The Professional - Volume VII, Issue II

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DEALER I N F O R M AT I O N

TABLE

OF

Volume VII, Issue II

CONTENTS

07 10 12

PGA HOPE Dream Team: Matt Underwood & Talton Cherry

MAPGA Tournament Winners

MAPGA Juniors To Compete in Junior PGA Championship

Nick Taliaferro Wins State Open of Virginia Presented by CapTech

Larkin Gross Earns Spot on PGA Cup Team

14 24

The Club at Creighton Farms - Host of the 2022 MAPGA Professional Championship

The Professional

Letter

From The

President

Andy Weissinger, PGA Section President

The Professional

Volume VII, Issue II

Editor: Ben Smith

Contributing Writers: Keith Stewart, PGA Ben Smith Chris Lang PGA of America Jon Guhl

Dear MAPGA Members and Associates, I trust this letter finds you well and your business booming. I know from talking with many of you that you are going faster than ever and seeing record setting numbers all over the Section. What a great time to be in the golf business! I know in times like this it is easy to keep your head down and keep plugging away. It is exactly these times when we have to be intentional about not letting ourselves succumb to the danger of isolation.

Isolation in our jobs and at our facilities can lead to believing a false narrative about the world around us. If we don’t pick our head up and look around, talk to some of our peers and maybe even get out and play in a tournament or two we run the risk of becoming another statistic. When we pick our head up and do these things we will soon see that we are not alone, there are hundreds of our fellow PGA Professionals dealing with the exact same thing each and every day.

One of the common traits of the most content golf professionals I talk with is that they take time out to do things for themselves and for others. It is when we take time out for ourselves that we are able to recharge our batteries and thus renew our drive to work hard and have a good time at what we do. No matter if this is time to play in a tournament, spend an afternoon on the lake fishing, or at the beach surfing or even going out for a long run or hike, the time spent on something you enjoy is much needed on a regular basis. Just as important is to do things for others in a way not directly tied to our job…a way that is going to leave an impression on someone that will last a lifetime. Volunteer teaching at a PGA HOPE chapter, coach a PGA Junior League team, go to a students golf tournament, volunteer at a shelter or soup kitchen. These types of events help us put things into perspective and help us remember that there is more to life than going to and from work every day. You have a special set of skills that can impact someone’s life in a way that no one else ever could. You are their hero; sometimes doing something for others helps us remember that fact.

We have so much to be proud of as professionals, as men and women who serve our communities and even so much to be proud of as a Section. Our MAPGA and National PGA Player of the Year, Larkin Gross has been selected to represent the United States on the upcoming PGA Cup team; we have started several new PGA HOPE chapters that have changed lives in a way they did not think was possible; we have run junior golf events that help teach life skills and provide a comparative environment for hundreds of junior golfers to learn more about themselves and maybe even help provide for college. We know you all have some great stories to tell, so please reach out to a fellow professional and let them know you are proud of them and what they are doing…and please let your MAPGA Board know so we can help tell those stories to the rest of the section so we can all become a little bit stronger.

I will end this letter the same way I have the others, because our ideas have not changed… they continue to get stronger. Your entire board of directors has a deep desire to help you achieve all of your career goals. If there is anything we can do to help you, please do not hesitate to reach out to any one of us and let us know. We all can get better while establishing or maintaining and protecting a healthy work life balance. Our overall health, both physically and mentally, is of the utmost importance for all of us for longterm success, both in and out of your jobs. The impact you will make on your family, your facility, your chapter, our section and our Association will directly reflect what you put into it…invest in yourself and do great things!

Serving Proudly,

Andy Weissinger, PGA President, Middle Atlantic PGA andy.weissinger@pga.com

EXPERTS IN THE GAME AND BUSINESS OF GOLF

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The Professional Dear MAPGA Professionals, As you read about some of the playing accomplishments of your peers in this magazine, let’s also celebrate the other great work our PGA professionals are doing. Please start by nominating your peers or yourself for the MAPGA Awards process by August 5th.

You can recognize them for their accomplishments in player development, teaching, merchandising, etc., through the awards platform on OpenWater (CLICK HERE). You will need to fill out a form for each person you wish to nominate and include their email address. Please nominate as many people as possible. Our committee wants to have several candidates (even though it increases their workload) for each category. Each nominee then will be asked to fill out an awards application for the committee to consider.

If they do not fill out the application, they are not considered.

