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Dates: Friday, July 17 - Sunday, July 19
Format: 54 holes of stroke play, with the field cut to the low 60 players and ties for Sunday's third and final round. A sudden-death playoff will be utilized to determine a champion if there's a tie atop the leaderboard after 54 holes. The State Open of Virginia is conducted jointly by the VSGA and Middle Atlantic PGA.
Starting times: Morning (7:30-9:20) and afternoon (12:30-2:20) waves off both Nos. 1 and 10 on Friday and Saturday. Sunday starting times beginning at 7:30 a.m. off both Nos. 1 and 10.
Defending champion: Larkin Gross, PGA
Host site: Independence Golf Club
Live streaming: The VSGA and MAPGA are proud to partner with Championship Golf Network (CGN) to provide live streaming coverage of the second and third rounds of the State Open of Virginia, with Taft Gantt (play by play) and Mike Morrone, PGA (color commentary) giving you the action. Bryan Jackson, PGA, will serve as on-course reporter.
Round 2 coverage | Round 3 coverage
Day 3: Lawrence earns second State Open victory
(Mark Lawrence Jr. recognizes the gallery after sinking his birdie putt on 18 on Sunday. Credit: Hayden Hundley/VSGA)
By Chris Lang
MIDLOTHIAN -- After Friday's first round of the State Open of Virginia, Mark Lawrence Jr. took a slightly sarcastic approach to describing his love-hate relationship with his putter. He's cycled through plenty of flat sticks -- long, short, and medium -- not to mention numerous ways of gripping the club. If there's been a weakness in his game at times, it's been the putter. It's certainly not ball striking or wedge proficiency.
On Sunday at Independence Golf Club, Lawrence showed just how dominant of a player he can be when the putter is on. Nursing a one-shot lead over amateur Drew Brockwell in the final round, Lawrence drilled a 20-foot birdie putt on No. 13 before unleashing a bomb from 45 feet out on the par-3 14th to pull away, making the final four holes a formality has he plugged his way to a final-round 66 and a three-day total of 14-under 196 to win his second State Open title by four strokes.
The stretch in the middle of the back nine was decisive, turning a one-stroke lead into a four-stroke edge. Considering Lawrence had made just one bogey in three days to that point (and he finished with just the single bogey on Sunday on 8), Brockwell faced a nearly impossible task in clawing his way back up the leaderboard.
"The ball striking has been good all year, it's really just been the putting," Lawrence said. "When I saw a few putts go in, even through the delays yesterday, it just gave me a lot of confidence. I felt more relaxed because I knew I could make some putts."
Lawrence won his second State Open and became just the second player to win both as an amateur and as a professional, joining Faber Jamerson. The victory comes with a $10,000 paycheck, a huge deal for a player still trying to gain consistent touring status through Monday qualifiers and limited Korn Ferry Tour status.
"It's a great confidence boost, proving to myself that I can do it over three days," said Lawrence, who in addition to his two State Open victories has lost twice in a playoff and finished runner-up another time. "I made one bogey, and it was on a mud ball in the middle of the fairway. There are a lot of things I can build off from here."
Lawrence, who grew up in Richmond and played both at Auburn and Virginia Tech, also became just the second player to win State Open titles at both Ballyhack Golf Club in Roanoke and Independence, joining four-time State Open champion Jay Woodson.
"This is like the other side of the Earth, playing here versus playing at Ballyhack," Lawrence said. "I love both courses. I definitely feel like I figured out how to play Ballyhack faster than I figured out how to play here competitively. But it's just pretty special to win it twice, and to win it at a course (Indepedence) where I've played the last nine years. It's an honor."
Lawrence opened the final round with a two-stroke lead over Brockwell. Due to two weather delays on Saturday, Lawrence had to wait until Sunday morning to complete his second-round 63, the low round of the tournament. Brockwell, who earned low amateur honors with a 10-under three-day total of 200, gamely hung around and cut the lead to a single stroke with a birdie on No. 9, a hole he admittedly has struggled on during his time playing Independence.
But Lawrence's deft putting proved to the difference, and nearly every time Brockwell tried to match, he came up inches short of draining key birdies.
