77th VSGA Senior Amateur Championship

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Dates: Monday, August 12 - Friday, August 16

Format: Two rounds of stroke-play qualifying on Monday and Tuesday, with the top 32 players advancing to match play. Rounds of 32 and 16 on Wednesday. Quarterfinals and semifinals on Thursday. The 18-hole championship match is scheduled for Friday morning.

Host site: The Country Club of Virginia (Tuckahoe Creek)

Day 3: Top seed Shingler rolls into quarterfinals

(Defending champion Scott Shingler won twice on Wednesday. Credit: Kate Brown/VSGA)

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By Chris Lang

RICHMOND -- Top seed and defending champion Scott Shingler made quick work of two opponents on Wednesday at The Country Club of Virginia's Tuckahoe Creek Course and was one of eight to advance to the quarterfinals of the 77th Virginia State Golf Association Senior Amateur Championship.

Shingler (Dominion Valley CC) rolled past Steven Galing 8 and 6 in the round of 32 before eliminating Neil Davis (Keswick Club) 5 and 4 in the round of 16 in the afternoon. Shingler will meet past VSGA Mid-Amateur champion Dan Hosek in the opening quarterfinal match on Thursday, scheduled to begin at 8 a.m.

On Shingler's side of the bracket, Pete Barbera (Mount Vernon CC) eliminated two past Senior Amateur champions on the way to the quarterfinals, topping Jon Hurst in the morning and Steve Serrao in the afternoon. Barbera won the final five holes of his match against Serrao to erase a 4-down deficit and win 1 up. His reward: A matchup with Serrao's brother Jay, who rolled to two victories on Wednesday.

The other side of the bracket features a rematch of the 2020 Senior Amateur final at Westwood Country Club as University of Virginia golf coach Bowen Sargent (Birdwood Golf at Boar's Head Resort) will meet two-time Senior Am winner Buck Brittain (The Virginian GC) in one quarterfinal. Chad Seibert defeated fellow Spotswood CC member Chris Slonaker in the round of 32 before eliminating two-time Senior Am champion David Partridge in the round of 16.

Seibert will face Independence GC's Scott Bemberis in another quarterfinal match. Bemberis rebounded from a tough opening round of stroke play to reach match play, where he recorded wins over Frank Leyes and Marc Hogan on Wednesday.

NOTABLE

• Shingler opened huge leads in both of his matches, going 4 up through five against Galing and 3-up through three against Davis. He had a similar opening day last year en route to winning at Willow Oaks, winning 5 and 4 in his first match and 4 and 3 in his second.
• Jay Serrao routed both of his opponents on Wednesday, defeating Bill McClanan and Ken Wren both by 7-and-5 counts. 
• Brittain needed to sink a 12-foot birdie putt on 18 in his round-of-32 match against Kevin South to extend that match to extra holes. He won on the 22nd hole, where South put his approach into the water. Brittain then made eight birdies in 14 holes to knock out past Senior Am finalist Dave Pulk in the round of 16.
• Shingler and Brittain are the only quarterfinalists from 2023 who advanced to the same stage this year.
• Sargent won both of his matches on 18, beating Dave Williams Jr. 2 up and Jeffrey Klatt 1 up.

QUOTABLE

• "I hit some good shots right out of the gate in both matches and played pretty solid golf throughout the entire day. I drove the ball off the tee a lot better than I did yesterday and hit some good iron shots. Just kind of cruised around and got it done." -- Scott Shingler
• "There was a just a little something. I kind of had an idea of what it was yesterday, but if it had gone wrong, it would have been really bad. So I just played a big old cut to get through yesterday, until I could get on the range and tweak it a little bit." -- Shingler
• "You get to the quarterfinal round, and everybody's playing solid golf. You better play solid golf or you're going to be going home. It doesn't matter whose name it is, it doesn't matter." -- Shingler
• "Being able to end a match early this afternoon, it's easier on your body. We're not 18 or 20 years old anymore. It'll help with recovery. Just go back to the hotel, get a bite to eat, and take it easy." -- Shingler
• "I really like this course. I can just let my driver go and I'm having pitching wedges and 50 degree (wedges) in. I just love that 125-yard shot. I was just concentrating on putting myself in that position, and it just worked." -- Jay Serrao
• "Pete's a pretty good player. Beating Jon and Steve, two of the best players in the state, that's something. I'm just going to go out and keep doing what I'm doing. I was making a lot of birdies. I'll keep that driver in play and hit that 2-iron on some of these shorter holes. I'm not going to be intimidated. I'm just going to play for birdies." -- Jay Serrao
• "For one, it's a great day. Getting Jon Hurst first, it's always fortunate when you beat that guy. I felt grateful to get past him and advance to Steve. Steve's a hell of a player. He was playing great, was 4-under through 13, he didn't make any mistakes really, no bogeys. And then I don't know what happened there. He left the door open a little bit on 14 and 15, made a couple of bogeys. That gave me a little push to try to do something and try to make it interesting. Then I birdied 16, I was 1 down and it's a match now. On 17, I was fortunate to hit a 5-iron punch shot under the tree on the right side then made a 12 footer. Then on 18, I made three good shots and hit a 7 or 8 footer to win." -- Pete Barbera
• "Honestly, I'm in disbelief. I never gave up. But the type of player that Steve is, I'd expect him to close that out, especially the way he was playing. I'm very fortunate to have survived today." -- Barbera
• "I've had a little back trouble, and it's starting to catch me a bit. It's a lot of golf for me right now, because I haven't played much recently. To beat those two guys gives me optimism that I can compete, and hopefully I can pull something out tomorrow." -- Barbera
• "The 80 was a bad front nine. I shot even on the back nine and have played good golf ever since." -- Scott Bemberis, who followed his opening-round 80 in stroke play with a 69 to advance to match play.
• "I just played the golf course. I figured after yesterday that I could shoot a good score and compete. Great tournament. I love the format." -- Bemberis
• "I'm going to take some lessons from that and see if I can do a little better this time." -- Bemberis on his second quarterfinal appearance in the Senior Am. He was medalist in 2022 at Cavalier G&YC and lost to Buck Brittain in the quarterfinals.