Our Section professionals are killing it with PGA Junior League. We had another huge number of junior participants (2,739) in the Spring program, which is #3 in the country.

We had 234 separate Junior League programs, which is #2 in the country. If I know anything about our MAPGA professionals, we will be getting back to #1 in the country soon. Keep building! Those Spring programs are entering the playoff season now- with our Section Championship on August 17-18 at the University of Maryland GC. Thanks to Jeff Maynor and Brian Dix for hosting (they hosted several junior programs this year!)

On the PGA.Coach front, there are now 208 MAPGA professionals who have certified on the ADM process.

We believe this is a key component to your instructional education. Our Section is #4 in the country in total certifications. However, the key statistic is that the 57 of you who have created PGA.coach profiles have received 1846 leads, averaging over 30 per instructor. Wouldn’t you like 30 new students?

Letter

From The

ED

Jon Guhl Executive Director

range). So, the more of you that play in the Section Championship, the more money you will play for in future years. This is a great course, and you deserve to play after this summer, so clear your schedule now so that you can play!

For those assistants viewing the letter, the NCR Assistant Professional Championship is upcoming quickly on August 8-9 at Green Spring Valley Hunt Club. This is Lastly, our number of PGA Specialty certified open to all A-8s and B-8s. This is a valuable part of your professionals has grown this year, from 8 to 11, with assistant professional education and experience. Please several more in the process from our online Specialty register here.

Certification seminars. We also added a Master Professional this spring, our own President Andy Lastly, our Senior Professional Championship will be Weissinger! Way to go to all of you. at Elkridge GC on August 29-30. All 50+ year-olds in all classifications except A-3 and Reserve are eligible for Next, let’s examine upcoming opportunities for all of this tournament. Please enjoy some camaraderie and you in the playing season. We are so happy to be hosting competition with your peers! ENTER HERE. our Section Championship this year at The Club at Creighton Farms in Aldie, VA on September 12-14. Again, please take care of yourselves (with time away and Yes, we are back to 1 host club! And we’ve also taken maybe playing golf yourself) and accept the gratitude of back the registration from PGAHQ. All registrations the entire golf industry for your amazing work in this are on the MAPGA website. CLICK HERE to register booming growth period for golf. for the Section PC. The number of players that play in this event not only affects the number of professionals Warm regards, that advance to the National Championship, but it also Jon Guhl affects (greatly) the amount of sponsorship funding we Executive Director get from the PGA Tour (which is usually in $60,000 jguhl@pgahq.com

EXPERTS IN THE GAME AND BUSINESS OF GOLF

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The Professional

PGA HOPE Dream Team: Matt Underwood and Talton Cherry

Talton Cherry & Sean Bowman at the PGA REACH Pro-Am at Baltimore CC

By Keith Stewart, PGA

“Invest in HOPE” was being played outside San The PGA of America’s charitable program designed to Francisco and the connection between the game of golf Help Our Patriots Everywhere is the flagship military and Veterans caught his attention. Instantly, he was engagement program of PGA REACH. PGA HOPE is a driven to find out how he could contribute. Just as he free, adaptive program that introduces golf to Veterans started to connect with the group, he and his wife were and Active Duty Military to enhance their physical, on the move due to a change in her deployment. Upon arriving in Maryland, Talton accepted an internship mental, social and emotional well-being. with the Middle Atlantic PGA Section supporting the When it comes to putting together a successful PGA Section’s junior golf tour.

HOPE program, it’s hard to beat a better example than the work of two Veterans in the Middle Atlantic PGA His inspiration for golf still came in the vehicle of PGA Section – Talton Cherry and Matt Underwood.

HOPE, and Talton was hopeful he could stay connected.

The next season, he was hired as the Middle Atlantic Talton Cherry served in the Coast Guard - stationed in PGA Section’s Junior Golf Director. Now employed, he Boston and San Francisco. When his time in service was could run the Junior Tour and support the PGA HOPE complete, he needed some direction for his life. A former programs in his free time. The Junior Tour has about 80 college baseball player, Talton appreciated athletics and events a summer, so where his time lacks, that’s when his fellow Veterans. That intersection drove him to a retired Navy veteran and PGA HOPE ambassador, Matt Underwood, steps in. golf tournament called “Invest in HOPE.”

Talton Cherry is now the Junior Golf Director for the Middle Atlantic PGA

Matt Underwood, a Navy Veteran, graduated PGA HOPE in 2018. Matt played golf in the Navy as a release.