"I wanted to push him as much as I could, but I knew I had to play really well to have a chance," Brockwell said. "Mark's a great player. He rolled the rock and hit his wedges really well. That's the gameplan. If you hit your driver well off the tee and hit a lot of wedges, you're good. He made a lot of good putts and hit a lot of wedges close, and when you do that, it's a good recipe to do well.
"A couple of putts didn't fall, but I'm pretty proud of how I played. I can't complain at all."
The longtime friendship between the two players made Sunday's final round a special one. Ten summers ago at Pete Dye River Course of Virginia Tech, Brockwell was a 15-year-old committed to play golf at Virginia Tech, and Lawrence was in the process of transferring from The Plains to play for the Hokies. The pair met in the quarterfinals of the VSGA Amateur, with Lawrence emerging victorious. The two played together at Tech and have remained friends ever since.
"It's always a good time. The vibes in the cart were never bad, even if someone had a bad hole," Brockwell said. "It was just like talking with one of your friends and hanging out. It's never a bad day when you're playing with a buddy like that, and to see him win like that, it was exciting too."
Woodson posted a second straight 3-under 67 to finish alone in third at 6-under 204. Former UVA standout George Duangmanee finished tied for fourth with amateurs Gus Lascola and Scott Shingler at 5-under 205. At 54, Shingler has spent the summer proving he has plenty of game left against the young guys, following up his VSGA Amateur final appearance in June at Bayville Golf Club with a top-5 State Open showing.
Columbia (Md.) Country Club's Steve Delmar, PGA, tied with River Bend Club's Kaylor Steger for low MAPGA professional honors at 3-under 207, good for a tie for seventh.
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The top 20 overall and ties are exempt into next year's State Open, as are the top seven MAPGA pros and ties.
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The two biggest movers on Sunday were professional Charlie Hanson and amateur Josh Cummins, each of whom moved up 22 spots on the leaderboard. Hanson posted a 4-under 66 and finishing tied for 17th at 1-over 211, and Cummins returned a 3-under 67 to finish tied for 24th at 3-over 213.
- The most impressive part of Lawrence's deciding birdie run on the back on Sunday? It came on the tournament's two toughest holes. The par-3 14th was the toughest hole, the par-4 13th was the second toughest.
- Lawrence was the third professional in the last four years to win the State Open.
Day 2: Second round suspended due to darkness
(Drew Brockwell and Mark Lawrence talk at the first tee on Saturday. Credit: Hayden Hundley/VSGA)
By Chris Lang
MIDLOTHIAN -- After two delays lasting a combined 156 minutes, darkness prevented the completion of the second round of the State Open of Virginia on Saturday at Independence Golf Club.
Players were pulled off the course twice on Saturday afternoon as severe storms helped cut through miserable, stifling heat. By the time players returned to the course after the second delay at nearly 7 p.m., temperatures that had soared into the upper 90s in the early afternoon gave way to positively pleasant 80-degree conditions.
Mark Lawrence Jr. made a birdie on No. 15, his final hole, to take a two-stroke lead into the return of play on Sunday at 7:30 a.m. Lawrence was 6-under for the round and 9-under for the tournament when play was stopped. First-round leader Drew Brockwell was in second at 7-under overall, and 1-under for the round.
Both professional Justin LaRue and amateur Scott Shingler finished their rounds and got into the clubhouse at 4-under 136. LaRue bounced back from an opening-round 71 with a bogey-free, 5-under 65. Shingler backed his opening-round 69 with a 3-under 67 on Saturday. Amateur Kyle Bailey was still on the course at 4-under for the tournament through 15 holes.
The final round will begin at 9 a.m. off holes 1 and 10, with the final threesome going off at 10:50 a.m. Live stream coverage on CGN (see links above) will begin at 10:45 a.m.
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The biggest move up the leaderboard on Saturday came from River Bend Club professional Kaylor Steger, who surged up 69 spots after following an opening-round 75 with a second-round 65 to get to even par for the tournament, good for a tie for 11th.
- Sixty-four players made the 36-hole cut at 7-over 147 or better. Significant players to miss the cut included 2005 champion Ted Brown, last year's low amateur Luca Rinaldi, and past champions Roger Newsom, Nick Taliaferro, and Craig Gunn, PGA.
