Justin Young (VSGA photo)
ROANOKE, Va. (July 21, 2018) – The setting would have been perfect, had the stars aligned for
Justin Young. Playing at his home course, Ballyhack Golf Club, Young went down to the wire in his pursuit of the Delta Dental Virginia Open. In the end, despite a bogey-free 9-under 63 in the final round, he came up one shot short.
As it turned out, the setting was perfect for another Salem, Va., resident. With family and friends watching, Felding Brewbaker tapped in for bogey and the title Saturday. Felding’s final-round 68 moved him to 12-under 204 for the event. It gave him his first victory since winning a mini-tour event in Florida in October 2015, and the victory netted him a $7,500 paycheck.
Young, the reigning VSGA Mid-Amateur champion, earned low amateur honors at the Delta Dental State Open of Virginia for the second time in four years, having previously accomplished the feat in 2015.
“I can’t really describe it,” Young said of his back nine, which included six birdies. “It’s not something that when you’re in the moment that you can figure out. When it happens, you’ve just got to hop on and ride it.”
Young was three groups behind Brewbaker, who played in the final grouping with amateur Jeff Long of Ashburn, Va., and Steven Delmar, a professional from Maryland.
Several players went low on Saturday. Four-time champion Jay Woodson and amateur Buck Brittain posted 65s. Rick Schuller, who ended up third, and Alex Price, a teenager from Purcellville, Va., shot 66. Thomas Wharton of Washington, D.C., 2017 champion Ryan Zylstra and Roanoke teenager Ross Funderburke all recorded 67s.
In all, eight amateurs finished inside the top 12.
Brewbaker’s victory was special, and not only because much of his family was at Ballyhack to cheer him on during Saturday’s final round. Brewbaker, who played college golf at James Madison University, turned professional after the 2009 U.S. Amateur.
As for Young, the mid-amateur life has treated him well. He qualified for the U.S. Mid-Amateur in 2015, and made the match-play bracket at John’s Island Golf Club in Vero Beach, Fla. He took down Matt Parziale, the 2017 champion, in the first round of match play.
Information from the Virginia State Golf Association used in this report
ABOUT THE
State Open of Virigina
The Championship is a 54-hole, stroke play event
with
the field limited to 144 contestants (69 eligible
Professionals, 69 eligible Amateurs, the Defending
Champion, and 5 Open Qualifier spots). There will be
a
cut to the low 60 players and ties after 36 holes.
Open
to VSGA members of all ages. Participants must hold
an
active GHIN number issued by a licensed VSGA
Member
Club in good standing.
View Complete Tournament Information