The guys would always get together to have fun, play golf and drink. It was a great way to unwind. He was drawn to the game post-military service because of his internal struggles with PTSD. The game gave him a way to appreciate the present.

EXPERTS IN THE GAME AND BUSINESS OF GOLF

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The Professional Graduating from PGA HOPE changed his life. “Golf teaches you all of the necessary mental building blocks you need.” stresses Underwood. “It provides an outlet with discipline and community.” That community is where Matt makes his biggest impact. In 2019, the Middle Atlantic Section nominated him to become their Ambassador, a title that Matt earned because of his ability to share his story with the Veteran community so others like him can receive the benefits of the program.

Matt Underwood, a Navy veteran, graduated from PGA HOPE in 2018.

Talton and Underwood work together to spread the word about PGA HOPE however they can. Cherry knows the power of growing the program from veteran to veteran. “Having Matt as an ambassador is the key.

His passion for the program sells itself when he talks to his fellow vets.” Talton went on further to describe Matt’s ability to captivate everyone’s attention for PGA HOPE.

“Golf teaches you all of the necessary mental building blocks you need. It provides an outlet with discipline and community.”

- Matt Underwood Great success in golf comes from a team effort. Whether it is a better ball tournament, coach-player relationship or the operator and promoter relationship, Matt and Talton exemplify team effort towards a shared mission.

Together they have managed to introduce the game to over 400 veterans since 2017. Their story is special, but it also is simple. Their success comes down to collaboration and commitment. Together, they are a perfect pairing to grow the PGA HOPE program in their region.

And what’s next for the pair?

“We just want to continue getting more vets involved.

The impact on their lives we feel is the ultimate reward.”

There’s no doubt these two Veterans are making a difference and you can too. As you can see, you don’t have to be a golf expert to get involved. As these two have shown, all you need is a passion to serve and to grow the game.

“When you watch Matt volunteer at a clinic or when he’s recruiting you can see it in his body language, his facial expressions. He’s an exuberant guy, but when he starts talking about PGA HOPE he becomes even more Are You Wanting To Make a Difference? positive!”

Sign up for our upcoming PGA HOPE training!

There are 14 program locations in the Middle Atlantic First Tee of Richmond Section and calls come in all the time from Veterans August 25th eager to participate. You can find the Veteran duo at First Tee events and Drive, Chip, and Putt qualifiers sharing information, or any golf event where they can put up a tent - they’re there advocating for PGA HOPE.

Register

EXPERTS IN THE GAME AND BUSINESS OF GOLF

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The Professional

MAPGA Juniors to Compete in PGA Junior Championship

S

qualify for the national event. This will be both players’ everal local golfers from the Middle Atlantic first appearance in the Junior PGA Championship.

JuniorTour will be representing the MAPGA at the PGA National Junior Championship next week. The event Duangmanee, Maloney, Nevins, and Pogorelc qualified will be held at Cog Hill Golf and Country Club in Palos for the event from play outside the MAPGA. Park, Illinois and features the top junior golfers from Player Notes: across the country. It is a four-round event beginning • Josh Duangmanee is a 2023 high school on August 2nd. Two courses (Drubsdread & Ravines) graduate and is committed to play golf at the will be used for the first two rounds before moving to University of Virginia. the Drubsdread for the final two rounds. Cuts will be • Matt Moloney graduates high school in 2024. made after 36 holes (top 60 and ties) and 54 holes (top • Chase Nevins graduates in 2023 and has 30 and ties). verbally committed to play at Vanderbilt University. Nevins is the only player that has played in the Junior PGA Championship previously. He finished T22 in the 2021 event held at Kearney Hill Golf Links.

• Jack Pogorelc graduates high school this year and has signed his letter of intent to play at Boston College University. Pogorelc played well in the Middle Atlantic Junior PGA Championship, finishing in 3rd with rounds of 71-67.

The 9th fairway at Cog Hill - Drubdread

Benjamin Baker (Broadlands, VA), Matt Duke (Midlothian, VA), Josh Duangmanee (Fairfax, VA), Matt Maloney (Vienna, VA), Chase Nevins (Great Falls, VA), and Jack Pogorelc (Bethesda, MD) will be competing in the boy’s division while Sydney Hackett (Ashburn, VA), Alisa Inprasit (Springfield, VA), and Prowd Sriwongngam (Springfield, VA) will be in the girl’s division.

