WV Press Release Sharing
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — In a closely fought battle throughout the day, Christian Brand of Scott Depot took the title at the 89th West Virginia Open over defending champion professional (p) David Bradshaw of Harpers Ferry by three strokes. Brand finished the tournament at ten under par 206, while Bradshaw scored a seven under par 209. Brand previously won the championship in 2014 and 2015, while Bradshaw is a 12-time champion.
Brand’s comment after tying Bradshaw yesterday at the conclusion of the second day proved to be prophetic. “The expectation is to win tomorrow,” said Brand. And he did. Christian Brand now joins an elite group of players in West Virginia golf history to have three or more West Virginia Open wins, including the great Bill Campbell, Sam Snead, David Bradshaw, Barney Thompson, Scott Davis, Clem Wakeman, Ed Tutwiler and Mike White.
“Let me give a sincere thank you to Stonewall Resort for being such a great host for this 89th playing of the West Virginia Open Championship,” said West Virginia Golf Association (WVGA) Executive Director Brad Ullman. “Christian is a great champion and we are excited to have him back and playing golf in our state.”
“Congratulations to Christian Brand and all the qualifiers. We thank Brad, the WVGA staff and the board for bringing it to Stonewall Resort for the first time,” said Stonewall’s Head Golf Professional Mike Rogers. “We had a great week hosting and wanted to make this fun for the whole family since life is better at the lake.”
“I can’t say enough to thank WVGA staff Brad Ullman and Chris Slack for their excellent work and leadership this week. Thanks to Stonewall Resort and the staff and management of the Palmer Course for such a great week for the 89th West Virginia Open,” said WVGA President Phil Reale. “We have an outstanding champion in Christian Brand and welcome him back to our ranks in West Virginia. It was great seeing so many people come out to support their friends, family members and favorite golfers this week.”
Other highlights today saw Brand and Christian Boyd of Charles Town each scoring seven birdies, Philip Reale of Hurricane and Nick Fleming of Cabins each scoring six birdies and Will Evans (p) of Charleston
scoring five birdies.
Rounding out the top ten finishes are:
- Third – Thadd Obecny II (p) of Wheeling at (-3) 213;
- Tied for fourth at (-1) 215 – Nick Fleming of Cabins; and Sam O’Dell of Hurricane;
- Tied for sixth at (+3) 219 – Brian Anania of Hurricane; Howie Peterson of Weirton; and Cam Roam of Huntington;
- Tied for ninth at (+4) 220 – Christian Boyd of Charles Town; Kenny Hess (p) of Parkersburg; and.
The WVOPEN Championship has a rich 88-year history. Legendary professional golfer Sam Snead holds the record for the most WV OPEN victories at 17. The WV OPEN features the best amateur and professional golfers in West Virginia, competing for over $35,000 in prizes. For today’s leaderboard, visit WV Open Leaderboard. You can follow along with live scoring of the 89th West Virginia Open by CLICKING HERE. For more information please visit wvga.org. -30- About the West Virginia Golf Association (WVGA): Founded in 1913, the West Virginia Golf Association is dedicated to promoting and preserving the game of golf in West Virginia. It is our privilege to protect and share the rich history of golf in West Virginia through the West Virginia Golf Hall of Fame. We serve as a central source of information for our Member Clubs and generally represent the United States Golf Association (USGA) through administering the USGA Handicap System and Course/Slope Rating System, conducting qualifying rounds and overseeing amateur status matters. We introduce elementary school children to golf and safety, core values and healthy habits through the First Tee of West Virginia and develop young players through our Callaway Junior Rookie League and Callaway Junior Tour events for boys and girls under 18. We host one-day events and tournaments, which highlight the best amateur and professional golfers in the state, throughout the season for men, women, juniors and seniors. We encourage people of all ages to pursue and benefit from the opportunities for competition, camaraderie and health offered by the sport of golf. Our membership consists of 85 Member Clubs and over 11,000 individual golfers throughout the state of West Virginia.
