By Gib Palmer, President, Virginia Golf Hall of Fame
J.P. Leigh, a member of the Class of 2024 of the Virginia Golf Hall of Fame, is one of the most successful golfers in the history of the Virginia State Golf Association having won 10 championships, ranking him 8th in VSGA history. He won the 1982 VSGA Mid-Amateur and an amazing four consecutive VSGA Senior Stroke Play titles from 2003 to 2006.
J.P. has competed in VSGA events for 65 years and played in every State Open from 1977-2012. In addition, he was Old Dominion University’s first golf All-American and was inducted into the ODU Sports Hall of Fame in 1984.
His father, John Leigh Jr., was co-chairman of the Eastern Amateur when that event began in 1957. Over the decades, the Eastern Amateur became one of the most respected amateur tournaments in the United States, drawing future stars such as Ben Crenshaw, Curtis Strange, Lanny Wadkins, and Matt Kuchar. The first Eastern Amateur was won by Tom Strange, Virginia Golf Hall of Fame Class of 2024, and who taught J.P. his first golf lesson. In 1983, in one of his proudest achievements, J.P. won the Eastern Amateur.
For all of his accomplishments, J.P. is fond of telling the story of his first match in the VSGA State Amateur Championship that didn’t go particularly well. It was 1962 and the State Amateur was held at the Cascades Course. J.P. was 15 years old and said he was 5-foot-1 and weighed 95 pounds! His opponent was a 19-year-old golfer with obvious talent. His opponent was Vinny Giles, Virginia Golf Hall of Fame Inaugural Class of 2016. They teed off around 8:00 a.m. and J.P. said Vinny was outdriving him by 50 yards!
J.P. shot a respectable 40 for the front nine. Unfortunately for him, Vinny shot 31 and was 9 up. They turned to hole 10, which Vinny won, ending the match with a 10 and 8 final score. As J.P. recounts, Vinny put his arm around J.P. and said “Let’s go have lunch”, to which J.P. replied, “Vinny, we only ate breakfast an hour and a half ago."
Needless to say, that 1962 match was a sign of good things to come for both golfers who achieved great success leading them to election to the Virginia Golf Hall of Fame.