Brittain’s 67 paces field at first day of 72nd VSGA Senior Amateur Championship

Posted on Monday, Aug. 12, 2019, 9:58 pm

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By Chris Lang

HOT SPRINGS – Two-time Senior Open of Virginia champion Buck Brittain of Tazewell posted a 3-underpar 67 on Monday at The Omni Homestead Resort’s Cascades Course to set the pace during stroke-play qualifying at the 72nd Virginia State Golf Association Senior Amateur Championship.

Brittain (The Virginian GC) was one of only three players in the 84-player starting field to return an under-par score on Monday. Martinsville’s Keith Decker (Chatmoss CC) and Richmond’s Steve Serrao (Willow Oaks GC) signed for 1-under-par 69s. Gainesville’s Rich Buckner (Robert Trent Jones GC) posted an even-par 70.

The championship for players ages 50 and older continues Tuesday with the second-round of stroke-play qualifying. Due to predicted inclement weather later in the afternoon, starting times will begin off Nos. 1 and 10 at 8:30 a.m. The top 32 players after Tuesday’s round will advance to match play, which begins Wednesday with round of 32 and round of 16 matches.

The quarterfinal and semifinal rounds are scheduled for Thursday, with the 18-hole championship match slated for Friday morning.

The assembled field had a difficult time solving the venerable Cascades track, which has hosted numerous VSGA and USGA championships. Brittain, who earned both VSGA men’s and senior men’s player of the year honors in 2018, worked around two bogeys and posted five birdies for his 3-under round. He was 1 over for the round through four holes before making birdie on No. 5. He added birdies on Nos. 7 and 8 before bogeying No. 9 to turn at 1 under.

Brittain played his inward nine bogey free, making birdies at Nos. 12 and 17 to post the score of the day. Decker, a member of the Virginia Golf Hall of Fame and a 28-time VSGA champion, won the third of his three senior Amateur titles the last time the event was staged at the Cascades in 2016. He left himself in fine shape for a good match-play seed with his eventful 1-under round that featured five birdies and four bogeys.

Serrao, part of the winning side at last year’s VSGA Senior Four-Ball Championship, made three birdies and added an eagle on the par-4 14th hole to finish at 69. Buckner, the 2017 VSGA Senior Amateur champion and a finalist at the 2016 Senior Am at the Cascades, started hot on Monday, making birdie on his first two holes before cooling off. He made bogeys at Nos. 4, 9 and 14 but recouped a stroke with a birdie at No. 17 to finish level.

Midlothian’s Scott Reisenweaver (Salisbury CC) is fifth after posting 71. Manassas’ Jeffrey Klatt (Medal of Honor GC), Quinton’s John Kinder (VSGA eClub Richmond) and Midlothian’s Robert Nussey (Brandermill CC) are tied for sixth after shooting 72. Klatt and Kinder are first-time participants in this event. Klatt turned 50 last month and Kinder reached the required eligibility age last October. Nussey was part of the winning side at this year’s VSGA Senior Four-Ball Championship.

Cam Young, the 2018 Senior Amateur champion, is not participating this week, having struggled all year with a nagging injury. The man Young beat in last year’s championship match, Mark Boedicker, struggled to a 10-over 80 on Monday and will need to rally to reach match play for a second straight year. It can be done. In 2017, Buckner shot 81 in the first round before posting a 69 in the second round and making a run to the title.

Virginia Beach’s Roger Newsom, who qualified for both the U.S. Senior Open and U.S. Senior Amateur, returned 74 Monday. Past champion David Partridge of Manakin-Sabot shot 77. David Jordan, champion of this year’s VSGA Senior Stroke Play Championship, struggled to an 81. Pat Tallent, past winner of both the U.S. Senior Amateur and British Senior Amateur, withdrew from the competition.

Lang is the editor of Virginia Golfer magazine and the VSGA’s manager, digital media.

