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By Chris Lang
NELLYSFORD — Tatum Walsh didn’t know what to expect from her opening round Tuesday at the 44th Virginia State Golf Association Women’s Stroke Play Championship.
“To be honest, the range session this morning wasn’t that great,” Walsh said. “But I got a pep talk from my dad, and I was ready to go.”
Walsh, the 18-year-old defending champion of the VSGA Women’s Amateur Championship, is eager to add another major VSGA title to her resume. The effort got off to a strong start Tuesday at Stoney Creek at Wintergreen, as she settled in, hit fairways and greens and finished as the only player under par. Her 1-under 71 gave her a one-stroke lead heading into Wednesday’s second round of the 54-hole tournament.
Walsh, who will begin her college career at James Madison in the fall, begins Wednesday ahead of Virginia Tech graduate Sarah Spicer, who posted an even-par 72. Three players—Mariah Hopkins, Victoria Matthews and Sarah’s twin sister Jessica Spicer—are two shots back after firing 1-over 73s.
The event runs concurrent with the 24th VSGA Senior Women’s Stroke Play and 4th VSGA Super Senior Stroke Play championships. Both are 36-hole tournaments that begin on Wednesday. The final rounds of all three events are scheduled for Thursday.
Walsh, who capped her prep career at St. Catherine’s with a VISAA title last month, played steady golf on Tuesday. She made two birdies on the front (Monacan) and two bogeys on the back (Shamokin) but finished strong with a birdie on the Shamokin nine’s final hole, hitting driver-pitching wedge to seven feet and converting the putt.
“It’s pretty tight, actually,” Walsh said of the course. “You’ve got to hit it pretty well, and that’s what I did.”
Sarah Spicer had it to 3 under at one point before three straight bogeys on the back, but she settled down to make par on the final hole and finish at even for the round. Coincidentally, she didn’t have a chance to play the back (Shamokin nine) during her practice round on Monday, because she had virtual training for her upcoming “real world” job at a consulting firm.
“I hadn’t seen the back nine, so it was a little interesting trying to figure out where to hit it,” Spicer said. “My twin sister gave me some good notes from her practice round, so that helped. But just being committed to my lines on the back nine without ever having seen it, that was a challenge.”
Among the group at 73 is the 16-year-old Matthews, who at 14 became the youngest player ever to win the women’s club championship at River Bend Club in Great Falls. She finished with four birdies and five bogeys and used a birdie on No. 17 to get within two shots of the lead.
Jessica Spicer, playing in the final grouping of the day, finished with two birdies and three bogeys and also used a birdie at 17 to finish at 1 over.
Hopkins, a mid-amateur from Danville, made a birdie on No. 9 (Monacan’s ninth hole) to turn at 2 under but made a couple of what she called “mental errors” in making a double bogey on No. 10 (Shamokin’s first hole). She followed that with a bogey but settled down after that to play the rest of her round at even par.
“I really pulled it together and finished strong,” Hopkins said. “All in all, it was a pretty good day. I know there are a lot of good players in the field, so around even par is something that I strive to do. That’s good momentum for the rest of the event.”
Along with the Spicer twins, Virginia Tech’s Alyssa Montgomery is within striking distance of the lead after opening with a 74. Anderson University’s Jessica Rathbone of Montpelier is also tied for sixth after her opening-round 74. There are two past champions in the field. Alexandra Austin, the 2016 champion, opened with a 76. Four-time winner Lauren Greenlief shot 78 Tuesday.
Lang is the VSGA’s manager of media and communications.