Day 2: Shingler earns medalist honors, match-play field set

(Scott Shingler posted a 7-under 137 over two days to earn medalist honors. Credit: Kate Brown/VSGA)

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By Chris Lang

RICHMOND -- It didn't come as easily as it did in the first round for Scott Shingler, but a birdie on the 18th hole on Tuesday at The Country Club of Virginia's Tuckahoe Creek course was enough to secure stroke-play qualifying medalist honors at the 77th Virginia State Golf Association Senior Amateur Championship.

Shingler opens match play on Wednesday at 8 a.m. against No. 32 seed Steven Galing, who survived a 7-for-1 playoff to earn the final match-play spot.

Shingler posted rounds of 66-71 for a two-day total of 7-under 138 and finished a stroke clear of runners-up David Partridge (Hermitage CC) and Bowen Sargent (Birdwood Golf at Boar's Head Resort). Both players shot identical rounds of 68-70 over the two days to finish at 6-under 138.

Jon Hurst (Fredericksburg CC) finished alone in fourth after following his opening-round 67 with a 2-over 74 on Tuesday to finish qualifying at 3-under 141. Jay Serrao (Cavalier G&YC) finished alone in fifth at 1-under 143 (72-71).

Wednesday's play will feature round of 32 matches in the morning and round of 16 matches in the afternoon.

NOTABLE

• Galing made back-to-back birdies on No. 18 to survive the 7-for-1 playoff, one that included past champion and Virginia Golf Hall of Famer Keith Decker.
• Five past champions advanced to match play: Shingler, Jon Hurst, Steve Serrao, Partridge, and Buck Brittain. Hurst and Serrao could meet in the round of 16 if they each survive their first-round matches. Hurst meets Pete Barbera, while Serrao faces off against Pierre Picardat.
• In the 15-18 matchup, Chris Slonaker faces Chad Seibert in a matchup of Spotswood Country Club members.
• Only one player posted a round in the 60s on Tuesday, Independence's Scott Bemberis, who recovered from an opening-round 80 to post a 69 and comfortably make the match-play field. He'll face Frank Leyes of Ballyhack GC in round one.

QUOTABLE

• "Sloppy today. Didn't hit the tee ball nearly as well as I did yesterday. But I got the job done." -- Scott Shingler
• "It happens all the time. No matter what sport you're talking about, that storyline is always there. You have to go out and win five matches. It doesn't matter where you are in the bracket. Each one is going to be tough. You know how things can transpire on the golf course. You're going to have to play solid to get through the bracket." -- Shingler
• "There are definitely a few shots you can be more aggressive with. On No. 5, I just hit a hybrid off the tee because I wasn't hitting the driver very well. But tomorrow, I'll be pulling the big stick out, sending it, and going for it in two unless something strange is going on. You can play a little more aggressively, but not recklessly. Be smart about your lines and shots, and it comes down to executing your shots and making some putts." -- Shingler on match play
• "I definitely made three mistakes that were kind of sloppy. I think the offense side of things was the same as yesterday, but I definitely made three mistakes that hurt." -- Bowen Sargent
• "That was awhile ago, and I didn't get to play the last two years. I had my hip replaced, and last year, I had cramps in the practice round so I didn't get to play in the tournament. It's been a little bit of a journey since then. I've played enough match play during my life to know what to do. Ultimately, it comes down to playing well. Hopefully I have it in my the next three days." -- Sargent
• "I tell everybody, it's not as good as the one God made me, but it's pretty good. It feels great." -- Sargent on his replaced hip.
• "I thought I played OK. It was a little sloppy today. I didn't think I was as crisp as I was yesterday. I didn't make any bogeys, which is good, and I didn't hit any really bad shots. But I didn't hit as many good shots as I did yesterday, and that was a little disappointing." -- David Partridge
• "You know you're going to have to play well, and on a golf course like this, you're going to have to make some birdies. You have to be aggressive, because everybody who makes match play is going to be good. If you take anybody for granted, so to speak, you're going to be going home. So you've got to go out there and play hard, because there are a lot of people who have the potential to win this tournament. I think Scott (Shingler) is the clear favorite, but there are a lot of other really fine players out here who could upend him." -- Partridge

Day 1: Shingler's 66 sets pace at CCV

(First-round leader Scott Shingler. Credit: Kate Brown/VSGA)

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By Chris Lang

RICHMOND -- Defending tournament champion Scott Shingler (Dominion Valley CC) posted a bogey-free 6-under-par 66 on Monday at The Country Club of Virginia's Tuckahoe Creek Course to set the early pace in stroke-play qualifying at the 77th Virginia State Golf Association Senior Amateur Championship.

