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“This award is special to us because it’s from the golfers,” said Spring Creek PGA master professional and director of golf Jack Snyder. “We’re thrilled that so many of Golf World’s readers have had the opportunity to play Spring Creek and that their experience led them to honor our course in this way.”

More than 46,000 votes and 600,000 criteria evaluations led to Golf World’s Readers’ Choice selections. Spring Creek earned a total score of 91.62 out of 100, based on criteria ranging from the quality and condition of the course, to the amenities being offered, to the overall value provided to the golfer.

About Spring Creek Golf Club

Rated the No. 1 new public golf course under $75 by Golf Digest Magazine in 2007, Spring Creek Golf Club is an 18-hole, semi-private championship golf course, and is the focal point for the Spring Creek gated housing community. For more information, or for tee times, call (540) 832-0744 or visit www.springcreekliving.com.

PADUNGSIRISETH RALLIES TO WIN JUNIOR ALL-STAR AT SPRING CREEK
Sritragul leads to the end and finishes first at Spring Creek Golf Club

GORDONSVILLE, Va. — The final-round result came down to the wire Wednesday at the Junior All-Star at Spring Creek, but it was Meechai Padungsiriseth of Bradenton, Fla., who came out on top with a one-stroke victory at 6-under-par 210. Paveenuch Sritragul of Bangkok, Thailand won the Girls Division with a tournament total of 3-under-par 213.

Conducted by the American Junior Golf Association, the Junior All-Star at Spring Creek was a 54-hole stroke-play event with a 36-hole cut held at Spring Creek Golf Club. The field was made up of 98 boys and 32 girls, ages 12-15, from 23 states, Canada, Mexico, Colombia, the Philippines and Thailand. The Boys Division played the par-72 course at 6,675 yards and the Girls Division played at 5,796 yards.

Padungsiriseth and Hank Lebioda were tied for first with one hole to go, but a closing birdie by Padungsiriseth was enough to win the tournament.

“I hit a good approach shot to four feet and was putting for birdie.” Padungsiriseth said. “I was nervous because I knew what was on the line, but I made it.”

Playing in his fifth Junior-All Star event this summer, Padungsiriseth fired a 4-under-par 68 and hit all 18 greens.

“This is my first AJGA win this summer and I’m glad I gradually played better and worked my way up,” Padungsiriseth said. “I didn’t give up and I am proud to get this win.”

Lebioda of Winter Springs, Fla., had a tournament total of 5-under-par 211to finish second. In third at 1-under-par 215 was Julian Taylor of Greenville, S.C. Tied in fourth place was Stanhope Johnson, Jr., of Greensboro, N.C., and Jonathan DiIanni of Kernersville, N.C., at even-par 216.

Playing in her first AJGA event, Sritragul was the Girls Division leader throughout the event and shot a final-round 1-under-par 71, winning the tournament by five strokes.

“I had six birdies today, my approaches were good and my putting was better than the last two days,” Sritragul said. “On No. 17 I almost got a hole-in-one. The ball lipped out, but I was so excited because I didn’t expect that shot.”

Irina Paulin Gabasa of Cebu, Philippines carded the low final-round 2-under-par 70 to put her in second place with a tournament total of 2-over-par 218. In third at 9-over-par 225 was Cha Cha Willhoite of Palm Desert, Calif.

The American Junior Golf Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the overall growth and development of young men and women who aspire to earn college golf scholarships through competitive junior golf. The AJGA, the largest Association of its kind, has an annual junior membership (boys and girls ages 12-18) of approximately 5,000 junior golfers from 50 states and 25 foreign countries.

Titleist, the AJGA’s National Sponsor, has been the catalyst and driving force behind the Association’s success since 1989. Rolex Watch USA, which is in its third decade of AJGA support, became the inaugural AJGA Premier Partner in 2004. In 2007, after 12 years of support, Polo Ralph Lauren became the AJGA’s second Premier Partner.

AJGA alumni have risen to the top of amateur, collegiate and professional golf. More than 200 former AJGA juniors currently play on the PGA and LPGA Tours and have compiled more than 350 wins. AJGA alumni include Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Jim Furyk, Stewart Cink, Davis Love III, Cristie Kerr, Pat Hurst, Paula Creamer, Brittany Lincicome, Morgan Pressel and Julieta Granada.

The Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy Junior All-Star Series is a collection of nine events specifically designed for boys and girls ages 12-15 and presents opportunities for younger members to develop their skills and earn entry into Open tournaments. Juniors are limited to a maximum combination of five AJGA Open and Junior All-Star Series events during a calendar year. The series concludes with the Montverde Academy Junior All-Star Invitational over Columbus Day weekend for winners and top finishers in the Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy Junior All-Star Series events.

Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy, a full-time junior golf training and development program, enters its first year as an Official Partner of the AJGA. The partnership features an endowment of an Achieving Competitive Excellence (ACE) Grant and the naming rights to the Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy Junior All-Star Series, which will provide juniors access to national competitive golf opportunities.

For more information on the Junior All-Star at Spring Creek call National Headquarters at 770-868-4200.

This article has been re-published from the AJGA website.

The following material is accepted in single stream fashion:  Newspaper, magazines, cardboard, brown paper shopping bags, office type paper, PET bottles (clear water plastic type bottles ), natural plastic (opaque type milk jugs ), color plastic bottles (detergent type jugs), aluminum cans and steel cans.

Please… no plastic bags, plastic pipe, coat hangers, and wire of any kind, chains, and food contaminated containers of any type.

This article was published in the Charlottesville Daily Progress on June 8th.

Dustin Groves had made two remarkable recoveries in a row on Spring Creek’s treacherous par-5 18th hole and figured he was headed to a second playoff hole against fellow competitor Jerry Burton.

