Championship website | Scoring | Preview | Record book: Mid-Amateur | Senior | Super Senior | Net
Dates: Tuesday, October 29 and Wednesday, October 30
Format: 36 holes of stroke play in four divisions: Mid-Amateur (22 and older, not on an active college roster), Senior (50 and older), Super Senior (65 and older), Net. If necessary, a sudden-death playoff will be used to resolve ties after 36 holes.
Host site: Cavalier Golf & Yacht Club
By Chris Lang
VIRGINIA BEACH -- The 2024 Virginia State Golf Association women's championship season came to a close on Wednesday at Cavalier Golf & Yacht Club as four players earned titles at the VSGA Women's Stroke Play Championships.
Shabril Derco (Mid-Amateur), Andrea Miller (Senior), Shawn McCullough (Super Senior), and Lynne Leith (Net) all claimed titles. Again, Cavalier proved to be a formidable foe, as Derco was the only player to finish at par over the event's two days.
MID-AMATEUR
Derco, a member at Cedar Point Club who played college golf at James Madison, earned her first individual VSGA championship, having paired with Lauren Greenlief for two VSGA Women's Four-Ball titles in the past. An infrequent competitions player, Derco survived some ups and downs on Wednesday, using a two-birdie-in-three-holes run the back nine to finally pull away from Greenlief, who had closed a six-shot deficit to one stroke at one point on Wednesday. Derco's even-par 67-73--140 was good for a five-shot win over Greenlief.
Derco shot 39 on the front on Wednesday as Greenlief shot 34, but the roles were reversed on the inward nine. Derco made birdies at 12 and 14 and played holes 10-14 at 1-under as Greenlief struggled, going 5-over during that same stretch. Greenlief eagled the par-5 15th but parred the rest of the way in.
"Oddly enough, I felt more comfortable when she was close because it forced me to be a little more focused," Derco said. "I don't know why. I was just so worried about blowing a lead that I was more focused on that than just focusing on one shot at a time. But again, it's been a while since I've been in this position, and the mentality is very different."
Greenlief posted rounds of 73-72 for a two-day 145. She finished two shots clear of 2023 champion Jessica Spicer and Annabelle Jennings, who tied for third. The win has Derco--who has a young daughter with husband Reid--considering playing more competitive golf if her schedule allows going forward.
"I've been talking to my other friends to come do this," Derco said. "I know competitive golf can be nerve wracking, but once you make a bunch of friends out here, it's just another round. That's just my mentality, but I think a lot of women hesitate. If you get an opportunity to play in something like this, it's fun."
SENIOR
When Miller wins this event, she wins big. She posted a 14-shot win at Mount Vernon Country Club in 2022 and finished 12 shots clear of the field on Wednesday at Cavalier. She did it while battling a strained elbow that limited her grip strength with her right hand. Despite the pain, she shot 72-72--144 to finish clear of runners-up Sunny Small and Mary Cabriele.
Miller said she iced the elbow on Tuesday night, woke up on Wednesday to use a heating pad on it, took some NSAIDs to numb the pain, and added some KT tape and a sleeve to stabilize the joint. Through it all, she was able to keep the ball in play for the most part and hit greens, allowing for a steady, winning round.
"It does feel like a bit of validation," Miller said. "I let the pressure get to me at The Homestead (in a Senior Women's Amateur loss to Kristin Shifflett). I've been working hard on my putting since then, and it was really good today. So I feel like I'm back in the saddle again."
SUPER SENIOR
McCullough and Casey Burley waged two pretty good battles this season, with Burley coming out on top with a 1-up victory at the VSGA Super Senior Women's Amateur and McCullough returning the favor with a one-stroke victory at Cavalier on Wednesday. McCullough shot rounds of 76 and 73 for a 9-over 149 and the one-stroke win.
"I've worked really hard on my mental stamina to get through 18 holes," McCullough said. "I've worked with coaches on how I think about and how I don't think about things. That's really made a difference. I was nervous going into today, but there are a bunch of techniques to help you stay in the moment, and I used all of them. It really helped."
McCullough won her first Super Senior Women's Stroke Play title. With her win, every Super Senior Women's Stroke Play winner has also won a Senior Women's Stroke Play title in the past. Others were Linda DiVall, Boodie McGurn, Dot Bolling, and Shelley Savage.
NET
Leith, who had a 16 playing handicap for Wednesday's round, shot a gross 86 for a net even-par 70, allowing her to finish six strokes clear of Richelle Davis. Leith finished at 74-70-144 (+4) for the two days.