Jack Pogorelc

Girl’s Division

Boy’s Division Baker and Duke qualified by finishing top-2 in the Middle Atlantic PGA Junior Championship held at The University of Maryland Golf Course earlier this year.

Baker, a 2025 high school graduate, shot rounds of 6668 to win the event by 3 shots. Duke, a 2024 high school graduate, shot rounds of 71-66 to finish second and

Prowd Sriwongngam

Prowd Sriwongngam

Prowd Sriwongngam and Alisa Inprasit qualified by finishing first and second in the Middle Atlantic PGA Junior Championship. Sriwongngam won the event with rounds of 70-69 and Inprasit shot 69-72 to finish second.

Benjamin Baker

Matt Duke

Page 10

The Professional Player Notes: • Sriwongngam and Inprasit graduate in 2024. Sriwongngam is committed to Santa Clara University.

• Sydney Hackett graduates high school this year and has signed a letter of intent to play at Western Kentucky University. She represented Team Virginia in the Capital Cup last year.

Alisa Inprasit

Sydney Hackett

Click the logo below for live scoring!

The Professional

LARKIN GROSS EARNS SPOT ON PGA CUP TEAM Article by PGA of America FRISCO, Texas (June 7, 2022) – The United States finalized its roster for the 30th PGA Cup, which will be conducted Sept. 12-18, at the Foxhills Club & Resort in Surrey, England.

The Americans secured the Llandudno International Trophy in the most recent playing of the PGA Cup, in September 2018, with a historic 14-12 comeback victory over Great Britain & Ireland that featured wins in eight of 10 Sunday singles matches.

The 10-member U.S. Team in the biennial international showcase for PGA Club Professionals was determined through a two-year points system that included the past two PGA Professional Championships and two PGA Championships.

The points race ended with the 2022 PGA Championship held at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

The 10-player U.S. contingent will be led by Jesse Mueller, the 2022 PGA Professional Champion.

Mueller won the PGA Professional Championship by five strokes at Barton Creek Resort & Spa in Austin, Texas, in April, and on Monday, he earned a spot in the field for the 2022 U.S. Open, which will be played at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts.

Mueller will be joined by Alex Beach of Stamford, Connecticut; Frank Bensel Jr. of Jupiter, Florida; Michael Block of Aliso Viejo, California; Larkin Gross of Center Cross, Virginia; Jared Jones of Houston; Ben Polland of Jackson, Wyoming; Omar Uresti of Austin, Texas; Ryan Vermeer of Omaha, Nebraska; and Wyatt Worthington II of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.

Uresti, the 2021 PGA Professional Champion, is the most experienced American, having represented the U.S. during the 2015 and 2017 PGA Cups.

The PGA Cup began in 1973, and although the U.S. Team dominated the series early, GB&I has enjoyed a resurgence.

The U.S. is 18-7-4 overall, but has not won outright in the United Kingdom since 2009.

“Ours is a team with a vast array of talent and I am incredibly excited to work with our skilled PGA Professionals on retaining the PGA Cup at Foxhills Club & Resort in September,” said PGA Honorary President and U.S. Captain Suzy Whaley of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, who captained the victorious American contingent at the inaugural Women’s PGA Cup in 2019 . “We have an ideal roster balance. Five of our 10 players -- Alex Beach, Michael Block, Ben Polland, Omar Uresti and Ryan Vermeer -- have previous PGA Cup experience to lean on and share

EXPERTS IN THE GAME AND BUSINESS OF GOLF

Page 12

The Professional with the other five that are debuting in the event. We’re certainly aware of the formidable challenge we will face from another talented GB&I squad and the difficulty that comes with winning on foreign soil.”

Golf Nation and the PGA Director of Instruction for the Country Club at Mirasol in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

The Captain of the Great Britain & Ireland Team will be The first woman elected to serve as an Officer of the DJ Russell, with his son, Chris, serving as a vice captain.

PGA of America, PGA Honorary President and PGA Master Professional Suzy Whaley is the President of The PGA Cup was first played at Pinehurst (North Carolina) Country Club and is an outgrowth of the PGA Professional Championship. Following the format of the Ryder Cup, with match-play competition between the U.S. and Europe, the PGA Cup features the top PGA Club Professionals from both sides of the Atlantic.

Fox Hills Resort - Longcross also hosted in 2017

The Llandudno International Trophy.

