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Dates: Friday, July 18 - Sunday, July 20
Format: 54 holes of stroke play. The full field of 144 will go off in morning and afternoon waves on Friday and Saturday. The field will be cut to the low 60 and ties for Sunday's third and final round. If necessary, a sudden-death playoff will be utilized to determine a champion. The event is conducted jointly by the VSGA and Middle Atlantic PGA.
Streaming coverage: The VSGA and MAPGA are proud to partner with College Golf Network (CGN) to provide four hours of streaming coverage on both Saturday and Sunday. The Saturday stream will begin at approximately 2:10 p.m., with the Sunday stream starting at approximately 10 a.m. See the links below to access the coverage. Kendall Lewis will provide play by play, with Mike Morrone, PGA, of The Foundry Golf Club providing color commentary. The live stream is presented by Richmond Region Tourism.
Second round streaming | Third round streaming
LIVE FROM: State Open of Virginia
Join hosts Matt Pochily of Active Season and Mike Morrone, PGA of Emergency Nine Podcast as they talk with pros and amateurs on the eve of the 2025 State Open of Virginia.
Host site: Independence Golf Club
Day 3: Gross surges past field for first State Open title
(Larkin Gross rolled to a wire-to-wire victory at the State Open of Virginia. Credit: Kaiden Bridges/VSGA)
State Open social media feed (Click to view Instagram videos, stories, posts)
By Chris Lang
MIDLOTHIAN -- Larkin Gross has made a couple of key equipment changes in 2025 that have paid off handsomely. One, he ordered a custom Lajosi putter from Australia. The other big change played perfectly into his success this week at the State Open of Virginia.
Gross qualified for the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow via the PGA of America's Professional Championship in April. While in Charlotte, he swapped a new shaft into his driver, a development that he called "an absolute game changer." As many players noted this week at Independence Golf Club, hitting fairways was the key to success. While that's true at most venues, it was even more true at Independence, where the spongy, sticky Bermuda rough was unpredictable and punitive, even for players who missed fairways by a matter of feet.
"Some years, I've come here and I've not been confident with the driver, and it's not fun playing here when you feel like that," he said Saturday.
With supreme confidence off the tee, Gross -- an assistant PGA professional at Westwood Country Club in Vienna -- put together two strong rounds to build a five-stroke lead heading into Sunday's third and final round, and he cruised to the finish line, posting a 3-under-par 67 on Sunday for a three-day aggregate total of 16-under 194 to win his first State Open of Virginia, finishing seven strokes clear of runners-up Charlie Hanson and Connor Burgess.
Gross became the first Class A MAPGA professional to win the State Open since Jon Corliss in 2003. Gross' 16-under total was the lowest in relation to par in the five years the event has been held at IGC. Logan Reilly (2024) and Evan Beck (2021) shared the previous mark at 12-under. The three-day total of 194 was the lowest since the State Open moved to 54 holes in 2014. The previous low was Mark Lawrence Jr.'s 200 in 2020.
"It means a lot," Gross said. "I just felt like this was one I wanted to get really badly, especially being a Virginia native. You take any state open win, but this one means more than the other 49 states. It's awesome. It hasn't sunk in yet, but it will. With my dad (Butch) on the bag, it's special. It just is."
With such a large cushion heading into Sunday's round, it was going to take something extraordinary to inject drama into the final 18 holes -- like Gross struggling early and his closest pursuer -- amateur Luca Rinaldi -- getting hot. Neither happened. Gross parred the first three holes and made birdies on 4 and 6, while Rinaldi struggled to four bogeys in his first six holes. The next closest player -- Justin LaRue -- matched Gross' early pace, but matching wasn't good enough considering he opened the day seven strokes off the lead.
The players best equipped to make a hard run at Gross on Sunday shot their way out of the tournament on day one. Hanson, Burgess, Mark Lawrence Jr., and Cameron Moore each shot even-par or worse on Friday and simply had far too much ground to make up considering Gross never took his foot off the gas.
NOTABLE
- Gross, who finished second at the Maryland Open earlier this week, earned $10,000 for his win at Independence.
- Gross' seven-shot margin of victory was the largest since Lawrence won by the same margin in 2020.
- Gross played the back nine exceptionally well, finishing the tournament at 12-under on those 27 holes with 12 birdies and no bogeys.
- Gross grew up playing Hobbs Hole Golf Course in Tappahannock, and the PGA professional there at the time, Troy Thorne, followed Gross during the closing stretch on Sunday.
- Rinaldi earned low amateur honors, finishing at 6-under 204 over the three days. Along with Rinaldi, all other amateurs in the top 10 (and ties) earned exemptions into the 2026 VSGA Amateur Championship, to be held next June at Bayville Golf Club in Virginia Beach. Those players: Steve Serrao, Drew Brockwell, Robb Kinder, Brian O'Dea, Bobby Dudeck, Nick Rakes, Adam Hooker, Vaughn McMeans, and Sam Beach. All are exempt from qualifying for next year's State Open as well.
