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By Chris Lang
RESTON — The first round of the 36th Virginia State Golf Association Super Senior Stroke Play Championship was completed Monday at Hidden Creek Country Club, a first-time VSGA championship venue. Players competed in three age divisions: 65+, 70+ and 75+. Champions will be crowned in each age division Tuesday after completion of the second and final round.
Manakin’s David Partridge (Hermitage CC) posted the round of the day, a 4-under-par 69 to grab the lead in the 65+ division. Fairfax’s Mike Brown (CC of Fairfax) was the lone player under par in the 70+ division and leads by three shots after returning a 1-under-par 72. Vienna’s John Walsh, a member at Hidden Creek, leads the 75+ division by two strokes after posting a 1-over 73.
The 65+ and 70+ divisions played the course as a par 73, while the 75+ plus played it as a par 72.
65+ division
Partridge is a 13-time VSGA champion and soon-to-be Virginia Golf Hall of Famer who is looking to add his first super senior title to his resume. He’ll take a two-stroke lead over Centreville’s Tim Vigotsky (Robert Trent Jones GC) into Tuesday’s second round. Defending champion Jack Allara of Roanoke (Hidden Valley CC) lurks four shots back after opening with an even-par 73.
The top of the leaderboard is almost a carbon copy of last year’s championship at Danville GC. The only player missing from the 2020 top four is Rick Bendall, who is not participating this week.
Partridge got hot on the inward nine on Monday, posting a 32 that included an eagle on No. 11 and a long birdie putt on 14. He also made three straight birdies on the front nine.
“I didn’t hit very many bad shots, so that was the key,” Partridge said. “I had one bad tee shot, but other than that, I was fairly steady. And I managed to make a couple of putts on the back side … that always helps.”
Partridge was the only player in the field to break 70. Though not a long track, Hidden Creek rewards precise play off the tee, as the rough is sticky, thick and penal.
“You’ve just got to manage your game,” Partridge said. “If you hit a few bad tee shots, you can get in trouble. It’s a very good golf course for this event.”
Vigotsky’s round was solid and a bit uneventful. He made 15 pars, two birdies and a bogey on No. 9. He said several putts to save par made a big difference for him on Monday.
“It’s a good test, and the course setup was good,” Vigotsky said. “The rough is tough. If you miss the fairway, you’re probably going to be down to where a ball is sunk. The greens are rolling well. Good speed.”
Both Vigotsky and Partridge finished last year at Danville a stroke behind Allara, so both know there is plenty of work to do on Tuesday if they want to secure a victory. Partridge, Vigotsky and Allara will play together in the final grouping.
“Those guys, they know how to win, and they’ve won before,” Vigotsky said. “It’s going to be fun. This is not unfamiliar territory for them.”
70+ age division
Brown, who played college golf at North Carolina and coaches at nearby Robinson Secondary, has been a regular contender in VSGA Super Senior championships. He won the 70+ age group at the Super Senior Amateur in 2018 at Loudoun G&CC and was age-group medalist at last year’s event at Salisbury CC.
Brown made four birdies and three bogeys Monday and will enter Tuesday with a three-shot edge over Williamsburg’s Mike McDonald (Two Rivers CC).
“I played a practice round here on Saturday and I learned that you do not want to get in the rough,” Brown said. “I concentrated very hard, and took less club sometimes, just to make sure I would stay in the fairway.”
Defending champion Terry Towler (Dillwyn, The Manor GC) posted a 4-over 76 and is four shots back of Brown, as is Roanoke’s Bill Nunnenkamp (Blue Hills GC).
75+ age division
Walsh put himself in position to win a VSGA championship on his home course, but a savvy competitor in George Owens—winner of the last two 75+ VSGA Super Senior Amateur titles—is close behind him, two strokes off the pace after opening with a 75.
Donald Meyer (Reston National GC) and Roger Pitkin (Army Navy CC) are three shots back of the lead after each returned 4-over 76s on Monday.
Walsh finished with three birdies and four bogeys, narrowly missing an even-par round after making a bogey on No. 17. Owens led for much of the round but made three straight bogeys on 15, 16 and 17 to fall off the pace.
“We’ve had pro-ams here, we’ve had qualifiers here, and I can tell you, nobody tears this place up,” Walsh said. “It’s a good, straightforward golf course. You’ve got to hit your ball well. Obviously, we were playing way up (in yardage) in our division, but it plays longer than the yardage.”
Lang is the VSGA’s manager of media and communications.