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The Professional

2022 MAPGA TOURNAMENT WINNERS Chapter Spring Tournaments

Southern Chapter

Central Chapter

Two Rivers Country Club March 28th

Chantilly National Golf & Country Club April 4th

Troy Thorne and Craig Callens win the fourball contest with a 3-under 69 to win by one.

John O’Leary and Tyler Satorius dominate with a 6-under 66 to win by 3 shots.

Northern Chapter Musket Ridge Golf Club April 11th

Pat Coyner and Nick Cannon shoot an impressive 6-under 66 to win by 1.

Thank You To Our Sponsors of These Events!

The Professional

Britt Sloan MAPGA Scramble Front Royal, VA - Shenandoah Valley Golf Club played host to the 2022 Britt Sloan MAPGA Scramble. One of the most popular events is a 27-hole contest with a twoperson scramble format. Andy Bonn (River Bend Club) and Troy Thorne (The Golf Club at The Highlands) fired an impressive 19-under to win the event by 2 shots. They made fourteen birdies and two eagles to win.

Troy Thorne (left) and Andy Bonn (right) watch their approach shots to the Par-4 7th hole of the Red Course.

The Professional

SwingJuice MAPGA Senior-Junior

Purcellville, VA – The 2022 SwingJuice MAPGA Senior-Junior was contested at the beautiful Loudoun Golf & Country Club.

The rolling hills provided a great test for the two-person team (one 50 or older and one 49 or younger) four-ball event.

The team of Ashley Grier (Yinglings Golf Center) and Bud Lintelman (PGA Life Member) used the shotgun start to their advantage by birdieing their second hole of the day, the Par-5 6th hole at Loudoun G&CC. They continued the steady play all day, taking advantage of the Par-5’s with a birdie on all four and no blemishes on the card. It was a full team effort as well with Grier accounting for three birdies and Lintelman for four birdies.

Their 7-under 65 got them into a playoff against Bill Fedder (Glenmore Country Club) and Jim Estes (Jim Estes Golf). The first playoff hole was the Par-3 18th.

Lintleman was just off the green and Grier had a long birdie putt.

Fedder missed the green long and left while Estes had the best shot of the group to 12 feet. Estes had a

Lintelman watches his tee shot on the 2nd playoff hole.

while Estes wasn’t able to hit a good shot from under a tree and was out of the hole. Grier stuck her approach shot to 6 feet from the fairway and Fedder answered with a shot out of the rough to 20 feet to keep his team alive. After Fedder and Lintelman missed their birdie putts, Grier sank hers to win the SwingJuice MAPGA Senior-Junior.

Thank you to SwingJuice, Golfdom, and Golf Pro Payments for sponsoring the event and Glenn McCloskey and his staff at Loudoun Golf & Country Club for hosting.

chance to win it with a birdie after everyone was in with par. His putt broke to the right more than he anticipated and they moved on to the 2nd playoff hole, the par-4 1st.

Grier was the only one to hit the fairway of the four tee shots.

Lintelman hit a great shot out of the rough and had a look at birdie

EXPERTS IN THE GAME AND BUSINESS OF GOLF

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Club Car Pro-President Club Car sponsored this event for the 25th straight year!

Thank you to their team for the continued support. This year, the event was held at Chartwell Golf & Country Club.

There was a tie in each division that was broken through a scorecard playoff.

In the Net Division, Phillip French, PGA and Tyler Balderson of Crofton Country Club won over Damon Lucas, PGA and Donald Timmons of Turf Valley Resort.

There were four teams tied at four-under in the Gross Division and Troy Thorne, PGA and Luke Felker of The Golf Club at The Highlands won first place via the scorecard playoff.

EXPERTS IN THE GAME AND BUSINESS OF GOLF

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The Professional

Chapter Championships Southern Chapter Mineral, VA – The 2022 Southern Chapter Championship was hosted at Cutalong at Lake Anna.

The new course, designed by Tom Clark, featured undulating greens and many blind shots. The course played tough, with wind gusts up to 20 mph and firm conditions.

The championship turned into a family affair, with a Mast winning the Open and Senior Divisions.

The players went off in a shotgun format and Jacob Mast (Poplar Grove Golf Club) took advantage with a birdie on his first hole of the day, the short Par-4 5th.

He gave that and more right back with bogies on his next two holes but was able to steady the ship as he played the back nine. Birdies on 11 and 13 got him back into red figures but a bogey on 18 put him at even par and two shots back of Joey Faulconer (Devil’s Knob Golf Club at Wintergreen Resort).