- Hanson, a former Virginia Tech standout, posted a 6-under 64 for Sunday's best round, helping him jump into the tie for second with Burgess, the 2023 State Open champion and Hanson's former Hokies' teammate. Burgess posted a 5-under 65.
- LaRue shot a 2-under 68 and finished alone in fourth.
- The biggest move of the day came from former Radford standout and recently turned professional Bryce Corbett, who returned a 5-under 65 and moved 30 spots of the leaderboard into a tie for 13th.
QUOTABLE
- "Justin was putting some pressure on me early, so it was nice to make that birdie on 4 to kind of stave him off a little bit. Then hitting it to three feet on 6 for birdie, that was awesome. I was a little frustrated with myself with the bogeys on 7 and 8. I'm being picky, but when you have a big lead like that you've got to be a little picky, you can't let your focus go away, because you let people back in. It was nice to come back with a really good swing on 9 and then to birdie 10 and 12. That was huge. That really settled me in, and I think that was key to me finishing out the round strong." -- Gross
- "There were a lot of times where I was late for tee times, and my dad would call Matt Smiley or Kent (Holubar) and they'd move me back a pairing so we could make it. That was back in the days of Mapquest when you had no clue where you were going if you'd never been there before. I'm just super grateful to those two guys and Richard Smith, God rest his soul, he was huge for Virginia golf in general, and especially Virginia junior golf. And now being a Class A PGA professional and part of the MAPGA, it really means a lot. Both organizations do so much for golf in Virginia, it just means a little bit extra." -- Gross, recounting his junior days.
- "Overall, it was awesome, phenomenal. I'm happy with how I performed. I putted lights out. Today, it was a little bit of a struggle, at least on the front nine. ... But I felt good on the back." -- Rinaldi
- "I mean, I felt a little bit (like an underdog). Showing up today, I was thinking people were saying, who's this kid on the leaderboard? That's sort of what I thought. But other than that, I just went on my own pace, stuck it out and got low am out of it." -- Rinaldi
- "Just staying persistent and staying in the moment. I'm one to wander off into no-man's land, sort of, but just staying in the moment was really key today." -- Rinaldi
Day 2: Gross runs away from field, holds five-shot lead
(Larkin Gross smiles after sinking a long birdie putt on 18. Credit: Kaiden Bridges/VSGA)
State Open social media feed (Click to view Instagram videos, stories, posts)
By Chris Lang
MIDLOTHIAN -- Larkin Gross has worked hard on one aspect of his game this year -- not letting a bad hole derail a round.
When a poor putt led to a bogey on No. 9 on Saturday at Independence Golf Club during the second round of the State Open of Virginia, Gross quickly regrouped. He said the misstep "lit a little fire under him," and he responded quickly. He birdied the first four holes of the back nine and cruised to a smooth 29 on the inward nine, giving him a 6-under 64 for the today and a 13-under total of 127 for the first two days of the championship. Gross holds a five-stroke lead heading into Sunday's third and final round.
The two-round total of 127 was by far the best since the event returned to Independence in 2021. Nick Taliaferro shot 65-66--131 in the first two rounds of his 2022 victory. Gross capped his round by making a long birdie putt from off the green on 18, raising his arms in celebration before embracing his father, who has served as his caddie this week.
Amateur Luca Rinaldi, a 17-year-old rising junior at nearby James River High School, sits alone in second at 8-under 132 after posting rounds of 67 and 65. Justin LaRue, a former Longwood standout who recently turned professional, is in third at 6-under 134.
Robb Kinder, the former Christopher Newport standout, entered the second round a stroke out of the lead but struggled to a 1-over 71 on Saturday and is tie for fifth at 5-under 135, eight shots off the pace. Several players tried to make charges up the leaderboard on Saturday, but Gross never gave them an opening to make up ground. LaRue's 7-under 63 was the best round of the day.
Scroll to the top of this post for a link to live streaming coverage from Championship Golf Network (CGN) of Sunday's final round. Coverage is slated to begin at 9 a.m.
NOTABLE
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The lowest winning score in relation to par since the State Open returned to Independence was 12-under, set by Evan Beck in 2021 and Logan Reilly in 2024. Gross needs only to shoot even par on Sunday to break that record.
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The final group of Gross, Rinaldi and LaRue will go off at 9:09 a.m.
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Gross' birdie putt on 17 burned the right edge of the cup, so he was extremely close to shooting 28 on the back nine.
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LaRue turned professional two months ago and has a membership at The Foundry in Powhatan, where he said he likes the excellent practice facility. He made seven birdies and capped the bogey-free round with a strong up-and-down on 18.
