By Duncan Nixon
Correspondent
Consistent scoring usually wins golf tournaments.
Rose Hall, a homeschooled high school freshman from Yorktown, shot rounds of 74 and 72 to finish at two-over-par 146 on the challenging Lake Monticello course Saturday and Sunday, capturing the Peggy Kirk Bell Commonwealth Classic’s Bell Division by two strokes.
Hall said she has been playing golf since she was seven years old. She was introduced to the sport by her mother and also has an older sister who plays.
The second- and third-place finishers each recorded a one-under-par round of 71 during the tournament. Katherine Yun of Ashburn, a member of the high school class of 2028, finished second with rounds of 71 and 77 for a total of 148.
Kanchana Duangsam, a high school senior from Orlando, Florida, opened with a 78 but followed with a scorching 71 to finish third at 149.
Fourth place went to Adita Lakhawala of Kendall Park, New Jersey, who posted steady rounds of 75 and 75 for a total of 150.
Weather conditions for the Commonwealth Classic were favorable this year, with temperatures in the 50s, some wind, and no rain. A total of 70 young women competed in three divisions.
The older and more experienced players compete in the Bell Division, while generally younger and less experienced golfers play in the Prep and Futures divisions. Several competitors in those divisions still posted impressive scores in the high 70s.
Duangsam may have traveled the furthest to compete at Lake Monticello, but players came from across the region. The field included golfers from Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Ohio, and Maryland, as well as many from throughout Virginia.
The tournament is played over a challenging layout. The Bell Division competes from blended tees measuring about 5,900 yards — roughly 300 yards longer than the senior men’s tees at Lake Monticello and about 900 yards longer than the course’s women’s red tees.
The Commonwealth Classic has been held at Lake Monticello since the University of Virginia’s Birdwood course — its original venue — closed for renovations. Tournament organizers have praised the warm reception and volunteer support provided by the Lake Monticello community.