- In addition to the stifling heat in the early afternoon, heavy, gusty winds kicked up prior to the storms, making life difficult on the afternoon wave. After the second delay, conditions calmed, giving players ideal scoring conditions.
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"You just have to keep it together mentally. I had a good buddy who I was sitting with during the break, so we were able to have a little fun and time flew by pretty quickly. We were able to warm up again, so I was able to keep the confidence I had on the golf course and keep it going through each delay" -- Justin LaRue
- "My ball striking was really good. I hit some really good close shots in there. The putting was really hard because of the wind. Everything was hard because of the wind. The course was set up pretty tricky. But I some shots in really close, made some pretty good birdies and some really good par saves in there as well." -- LaRue
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"It felt like two days almost, it was so long. The heat index was like 111 when I came out, and now it feels amazing. It's pretty good." -- LaRue
- "I'm just going to go out and pay attention to myself, and play smart, disciplined golf, and take the birdies when I can." -- LaRue
Day 1: Brockwell's 6-under 64 sets early pace
(Drew Brockwell tees off on No. 9 Friday at Independence GC. Credit: Nate Wise/VSGA)
By Chris Lang
MIDLOTHIAN -- Was the smoke coming from the sky or from Drew Brockwell's putter on Friday at Independence Golf Club? Brockwell could be forgiven if there was any confusion. That's how hot his flat stick was rolling during the opening round of the State Open of Virginia.
Brockwell's putter played a huge role in a five-birdie run on his back nine (IGC's front) on Friday, helping him to a 6-under 64 and a three-stroke lead heading into Saturday's second round at Independence.
"It was one of those days where you looked at it, and it felt like it was going in," Brockwell said. "It felt great out there. I made a couple of 15-20 footers on this side coming home, and a nice 6-footer for par on this last hole. All in all, just a great day. Just feels good to have that happen.
"I couldn't ask to be in a better place. Usually I come out here and shoot right around even because I haven't been playing a ton. And Independence is no cakewalk, between the distance off the tee and how the greens roll. So I'm really happy with where I am, I can't complain a bit. I feel like I'm in a really good place going into the rest of the weekend."
Drifting smoke from Canadian wildfires inundated the Mid-Atlantic region on Friday, and Independence wasn't spared. By the afternoon, a Code Purple Air Quality Index alert was issues for the entire Greater Richmond metro, meaning the air was "very unhealthy" for everyone. Most players in the morning wave were unbothered by the thick air, but it worsened as the day continued.
Brockwell, a former Virginia Tech standout and a member at Richmond's Lakeside Park Club, heads to Saturday with a three-stroke edge over amateurs Talon Dingledine (Stonehenge G&CC) and Kyle Bailey (Keswick Club), and professional Mark Lawrence, a past State Open champion and a two-time winner of the VSGA Amateur.
Amateurs Owen Love (Belle Haven CC) and Grady Williams (Hermitage CC) are four shots back after each fired 2-under rounds of 68. A logjam of players at 1-under 69 follows. Defending champion Larkin Gross posted a 1-over 71 on Friday, as did Luca Rinaldi (Salisbury CC), the low amateur from last year's State Open.
After Saturday's second round, the field will be cut to the low 60 players and ties for Sunday's third and final round.
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Brockwell started on No. 10 and was at 1-over through seven holes before the putter got going. He made birdies on seven of the next holes -- including five straight from 3-7 -- to surge into the lead.
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Lawrence posted a professional round with three birdies and 15 pars.
- Dingledine, who has earned medalist or co-medalist honors at the last two VSGA Amateurs, had a slightly more chaotic morning, finishing with seven birdies, two bogeys, and a double bogey.
- Bailey did much of his damage on Independence back nine, as he started on No. 10. After turning a 2-under 33, he opened his back nine with a birdie before finishing with eight straight pars.
- Among those in the tie at 1-under is Scott Shingler, who reached the final at last month's VSGA Amateur; Mikey Moyers, a past VSGA Mid-Amateur champion now working as a professional at Cedar Point Club; and former UVA standout George Duangmanee.
