Falcons Advance to State Golf Tourney

By Paul Tenorio

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Behind steady play from its top players and an extraordinary score from junior Michael Birmingham, Briar Woods captured the Region II golf championship Tuesday at Brambleton Regional Park in Ashburn. With the win the Falcons advance to the AA state tournament on Monday and Tuesday Oct. 8-9 at Fincastle Golf Club in Bluefield, Va.

The Falcons had five players shoot 81 or better and won the tournament title with a score of 305. Western Albermarle also qualified for the state tournament by finishing second with a score of 311.

“It’s always fun watching the guys play as well as they did,” Coach Bob Vitti said. “It’s great for the school, it’s great for the kids. They deserve it they’re working really hard.”

Birmingham captured the individual championship with a 4-under 72. The junior birdied eight holes en route to shooting 68, with a double-bogey on six and two bogeys on the back nine the only blemishes.

“Eight birdies in one round, that’s pro-caliber stuff,” Vitti said. “Pros come out with doubles and bogeys as well in an average round, so 68 is good for anything and in high school you just don’t hear of many rounds in the sixties.”

Briar Woods’s home course is Brambleton and Birmingham said he has played over 100 rounds there, crediting that familiarity as one reason for his success.

“Today I just treated it like it was the first day of summer just playing with the guys again,” Birmingham said. “I didn’t think of it as the regional tournament, just as another round at Brambleton.”

Briar Woods juniors Carl Brendes and Ethan Ochs and sophomore Jon Howard all shot 79 for the Falcons to round out the top four of the team score.

Freedom-South Riding junior Tyler Blake (78) and Heritage senior Christian Darden (76) also qualified for the state tournament.

Extra Points

By Paul Tenorio and Matt Brooks