Championship website | Scoring | Record book
Dates: Tuesday, August 4 - Thursday, August 6
Format: One round of stroke-play qualifying on Tuesday. The top four teams will advance to the championship flight, while all remaining teams will be flighted into consolation brackets. The semifinals in each bracket will be played Wednesday, with the final matches in each bracket scheduled for Thursday. Each team consists of six players split into three two-player sides. In match play, one point is available per hole, and each match is played to completion. The points from each of the three matches are then added up to determine the final score. Example: Team 1's A side wins 12-6 against Team 2's A side; Team 2's B side wins 9.5-8.5 against Team 1's B side; Team 1's C side ties Team 2's C side 9-9. The result is Team 1 wins 29.5-24.5.
Starting times: Morning wave, beginning at 8 a.m. off tees 1 and 10; Afternoon wave, beginning at 1 p.m. off tees 1 and 10
Defending champion: Mount Vernon Country Club
Host site: Fawn Lake Country Club
Day 3: Army Navy tops Mount Vernon for first title in 30 years
(The winning Army Navy team, from left: Katelynn Waclawski, Corrie Myers, Angela Baskette, Shelley Savage, Georgia Tavares, and Emily Van Den Berg. Credit: Chris Lang/VSGA)
By Chris Lang
SPOTSYLVANIA -- There's a certain beauty to the pairing that proved pivotal in producing Army Navy Country Club's first VSGA Women's State Team Matches victory in 30 years on Thursday at Fawn Lake Country Club, a 28-26 win over defending champion Mount Vernon Country Club. Shelley Savage was on the team the last time that ANCC won in 1996. Her partner, 11-year-old Georgia Tavares, wasn't even a thought at that point in time.
Yet the two meshed perfectly in a 10-8 win over Mount Vernon's Sarah Alvarez and Shawn McCullough. With the other two matches in the championship match ending in 9-all ties, the Savage-Tavares win proved decisive. Army Navy won its 16th WST title, leaving a logjam at the top of the all-time wins list in this event. Last year, Mount Vernon won to tie The Country Club of Virginia at 16 victories, and ANCC joined those two atop the list Thursday.
"I broke into tears," ANCC captain Angela Baskette said.
Added Corrie Myers: "Angie took over as captain this year. We have a really strong women's golf association, but we really struggled to get six players, just because no one was available schedule wise. She really stepped to the plate, led us, and brought it all together."
Savage and Tavares won the final five holes of their match with Alvarez and McCullough 3.5-1.5, giving ANCC just enough margin to secure the victory. MVCC had one last chance to force a tie and a playoff on the final hole of the match between Joan Gardner and Susan Podolsky, and Baskette and Myers. Had Gardner and Podolsky won that hole, the match would have ended tied at 27. Instead, Baskette and Myers made par on the par-5 17th, securing a point and the two-point victory for Army Navy.
The lead match in the final, between Mount Vernon's Kim Palko and Linda DiVall and Army Navy's Katelynn Waclawski and Emily Van Den Berg, was a back-and-forth affair in which each side played excellent golf. Waclawski and Van Den Berg won the final two holes to secure the crucial tie. Both four-ball sides shot 5-under 68 in the match.
"That pairing, Katelynn and Emily, they really fed off each other," Baskette said. "They brought the fun. They were hitting bombs out there. It was just a great pairing."
Army Navy's last win in 1996 also came against Mount Vernon. It's certainly a friendly rivalry, considering how much golf Savage plays with Mount Vernon's players in VSGA senior events. To wit, when Army Navy accepted the trophy afterward, Mount Vernon's table was the first to stand and give the victors an ovation.
"Credit to Mount Vernon," Myers said. "They've always had such a strong team. And they're wonderful competitors. That was what was so nice about today. They were nice, enjoyable, friendly matches."
