Ben Lasso, a resident of Falls Church, will be competing alongside top professional and amateur golfers at the upcoming SunTrust Open of Virginia, held from July 16 – 19.
Lasso qualified after finishing first at the Northern Virginia Regional Qualifier at the Chantilly Country Club in early June.
Lasso shot two under par over 36 holes in the one-day qualifier. Despite heavy rain prior to the qualifier tournament, Lasso managed to never go above par the entire course.
With a final score of 142, he finished ahead of Jeffrey Topp of Fairfax and Jimmy Delp of Arlington, who tied each other for second place with 145. Mike Kirby of Falls Church also qualified with a score of 149.
Only 12 of the regional’s 108 competitors advanced to the SunTrust Open, which will be held at the Independence Club in Midlothian, Va., the headquarters of the Virginia State Golf Association.
Qualifiers from 10 additional regional qualifiers and exempt players will join the Northern Virginia contingent, with 168 golfers competing in the 72-stroke play event.
Lasso is currently a junior at Queens University of Charlotte, where he is a member of the golf team.
The young golfer played prolifically in high school, as part of George Mason High School’s golf team for two years before transferring to Heritage Academy in Hilton Head, S.C. to learn more at the International Junior Golf Academy.
Since then, Lasso has garnered numerous distinctions as a golfer at tournaments across the Mid-Atlantic region.
