By Chris Lang
MIDLOTHIAN — Brendan McGrath, a PGA professional at Hidden Creek Country Club in Reston, set a tournament record with a closing 8-under-par 64 on Thursday at Independence Golf Club, and his two-day aggregate, 9-under-par 135 gave him a two-stroke victory in the 16th Senior Open of Virginia.
McGrath finished clear of University of Virginia men’s golf coach Bowen Sargent, who earned low amateur honors with a two-day, 7-under 137.
THE STORY
After the round Thursday, McGrath said he is “generally pretty easy on himself” after making mistakes in a round. That mindset served him well in Wednesday’s first round, when he was cruising along at 5 under par until he hit the par-4 15th hole.
“I hit it right,” McGrath said. “I didn’t feel like I made a bad swing, but I hit a bad shot. I got kind of greedy with my punchout. … I hit a bad shot, it hit the trees and went in (the penalty area). Then I dropped and hit it back into the hazard. I found it again, hit it on the green, and two-putted.”
That’s right. A quad. A snowman. Eight on a par-4. Whatever you want to call it, it was a tumble down the leaderboard, one that could have conceivably knocked him out of the tournament. Instead, he parred out and finished Wednesday at 1-under 71, four shots out of the lead but still very much in contention.
“There’s a little bit of feeling sorry for yourself, but you’re playing a game. How sorry can you feel?” McGrath said. “It won’t be the last time I muck up. I’ll muck up again. But I came here in form, and form is temporary. It wasn’t the end of the world.”
McGrath’s son texted him before Thursday’s round with some words of encouragement.
“He said, ‘hey, you never know, go play a good round of golf,’” McGrath said.
That he did. As he did Wednesday, McGrath opened the second round with a birdie, then added two more on the front to turn at 3 under. He surged on Independence’s back nine, carding birdies at 11, 12 and 13 before finishing his round with consecutive birdies.
The first came on the par-5 17th, when he was about 25 feet short of the hole, just off the green.
“It was one of those putts that kind of wants to wiggle all the way up there,” McGrath said. “It starts a little left, and works back in. And it went in. When it goes in, it’s Brendan McGrath day. I’ve played good rounds of golf where the ball lips out and the score’s not as good. Then it goes in, and I don’t know the difference between the two of them.”
On 18, he smashed a driver right, under a tree, but he had a bare lie, snugged his approach to five feet, and sank the birdie putt for what he called the most significant win of his senior career.
McGrath didn’t play college golf and didn’t start teaching in earnest until after he turned 40. He’s worked at Fauquier Springs Country Club, Chantilly National Golf & Country Club and now Hidden Creek. Though he qualified for the Senior PGA Championship in 2017, McGrath has had his eyes on winning a State Open title for some time.
“Bud Lintelman and John O’Leary used to tease me and say, ‘Do you want to win a State Open or do you want to win a (PGA section) major? And I’d say, ‘I want to win a State Open.’ So Bud would say, ‘Say it B—I want to win a State Open!’
“So yeah, I’m excited.”
Sargent made just one mistake on Thursday, leaving a sand wedge short on the par-4 12th, leading to a bogey. Otherwise, he carded six birdies and finished two shots clear of 2020 Senior Open champion Matt Sughrue for low amateur honors.
“It was fun,” Sargent said. “I didn’t know I was going to play this week, up until the last minute. I had low expectations going into the week, but I had a good week. … This is the end of the year for me, and it was gratifying to finish with a 67.”
NOTABLE AND QUOTEABLE
- Sargent on balancing playing with coaching and recruiting for UVA: “It was definitely harder this year, without a doubt. I didn’t get to practice as much in between tournaments, which always kind of leaves a little doubt in your mind heading into events. But I’ve held up better than I thought I would. My short game has been really good. I probably could have hit it better; you’d probably think it would be the opposite. For me, the senior events are better, because AJGAs (top junior events) start on Wednesday, and the senior events are usually Monday-Tuesday. So I can play and then go recruit Wednesday and Thursday. It actually works out better.”
- Professionals Jim Estes and Dick Mast posted identical two-day scores of 71-67—139 to finish tied for third. Sughrue (70-69—139) finished fifth.
- First-round leader David Williams Jr. posted a second-round 74 after his opening 67 to finish alone in sixth.
- Past VSGA Senior Amateur champion Steve Serrao made one of the biggest moves on Thursday. After a first-round 75, he shot a 5-under 67 on Thursday to tie for seventh.
- The par-3 9th hole was the most difficult of the tournament, yielding just 10 birdies in the two days and playing to a 3.36 scoring average.
- McGrath’s win ended a run of five straight Senior Open wins by amateurs. Prior to Thursday, Ricky Touma was the last professional win, claiming the title in 2016.
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.