(Shabril Derco posted a 3-under 67 in the 2nd VSGA Women's Mid-Amateur Championship Tuesday at Cavalier G&YC. Credit: Chris Lang/VSGA)
By Chris Lang
VIRGINIA BEACH -- Cavalier Golf & Yacht Club features a short par-70 championship course, but don't believe for a second that it lacks for teeth. Tricky greens, tight fairways and well-placed bunkers make it a true shot-making test, something the women competing in the 2024 Virginia State Golf Association Women's Stroke Play championships found out on Tuesday.
Only one gross competitor -- Shabril Derco in the 2nd VSGA Women's Mid-Amateur Championship -- posted an under-par round on Tuesday (3-under 67), helping her build a six-stroke advantage after 18 holes in that championship. Andrea Miller, seeking her second Senior Women's Stroke Play title, posted a 2-over 72 in the 27th playing of that event to nab a five-shot lead. The most intrigue can be found in the 7th VSGA Super Senior Women's Stroke Play Championship, where Mount Vernon Country Club members Linda DiVall and Shawn McCullough posted 6-over rounds of 76 to share a one-shot lead.
In the 3rd VSGA Net Stroke Play Championship, Cavalier member Janis Prock returned a 2-under net 68 to earn a five-shot lead.
The second and final round in each championship is scheduled for Wednesday.
MID-AMATEUR
If there was an overriding theme on Tuesday, it was that the par-4 17th hole spared no one, not even the leaders. Derco (Cedar Point CC) had played the first 16 holes at bogey-free 4-under-par but ran into trouble on the penultimate hole. She saved double-bogey six by making a 15-foot putt, then regrouped before the par-3 18th, where she stuck a 5-iron 155 yards into a light breeze to inside of 2 feet for a tap-in birdie to end the round.
"I hit my 3-wood and hit it into the bunker, so I played it safe getting it out," Derco said. "Then I just chunked it over the top and into the hazard. So it was just one thing after the other. Luckily I one-putted -- six is better than seven at that point -- and just moved on to the next hole."
Derco's husband Reid -- the head golf professional at Cedar Point -- was on the bag for her round. Derco doesn't play a ton of competitive championship golf, but she showed on Tuesday that she still has plenty of game.
"I do love Cavalier," she said. "I play a lot of charity events out here from the red tees, so I know the course, but it's a different layout because it's playing from a different yardage this time around. I feel a little surprised with how I played, but it was fun. Reid was out here caddying for me, so it was definitely a relaxing, easy-going round.
"I couldn't have asked for anything more. You play a great round then blow up right towards the end, and then to be able to recover from that, I'll take it."
Annabelle Jennings and Lauren Greenlief each returned rounds of 3-over 73 and are tied for second. Defending champion Jessica Spicer shot a 7-over 77 and stands alone in sixth.
SENIOR WOMEN'S STROKE PLAY
Miller's previous victory in this event came by 14 strokes in 2022 at Mount Vernon Country Club, and it appeared that she was positioning herself for a similar runaway on Tuesday. Then she stepped to the 17th tee. Miller said she had hurt the inside of her right elbow earlier in the round, so she was trying to take driver out of play on most holes to avoid aggravating the injury. On 17, she needed the distance to clear a key fairway bunker, but she hit a poor tee shot that ended up in a penalty area. The end result was a triple-bogey seven. Like Derco, was able to regain her composure and finish the round on a strong note, making par on 18.
Miller holds a five-stroke lead over Mount Vernon's Joan Gardner, who posted a 7-over 77. Sunny Small (The Piedmont Club) and Amy Phelan (1757 GC) are right behind Gardner at 8-over 78. Defending champion Bev Lane returned a 13-over 83 and is 11 shots off the pace.
"It's absolutely a tight shot-maker's course," Miller said. "It's really about where you place it off the tee, allowing you a chance to hit the green. I only missed two greens today, and that's why I was successful."
Miller said she planned on icing her sore elbow and is confident she'll be able to play on Wednesday.
SUPER SENIOR WOMEN'S STROKE PLAY
The last two winners of this championship are in position to battle it out on Wednesday. Mount Vernon's DiVall, the 2022 winner, is tied for the lead, while last year's winner -- Army Navy's Shelley Savage -- is tied for second. McCullough, a past winner of the VSGA Super Senior Women's Amateur, was in position to hold a significant lead after round one, but she ran into trouble on -- you guessed it -- the 17th hole. McCullough made a quadruple bogey there after encountering issues with both a fairway bunker and a penalty area. A bogey on the 18th dropped her into the tie for first with DiVall.
Joining Savage at 7-over is Casey Burley, who this summer won the VSGA Super Senior Women's Amateur by defeating McCullough 1 up.