiar surroundings in 2021.
After the event concluded a seven-year run at Roanoke’s Ballyhack Golf Club on Saturday, officials from the Middle Atlantic PGA and Virginia State Golf Association announced that the 2021 State Open of Virginia will be held at Independence Golf Club in Midlothian.
“We are excited to showcase Independence Golf Club to Virginia’s top professional and amateur golfers in 2021,” Independence president Giff Breed said. “We believe Independence’s championship golf course will provide a stern test and determine a worthy champion of this prestigious event.”
Prior to the move to Ballyhack in 2014, Independence played host to the State Open of Virginia for seven years from 2007-13. Champions at Independence included professionals Jay Woodson (twice), Joshua Meador and Faber Jamerson, along with amateurs Roger Newsom (twice) and Evan Beck.
“We want to thank Ballyhack Golf Club for seven great years,” VSGA executive director Matt Smiley said. “We’re excited for the opportunity to return to Independence, a club with a strong history of hosting the State Open that will be a great test for amateurs and professionals alike.”
Outside of the run at Ballyhack, the State Open of Virginia has mostly been contested in the Richmond area since the VPGA and VSGA Opens merged into one championship in 1985. Willow Oaks Country Club, Brandermill Country Club, Stonehenge Golf & Country Club and The Royal Virginian are other Richmond-area clubs that have hosted State Opens.
Independence hosted the Senior Open of Virginia in 2019 and will host the event again in September, with the region’s top over-50 amateurs and professionals convening on the club for the 36-hole championship. Independence was set to host two rounds of stroke-play qualifying for the 2020 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship before the event was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“We are thrilled to bring the State Open back to Richmond and Independence Golf Club,” Middle Atlantic PGA executive director Jon Guhl said. “Independence has a reputation for hosting great events and we look forward to continuing the tradition.”