Virginia Golfer Jul / Aug 2018 | Page 21

T he Delta Dental State Open of Virginia has been a playground for professionals in recent years. The tournament’s last six champions have all been either teaching or touring profes- sionals, including one champion (Lanto Griffin in 2015) who is currently plying his trade on the PGA Tour. The amateurs have showed some life in recent years. Mark Lawrence Jr. reached a playoff in 2016. Amateurs held the 18- and 36-hole leads in 2017, with teenager Michael Brennan tying Ballyhacks’ competitive course record with a second-round 64. The tournament returns to Ballyhack for a fifth straight year July 19–21, and again, the amateurs will be looking for ways to crack the code against their professional counterparts. Some things to watch: vsga.org J U LY / A U G U ST 2 0 18 | V I R G I N I A G O L F E R 19