The playoff began with both players out of position off the tee. Faulconer had an advantage as his ball was in the left rough while Mast was in the penalty area.

Mast hacked out of the tall grass into the fairway to give himself a chance to make par. Faulconer came up just short of the green and rolled back into a collection area well below the green. Mast hit a fantastic third shot from 165 yards out to 9 feet. Faulconer’s chip shot came up short and he had 10 feet to save his par. He missed his par putt while Mast made his, giving Jacob Mast the win on the first playoff hole.

Jacob’s father, Dick Mast (Poplar Grove Golf Club) started his day on the Par-4 10th hole. He played great golf all day, only making two bogies and three birdies to win the Senior Division by three shots over Jack Snyder of the host club.

Faulconer started his day on the Par-4 15th hole and played clean golf (8 pars, 2 birdies) for his first ten holes. However, a double-bogey on the Par-3 5th put him back to even par. Another bogey on the 9th hole put him over par for the day but he battled back down the stretch. Birdies on three of his last five holes gave him the lead as one of the first players in the clubhouse.

Mast also used a hot finish with two birdies in his last four holes to tie Faulconer and force a playoff.

Dick Mast hits his second shot at the Par-5 14th.

Thank you to Global Golf Sales for sponsoring and Brady Noland and his staff at Cutalong at Lake Anna for hosting!

Jacob Mast watches his tee shot on the first playoff hole.

EXPERTS IN THE GAME AND BUSINESS OF GOLF

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Central Chapter Leesburg, VA – Raspberry Falls Golf & Hunt Club hosted the 2022 Central Chapter Championship. The Gary Player designed course weaves its way through the Shenandoah Valley. Playing 6,935 yards, it provided a tough test to be crowned the Central Chapter Champion.

Yong Joo (TopGolf – Loudon) and Josh Apple (Raspberry Falls G&HC) played the best rounds of the day.

Neither player got off to a good start, each bogeying one of their first two holes. However, they both played clean golf from there to lead the Open Division.

Apple used his local knowledge to get to the top of the leaderboard. After the bogey on the second hole, he made birdie on three of his next four holes to go out in 2-under 34. Birdies on each of the par-5s on the back nine got him in as the clubhouse leader at 4-under 68.

Joo needed some fireworks to equal Apple’s score. After his bogey on the first, he didn’t make a birdie or better until the seventh hole. Playing 177 yards with the hole tucked behind the right bunker, Joo hit an 8-iron. The green is perched up and not visible from the tee, so he wasn’t sure how close it was. He found the ball in the hole for his fourth career hole-in-one. He made backto-back birdies on holes 9 and 10 to get to 3-under. He got to the 18th still at 3-under, knowing he needed a birdie to get into a playoff. He made that birdie on the Par-5 to tie Apple and get into a playoff.

The playoff started on the first hole with Apple in the fairway and Joo in the left rough. Joo hit a great recovery shot to 8 feet. Apple responded with a great shot of his own to 7 feet. Each made their birdie putts and the playoff went to the 2nd hole. They both made par on the 2nd and were both positioned in the fairway on the 3rd hole. Each player carried their approach

EXPERTS IN THE GAME AND BUSINESS OF GOLF

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The Professional shots too far. Apple ended up in the rough and Joo stayed on the fringe. Apple had a terrible lie in the rough and couldn’t get up and down to save par. An easy two-putt par for Yong Joo gave him the Central Chapter Championship.

In the Senior Division, Brendan McGrath (Hidden Creek Country Club) dominated for the second year in a row. He made five birdies to two bogies to shoot 3-under 69 and won by four shots.

Yong Joo watches his third shot on the Par-5 11th.

Brendan McGrath hits his tee shot on the Par-3 15th.

Northern Chapter Severna Park, MD – The Northern Chapter Championship was contested at Chartwell Golf & Country Club. Playing shorter (6,501 yards), Chartwell was a position-driven course that required strong iron play.

Mike Larkin (Towson University) bogeyed the 460yard first hole. However, he got it back with birdies on 2 and 4. Larkin got hot on holes 8 through 10, making two birdies in a row and an eagle on 10. He stumbled in from there, making three bogies. He was able to hold on for a one-shot win over Brian Dix and David Harget.

David Long (Renditions Golf Club) held off Jeff Rosenburg (Country Club at Woodmore) and Damon Lucas (Turf Valley Resort) in the Senior Division. He made three bridies to 4 bogies to shoot 1-over 73.