72nd VSGA Senior Amateur Championship

At The Omni Homestead Resort (Cascades), Hot Springs
Par 70, 6,360 yards

Monday’s first-round scores

Buck Brittain (Tazewell), 34-33–67
Keith Decker (Martinsville), 33-36–69
Stephen Serrao (Midlothian), 36-33–69
Rich Buckner (Gainesville), 35-35–70
Scott Reisenweaver (Midlothian), 36-35–71
John Kinder (Quinton), 39-33–72
Jeffrey Klatt (Manassas), 35-37–72
Robert Nussey (Midlothian), 34-38–72
Dave Pulk (Williamsburg), 36-37–73
Robert Slavonia (Middleburg), 35-38–73
Neil Davis (Charlottesville), 40-34–74
Tony Green (Kingsport), 37-37–74
Donnie Hankins (Bristol), 37-37–74
Roger Newsom (Virginia Beach), 36-38–74
Jack Allara (Salem), 38-37–75
Bob Bailey (Yorktown), 38-37–75
Darrell Craft (Salem), 35-40–75
Jeffrey Flax (Virginia Beach), 37-38–75
Mark Funderburke (Roanoke), 37-38–75
Jimmy Jones (Newport News), 36-39–75
Scott Pultz (hamilton), 38-37–75
Leon Roday (Henrico), 37-38–75
John Steele (Boyds), 38-37–75
Stephen Whitfield (Virginia Beach), 38-37–75
Stan Britton (Pendlton), 38-38–76
Marc Hogan (Woodberry Forest), 37-39–76
Philip Mahone (Charlottesville), 39-37–76
Michael McGowan (Bethesda), 36-40–76
David Price (Hillsboro), 37-39–76
Bowen Sargent (Charlottesville), 35-41–76
Skip Zobel (Virginia Beach), 37-39–76
Carlos Aranda (Alexandria), 35-42–77
Greg Bales (richmond), 37-40–77
Duncan Hardcastle (Midlothian), 38-39–77
Mike Howell (Centreville), 36-41–77
Frank Leyes (Boones Mill), 39-38–77
John Lombardozzi (Herndon), 38-39–77
Tony Mitchum (Chesapeake), 41-36–77
David Partridge (Manakin), 38-39–77
David Schmidt (Wytheville), 43-34–77
Jay Serrao (Virginia Beach), 39-38–77
Michael McLister (Leesburg), 42-36–78
Jeff Nygaard (Moseley), 42-36–78
Chris Robb (Stafford), 38-40–78
Edward Shine (Chesapeake), 40-38–78
Chad Strayer (Providence Forge), 39-39–78
David Tolley (Roanoke), 39-39–78
Jack Vardaman (Washington), 37-41–78
Tim Vigotsky (Centreville), 36-42–78
James Wright (Roanoke), 37-41–78
Art Akers (Virginia Beach), 38-41–79
Ron Clatterbuck (Haymarket), 39-40–79
Marty Heath (Annandale), 38-41–79
Brian Killough (Poquoson), 38-41–79
Keith Myers (Roanoke), 41-38–79
Jim Woodson (Powhatan), 38-41–79
Mark Boedicker (Great Falls), 34-46–80
Jack Catlett (Richmond), 40-40–80
Steve Douglass (Leesburg), 41-39–80
Jeff Fleishman (Williamsburg), 42-38–80
Jeff Hudgins (Richmond), 39-41–80
Greg Kozy (Clifton), 40-40–80
Joe Monk (Williamsburg), 38-42–80
John Williams (Arlington), 40-40–80
Jon Zampedro (Centreville), 41-39–80
Mark Alonzi (Richmond), 40-41–81
Scott Arthur (Winchester), 40-41–81
David Jordan (Glen Allen), 39-42–81
Randy Newsome (Haymarket), 41-40–81
David Aitken (Winchester), 38-44–82
Stan Jaworowski (Arlington), 40-42–82
Brian Spooner (Glen Allen), 42-42–84
Jeff Woods (Radford), 44-40–84
Drew Wine (Rockingham), 44-41–85
David Ziemba (Annandale), 41-44–85
Michael Byrum (Suffolk), 46-40–86
Steve Washburn (Lynchburg), 43-43–86
Erik Pierce (King George), 43-44–87
Jeff Hooper (Midlothian), 45-44–89
Roy Phillips (Fairfax), 49-40–89
Mark Shull (Winchester), 44-45–89
Jim Monger (Singers Glen), 44-46–90
George Salcedo (Waynesboro), 43-47–90
Pat Tallent (Vienna), WD