Mills E. Godwin HS leads; Tigers go into final day of VSGA Invitational in 11th place
MIDLOTHIAN –– Fueled by three rounds of
1-over-par 73 or better, central Virginia’s Mills E. Godwin High School owns a
six-stroke lead entering Wednesday’s final day of the 6th Virginia State Golf
Association Foundation High School Invitational being conducted at Independence
Golf Club.
Mills Godwin, located in Richmond,
shot a first day score of 9-over 297. Northern Virginia-based Chantilly High
School (15-over 303) and Langley High School (18-over 306) are the Eagles’ two nearest
pursuers. Thomas Dale High School (Chester) registered a first day score of
309. In the competition, the best four of five scores are counted toward the
team’s aggregate.
For Mills Godwin, rising sophomore
Mark Lawrence Jr., the reigning Group AAA individual champion, delivered the
team’s low round of even-par 72. The 15-year-old Richmond resident birdied
three of the final four holes, capping the comeback to his round by draining a
30-foot birdie putt at the par-4 18th hole.
Rising senior Tyler Bennett and rising junior Brian Hill
each shot 73, while rising sophomore Colton Grow added 79. Lawrence shot 65 in
helping Godwin to victory in a mini-Colonial District event on Monday at The
Hollows Golf Club. Now he’s hoping the program makes it a two-for-two week.
“We have a good team,” Lawrence said. “We’re going to have
to go low [Wednesday] because teams are going to come out and play well.”
A trio of Chantilly team members registered rounds of 74 or
better led by 16-year-old Connor Messick’s even-par round of 72 which included
four birdies. Ju Hee Bae, 17, the runner-up at the 2011 VSGA Women’s Amateur Championship,
carded 73. Four of Chantily’s starting five are rising juniors and another,
Vishal Giri (74), is a rising sophomore. All of the team’s competitors are
making their first start in the event after the program graduated seven
seniors. Despite some inexperience, the Chargers have recorded two wins in five
events already this season.
“We’re young this year, but we’re confident, playing loose
and having fun,” Messick said. We just
want to go out and post good scores.”
McLean-based Langley High, the reigning VHSL Group AAA team champions,
was paced by Edric Wung’s opening day individual-best 3-under 69. The
16-year-old accounted for four birdies against a bogey. He birdied two par 5s,
Nos. 4 and 13, curled in a 30-footer at the par-4 15th and hit the flagstick on
the fly with his approach shot at the par-4 16th before tapping in the short
birdie putt.
“I played really solidly,” Wung said. “I didn’t really make
many mistakes.”
In leading Thomas Dale, Griffin Clark had 1-under 71,
returning one of four under-par rounds. In addition to the subpar rounds by
Clark and Wung, Thomas Fricke of Battlefield High School in Haymarket (2-under
70) and Jason Park of James River High School in Midlothian (1-under 71) posted
red numbers.
Among the three competitors taking part in the event
individually, 14-year-old Fitz Woodrow IV of Charlottesville’s St.
Anne's Belfield
School had even-par 72.
ABOUT THE VSGA FOUNDATION AND INDEPENDENCE GOLF CLUB: Independence Golf Club, owned by the VSGA Foundation, features a
22,000-square-foot clubhouse, an 18-hole Tom Fazio-designed championship course
and a nine-hole Sawyer Short Course. In addition, the club includes a separate
junior clubhouse with dormitories and junior clubhouses for campers. The
VSGA Foundation continues to champion junior golf initiatives, particularly
those that benefit at-risk children. The Robins Junior Program camps and
clinics not only teach fundamentals of the game, but also empowering life
lessons. The programs are named in honor of Richmond-based philanthropist E.
Claiborne Robins Jr. for his many efforts on behalf of junior golf. Thousands
of youths have gone through the camps and clinics over the past nine-plus
years.
MIDLOTHIAN –– Results following the first round of the 6th VSGA
Foundation High School Invitational at Independence Golf Club (6,677 yards, par
36-36—72) on Tuesday, Aug. 21. The best four of five scores count toward the
team’s aggregate.
