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Dates: Friday, September 6 - Sunday, September 8
Format: Three rounds of stroke-play qualifying with the field being cut to the low 50 percent of the field and ties for Sunday's third and final round.
Host site: Country Club of Petersburg
Day 3: Jordan Utley claims first VSGA title
(Jordan Utley celebrates his birdie on 18 Sunday at CC of Petersburg. Credit: Chris Lang/VSGA)
By Chris Lang
PETERSBURG -- Jordan Utley's runner-up finishes in Virginia State Golf Association championships are well documented. He's made it to the final match of the VSGA Amateur three times but came up empty on each occasion. Twice, he was runner-up at the VSGA Mid-Amateur. So forgive him for unleashing some well-deserved emotion when he drained a 25-foot birdie putt on the final hole on Sunday at Country Club of Petersburg to win the 48th VSGA Mid-Amateur Championship.
"BOOM!" he yelled as the putt dropped before unleashing a giant fist pump. He came to 18 with a one-stroke lead over the surging Scott Shingler, and he wanted no part of a nervy comebacker for par. So he drained the putt, giving him a three-day total of 12-under-par 204, two better than Shingler, who posted a 10-under 206.
Utley's victory gives him a three-year exemption into both the VSGA Amateur Championship and State Open of Virginia. It also gives him solid momentum heading into the upcoming U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship, to be held two weekends from now at Kinloch and Independence Golf Clubs.
Utley (Hermitage CC) opened the day two shots behind 36-hole leader Joey Jordan, who never got going on Sunday and posted a final-round 1-over 73 to finish in a tie for third with John Rosenstock and Michael Redwood at 7-under 209. Jordan's round took an ugly turn on the par-4 4th hole, when he pushed his drive out of bounds to the left. He barely found his provisional, which was buried in deep, thick rough left of the cart path. He hit the ball into a greenside bunker and failed to get up and down, leaving him with a triple-bogey seven. He was able to hold on for a bit, but a double bogey on 13 effectively ended his chances.
As is often the case at multi-day championships, the biggest threat was not in the final group. Playing in the penultimate group, Shingler (Dominion Valley CC) was even par through 11 holes but rode a heater to the finish, making birdie on six of his final seven holes to put the pressure on Utley. One of those birdies was a 25-footer on 17 that hung on the lip. Rosenstock, who was in Shingler's group, yelled "wait for it!" and the ball found its way to the bottom of the cup. Shingler then hit his approach on 18 to six feet and buried another birdie putt, one that Utley saw as he waited in the fairway to hit.
Needing only par to win, Utley removed all doubt with his final putt.
NOTABLE
- With their top-five finishes, Rosenstock, Jordan, and Redwood each earned exemptions into next year's VSGA Amateur. As a past champion, Shingler has a lifetime exemption from Amateur qualifying.
- Andrew Crowley, another U.S. Mid-Am participant, made the move of the day, posting a bogey-free 6-under 66 to jump 20 spots on the leaderboard into a tie for ninth. Parker Wingfield shot 67 to move eight spots to solo sixth.
- Six players shot under-par rounds all three days: Utley, Shingler, Rosenstock, Redwood, Kyle Bailey, and Del Baker.
- Utley made just two bogeys the entire tournament and finished with seven birdies on Sunday.
- Shingler quickly left to head to Willow Oaks CC in Richmond for a practice round for the Senior Open of Virginia, which begins Monday.
QUOTABLE
- Please see the video below for comments from Utley.
- "I made a bogey on 5, and I knew I couldn't afford to do that, knowing at the beginning of the day that I needed a clean card to get within striking distance. That was a bummer there. But I finished off that nine solidly and just got hot on the back and got it going. Hit my irons well and made a bunch of putts. But Jordan played a hell of a round of golf. Good for him." -- Shingler
Day 2: Jordan takes two-shot lead into final round
(Joey Jordan blasts out of a greenside bunker on No. 3 Saturday at CC of Petersburg. Credit: Chris Lang/VSGA)
By Chris Lang
PETERSBURG -- Willow Oaks CC's Joey Jordan posted a tournament-best 5-under-par 67 on Saturday at Country Club of Petersburg to take a two-shot lead into the third and final round of the 48th Virginia State Golf Association Mid-Amateur Championship. Jordan's two-day total of 8-under 136 puts him clear of Hermitage Country Club's Jordan Utley, who posted a bogey-free 68 on Saturday for a two-day total of 6-under 138.
