Virginia Golf Comes to Lynchburg and Boonsboro CC for the 52nd Playing of the FOX PUSS Invitational

Guest commentary, analysis by

Chal Nunn MD, Boonsboro Member and President of the Vermont Seniors Golf Association

I moved to Lynchburg 25 years ago for many of the reasons others came – temperate climate, beautiful old homes, scenic mountains, and great schools. There also seemed to be a special community spirit that made this a wonderful place to live.

One of the best assets of Central Virginia is great golf and what I personally consider the best course in the state, is right here in Lynchburg--Boonsboro CC. The chance to play regularly at Boonsboro played a key role in my decision to move to Lynchburg. I am not alone in recognizing that it has a spectacular classic layout with great conditions. These same attributes continue to attract—and challenge—the best amateur golfers, even those who can hit it a mile and regularly compete with the nation’s top talent.

A Legacy of Champions, Community, and Virginia Golf Excellence

There has also a rich leadership history in the Virginia golfing world over the decades.

Some of the key golfers and leaders who have helped make this happen are 5 former Presidents of the Virginia State Golf Association (VSGA): HM Blakenship, CW Hancock, Ed Key, Vinny Giles, and Grant Key. There is a plaque on the first tee at Boonsboro from the VSGA commemorating these efforts.

Charlie Hancock (“Fox”) and Bunny Blankenship (“Puss”) founded the Fox Puss in 1971 to attract the best amateur golfers and to test how well they could manage Boonsboro. The tournament’s name comes from the nicknames of its two founders.

This year’s tournament at Boonsboro will be held Friday, May 2 through Sunday, May 4, with a split-tee start on holes 1 and 10 each day. Tee times will begin at 7:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. throughout the three-day event.

Tournament chairman is Norman Darden, a longtime member and the current President of the Club. When I asked him why he took on the role, he said simply, “I love golf, I love Boonsboro, I love Lynchburg, and I want to give back to the golfing community.” Norman is also a candidate for the VSGA board of directors and could one day become Boonsboro’s sixth president of the VSGA. Boonsboro’s contributions to Virginia golf show no signs of slowing.

Many notable golfers have come out of Boonsboro, none bigger than Vinny Giles—the icon of Virginia amateur golf. Giles won the Fox Puss six times and claimed titles in the U.S. Amateur, U.S. Senior Amateur, British Amateur, Western Amateur, VSGA Amateur (seven times), VSGA Senior Amateur (three times), Eastern Amateur, Southern Amateur, and played in the Masters nine times. His portrait, along with those of other legendary golfers, hangs in the clubhouse at Royal Portrush Golf Club—the site of this year’s British Open. Not a bad legacy for a kid from Lynchburg’s Royal Boulevard who used to sneak onto Oakwood Country Club to learn the game.

Boonsboro has produced several other standout players who made their mark as youngsters in the 1960s and 1970s. Among them are Dr. Rick Bendall, who bunked in the Crow’s Nest at Augusta National during the 1972 Masters (where he played alongside Ben Crenshaw) and won the Virginia State Open twice; and John Bruce, who won the State Open of Virginia four years in a row. Interestingly, neither Bendall nor Bruce ever won the Fox Puss—an example of just how elite and fiercely competitive this tournament has always been.

Boonsboro members who have won the Fox Puss include Connor Burgess who played golf at Virginia Tech, won here twice and holds the tournament scoring record at 199 or 14 under par. Jimmie Massie who played at UVA won in 2018 and Tom Lawton in 2015. Lawton fired the 2024 tournament's low round 65 on Sunday, finishing fifth at 1 over. 

Other notable golfers who have won the Fox Puss not from Lynchburg are 6 time winner Keith Decker and 2024 Fox Puss Super Senior Champion David Partridge.

Neil Shipley- won the Fox Puss in 2020 and 2021, was the low amateur at the 2024 Masters where he played with and bested Tiger Woods. Shipley won recently at the 2025 Lecom Suncoast Classic on the Korn Ferry tour April 19^th

Logan Riley won the Fox Puss at age 16 and now attends school at Auburn where they have won a national championship.

Who Will Write the Next Chapter at This Year’s Fox Puss?

What new history will be made this year at the Fox Puss? What new stars will emerge from the youth movement?

