One of Virginia’s premier junior golf events is underway as the 74th VSGA Junior Stroke Play Championship teed off Tuesday at the Pete Dye River Course of Virginia Tech.
More than 70 golfers from across the commonwealth competed in the opening round, facing a challenging course that yielded just four under-par scores.
Among the leaders is Floyd’s Isiah Cantrell, who sits tied for first at -2 after the opening round.
While the competition is fierce, players say one of the tournament’s biggest draws is the opportunity to connect with fellow junior golfers from around the state.
“I mean, it’s awesome,” said Jack Skinner, a rising Senior at Blacksburg High School. “Today I played with someone I’ve never met before. The good thing is I’m about to graduate, so I’ve been in junior golf for a while. I know a lot of the people here, and it’s always fun to see my buddies from all over the state and play with them because I normally don’t get the chance. It’s a lot of fun. You meet a lot of new people and make a bunch of new friends.”
“You kind of see how much everybody has in common out here. I think that’s cool,” said Cameron Sharp, who will play golf at Wofford College.
The championship continues Wednesday and finishes Thursday. The entire scoreboard can be found here.