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By Chris Lang
ALDIE — Jeff McGraw walked away from the 14th green at The Club at Creighton Farms shaking his head.
“I was wondering why you guys put a couple of juniors on your team,” the West Virginian said. “Not anymore.”
That revelation occurred after high schoolers David Stanford and Kelly Chinn finished off a 6-and-4 victory in afternoon four-ball action at the 37th Virginia-West Virginia Team Matches, featuring top players from the Virginia State Golf Association and West Virginia Golf Association. Each team secured seven points in Saturday’s foursome (alternate shot) and four-ball play. Fourteen singles matches on Sunday will determine who heads home with Ye Ole Feudin’ Stick.
At stake: West Virginia is looking for its first win in the series since 2009, and its first win ever in the Matches on Virginia soil. Virginia is looking to hold onto Ye Ole Feudin’ Stick for the 12th straight year. The sides tied in 2018 at Olde Mill Resort, but because Virginia had won in 2017, it retained the Feudin’ Stick.
Virginia’s juniors played a big role Saturday, with both of their matches featuring wild endings. In the morning, Chinn and Stanford—who are members at Army Navy CC—lost in agonizing fashion. Tied heading into the final hole against West Virginia’s Cam Roam and Sam O’Dell, they appeared to have a good shot at birdie. But Chinn never got a chance to attempt the putt.
Roam hit a 60-degree wedge from 72 yards out in the fairway and jarred it for a walk-off eagle, sealing a 1-up win and a key point.
“It hurt in the first one because we had fought back, we were down one or two holes the whole match,” Stanford said. “Kelly had hit a great shot on 17 to about a foot. But you know, it’s hard to complain when they hit a shot like that.”
Said Chinn: “There’s nothing you can do. We just talked about going out in the next match and doing our thing, and getting it back, getting that point back, which we obviously did.”
In the afternoon, Stanford was on the other end of an eagle finish. On the drivable par-4 14th, he drove the ball to within four feet. Opponents McGraw and Hutson Chandler failed to make birdie on the hole and conceded Stanford’s eagle putt, closing out a dominating win. (Stanford drained the putt afterward for good measure.)
“Just a nice little cut driver over the bunker,” Stanford said of the shot. “I’m honestly surprised it held the green.”
Two sides picked up two full points on Saturday: Virginia’s Steve Serrao (Willow Oaks CC) and Adam Houck (The Federal Club); and West Virginia’s super-senior duo of Steve Fox and Harold Payne.
Serrao and Houck made two eagles in morning foursome play and rolled to a 6-and-5 victory over Jess Ferrell and Philip Reale. In the afternoon, Serrao scrambled for par on No. 17 to clinch a 2-and-1 win over Chris Williams and Ryan Bashour.
“It’s just fun,” said Houck, who is 4-1 in his two appearances in the Matches. “It’s a different kind of pressure. You don’t want to let anybody down, but at the same time, you want to enjoy yourself. It’s not a grind, like you’re trying to qualify for anything where the mindset is don’t make mistakes, you’ve got to keep the ball in play. You’ve got to go out and play well.”
Serrao echoed that sentiment, noting, “I see playing in this as a reward. It’s a lot of fun.”
The late afternoon turned windy, cold and rainy, and the Virginia senior duo of Philip Mahone (Farmington CC) and Jon Zampedro rallied to claim a key point in a 1-up win over Scott Bibbee and Tim Mount, helping to forge the 7-7 tie. They also grabbed a half point in the morning by tying Pat Carter and Jim Grimmett in their foursome match.
Singles matches begin at 8 a.m. Sunday with the four senior matches, followed by the two super senior matches. The eight regular matches begin 8:48 a.m.
Lang is the VSGA’s manager of media and communications.
37th Virginia-West Virginia Team Matches
At The Club at Creighton Farms, Aldie
Saturday’s foursome (alternate shot) matches
Sam O’Dell/Cam Roam (WV) d. Kelly Chinn/David Stanford, 1 up
Hutson Chandler/Jeff McGraw (WV) d. Blake Carter/Mikey Moyers, 4 and 3
Adam Houck/Steve Serrao (V) d. Jess Ferrell/Philip Reale, 6 and 5
Ryan Bashour/Chris Williams (WV) tied Ryan Bishop/Marshall Tinsley
Buck Brittain/Scott Reisenweaver (V) d. Scott Bibbee/Tim Mount, 5 and 3
Pat Carter/Jim Grimmett (WV) tied Philip Mahone/Jon Zampedro
Steve Fox/Harold Payne (WV) d. Jack Allara/Tim Vigotsky, 3 and 1
West Virginia leads 4-3 after foursomes
Saturday’s four-ball matches
Carter/Moyers (V) d. O’Dell/Roam, 2 and 1
Chinn/Stanford (V) d. Chandler/McGraw, 6 and 4
Ferrell/Reale (WV) d. Bishop/Tinsley, 3 and 2
Houck/Serrao (V) d. Williams/Bashour, 2 and 1
Carter/Grimmett (WV) d. Brittain/Reisenweaver, 3 and 1
Mahone/Zampedro (V) d. Bibbee/Mount, 1 up
Fox/Payne (WV) d. Allara/Vigotsky, 2 and 1
Matches tied 7-7 after four-ball
Sunday’s singles matches (Virginia player listed first)
All matches begin on No. 1
Zampedro vs. Bibbee, 8 a.m.
Reisenweaver vs. Mount, 8:08 a.m.
Brittain vs. Carter, 8:16 a.m.
Mahone vs. Grimmett, 8:24 a.m.
Vigotsky vs. Fox, 8:32 a.m.
Allara vs. Payne, 8:40 a.m.
Carter vs. Chandler, 8:48 a.m.
Serrao vs. Williams, 8:56 a.m.
Stanford vs. O’Dell, 9:04 a.m.
Chinn vs. Roam, 9:12 a.m.
Houck vs. McGraw, 9:20 a.m.
Bishop vs. Ferrell, 9:28 a.m.
Tinsley vs. Reale, 9:36 a.m.
Moyers vs. Bashour, 9:44 a.m.