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By Chris Lang
PETERSBURG — Jordan Utley advanced to the championship match of the Virginia State Golf Association Amateur Championship in both 2014 and 2017, and now he’s done so in 2021.
In the back of his mind, he wondered after 2017 if he’d make it back for another crack at the Schwarzschild Brothers trophy. After an excellent week at the 108th VSGA Amateur Championship at Country Club of Petersburg, he’s done just that.
“You have no idea if you’ll get back here,” said Utley, a former Richmond Spider and current Midlothian resident. “The talent is just so good. But I’m playing good too. Maybe it’s just the perspective of being grateful to be out playing, having the time to play, having the health to play, having the supportive wife to be able to go out and play. There are a lot of factors that get you here, and mentally, I think I’m in a really good spot this week.”
Utley, 35, will meet William & Mary’s Jimmy Taylor (Belle Haven CC) in Friday’s final. On Thursday, Utley earned his spot in the final with a 3-and-1 win over close friend Dustin Groves in the morning and a 4-and-3 victory over fellow Hermitage CC member and UVA player Jack Montague in the afternoon.
Taylor, a semifinalist in 2019 at Keswick GC, defeated UVA’s Sam Jung 3 and 1 in the quarterfinals before outlasting past State Open champion Evan Beck 1 up in the semifinals.
“It’s pretty awesome,” Taylor said. “It’s probably up there with my bigger accomplishments in golf. Last time I got to the semifinals, I lost to Chris Zhang. Having gotten that far before, I really wanted to get to the finals.”
Utley trailed for only two holes in his four matches leading up to Friday’s final, and that came early in the match Thursday against Montague, who took a 1-up lead with a par on No. 3. Utley tied the match with a par on No. 5, then made birdies on 6 and 8 to grab a 2-up lead and change the momentum of the match.
“Anybody who is a college kid in this event, I have to think has a decent advantage just because they’re more in golf shape,” Utley said. “They play more golf. They play 36-hole days. They probably play 36-hole days over and over. I wasn’t really concerned about stamina. It was, can I get into a routine and a rhythm to put him under pressure. And I think I did, especially that stretch from 5 to 8. I was really putting the pedal down and seeing what he could handle. But he’s won a State Open. So he’s no Joe Schmoe.”
Utley—who closed out Groves in the morning by chipping in for birdie on 17—made a birdie on 15 to defeat Montague in the afternoon.
“Today, I guess I’ll call it a bit of a lucky day,” Utley said. “Both in the morning and the afternoon, I had a lot of stock yardages where I could hit a full shot in and I didn’t really have to think of taking a little bit off here or giving it a little extra oomph. It was just, hit the ball solid and it’s going to be the right distance. That doesn’t happen a lot, to be honest.”
Montague, the 2019 State Open of Virginia champion, was disappointed not to reach his first Amateur final but found plenty of positives to take from the week as he prepares for the State Open at Independence later this month.
“I have some things to clean up between now and then,” Montague said. “Independence is a great track, I’ve played it a good amount and have had some success there. Hopefully that’ll help me come the State Open.”
The Taylor-Beck match featured birdie after birdie as neither player gave an inch. Beck cut into a 2-up lead with an eagle on No. 15 but never completely closed the deficit.
“I needed it,” Beck said of the eagle. “That was the only way I was going to win holes against the guy. Every time I made a birdie, it seemed like he made a birdie. It was a great match. He played really, really well. And he’s going to be tough tomorrow if he plays like that.”
The players tied 16 and 17, and Taylor came to 18 with a 1-up edge. Beck hit first and drove his ball right in the light rough, leaving him between wedges for his approach shot. It spun off the green and back to the fringe. Taylor hit to a number off the tee and left his approach 15 feet past the hole for a likely two-putt.
Beck needed birdie to extend the match. He had an awkward chip and elected to putt, but it came up short. Taylor converted his two-putt for the win.
“He just never really gave me any openings,” Beck said. “The only real chance I had was on 14. I think I was 1 down, and he had 40 yards and flubbed it 20 yards in front of him. Then he holed the next one from 20 or 30 yards off the green. Then I missed the putt. That was tough.”
Taylor, 20, and Utley have never met, but Taylor knows he’s in for a challenge on Friday against a veteran player with experience playing deep into Amateurs.
“I honestly don’t know very much about Jordan,” Taylor said. “I see his name a lot, and he usually plays pretty well when I see his name. I guess we’ll meet tomorrow and see what happens.”
Lang is the VSGA’s manager of media and communications.