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Mark Lawrence Jr., the 2020 champion, posted a 6-under 64 on Saturday but his opening 2-over 72 probably has him too far down the leaderboard to contend. Connor Burgess, the 2023 winner, also sits at 4-under overall. He made seven birdies on Saturday but also made two costly double bogeys.
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The last true runaway victory at the State Open was Lawrence's seven-shot win in 2020.
- Rinaldi was the clubhouse leader after the morning wave. Rinaldi made a 30-foot birdie putt on 12 and got up and down from a tough spot on 14 for a crucial par save.
- Rinaldi was playing on very little sleep. He played in the afternoon wave on Friday and shot 3-under 67, but the heat and humidity got to him later in the evening. He said he went to the emergency room and received three bags of intravenous fluids to alleviate dehydration symptoms and wasn't discharged until 12:30 a.m. on Saturday. His starting time was at 8:30.
- Sixty players made the cut at 5-over or better.
QUOTABLE
- "It's been a dream of a two days. Everything feels like it's clicking really good. I was kind of stuck in neutral there, missed that putt on 9, then I lit a fire under myself and got on a run. Everything's been awesome so far." -- Larkin Gros
- "I've worked so hard on trying to stay in my process. Momentum is a great thing, especially when it's good. But I've worked hard to try and not let momentum to the other way. I just try to focus on my next shot and putting myself in a good position. But you do get a little amped up. On 18, my dad and were talking about that factor. You've just got to stay as mentally strong as you can. That's what my dad's there for, to keep my mental game in check. Just trying to ride the momentum the best I can and not get too high or too low, which is easier said than done." -- Gross
- "Playing with a big lead, you have to just block out everything. There are so many good players in this tournament. I've played fantastic. It's been my week so far. I don't look at the leaderboards, but I know Justin LaRue is there. I know there are lot of really good players behind me. I've got to do what I did today, stay patient, try to pick my chances and just play the best round of golf that I can. I came really close at the Maryland Open and ran into a buzzsaw in the final round, so hopefully I can be the buzzsaw this time. That would be nice." -- Gross
- "I just tried to have a better mindset. I wasn't in a great headspace playing yesterday. I was very frustrated and kind of annoyed. I needed to get that out of the system and get into the flow of things." -- Mark Lawrence Jr.
- "I feel like for the last 10 years, I've played well in the State Open. But I've had only one year where I haven't had a bad round, and I won. And it's like every other year, I just can't help myself with that one day where I don't play well and I put myself in a hole. I've got to try to dig myself out of it tomorrow." -- Lawrence
- "It's hard to be but so aggressive here. You can only push so many tee balls, because if you're in the rough, you're not going to get close to the hole. You have to be in the fairway. Obviously, I'm going to try to make as many birdies as I can, but in the smartest way that I can." -- Lawrence
- "Kind of everything was going really well. I made a lot of putts. Unfortunately I missed a couple inside of 10 feet on the last couple of holes, but I had a good up and down on 18 and a good up and down on 16. The driver was not very good today. But my approach shots out of the rough, and being good around the greens, that was really good. It kind of saved me today." -- Justin LaRue
- "Just club down about twice and just swing really, really hard at it. Just chop it out of there. It's thick, very thick." -- LaRue on navigating Independence's sticky Bermuda rough.
- "I was pretty much on cruise control. The tee balls were a little iffy, but my approach shots and my par 3s and up and downs, and reading greens, it was all really good." -- LaRue
- "You've just got to stick to your game plan. Everything I was doing well today, it might not go so well tomorrow. Or it could go better tomorrow. All I can do it stick to one shot at a time and play from there and see what happens." -- LaRue
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"The putter has been on. I've worked really hard on it the last couple of months, and it's definitely feeling good. So we'll look for another good round tomorrow." -- Rinaldi
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"It was pretty calm and cool. I shot 67 yesterday and made a putt on 9 (his last hole). I was just trying to shoot even, maybe a couple under, but I clearly got it done today." -- Rinaldi
Day 1: Gross sets blistering pace, holds early lead
(Larkin Gross, PGA, tees off on No. 4 during Friday morning's first round of the State Open of Virginia. Credit: Chris Lang/VSGA)
State Open social media feed (Click to view Instagram videos, stories, posts)
By Chris Lang
MIDLOTHIAN -- Larkin Gross' game was trending in the right direction heading into the start of the State Open of Virginia. Earlier this week, he finished alone in second at the Maryland Open, and earlier this year, he qualified for and played in the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow.
Would that translate into a hot start at Independence Golf Club on Friday? After rolling in a 37-foot putt for birdie on the day's first hole, he had a pretty good feeling about the round. Gross, an assistant professional at Westwood Country Club in Vienna, rolled to a bogey-free 7-under 63 on Thursday and holds a one-stroke lead over amateur Robb Kinder, a former Christopher Newport standout, who also avoided the bogey bug on his way to a 6-under 64.
