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Dates: Tuesday, August 1 - Thursday, August 3
Format: Three rounds of stroke play. The field will be cut to the low 45 players and ties for Thursday's third and final round.
Host site: Birdwood Golf at Boar's Head Resort
(Pictured: Preston Burton. Credit: Chris Lang/VSGA)
CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Charlottesville High School graduate Preston Burton had this one circled on his calendar for a year. A chance to end his junior career with a win in the one tournament that eluded him in front of friends and family at Birdwood Golf at Boar's Head Resort? Sign him up.
As the weather deteriorated on Thursday and the scores went south, one player held steady. Burton played the final four holes in even par in miserable conditions to close out the 71st Virginia State Golf Association Junior Stroke Play Championship. Burton's three-day aggregate total of 9-under-par 204 left him four strokes clear of Yorktown's Brandon Sipe.
Burton was runner-up at the 2021 VSGA Junior Stroke Play championship at Roanoke Country Club, finishing a stroke behind David Stanford, who birdied the 54th hole. Burton, bound for William & Mary in the fall, wasn't going to fall short again.
It wasn't easy. Most of the final round was played under cloudy conditions, but outside of random bits of sprinkles, there was no heavy precipitation until the final group approached the par-4 14th. At that point, Burton was at 10-under and held a two-stroke edge over Hudson Pace, who had birdied the par-3 13th to shrink Burton's lead.
Both players bogeyed 14. On the par-5 15th, Burton made birdie as Pace scrambled for par to push the lead back to three. Both players attempted to drive the green on the short par-4 16th, despite the conditions, and both ended up right and short of the hole--Burton in deep rough and Pace in a greenside bunker. Burton's chip went long, leaving him a difficult two-putt chance where he had to navigate a ridge to reach the hole location. He three-putted for bogey while Pace got up and down for par, and Burton went to the par-3 17th up two strokes.
That's where everything changed. Burton's tee shot was right and short, but he was able to two-putt for par. Pace was left of the green in the rough. He left his chip short, then three-putted for a double bogey. When Sipe--who was playing in the group ahead and was two strokes back of Burton as well--doubled No. 18, Burton went to the final hole with a four-stroke lead. He kept it in play and got up and down for par to clinch the victory. Burton shot a 1-under 70 on Thursday and was the only player in the field to finish under par for all three rounds.
Last fall, Burton closed his prep career at Charlottesville with an individual win in the VHSL Class 3A Championship. Thursday's win was another statement as he turns the page from junior golf to college golf.
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(Pictured: Preston Burton walks in a birdie putt on 8. Credit: Chris Lang/VSGA)
CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Preston Burton played high school golf at Charlottesville High School and is a member at nearby Farmington Country Club. He felt plenty at home across U.S. 250 at Birdwood Golf at Boar's Head Resort on Wednesday.
Burton threatened Birdwood's course record of 64 during the second round of the 71st Virginia State Golf Association Junior Stroke Play Championship, missing by a shot thanks to consecutive bogeys to close his round. That shouldn't cloud his brilliant play on Wednesday, however. He made eight birdies to surge into the 36-hole lead with a two-day aggregate total of 8-under 134, one shot better than first-round leader Tyler Brand of Richmond, who followed up a 5-under 66 on Tuesday with a 2-under 69 on Wednesday.
Both players are bound for college golf soon--Burton at William & Mary and Brand at Dartmouth. Both would love to end their junior careers on a high note on Thursday.
Burton has been in this position before. He played in the final grouping of the 2021 JSP championship at Roanoke Country Club and lost by a stroke to David Stanford, who clinched the title with a birdie on the 54th hole.
Four players are tied for third at 4-under 138: Hudson Pace (a teammate of Brand's at Collegiate School), Brandon Sipe, Logan Reilly, and Luke Libbey.
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(Pictured: Tyler Brand. Credit: Chris Lang/VSGA)
CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Tyler Brand is set to depart for his college career at Dartmouth College at the end of the month. He has one last bit of business to take care of to close out his junior career, however.
Brand, a recent Collegiate School graduate, posted an unusual 5-under-par 66 at Birdwood Golf at Boar's Head Resort on Tuesday to grab a two-stroke lead at the 71st Virginia State Golf Association Junior Stroke Play Championship. Brand began his round birdie-birdie-eagle-birdie to reach the 5-under mark through four holes. Then he parred his final 14 holes to come in at the same number.
Two players posted rounds of 3-under-par 68 and stand tied for second place--rising high-school seniors Xander Goboy of Chesapeake and Luke Libbey of Lynchburg.
Six players were tied for third at 2-under 69. The field will be cut to the low 45 players and ties after Wednesday's second round, which begins at 8 a.m. with play off both tees No. 1 and 10.
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