Williams Jr. holds lead at 16th Senior Open of Virginia

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By Chris Lang

MIDLOTHIAN — David Williams Jr., a reinstated amateur from Chesapeake, posted a 5-under-par 67 on Wednesday at Independence Golf Club to grab the first-round lead at the 16^th Senior Open of Virginia. The second and final round is scheduled for Thursday morning, with the final grouping slated to tee off on No. 1 at 10:27 a.m.

Williams holds a two-shot lead over Independence member Scott Bemberis, who returned a 3-under 69 on Wednesday. Eight players were tied at 2-under 70, a group that includes defending champion Matt Sughrue, along with past champions Buck Brittain and Rick Schuller.

THE STORY

Williams, a member at Greenbrier Country Club, was a decent golfer in high school but never played college golf. He attended Old Dominion University, and after graduation, he got into the golf business on the teaching side.

After 25 years in that business, he decided he was ready to compete again as an amateur. He made his VSGA event debut last fall at the VSGA Mid-Amateur Championship and has played in several VSGA championships this summer.

He didn’t have a lot of expectations going into the Senior Open, considering the depth of the field and his relative lack of competitive experience. His round Wednesday was a solid one, featuring three birdies, an eagle and no bogeys, the latter a considerable accomplishment on a tough Independence course.

“I kind of set my expectations this year a little bit lower,” Williams said. “I know how good the guys are in this state. I’m just happy to be in the conversation, just happy to have a chance to get out there. I didn’t compete much when I was teaching, so it’s kind of nice to get out there and actually be able to hold my own a little bit.”

The eagle was a hole out from 90 yards on No. 2. He added birdies on Nos. 4 and 9 to make the turn at 4 under. He faced a seven-foot par putt on No. 15 when the horn blew for a weather delay, then came back after the break to sink it to keep his bogey-free round going.

“That kind of eased me back into it,” Williams said. “Then I hit the green on 17 in two and two putted for birdie. Pretty solid today. Nothing great, nothing bad. Pretty average, but it turned out really, really well.”

Bemberis was even through seven holes but and used a birdie on the par-5 8^th hole to get his round going. He added birdies on 10 and 13 to get to 3-under and had just hit his tee shot on 16 when the delay hit. He bogeyed that hole upon resumption of play but rallied to sink a 20-foot birdie putt on 18 to finish at 3 under.

“It took years off my life, though,” Bemberis said. “It went up there and hung on the edge just long enough to make my heart skip a beat.”

NOTABLE AND QUOTEABLE

• Bemberis on competing in the final group on his home course: “I feel like I’m having a flashback to the days of playing the State Open here, back in 2008, 2009, 2010. I did pretty well here against the regulars. I took a few years off to drive kids around to sporting events, but it’s fun to get back in the hunt and play good.”
• Brendan McGrath, a PGA professional at Hidden Creek CC in Reston, was tied for the lead until disaster struck on the par-4 15^th in the form of a quadruple bogey. He parred in to finish at 1-under 71.
• The full list of players tied for third at 2-under: Sughrue, Brittain and Schuller; professionals Carey Hodsden, Dirk Schultz and Steve WenPetren; and amateurs Bowen Sargent and Pete DeTemple.
• Three other past champions were tied for 18^th at even-par 72: Professionals Tim Lewis and Ricky Touma, and amateur Dave Pulk.
• Two past champions were tied for 24^th at 1-over 73: Keith Decker and David Partridge. The final past champion in the field, Jay Hardwick, shot a 5-over 77 and is tied for 56^th.
• The course yielded five eagles on Wednesday: Williams’ on the par-4 2^nd, and two apiece on the 4^th and 13^th, both par-5 holes.
• The 304-yard, par-4 12^th was the hardest hole Wednesday, playing to a 4.37 scoring average. No. 4 was the easiest, the 510-yard par-5 hole playing to a 4.82 average.
• The round was delayed for 1 hour and 40 minutes in the early afternoon due to severe thunderstorms.

Lang is the VSGA’s Manager of Media and Communications. The State Open of Virginia is jointly conducted by the VSGA and Middle Atlantic PGA.