I interviewed 3 contestants in this year’s field I plan to follow over the 3-day tournament to see how their game, aspirations and hopes to match their actual performance.

First is Luke Libbey a Lynchburg native and the son of Chris and Annie Libbey who are local dentists. Luke is in his first year at Liberty. He chose to go there because he liked the coach, and the practice facilities are impressive on Candler Mountain where they are also completing an 18-hole golf course with 6 greens each with 3 fairways. They play a national schedule that included Hawaii and playing against the best such as Auburn. He says he is about the 4^th ranked player on the team and competition for the top 5 spots is intense.

I asked Luke about the competition, and he said Nikita Gubenko with a handicap index of +5.0 and Ashton Haper with a handicap index of +6.4 may be players to watch. Luke’s index is +2.9.

Golfers typically talk about their competition with respect and appreciation of their game more like a friend which makes the competitive aspects of golf different and why they call it a gentlemen’s game. I hear that in the voices of the young players I interview.

Luke says he feels good about his game right now and thinks he has a chance. He admits Boonsboro is a short course by today’s standards but holds its own against the best players because of its undulating greens, most notably hole #8 and hole #12. #12 (picture #2) is usually played as a short par 4 which you count on making birdie or eagle, but if you end up on the wrong level you usually have a 3 putt, and I have seen 4 putts.  Hole # 8 is plain hard to putt (picture #3) particularly if you are above the hole when the pin is on the front.

Luke also says the tall and thick, rough is another equalizer that protects Boonsboro and keeps golfers from going low. If it rains and the course gets wet, contrary to most courses, Boonsboro gets harder because that deep wet rough grabs your club and ball and will not let go.

Talon Dingledine of Richmond is an 18-year-old Monacan HS student. He is attending William and Mary next year and has hopes his game matures enough where he can go pro. He has a handicap index of 5.5 and has played Boonsboro several times in the Virginia / North Carolina junior matches and the state amateur. He feels his game suits the course and by looking at past scores if he can play 3 rounds under par he has a chance. He comes from a golfing family with a dad who plays scratch and has an older cousin of his grandfather who is a pro at the CC of Barre in Vermont who I work with putting together golf tournaments in the summer.

Tim Kelley is a framing contractor from Richmond who has played competitive senior golf in Viriginia for years. He is originally from Texas, and he loves the Fox Puss as he calls it “The Masters of Virginia.”  He likens driving down Boonsboro CC Drive to the drive down Magnolia Lane as it winds through the course that is always in peak condition for the Fox Puss.

He favors the Fox Puss over most other tournaments because of the warm welcome the contestants get from Camp Burton the long-time starter, the 50 or more volunteers helping on the course, the social informal dinners on Friday and Saturday nights, and the hospitality of the members who serve on the committee to run the tournament.

The Contenders Take the Stage—But It’s Boonsboro That Sets It

Unlike many private clubs that host similar tournaments, Boonsboro makes players feel genuinely welcome and valued. That hospitality helps create a highly competitive field—where winning means you're truly a champion, all in a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere.

This culture is set by the members and the pros. It was there with former Boonsboro Director of Golf John Comninaki and continues with Boonsboro Director of Golf Aaron Marks and Head Golf Professional David Phillips. Special recognition goes to Ken O’Brien, Boonsboro’s head golf course superintendent, along with his predecessor Steve Vessels and the entire maintenance crew, for the outstanding preparation and upkeep of this exceptional course. The greens superintendent often holds the toughest job in golf—fielding complaints about course conditions (especially from those not playing well) and managing the constant risk of issues, from a misapplied chemical to a hydraulic leak from a green's mower. I’ve included a photo of Ken alongside the one member of the course who never complains—his golden retriever. You cannot be a greens superintendent without this companion.

You can see in the pictures Ken working on green #9 where there was just such a hydraulic leak. Ken still has a smile on his face and that cup is full of sand filler he is pouring on the sod to repair the leak. Maybe he should put something stronger in the cup with all he has to do this weekend. These repairs should work nicely, and #9 green will be ready for play. All the greens will be hard and fast after they are double cut and rolled to give the golfers a true Boonsboro test.

Come out and follow your favorite. Set up a chair behind holes 8 or 12 to watch the putting fireworks—or just relax and take in the views. The weather looks promising, and who knows? We may just witness the rise of Virginia’s next golf star.

Welcome to the Fox Puss.