Winners were crowned in four other flights as well:
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First flight: Salisbury CC 29, The GC at the Highlands 29
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Second flight: Fawn Lake CC 27.5, The Piedmont Club 26.5
- Third flight: Greenbrier CC 27.5, Willow Oaks CC 26.5
- Fourth flight: Meadowbrook CC 31, The Club at Viniterra 23
Day 2: Mount Vernon, Army Navy advance to championship
(Kim Palko, left, and Linda DiVall fist bump after DiVall nearly drained a long birdie putt on Wednesday. Credit: Chris Lang/VSGA)
By Chris Lang
SPOTSYLVANIA -- Mount Vernon Country Club's entry into the VSGA Women's State Team Matches is nothing if not experienced. Shawn McCullough is playing in this event for the 32nd time. Linda DiVall is playing in her 30th WST. For Joan Gardner, it's her 24th time playing. Susan Podolsky has played in 18 WST matches, and Kim Palko in 10. Only relative newcomer Sarah Alvarez has played in fewer than 10 of these events.
Mount Vernon won its first Women's State Team title in 1991, and on Thursday, the Alexandria club will look to set the record for Women's State Team victories with 17. Fellow Northern Virginia club Army Navy Country Club stands in the way. Each club recorded resounding victories in Wednesday's championship flight semifinal round at Fawn Lake Country Club, with Mount Vernon topping Stonehenge Golf & Country Club 35-19 and Army Navy recording a 31-23 win over The Country Club of Virginia.
Should Mount Vernon win Thursday's championship match, it will break a tie with CCV for the most titles in event history.
"We all just get along so well, it's just magical out there," DiVall said. "Tomorrow will be a special day. ... We're going to rely on experience, but they have a young, strong team. We're going to have to work really hard to get the job done. I think we're ready for that challenge."
Army Navy has plenty of history in this event as well, having won 15 titles. The club's last victory, however, came in 1996. It reached the final in 2024 before falling 29.5-24.5 to Mount Vernon.
Army Navy knows exactly what it's up against in Mount Vernon. But it also goes into the championship match with a little swagger of its own. As Corrie Myers noted, "Nobody is having more fun than us right now." As if to prove Myers' point, Army Navy members Katelynn Waclawski and Emily Van Den Berg headed to the ninth green after their 11-7 win over Brenda Baril and Ellis Pace with cigars in hand to watch their teammates close out their matches.
"This is huge, making it to the final round," Army Navy captain Angela Baskette. "Mount Vernon has some great players, and we're excited to play them."
Baskette and Myers -- who played junior golf together and played college golf at the same time, with Baskette at Elon and Myers at James Madison -- defeated Liza Lewis and Shannon Carter of CCV 10.5-7.5. Army Navy's Shelley Savage and Georgia Tavares snuck out a 9.5-8.5 win over Lindsay Wortham and Addy Mukherjee. Notable in that match is the age spread between the Army Navy partners. Savage turned 72 earlier this summer. Tavares won't turn 12 until the fall.
"They've played together before and feel real comfortable together, so I think that was a good pairing," Baskette said.
Mount Vernon's Palko and DiVall rolled to a 13.5-4.5 victory over Stonhenge's Helen Im and Euna Chung, paced with Palko's six birdies.
"I think we geniunely like each other, and I think that comes out in our play," Palko said. "We're going to have to play well tomorrow, but that's what we come to do."
Alvarez and McCullough posted a 12-6 win over Peggy Freeman and Hae Jong, and Joan Gardner and Susan Podolsky gave Mount Vernon a 9.5-8.5 victory in another match.
All matches will go out on Thursday in a 9 a.m. shotgun start. In addition to the championship flight, final matches will be contested in four non-championship flights.