Sunday's final round begins at 8:30 a.m. with a split-tee start. The final group will include Jordan, Utley, and Michael Redwood, who posted a 4-under 68 on Saturday for a two-day total of 5-under 139, leaving him tied for third with Stoneleigh G&CC's Ian Hildebrand. That group is expected to tee off at approximately 10 a.m. off No. 1.
Right behind Redwood and Hildebrand in a tie for fifth at 4-under 140 are Scott Shingler (Dominion Valley CC), John Rosenstock (Lakeside Park Club), and Marshall Tinsley (Winton Farm). Shingler and Tinsley are past champions of the event.
Roanoke CC's Jason Spaar, the first-round leader, returned a 1-over 73 on Saturday and fell into a tie for eighth.
NOTABLE
- Jordan and Utley finished 1-2 at The Signature at The Federal Club in April. Jordan is ranked second in the VSGA men's player rankings behind teenager Logan Reilly, who won the VSGA Amateur and State Open of Virginia.
- Jordan made an eagle, five birdies and a double bogey on Saturday. The double bogey happened on the par-4 3rd when his drive went left, forcing him into a lay up short of the green. He misjudged his distance, went long, and was unable to get up and down from a greenside bunker.
- Utley has made just one bogey in his two rounds -- on the par-4 6th in Friday's first round. Utley was a finalist in the VSGA Amateur at CCP in 2021.
- Redwood, who finished in the top five of last year's Mid-Am at Elizabeth Manor, made six birdies and two bogeys.
- Hildebrand was 4-under for his round after an eagle on No. 11, but he made two bogeys down the stretch to fall back to 2-under for the day and 5-under overall.
- Rosenstock had a strange round, one that included two double bogeys and a run of five straight birdies to get himself back on the right side of par at the end of the round.
- Shingler posted an up-and-down round on Saturday, carding five birdies and four bogeys.
- Tinsley's round was buoyed by a stretch where he made three birdies in four holes (8, 9, 11).
- Sixty players made the cut at 7-over par or better.
- The top five players and ties after the conclusion of Sunday's final round earn exemptions into the 2025 VSGA Amateur Championship, scheduled for late June at Birdwood Golf at Boar's Head Resort.
QUOTABLE
- "I've been hitting it good but just wasn't really converting putts. But I started hitting it tight there starting on 17. Just made a bad decision on No. 3 but I didn't let it bother me too much. I knew I was playing well and swinging well. Finished with a birdie and had some birdie looks coming in. Just rolling it well and playing some good golf, which is nice, because I've been playing good golf but not really shooting good scores. Solid scores, for sure. But not the scores I'd like to be getting with the way I'm hitting it. I literally just told myself that I'm going to start aiming more towards the hole. Which is funny, but ironically, I started hitting closer to the hole. I was hitting it great (before) but picking spots too far from the hole. I'd hit my spot and it would leave me 15-20 feet away, so I tried to bring it in a little bit. And lo and behold, I think I hit three inside of three feet in a row." -- Joey Jordan
- "I hit my drive left and it kicked straight backwards, which is totally OK and better than it kicking left. Anyone who plays here knows what's over on the left side. I laid up and I thought I had shot the flag (with his range finder), but I guess I ended up shooting that back hill on the edge of the green. Then I flew it in the back bunker when I thought I had hit my number. I wasn't even really upset because I had hit a good shot in there. I've got to be more careful with the range finder, I guess." -- Jordan on his double bogey on No. 3.