Shingler holds a one-stroke edge over Jon Hurst (Fredericksburg CC), who returned a 5-under bogey-free round of 67. Two players with University of Virginia ties were tied for third at 4-under 68--current UVA men's golf coach Bowen Sargent (Birdwood Golf at Boar's Head Resort) and Virginia Golf Hall of Famer and former UVA player David Partridge (Hermitage CC). Robert Nussey (Brandermill CC) was alone in third at 3-under 69.

NOTABLE

• Shingler hit 13 of 14 fairways and scrambled for par on the only fairway he missed. He went left on No. 17 and ended up in tall grass on a sandy lie. His approach flew the water and ended up on the front of the green, and he nearly nailed a 45-foot putt for birdie. The putt horseshoed out at the last second, and he settled for par.
• Hurst was 4-under on the front and made one birdie on the back on the par-4 15th. 
• Sargent went 4-under on the front and made one birdie and one bogey on the back. 
• Nine past champions teed it up on Monday, including Shingler, Partridge, and Hurst. The remaining past champions and their score: Buck Brittain (1-over 73), Keith Decker (2-over 74), Cam Young (2-over 74), Steve Serrao (3-over 75), Tim Kelley (3-over 75), and Rich Buckner (7-over 79). All but Buckner were inside the 32-man cut line as of Monday afternoon. 

QUOTABLE

• "I took care of the par-5s, that was the big part of the card there. I birdied the four par-5s and threw a couple of other birdies in there. Ken Wren (whom Shingler was paired with) told me on 18 that I had only missed one fairway. I told him if he had told me that on 17, I would have pulled out 4-iron to tee off on 17 and 18 because I've never hit every fairway. I wouldn't have cared what I shot after that, because I wanted to be able to say that I hit every fairway. But it was a solid round. HIt every green, too." -- Scott Shingler
• "There wasn't a whole lot of wind. The greens were very soft. You could attack pins not worried about the ball releasing through the back of the green. And the greens were rolling great. That's a great combination to have when you're trying to take it low." -- Shingler
• "It's always nice to hear that title mentioned on the first tee. But once you put the tee in the ground, it's just like any other tournament for me. I'm trying to go to work and get my business done there." -- Shingler on his status as defending champion
• "People ask from time to time about tournaments that go from stroke play to match play, and how do I think about it. I just try to go win the stroke play and let the rest take care of myself. That's the way I look at it. It's a two-day tournament that I'm trying to win." -- Shingler
• "it was just kind of boring. I missed the first fairway, but I made birdie there on the par 5, hit a good wedge shot there. But I didn't miss a fairway after that. I hit every green other than No. 17. And I made a couple of putts. I didn't play a lot of risky shots. The pins seemed to be in the middle of the green, a lot of times. They weren't tucked or anything like that. So you didn't have to go after them. So I just struck it well and made a few putts." -- Jon Hurst
• "I just think of it as don't do anything stupid. It's two days. You don't have to win. Of course, you want to position yourself so that you're OK. But you just have to take care of yourself out there. Par-par (for the two rounds) is always going to get you in (match play). So I just try to not make any stupid mistakes." -- Hurst
• "I played really solid for the most part. I had a lot of opportunities all day. I made a putt here or there. It was pretty easy." -- Bowen Sargent
• "The greens were super soft. I don't know if it's the rain they got here late last week or not. But you could attack in places. So I picked my spots and attacked. I had a lot of short irons into greens. I was sharp, and I had some good looks." -- Sargent
• "We have four and a former player in the (U.S.) Am, so I was following them all day. They inspired me." -- Sargent on his UVA players at the U.S. Amateur, including Paul Chang, who shot a 6-under 64 in Monday's opening round.
• "I actually played really well all day long but I couldn't seem to accomplish much on the front side. I made a lot of good putts but they just didn't go in. Then on the back nine, things sort of turned my way." -- David Partridge
• "You know, I'm going to be 70 in November, so I'm probably realistically a little too old to have a chance (at winning the tournament), particularly given the fact that you have to play 36 holes for a couple of days there when match play begins. But at the same time, I'm in good health, I'm still striking the ball pretty well. It all comes down to whether or not I can get comfortable on the greens and make some putts. If I can do that, I can scare some guys. It would certainly be a little bit of a surprise or a shock, but if I could get a little deep into the week, it would be fun." -- David Partridge
• "I haven't been a lot of competitive golf lately. But I kept it out of the long grass and basically kept it in play. The golf course is pretty generous, especially compared to Brandermill where I play, where it's a lot tighter. So just keeping it out of the long grass and keeping it in play is key." -- Robert Nussey