EXPERTS IN THE GAME AND BUSINESS OF GOLF

Mike Larkin, Head Coach at Towson University, watches a tee shot

Page 20

E-Z-GO MAPGA Fourball Championship Crozet, VA - The mountains of the Shenandoah provide a stunning backdrop at Old Trail Golf Club, the site of the E-Z-GO MAPGA Fourball Championship. The Mast family didn’t let the views get in their way, making nine birdies on their way to another win in an MAPGA event. They held off three other teams to win by one shot, giving them each their second win on the year.

EXPERTS IN THE GAME AND BUSINESS OF GOLF

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The Professional

MAPGA Jani-King Pro-Scratch Mitchellville, MD - The Country Club at Woodmore hosted this year’s Jani-King Pro-Scratch. The stableford event provides a different scoring format for the professional and their amateur partner. Eagles are worth 6 points, birdies 3, par 1, and bogey is 0.

There was a tie for first place between Yong Joo, PGA/Joe Kruper and Bryan Jackson, PGA/Charlie Hanson. Each team scored 33 points and there was no playoff to determine a winner.

Thank you to Jeff Rosenberg for hosting and Jani-King, Smith & Quinn, and Swing Ireland for sponsoring!

Leaderboard

Points

1. Yong Joo/Joe Kruper 1. Bryan Jackson/Charlie Hanson 3. David Freiss/Kenny Smith T4. Brian Dix/Dave Dustin T4. Troy Thorne/Paul Peterson T6. Bryce Abrams/Greg Cline T6. Ian McConnell/AJ Leimenstoll

33 33 32 31 31 30 30

The Professional

MAPGA Stroke Play Championship #1 Manakin-Sabot, VA - Hermitage Country Club Sabot Course was a tough host for the Stroke Play #1 Championship. The course was playing firm and the wind was consistently blowing 15 mph.

Travis Johnson (Kinloch GC) didn’t let the tough conditions get in the way. He made 7 birdies, a double bogey, and a bogey to shoot 5-under 67 and win by 3 shots over Josh Speight (The Club at Viniterra).

Rick Schuller (Stonehenge Golf & Country Club) was able to hold on to a one shot win in the Senior Division. He shot a 2-under 70 to beat Craig Gunn (Danville Golf Club), Brendan McGrath (Hidden Creek Country Club), and Carl Filipowicz (The Federal Club).

Rick Schuller hits his tee shot on the Par-4 18th.

Thank you to Craig Callens for hosting and Travis Johnson watches his tee Taylormade and Tournament Solutions for sponsoring shot on the Par-4 17th. the event!

MAPGA MAJOR CHAMPIONSHIPS NCR MAPGA Assistant Championship Green Spring Valley Hunt Club August 8-9 Register

MAPGA Senior Championship The Elkridge Club August 29-30 Register

MAPGA Professional Championship The Club at Creighton Farms September 12-14 Register

EXPERTS IN THE GAME AND BUSINESS OF GOLF

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The Professional

NICK TALIAFERRO WINS STATE OPEN OF VIRGINIA PRESENTED BY CAPTECH

Article by Chris Lang of the VSGA

MIDLOTHIAN — Radford University’s Nick Taliaferro made a 12-foot birdie putt on the final hole Sunday to win the State Open of Independence presented by CapTech by one stroke over defending champion Evan Beck of Virginia Beach.

THE STORY

Taliaferro, who grew up minutes from Independence Golf Club, the host of the event, posted a three-day aggregate 10-under-par 203, finishing with a 1-overpar 72 on Sunday. He fended off Beck, who rallied for a 9-under 204 that included a 6-under 65 in Sunday’s final round.

“If you told me a month ago I would win this tournament, I probably wouldn’t have believed you. I wasn’t hitting it well at all,” Taliaferro said. “But since the second round of the State Am, I’ve been playing really well. I don’t know. It’s hard to put it into words. It’s cliché. But it’s obviously a big confidence boost to know I can play against the best players in the state and win.”

Chris O’Neill (left) and Mark Lawrence (right) tied for the low professional honor

It almost seemed like it was going a little too well for Taliaferro, who has plenty of history at Independence.