- "I've been there, so I can recall off of that. I need to go out there and shoot a score. I need to make birdies. I know there are good players out there right now that are going to be nipping at my heels, and shooting a couple over tomorrow is not going to get it done. I just need to keep playing the way I'm playing -- driving it, hit wedges good, make putts. That's going to be my plan. It all starts with driver off the tee. I drove it beautifully today, other than on No. 3." -- Jordan
- "I had a couple of nice par putts. I made a nice 15-footer for par on 5, the par 3. But other than that, I felt like it was pretty stress free. It was pretty scorable. I think they were forecasting a lot of wind and we didn't really get anything until 13, and it just kind of blew in pretty quickly. So it was a little bit of a hold-on finish, but ... I don't want to say it was an easy round, but bogey-free rounds are always good." -- Jordan Utley
- "I think it's not overly long. I'm not a bomber by any means, so I can maneuver my way around the golf course and let my iron play shine. Definitely, over the last five-plus years, I've played a lot of good golf around here. Hopefully, I have one more good round in me tomorrow." -- Utley on CCP.
- "Joey's a great player. We don't play similar games, so it's really important when I tee it up with Joey that I forget about him, in terms of how he plays, and his style. I have a lot of respect for the way he plays, but I can't do what he can do with the golf ball. So I kind of have to do what I do. I'll be hitting first all day. If I can get off to a good start and throw a couple of darts in there early and put some pressure on him, that's about all I can do." -- Utley
- "A couple of years ago at Keswick, I was right there with Evan (Beck). I think it's a different style of play. At a place like Petersburg where red numbers are necessary to get going, it'll be aggressive from shot one tomorrow. I think it has to be all the way 1 through 18. I don't foresee a situation where Joey comes back tomorrow, so I've got to go catch him. Giving someone like Joey two shots anywhere is not ideal. But doing it here, the par 5s are pretty routine for him, I would think. So I'll have to make them routine as well. I'm going to be doing it with wedge play, and he's probably going to be going for them in two. A final round is a final round. I just need to go there and know that I have to put red numbers on the board." -- Utley
- "It was weird, because yesterday I was all over the map and was able to make a bunch of up and downs and ended up with a really nice 69 where I felt like I got everything out of my round possible. Today, the opposite was happening. Through 10 holes, I actually felt like I was hitting the ball much better. But I had the two doubles, including the one on 10 where I just tugged it a little to the left and it happened to catch some branches and kick left into the hazard. So a bit of a tough break there. But again, I've been working really hard on staying calm. I had positive feelings about the way the club felt in my hand, the way I was swinging. So I said let's keep plugging, and I made a really nice birdie on 11 and then the floodgates just opened and I had a really nice run of birdies, most of which were within close proximity to the hole, with the exception of 13, where I made about a 20 footer. But everything else was in there pretty tight." -- John Rosenstock on his run of five birdies in a row on the back.
- "I think the doubles will prove to hurt me in terms of my position going into tomorrow, because I know Joey's out there having a great round and I expect some low scores this afternoon. However, I feel very good about my game. I feel much better about my swing after today than I did yesterday, which is ironic given the 69 vs. 71. But I feel really good about my game. I just need to clean up those mistakes that I had on two holes today." -- Rosenstock
Day 1: Spaar posts 68, takes one-shot lead
(Jason Spaar made five birdies and a bogey on Friday. Credit: Chris Lang/VSGA)
By Chris Lang
PETERSBURG -- Roanoke Country Club's Jason Spaar shook off some early nerves on Friday at Country Club of Petersburg to post a 4-under-par 68 and take a one-stroke lead after 18 holes at the 48th Virginia State Golf Association Mid-Amateur Championship.
Spaar posted five birdies and one bogey and holds a lead over four players who returned scores of 3-under 69: Scott Shingler (Dominion Valley CC), Ian Hildebrand (Stoneleigh G&CC), Joey Jordan (Willow Oaks CC), and John Rosenstock (Lakeside Park Club).
Spaar used his length off the tee to his advantage, playing CCP's four par-5s at 3-under on Friday. His lone bogey came on the par-4 8th hole. After making the turn at 2-under, he made birdies at 15 and 17 to finish his round at 4-under.
