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Dates: Tuesday, September 23 and Wednesday, September 24
Format: Two rounds of stroke play. Tuesday: Two-person scramble, 12 p.m. shotgun start. Wednesday: Modified alternate shot, 9 a.m. shotgun start.
Host site: Lakeside Park Club
Day 2: Young/Brittain, Ligon/Catlett claim titles
(Cam Young, left, and Buck Brittain celebrate a birdie on No. 17 on Wednesday. Credit: Chris Lang/VSGA)
By Chris Lang
RICHMOND -- Cam Young and Buck Brittain -- a pair of past VSGA Senior Amateur champions -- made a key birdie on No. 17 to outlast defending champions Jay and Steve Serrao to win the 7th VSGA Senior Multi-Format Championship on Wednesday at Lakeside Park Club. In the 3rd Super Senior Multi-Format Team Championship, Mike Ligon and Jack Catlett -- who paired to win the VSGA Super Senior Four-Ball 65+ in May -- posted a three-stroke victory.
7th VSGA Senior Multi-Format Team Championship
Soon after taking trophy photos near the iconic putting-green clock at Lakeside, Young and Brittain shook hands. "This is why we play golf," Young said. "This is fun."
Young can be forgiven if he was a bit emotional after the victory on Wednesday. The former Virginia Tech quarterback seemed poised to join the elite track of VSGA senior competitors in the late 2010s, having won the Senior Four-Ball with Steve Serrao in 2018 and the Senior Amateur in 2019. Then came a back injury that required surgery to fix, and suddenly, Young lost his swing and his way. It's come back big time this year, just a few tough rounds separating him from good and very good. Playing with Brittain, who has become a close friend, Young put it together this week.
"He's been playing good all year, he's had a couple of odd-ball rounds that stuck out," Brittain said. "But it was only a matter of time. He knows how to win."
The pair posted an 11-under 60 in Tuesday's two-man scramble round. But the modified alternate shot round generally tends to separate the pretenders from contenders, and Wednesday was no different. Young and Brittain were locked in a tight fight all day with the Serraos and Jon Hurst and Keith Decker. A true ham-and-egg moment helped push Young and Brittain over the top. Young's approach on the par-4 17th settled about 6 feet from the hole, and Brittain calmly sank the birdie putt to provide the winning cushion. They finished the round at 2-under 71 for a two-day total of 13-under 129.
"I hit some really good iron shots today," Young said. "If I give him a chance to make a putt, you've got to feel good about it. He's probably one of the best putters -- if not the best putter -- in the state of Virginia."
The Serraos had a chance to answer, needing an eagle on the short-ish par-5 closing hole to force a playoff. Jay hit the green in two, leaving Steve a long but makeable eagle putt. Steve had no intentions of leaving it short, knowing what was at stake. His solid try eventually trickled a bit long, leaving Young and Brittain to celebrate. Hurst and Decker finished alone in third at 11-under 131.
3rd VSGA Super Senior Multi-Format Team Championship
Ligon and Catlett were prepared to go their separate ways and play with other partners for this event until fellow Country Club of Virginia member Jeff Hudgins intervened, imploring them to play together and go for the partner sweep of super senior events. Ligon and Catlett survived a six-hole playoff at Blacksburg CC in May to win the 65+ division at the Super Senior Four-Ball. No such drama occurred on Wednesday. Entering the day two strokes back after the two-man scramble round, they posted a 2-under 69 for a two-day 9-under 133 to finish three strokes clear of the first two champions of this event -- defending champs Jack Allara and Jim Woodson and 2023 winners Tim Kelley and Rusty Breeden.
"Jack's just consistent, and I can swing for the fences," Ligon said.
That combination proved crucial during the biggest hole of the day. Ligon drove it long on the par-4 13th, and Catlett dialed up a perfect 145-yard 8-iron to hole out for eagle. They added two more birdies at 14 and 16, and having started on No. 10, cruised in the rest of the way with 10 pars and a bogey to claim the comfortable win.