Day 1: Mount Vernon, CCV pacing field to begin 80th VSGA Women's State Team Matches
(Liza Lewis rips an iron shot off the 15 tee as she and partner Addy Mukherjee near the end of their pace-setting round. Credit: Nate Wise/VSGA)
By Nate Wise
SPOTSYLVANIA - Mount Vernon Country Club leads the field after Tuesday's qualifying round at the 80th VSGA Women's State Team Matches, posting a tournament-best 2-under-par aggregate team score at Fawn Lake Country Club. The Country Club of Virginia finished second at even par, while Army Navy Country Club sits third at 8-over.
CCV's Liza Lewis and Addy Mukherjee turned in the low round of the day with a 5-under-par 68, besting Mount Vernon's Kim Palko and Susan Podolsky by two strokes, who carded a 3-under 70.
Greenbrier Country Club's Shalie Harris and Martha Williamson made their loop in the afternoon and finished third after posting a 2-under-par 71, while Army Navy Country Club's Katelynn Waclawski and Emily Van Den Berg shared fourth at 1-under 72 alongside another Mount Vernon pairing of Joan Gardner and Shawn McCullough.
After her impression showing, Lewis said representing the Country Club of Virginia has become one of the highlights of her golf season.
"It means everything to us," Lewis said. "We have so much fun here and getting to see all the people we don't normally see throughout the year is special. It's an amazing tournament, and I look forward to it every year. It's sort of become like a major to me."
Heavy rain leading into the championship left Fawn Lake playing longer and softer than usual, forcing competitors to adjust throughout the day. For Lewis and Mukherjee, patience was the key.
"Our whole mantra was, 'Pars are good,'" Lewis shared. "If we were level, we were happy. We treated it almost like a practice round—getting good numbers, staying patient and taking what the course gave us."
That approach paid off as the duo consistently put themselves in scoring position, particularly on the par 5s, to separate themselves from the field.
Mount Vernon also relied on experience and teamwork to produce one of the day's best rounds. Palko credited years of playing together with helping her side navigate the challenging conditions.
"I think that's the key to Mount Vernon's success in this event - we trust our partners," Palko said. "We've played together for years, so if you hit a bad shot, you know your partner is still in it. Nobody ever gives up."
Army Navy's Waclawski and Van Den Berg overcame the challenge of arriving without a practice round to card an opening 72. The pair capitalized on the par 5s and leaned on each other throughout the round.
"We 'ham-and-egged' it all day," Waclawski said with a laugh. "When one of us wasn't in a good position, the other picked up the slack. We're good partners."
Wednesday's competition shifts to match play as clubs begin their pursuit of flight championships. The 80th VSGA Women's State Team Matches conclude Thursday with the final round of play at Fawn Lake Country Club.
QUOTABLE
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"I think being in good position all day and working together really made the difference. We talked everything through and had a good plan for what we wanted to do on each shot." — Addy Mukherjee, Country Club of Virginia
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"Mount Vernon has quite a tradition at these state team events, so you feel a responsibility to live up to that tradition and the quality of play our members have shown over the years. It's exciting, and it can be a little nerve-wracking." — Kim Palko, Mount Vernon Country Club
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"We have a very strong team, and we take this event seriously because our membership supports us. I actually had three other tournaments I could have played this week, but I chose this one because my captain picked me for the team. I even flew in from Detroit on Monday morning just to be here and represent Mount Vernon. The VSGA does a phenomenal job with this tournament." — Susan Podolsky, Mount Vernon Country Club
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"We have a really solid group of women from Army Navy, and it means a lot to represent our club out here. It's great to compete against all these wonderful clubs and have a lot of fun doing it." — Katelynn Waclawski, Army Navy Country Club
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"We have a lot of pride in our club, and we love getting out here to meet players from all these other clubs. There's great competition, but also great camaraderie. It's been awesome." — Emily Van Den Berg, Army Navy Country Club
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"We took advantage of the par fives by giving ourselves chances to get on in two, but more than anything we 'ham-and-egged' it all day. When one of us wasn't in a good position, the other picked up the slack. We're good partners." — Katelynn Mukherjee, Army Navy Country Club