Shingler, recent finalist at the VSGA Senior Amateur, and Hildebrand played in a twosome starting on No. 10 after their third dropped out of the event. Shingler shook off an uneven start and caught fire on CCP's front nine. Shingler was 1-over through eight holes but birdied 18 to make the turn at level par. He added birdies at 2, 4, and 8 to post a 3-under 33 on his final nine.
Hildebrand, a former Virginia Tech standout, went the opposite way, starting with three birdies in his first six holes before playing the rest of his round at even par.
Jordan, another former Hokie, worked around three bogeys with four birdies and an eagle for his 69. Rosenstock, a past VSGA Amateur finalist, made birdies at 14, 15, and 16 and added 15 pars for his 3-under round.
Six players were tied for sixth at 2-under 70, including Jordan Utley, who was a finalist at the VSGA Amateur held at CCP in 2021.
NOTABLE
- After Saturday's second round, the field will be cut to the low 50 percent of players and ties for Sunday's third and final round.
- Spaar reached the quarterfinals of the VSGA Amateur Championship in June at Belle Haven Country Club.
- Of the four players in the field who will play in the upcoming U.S. Mid-Amateur at Kinloch and Independence, Rostenstock posted the best score with his 3-under 69. Utley shot 2-under, Andrew Crowley shot 2-over 74, and George Ordway returned a 4-over 76.
- Each of CCP's par 5s yielded at least one eagle on Friday, with three players making eagle on the par-5 2nd hole, which played as the easiest hole on the course on Friday.
QUOTABLE
- "I was honestly really nervous to start. I made two good up and downs early. Honestly, I didn't feel like I played very good. But I took advantage of the par 5s -- I think I birdied four of them. Good drives, good second shot, two putts for birdie. It's a good course. It's all right in front of you. You've got to keep it in front of you, make pars, and make birdies when you can." -- Jason Spaar
- "I've been playing so good. I know I can win this, and play well in it. I think I was just so excited to get started, but I didn't expect to be so nervous. So that was hard to adjust to that. I felt like we were moving pretty slow out there, so it was a good test of my patience today. So it feels good to post a number when you feel like you've left a few out there." -- Spaar
- "My home course (Roanoke CC) is all Bermuda and bentgrass greens, so I feel like I'm right at home here. The greens are good." -- Spaar
- "I think I'll be more comfortable tomorrow. I didn't hit my driver well today, so I'm going to hit a few drives (on the range) and work a couple of kinks out, and I think I'll be a lot calmer tomorrow." -- Spaar
- "I didn't make any big mistakes. The first round, you're always just trying to put yourself in position. I started off pretty hot, made two birdies and put a few shots close. Out here, you just have to find fairways. You get a lot of good wedge opportunities, the greens are receptive and they're rolling true. I just tried to give myself many opportunities today and kind of see where it shook out." -- Ian Hildebrand
- "It's been trending pretty well. I've been playing well at home. There are maybe one or two things I'm working on in terms of swing thoughts, but nothing major. Just trying to have one or two focus words out there when I play. And then just try to stay in it mentally every shot." -- Hildebrand
- "It was getting the speed down. I suspect someone is going to go low. The greens are really receptive for your mid-irons and short irons. For me, it was just being patient on the front nine. I had the reads nailed down, but the pace was slightly off. I rolled my putts a little better on the back nine. But all in all, a solid day through the bag." -- Scott Shingler
- "You've got it in the fairway off the tee so you can attack some of these pins, especially with how receptive they are right now. If you get some right numbers, man, you can throw the ball in there and have a decent look at birdie. Short-siding yourself, with the way the course is cut right now with these little low chipping areas near the greens, even if you short-side yourself, you have a decent shot at getting up and down." -- Shingler
- "You have a game plan and you try to stick to it. You can tweak it here or there. But I'll play aggressively all three days -- in a smart way. Not that you'll attack every single pin out there, but you can attack aggressively with the shots you have in your head. And hopefully I can make some putts down the stretch." -- Shingler