VSGA‘s Golf in the Commonwealth Podcast

Connor Burgess, Lynchburg native and 2023 State Open of Virginia champion, is battling during his first year on the Korn Ferry Tour as he chases his ultimate dream of playing PGA Tour golf. Burgess joins host Chris Lang in a wide-ranging conversation about growing up playing junior golf in Virginia, his time at Virginia Tech, and the start of the Korn Ferry Tour season.

The 2024 VSGA Championship season is here! Join us for a conversation with VSGA tournament department staffers Josh Coates and Amanda Braun as they take us through what happens in the golf association off-season, the new USGA Exemption Events, the VSGA’s relationship with the USGA ahead of this year’s U.S. Mid-Amateur in Virginia, and much more.

The 110th VSGA Amateur begins Monday, June 26 at Boonsboro Country Club in Lynchburg. Hear from defending champ Ross Funderburke, last year's State Open champ, Nick Taliaferro, two-time Fox Puss champion Ben Keefer, and the VSGA's Josh Coates as we prime you for the week to come.

Two guests join Chris Lang on this special U.S. Open preview episode. Hear from Isaac Simmons (starting at the 3:23 mark), one of two VSGA members who qualified for the championship. Michael Brennan was the other. Then, U.S. Open Championship director Charlie Howe joins (starting at the 26:05 mark). Howe discusses his path from Virginia Tech soccer player to his current role with the USGA and gives some good intel on Los Angeles Country Club, a first-time U.S. Open host.

The Club at Viniterra’s Josh Speight is one of 20 PGA members of the Corebridge Financial Team competing at this week’s PGA Championship at Oak Hill. Thanks to his T11 finish at the PGA National Professional Championship, Josh will get his second chance to tee it up against the world’s top players in a major championship, having previously compete in 2016. Chris Lang caught up with Josh prior to the tournament to hear his thoughts on his trip to Oak Hill.

College golf in Virginia doesn’t stop with the Commonwealth’s Division I schools. In this episode, we chat with VSGA members Robb Kinder and Alex Price, who have helped elevate Christopher Newport University into the second-ranked Division III team in the country. The duo will participate in next week’s DIII championship before heading south to Kiawah Island for the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball. Chris Lang speaks with the pair about how they got to CNU and their hopes of leading the Captains to a national championship, among other topics.

Brinson Paolini won four VSGA Amateur Championships before departing on a whirlwind professional career that took him all over the globe. He played tournament golf in 43 different countries in eight years before starting first a coaching business, and now, a business focused on the nutritional aspect of golf. Paolini chats with Chris Lang about some of his favorite VSGA memories and his new venture, Sharp Focus Nutrition, in this episode of Golf in the Commonwealth.

In wake of the USGA announcing major changes to the qualifying structure for several USGA championships starting in 2024, the USGA's senior director of championship administration, Brent Paladino, joins host Chris Lang on the pod. He discusses his time playing golf at William & Mary, the evolution of an important junior tournament he helped form, and of course, the major upcoming changes to USGA championship qualifying.

In this episode of Golf in the Commonwealth, Chris Lang chats with two members of the VSGA’s championships department – Kent Holubar and Amanda Braun – to preview the 2023 VSGA championship season. We talk venues, players and what’s new on the championship schedule in 2023.

In this episode of Golf in the Commonwealth, Chris Lang chats with U.S. Solheim Cup captain Stacy Lewis, who was in Washington earlier this week for the announcement that she’ll serve a second term as U.S. captain in 2024 when the Cup is played at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville. Lewis shares her thoughts on both playing and captaining in the Cup and talks a little bit about her unique golf journey and her advice to young girls who want to play competitive golf.

In this episode of Golf in the Commonwealth, Chris Lang is emptying the notebook, as they say in reporter terms. To supplement the recent Virginia Golfer story on Fat Perez, listen to the full interview with the man himself, otherwise known at Nick Stubbe. Learn more about his journey into golf and how Fat Perez came to be in this interview, which was conducted in November at Keswick Golf Club.

In this episode of Golf in the Commonwealth, we chat with Turner Lewis, founder of Fore Craft Cocktails, a Virginia beverage company that features a signature Transfusion drink that you’ll find in grocery stores and golf courses around the Commonwealth. Lewis, a VSGA member who is still a full-time radiologist, describes how the venture came to be and where he sees it going in the future.

In this episode of Golf in the Commonwealth, we chat with Lanny Wadkins, the World Golf Hall of Famer, Virginia Golf Hall of Famer, and lead analyst for Golf Channel’s coverage of PGA Tour Champions. Wadkins was back in Virginia to emcee the Virginia Golf Hall of Fame induction ceremony before he turned his attention to his Golf Channel duties for the Dominion Energy Charity Classic at CCV. Lanny talks about growing up at Meadowbrook Country Club in Richmond, his battles with some of Virginia’s golf legends, and his work at Golf Channel.

In this episode of Golf in the Commonwealth, we catch up with Darren Clarke, who is in Richmond for this week’s Dominion Energy Charity Classic. Clarke is one of four players to have won both The Open Championship and The Senior Open Championship, and he enters this week ranked 13th in the Charles Schwab Cup points standings as the playoffs get underway at The Country Club of Virginia. Clarke speaks of his role as brand ambassador for Abaco Club in the Bahamas, his relationship with Dr. Bob Rotella, and his win in this past summer’s Senior Open at Gleneagles.

In this episode of Golf in the Commonwealth, we catch up with Sean Patterson, the PGA Director of Golf at Willow Oaks Country Club in Richmond. One of Patterson’s specialties as a teacher is helping his pupils slay their mental demons. One prime example is Willow Oaks member Joey Jordan, who qualified for the U.S. Mid-Amateur earlier this month. Patterson talks about the experience of caddying for Patterson at Erin Hills and shares some tips that might help you quiet some of the negative thoughts that creep up during a round.

VSGA communications intern Ben Walls catches up with two sides who competed in the recent VSGA Parent-Child Championship -- Olivia and Gregory Minjack and Joey and David Jordan. Listen to find out what keeps them coming back to one of the VSGA's most unique events.

The 2022 State Open of Virginia presented by CapTech begins Friday, July 15 at Independence Golf Club in Midlothian. Listen to catch up with four of the event's competitors, including defending champion Evan Beck and last year's low professional, Mark Lawrence Jr.

Grayson Wood and Ross Funderburke will meet in the 109th VSGA Amateur Championship final match on Friday, July 1. We visit with both competitors ahead of the big 36-hole match.

The 109th VSGA Amateur Championship begins Monday, June 27 at Cedar Point Club in Suffolk. Before Sunday's practice round, we caught up with four of the competitors in the field to preview the event -- defending champion Jimmy Taylor, three-time finalist Jordan Utley, 2022 VSGA Four-Ball champ Adam Houck and two-time Senior Open of Virginia champion Dave Pulk.

In this episode of Golf in the Commonwealth, we’re chatting with the defending champion of the VSGA Women’s Stroke Play Championship, Jessica Spicer. A North Carolina native who had a decorated career at Virginia Tech, Jessica and her twin sister Sarah recently won the VSGA Women’s Four-Ball Championship. Jessica talks about how the twins got started in golf, her time in Blacksburg, and her future plans. Stay for the end to hear from UVA alum Steve Serrao, who earlier this week won the VSGA Senior Stroke Play Championship at Chatmoss Country Club.