- Other past champions results from Friday -- Ted Brown (+2, T38), Connor Burgess (+3, T54), Roger Newsom (+7, T115), Nick Taliaferro (+11, T134), and Craig Gunn, PGA (+14, T141).
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"I've been hitting it pretty good the last couple of weeks. I made a putter change last weekend, just because I had a couple of things from the (VSGA Amateur) that I wanted to tighten up. It's been working pretty well. Hit it pretty well the first few holes, just didn't mak a ton of putts. I felt like the greens were a touch faster this morning than they were yesterday afternoon. So I got adjusted to that. Once I got adjusted, the lid just came off." -- Drew Brockwell
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"It's probably my least favorite hole on the golf course. I don't know why, but I can never judge that number right off the tee, so when I hit it, I thought it was in the bunker, but I cleared it. That made it a little bit easier. Hit a pretty solid chip, I thought it would roll out. But I was just trying to give myself something I could make. But yeah, it almost felt like a nice birdie save, even though it was for par." -- Brockwell on getting up and down on No. 9 to secure his 6-under round.
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"It's a whole different putter. I had a different PING putter I was using. It has a little more toe hang than that one. And I switched my grip up from left-hand low, back to conventional. It just allows me to get more rounded. I was leaving the face open, so it allows me to get through it. It makes me feel a lot more confident on the putts inside of 6 feet." -- Brockwell on the putter change
- "Working and playing golf, you don't get that experience all that often. You're usually just getting out with your buddies and playing for fun. It definitely felt good to have that feeling again, to get those competitive juices flowing." -- Brockwell
- "It's definitely one of the big ones. I only play five or six times a year unless I qualify for a USGA championship or a VSGA event. I usually play the State Am, the State Open, the State Four-Ball, the Valentine, the State Mid-Am, so every tournament I play in, it's a big one. I just want to go out and compete and finish as well as I can. I have a goal of winning the State Am or the State Open ... eventually. So we're off to a good start this year." -- Brockwell
- "I hit the ball pretty well, but I just didn't putt great. I felt like the putts I read correctly, I hit a bad putt. And when I hit a good putt, we didn't read it right. I hit 16 greens and hit a bunch of fairways. I felt like I hit the ball well enough to put up a good round, but the putter just was not going." -- Larkin Gross
- "Even though I'm upset with myself for not playing the way I feel like I could have played today, 1 over is not going to kill me. I'm still in the mix. Frustrated, but still, it's good to know that I have played really well here and can hopefully battle back and play two good rounds." -- Gross
- "There's a good chance I don't use that putter (from today) tomorrow. Just to look at something different. I'm a notorious putter switcher in general. The putter I used last year, I've used for about a year straight, which is impressive for me. Sometimes, you get in a mode where you have to look at something different, and I think that's kind of where I'm at right now. I brought some extra putters down here just in case, because I wasn't sure how the greens were going to be. I thought I found something good yesterday, but I just wasn't hitting my start lines. So we'll do some work, and see what happens." -- Gross
- "It definitely not playing easy this year -- it never is. Independence is a good test. Day 1, I'm just trying to give myself a lot of looks. I'll take 67." -- Talon Dingledine
- "If you would have told me I shot 67 at the beginning of the day, I would have taken that and ran with it. You have no idea. Just happy to start the tournament off the way I did." -- Dingledine
- "I hit the ball pretty well today. I had a lot of good looks a birdie. But with the putter, I felt like I rolled it well, just I just didn't make anything. The putt on the last one, it was just nice to see one go. So hopefully I'm trending in the right direction for tomorrow." -- Mark Lawrence, speaking of his 15-foot birdie putt on 18.
- "Last year, I got off to a bit of a rocky start and it kept me from really being able to put any sort of run together at any point. This year, at this point, I'm still in the tournament, and there's a lot of golf left. I've just got to keep doing what I'm doing, and hopefully some putts go in." -- Lawrence
- "Honestly, we just had a really good group out there. Had a lot of fun. Saw some putts go in early, and it's funny when that happens, the swing frees up. Started on the back and went par, birdie, birdie. So I said, 'we're feeling pretty good, let's see what we can do today?'" -- Kyle Bailey
- "I like fast greens. When I get out there, for some reason, I see the green pretty good and just trust that and try to put a good stroke on it." -- Bailey