He played at nearby James River High School, which practices and plays at the club, and he finished in fourth place in last year’s State Open of Virginia. That comfort level was evident after 12 holes of his final round. He sat Richmond’s Mark Lawrence and Glen Allen’s Chris at 14-under, five strokes clear of his nearest competitor, O’Neill shared low professional honors, each posting and a win seemed inevitable. Until it wasn’t. three-day aggregate totals of 5-under-par 208. They tied for third with amateur Alex Price, who plays at Taliaferro hit his drive on the long par-4 13th hole left, but he still had a reasonable lie and window for his Christopher Newport University.

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The Professional approach shot. Then things got weird. His second shot drifted into the spongy bermuda rough left of the green.

Even worse, he had a downhill lie for a delicate chip and not much room with which to work. His shot went long and trickled over the green, and he was unable to get up and down for bogey. Suddenly the lead was down to three strokes.

“That didn’t really rattle me,” he said. “It was just a case of being in the wrong spot.”

Beck was already in the clubhouse at 9-under at that point, so Taliaferro knew he needed to play the last three holes at 1-under to secure the victory.

Taliaferro regained the steadiness that had been the benchmark of his game all week. He hit his drive on 16 down the middle and made a two-putt par. On the par-5 17th, he was straight down the middle again and made a two-putt par. On 18, Taliaferro hit what Blevins called “his best drive of the week,” leaving him an 8-iron approach that he hit to 12 feet, hole high right.

He quickly recovered on the par-3 14th. He hit his tee shot well to the right, but on the green, and he lagged Taliaferro and Blevins conferred for several minutes the putt close and made par to settle his nerves. over the putt, and Taliaferro admitted he had some nerves as he lined up to hit it.

On to the 15th, where the newly installed far right back tee box had given players fits all week. Taliaferro’s first “Deep breaths,” he said. “Just kept telling myself, deep drive hooked hard left and well out of bounds. His breaths. It’s something I was working on.” provisional went to the right into a penalty area, and he had to take relief for a one-stroke penalty. His fourth The putt was straight and true from the start. With it shot (including the two penalty strokes) flew the green, three feet from the hole, Taliaferro raised his putter, and and he was unable to get up and down, leaving him with when it dropped, and the sizeable gallery surrounding a disastrous triple-bogey seven.

18 roared, and Taliaferro pumped his fist, the championship secure.

Taliaferro (left) and Channing Blevins (right) look over a putt during the final round.

Taliaferro’s Radford teammate, Channing Blevins, caddied for Taliaferro all week, and offered some simple words to calm him down once the pair reached the 16th tee.

Taliaferro fist pumps after sinking the winning putt on the 54th hole.

“If I had told him Friday morning that he’d be tied for the lead with three holes to go, he probably would have taken it,” Blevins said. “So let’s forget about the last three holes and do the best we can and get a couple of good “I knew the read,” he said. “I just had to put a good stroke on it.” looks.”

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The Professional NOTES AND QUOTES • Lawrence, the 2020 champion, started the week 6 under through 10 holes in Friday’s first round. But he was 1-over for the rest of the tournament, leaving him admittedly disappointed. Though the low professional honor (his second straight) was nice, he certainly expected more, and he left the week knowing his game needed some work. “I’ve been struggling ever since I came back (from injury),” he said. “I haven’t been able to get dialed in and play really good golf. You watched today, and you could see that something wasn’t right with my golf game. I started hitting the ball decent on the back nine, then I stopped making putts. The back nine, I made putts, but I hit the ball like a 10-handicapper. It’s going to take some work to get back, but I’m going to figure it out.”

• Springfield G&CC’s Larkin Gross, PGA, was the low PGA professional at 3-under 210.

Larkin Gross, PGA hits a tee shot on the Par-4 3rd at Independence Golf Club.

• An amateur won the State Open of Virginia for the fourth year in a row. Prior to that, professionals had • O’Neill confirmed after the round that Sunday was won seven straight Opens. his last round as a professional golfer. “I thought it would be a little more nostalgic, but I guess since I was • Both the youngest player in the field—Brandon Sipe, in contention for low pro, I wasn’t thinking too much 13—and the oldest player in the field—Dick Mast, PGA, about the emotions or whatever,” he said. “Now that it’s 71—made the cut. Mast tied for 23rd at 215, and Sipe over, yeah, it feels weird, but I feel very content with tied for 39th at 218. everything. I’m happy I gave it a good go, and kind of • In all, 72 players made the 36-hole cut at 5-over par excited for whatever’s next.” or better.

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The MIDDLE ATLANTIC PGA The Professional

Volume VII, Issue II