MILLS E. GODWIN HIGH SCHOOL (297)
Mark Lawrence Jr., 38-34—72; Brian Hill, 37-36—73; Tyler Bennett, 37-36—73;
Colton Grow, 38-41—79; Curt Kennedy, 39-42—81Edric Wung, 35-34—69; Derick Paxton, 39-37—76; Will Byrne, 40-37—77; Chris Bugge, 43-41—84; Mike Sanders, 44-41—85
Nick Furbee, 39-42—82; Trey Barden, 45-39—84
Brett Lockett, 39-39—78; Peyton Broach, 39-40—79; Davis Topping, 37-43—80; Samuel Smith, 44-43—87; Matthew Padgett, 48-39—87
INDIVIDUALS COMPETING IN THE VSGA FOUNDATION
HIGH SCHOOL INVITATIONAL
Fitz Woodrow (St. Anne’s Belfield School), 39-33—72
CHANTILLY HIGH SCHOOL (303)
Connor
Messick, 38-34—72; Ju Hee Bae, 37-36—73; Vishal Giri, 38-36—74; Ben McGrath,
41-43—84; Noah Tucker, 43-41—84
LANGLEY HIGH SCHOOL (306)
THOMAS DALE HIGH SCHOOL (309)
Griffin
Clark, 36-35—71; Michael Brooks, 42-37—79; Jeremy Craft, 38-41—79; Tyler Gray,
42-38—80; Eric Blythe, 40-40—80
CENTREVILLE HIGH SCHOOL (313)
Yookin Kim,
38-35—73; Keon Ho Soong, 39-38—77; Shaan Kololgi, 36-42—78; Jae Jun, 45-40—85;
Chris Sokol, 45-40—85
WESTERN ALBEMARLE HIGH SCHOOL (313)
Kent
Miller, 37-39—76; Kyle Landis, 39-39—78; Nick Norris, 40-38—78; Hunter Weis,
42-39—81; Tyler Mahone, 52-50—102
JAMES MADISON HIGH SCHOOL (314)
Won Suk
Rhee, 36-37—73; Shannon Brooks, 41-39—80; Ryan Smith, 41-39—80; Joel Choi,
41-40—81; Amber Liu, 45-39—84
MIDLOTHIAN HIGH SCHOOL (315)
Kyle Hart,
34-39—73; Davis Testin, 38-42—80; Owen Thompson, 41-40—81; Jeff Brochetti,
40-41—81; Evan Stynes, 43-42—85
LOUDOUN VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL (315)
Ian
Hildebrand, 36-40—76; Mark Shayka, 39-40—79; Scott Mumpower, 37-43—80; Trevor
Colby, 40-40—80; Troy Mumpower, 53-44—97
POWHATAN HIGH SCHOOL (317)
Brandon
Herring, 37-40—77; Luke Hill, 37-41—78; Ryan Brinkley, 42-38—80;
WOODBERRY FOREST SCHOOL (317)
Thomas
Mack, 40-38—78; Billy Mott, 39-40—79; Timothy Walter, 37-42—79; William Knibbs,
38-43—81; Spence Townsend, 43-44—87
JAMES RIVER HIGH SCHOOL (321)
Jason Park,
34-37—71; Ben Reid, 40-39—79; Guy Cheatham, 43-38—81; Josh Kirby, 46-44—90;
Jennie Jeu, 48-44—92
BATTLEFIELD HIGH SCHOOL (322)
Thomas
Fricke, 35-35—70; Nick Kwon, 40-37—77; Buzz Ganow, 41-40—81; Nate Morrison,
46-48—94; Kevin Banwarth, WD
FLOYD E. KELLAM HIGH SCHOOL (323)
Young Suh,
40-38—78; Derrick Budd, 42-38—80; Tyler Vinsand, 40-40—80; Max Arnold,
45-40—85; Henry Reaume, 43-42—85
COSBY HIGH SCHOOL (324)
Nolan
Kelly, 36-39—75; Ford Zehner, 38-39—77; McKoy Lamantia, 45-40—85; Sam Garafolo,
43-44—87; Sterling Simmons, 43-46—89
MATOACA HIGH SCHOOL (324)
SOUTH COUNTY SECONDARY SCHOOL (327)
David Rabil,
39-38—77; Adam Bacon, 41-38—79; David Ross, 40-41—81; Jason Swartz, 47-43—90;
Robert Fox, 53-50—103
JAMESTOWN HIGH SCHOOL (357)
Dan Kelly,
42-45—87; Austin West, 47-41—88; Sam Ross, 45-45—90; Ryan Satira, 45-47—92;
Jake Arbogast, 48-56—104
DOUGLAS S. FREEMAN HIGH SCHOOL (359)
Chris
Knaysi, 37-48—85; Will Humble, 44-45—89; Connor Melhorn, 47-45—92; David
Northen, 46-47—93; Foster Johnston, 47-47—94
Stephan Suh
(Westfield High School), 41-39—80
Daniel Yoo
(Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School for Government and International Studies),
43-42—85
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