All Burton had to do was dunk a two-foot putt for par to extend the match Sunday evening.

Normally Burton, a former pro and a Spring Creek member, could make that putt with his eyes closed. Automatic. Piece of cake.

Not on Sunday.

Burton’s putt slipped just past the hole, ending the match and giving him a second straight runner-up trophy in the second annual Cannon Cup tournament.

“Honestly, I don’t remember being that nervous over a putt in my life,” admitted Burton, who has played in big events as an amateur and professional golfer. “I’m not going to sugarcoat it and say it broke sideways. I pulled up on it. I pulled the putt. It was just nerves.”

Like any golfer, Groves hated to win that way. But, a win is a win and Groves will take it. The former Monticello High golfer, who just finished up at Wake Forest, had come close in local tournaments growing up but first place had always eluded him.

This win couldn’t have come at a better time for the All-ACC golfer.

“The last couple of months I haven’t been getting much out of the game,” said Groves, who played in the NCAA championships a couple of weeks ago. “I’ve been working on a swing change and I’ve been working hard at putting in trying to get ready for the big amateur tournaments this summer. This was a good start and gives me some confidence.”

Groves had felt a round like this coming on and on Sunday, things finally just clicked.

After an opening round of 3-over 75 on Saturday (Friday’s round was washed out), Groves got hot early on Sunday. He played a 12-hole stretch (holes No. 2 through 13) and 8-under par, making six birdies and an eagle, jumping ahead on the leaderboard, though playing several groups in front of the final grouping.

The former Demon Deacon was the leader in the clubhouse at 2-under for the tournament after avoiding disaster on the 18th.

His tee shot sailed into the woods on the right, so deep that he had to take an unplayable and took a one-stroke penalty. The news quickly filtered its way back to the lead pack. Meanwhile, other players, such as Matt Ball and Glenn Mullian were faltering in trying to bring it in.

Groves was undaunted by his troubles. He blasted out to lie three, then lofted a 9-iron to within four feet and made his par putt to head to the clubhouse with the lead and a prayer in his hip pocket.

A few holes behind, Burton and JMU rising junior Matt Neely were battling it out. Neely had just birdied No. 15 to go 2-under, while Burton parred to stay at 1-under.

Both staggered on the par-4, 16th, with Neely suffering a bogey and Burton a double-bogey to go to 1-over. Neely also bogeyed the par-3 17th to go even-par, while Burton birdied after his tee shot rested three feet from the cup.

Deadlocked at even par for the tournament with one hole to play, Burton and Neely realized they needed to eagle the last hole to force a playoff.

Burton’s drive landed in the fairway, 249 yards out, water all down the left side of the hole. Neely bombed his drive well past Burton, and the two must have felt they had a chance.

But Neely’s approach sailed over the green and into a back bunker, meaning he had to hole out to stay alive.

Meanwhile, Burton hesitantly reached for his 3-wood, a club he prefers not to use. He laced it to the middle of the green, 23 feet from the cup, which was tucked, back right.

Neely’s blast from the bunker went 30 feet past the cup, a putt he would make for birdie. Burton knew he had to get it to the hole and drilled it for a birdie-eagle finish to force a playoff.

Returning to the 18th tee box, Groves bent over in anguish after his drive drifted right into the woods again.

“In regulation, I literally hit it five feet from where I did on the playoff hole,” Groves said afterward. “I was just hoping I had a swing the second time. The first time I went in there, I was in the trees and had to take the unplayable. But, hey, a par is a par. There are no pictures on the scorecard.”

Burton put his tee shot well past his drive in regulation, and noting Groves’ predicament, decided not to go for the green this time.

“I had a chance to go for it, but when [Groves] had to pitch out of the woods and had 215 yards to the pin, I decided to hit a 7-iron down to about 100 yards and would see if [Groves] could make par,” Burton said.

The Spring Creek player decided it wasn’t worth the risk to go for the green. His ball was above his feet and then there was all the water on his left, presenting a dangerous shot.

Groves did have a swing and managed to blast it out onto the fairway. Burton did exactly as he had planned and had 104 yards to the pin for his third shot, which came up shorter than he intended, but was still inside his approach shot minutes earlier in regulation.

Groves hit a strong iron shot for his third just off the green on the back fringe.

Lining up their birdie putts, Burton’s was about five feet shorter than his previous eagle putt and a hair to the left. He missed as the putt rolled two feet past the cup.

Groves’ birdie attempt stopped maybe a foot farther from the cup than Burton’s.

At that point it looked like they were destined to play another hole.

Grove efficiently knocked in his par and assumed Burton would do likewise.

“Broke my heart,” Burton said later, recalling the putt that slid past the cup and cost him the tournament. “It couldn’t have been an easier putt. Even the Tour event I qualified for nine years ago, I didn’t have these kind of nerves.

“This wasn’t just a golf tournament to me … this one meant a lot to me,” Burton said. “That’s probably where the nerves came into play. We’ll finish second again, but I’ll get one eventually.

Burton had lost last year’s inaugural Cannon Cup tournament by a single stroke, also on the 18th hole.

Groves, who will play an aggressive amateur schedule the next two months in hopes of making the U.S. Walker Cup team, plans to turn pro at the end of the summer.

But for now, he got that elusive win to boost his confidence for the challenge ahead.

“I haven’t won in a while,” Groves said with a big smile. “And, it feels good to get a win.”

Maryland’s Jim Castagna won the senior division with a 1-over 145, beating Spring Creek’s Richard Suggs by a stroke.

Results from the 2009 Cannon Cup

Congratulations to our 2009 Champions: Dustin Groves (Regular Divison) and Jim Castagna (Senior Division)

The link is a .pdf flie and can be opened using Adobe Acrobat Reader.

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