Six players ended the day tied for third at 3-under 67 -- amateurs Steve Serrao, Scott Shingler, Drew Brockwell, Adam Hooker, and Luca Rinaldi, and professional Joey Lane. Shingler and Lane are past Virginia State Golf Association Amateur champions.
Nearly all of the low scores came from the morning wave, with Rinaldi being the lone player in the afternoon wave to post a score of 3-under or better.
Play was suspended due to lightning at 5:30 p.m. and did not resume. Forty-two players were still on the course and will need to complete their rounds Saturday morning before round two begins.
Scroll to the top of this post for a link to live streaming coverage from College Golf Network (CGN) of Saturday's second round. Coverage is slated to begin at 2:10 p.m.
NOTABLE
- Gross followed his opening birdie with another one on No. 2. He added birdies on 5, 6, 11, 12, and 18.
- After making a birdie to get to 2 under through four holes, Kinder made nine straight pars before ripping off four birdies in a row. He nearly made it five in a row to end his round, but his birdie attempt on 18 came up just short.
- Serrao and Shingler are both past winners of the VSGA Senior Amateur, and at 57, Serrao is one of the oldest players in the field.
- Lane started on No. 10 and was even through 12 holes. He finally found his footing in the middle of the front nine, making birdies on 4 and 5 and closing his round with a birdie on No. 9.
- Connor Burgess won the State Open at Independence in 2023 and posted the low round of any past champion on Friday, a 1-under 69 that featured five birdies and four bogeys. Mark Lawrence Jr., the 2020 winner, struggled to a 2-over 72 on Friday, as did 2022 winner Nick Taliaferro.
- Four-time State Open winner Jay Woodson staged a remarkable rally last year to get into a playoff on the final day, posting a Sunday 62. He'll need to tap into that magic early if he wants a chance to make it to Sunday this year. He returned a 4-over 74 on Friday.
- Two holes at Independence play as par 5s for everyday play but have been converted to long par 4s for this event: No. 8 and No. 13. Not surprisingly, they were the two toughest holes on Friday. When play was suspended, only five players managed to make birdie on No. 8 , while only seven players made birdie on No. 13.
QUOTABLE
- "The course played great. I drove it awesome. The putter was hot. I put myself in good spots. The only time I was out of position was on 14. I hit one really flush and it went over the green and I got up and down. I made it feel really easy, even though golf is not an easy game. But it was awesome. It was a great round." -- Larkin Gross
- "My game has been in a great spot for almost a month now. I've been working really hard on my swing. I got a new putter in the bag that has just passed with flying colors so far. It's been awesome." -- Gross
- "The first two holes of the day, I made a 37 footer then a 24 footer. The rest of them weren't crazy long. But the 37 footer with good speed going in on the first hole, that was great. It's always nice to settle the nerves and put you in a great frame of mind for the rest of the round." -- Gross
- "I was getting kind of frustrated but I just tried to stay patient. I hit a lot of greens, gave myself a lot of chances, and the putter was hot." -- Robb Kinder on his back-nine birdie blitz.
- "It's good for long hitters, and the greens are perfect. They always have the course in perfect condition. I like places I can hit it far and make putts." -- Kinder
- "It plays a lot different. It makes the bunker on the left carry-able, which makes the tee shot easier. You can't get blocked out on the right as easy. But it plays great. It's a great hole." -- Kinder on No. 8 playing as a long par 4 rather than a short par 5.
- "Most importantly, you have to get it in the fairway. If you're not in the fairway, you are fighting in the rough. It is thick. You lose control of your ball, you can't spin it into the greens. Sometimes you can't get it to the green, it's so tough. Once you're in the fairway, today for me, I hit some decent iron shots. Had some good looks most of the day and buried a few of them. I'm happy with the way I played." -- Scott Shingler
- "I would guess today is the easiest it's going to play. They might start tucking pins, moving tee boxes back. Same game plan for me. You've got to get it in the fairway. If you're not in the fairway, it's a fight for the entire hole." -- Shingler
- "One of the best ball-striking days I've had in a while. And I made two great up and downs. I made a great up and down on No. 2 from long and right, and I made up and down on No. 7 from long and left. I've been working on that a lot lately, so that was a big change for me." -- Steve Serrao
- "This was about the top end (of my expectations). I hit it well enough and far enough, and this course isn't so long. I'm a decent putter. I know that (the younger players) can go a little lower than me. I can't reach the par 5s (in two). My only expectation was to have fun. I told my wife before I left, nobody has expectations of me. It might be my last State Open. Who knows? I just enjoyed it, and I had a great day." -- Serrao