Weinfurther, DiNunzio share lead at 50th VSGA Junior Girls’ Championship
Posted on Tuesday, Jul. 30, 2019, 3:50 pm
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By Chris Lang
VIRGINIA BEACH – Becca DiNunzio and Rory Weinfurther have spent the last several years crossing paths in Virginia State Golf Association Championships and playing as teammates representing Virginia in interstate events. They met in the semifinals of the VSGA Women’s Amateur Championship earlier this month, and they’ll be in the final grouping Tuesday at the 50th VSGA Junior Girls’ Championship.
The two good friends wouldn’t have it any other way.
“It’s definitely fun. We love the competition, and we are friends,” DiNunzio said Monday after shooting a 1-under 69 at Broad Bay Country Club to share the 18-hole lead with Weinfurther. “It’s always good to see each other at the top, and we look forward to the good competition.”
Midlothian’s Weinfurther, who has committed to play at the University of Richmond, got the best of Norfolk’s DiNunzio at the Women’s Amateur at nearby Princess Anne Country Club, defeating DiNunzio on her way to winning the championship. They’ll join Herndon’s Danielle Suh in the final grouping Tuesday after Suh posted an even-par 70.
Just behind those three are Midlothian’s Ester Choi and Fairfax’s Katie Park, each of whom signed for rounds of 1-over 71. Five players were tied at 72, three strokes behind the leaders.
Weinfurther made the turn at 2 over on Monday before mentally resetting for the back nine. She started that nine with four birdies in five holes.
“I was just really confident on the back nine,” Weinfurther said. “I was hitting the ball much better, more solid. My proximity to the hole with irons was a lot closer. I was just able to make the putts, so it felt really good.”
DiNunzio, who will begin her Virginia Tech career next month, had a similar round. She was 2 over through seven holes but gave herself a confidence boost with a birdie at No. 9. She played the back nine bogey free and added birdies on Nos. 10 and 13 to earn her share of the lead.
“I think there are some interesting holes here where you have to play smart shots,” DiNunzio said. “There can be trouble, especially off the tee. But if you hit smart shots and get it in the fairway, this course is pretty scoreable.”
Suh, who is committed to High Point University, made birdies at Nos. 4 and 10 and parred her final eight holes to end the day level. She’s had a strong summer in which she made match play at the Women’s Amateur and recorded a top-five finish at the VSGA Women’s Stroke Play Championship.
“I was just trying my best to hit to six or eight feet,” Suh said. “I didn’t feel like the pin positions were super tough today. I just really need to take advantage of the easier holes and try to make birdies.”
Of note, defending champion Jayde Dudley of Roanoke, who will begin her Radford University career next month, posted a 4-over 74 and will open Tuesday five shots back of the leaders. Two-time Junior Girls’ champion Victoria Tip-Aucha is four strokes back after carding a 3-over 73 on Monday.
Weinfurther is vying to become the third player ever to win both the VSGA Women’s Amateur and Junior Girls’ titles in the same year. She admitted that she had thought about it in the week leading up to the tournament, but she’s tried to push those thoughts out of her mind as she concentrates on posting two good scores at Broad Bay.
Though the Women’s Amateur is a match-play championship, the experience of playing well down the stretch to win at Princess Anne can translate into confidence this week, she said.
“Just coming down the home stretch, I think it will help,” Weinfurther said. “The attitude that I had at the State Am, that helped a lot. I think my attitude will be similar this time.”
Lang is the editor of Virginia Golfer magazine and the VSGA’s manager, digital media.
