State, Regional Golfers Excited to Be Back at 'Well-Run' Junior Event at Bridgeport Country Club
By Michael Minnich on July 16, 2026
In just its second year, the WVU Medicine United Hospital Center Junior Championship at Bridgeport Country Club has already become a destination for some of the best high school golfers in the country, where they are local, regional or even international players.
“It’s (head golf professional) Mike (Gervais) and the entire staff here at Bridgeport Country Club,” AJGA Northeast regional director Adam Brueggman said. “When you have a staff that’s this committed and this dedicated, it makes our job a lot easier. We don’t have to worry about the logistics. We don’t have to worry about things that we might at other events.”
West Virginia golf coach Sean Covich posted from the course on Wednesday, “Watching a Future Mountaineer (and maybe some others!)”
The Future Mountaineer was Charles Town’s Tommy Evans, who has now played in both years of the event.
“It was pretty convenient playing in this,” Evans said. “After the tournament, I just figured I’ll be playing this until I go to college just because I like repping the state so close.”
Rose Hall made the trip from Yorktown, Va., for a second time.
“I played in this tournament last year and I absolutely loved the course and the people,” Hall said. “It was such a well-run tournament, and I was so excited after the last round last year to come back this year.”
“These players play in a lot of tournaments,” Brueggman said. “They know which ones really want them there. This is one of them. They welcome them with open arms. They pretty much say, ‘Feel like you belong. You’re a member here for this week.’
“Bridgeport embraces that. That makes a big difference for those families and those players who are on the road all summer,” Bruegman said. “It makes them want to circle this event on their calendar and say, ‘I want to go play there.’”
Aditi Lakhawala, from Kendall Park, N.J., is in the hunt in the girls tournament in her first year here.
“It’s definitely a more tight course,” Lakhawala said. “Some tee shots are pretty tricky, so having an accurate tee shot is really important here.
“It’s definitely one of the harder courses I play,” Lakhawala said. “These are pretty tiny greens. It’s more of a trickier course than most that I’ve played this year.”
Coming from the flatter part of Virginia, Hall has had to make the adjustment to the features of Bridgeport Country Club.
“I’m not used to hilly courses, but I just feel like this course is very gettable. You can really get some birdies on it,” Hall said. “The course is really fun to play. It’s a different type than what I usually play.”
Lakhawala has experience with hilly courses and makes the appropriate adjustments.
“It’s what club you take. You have to adjust that because it could be way below or way up, one club more or one club less,” Lakhawala said. “Playing well on courses like this gives me a lot of confidence for the rest of the summer.”
Evans, despite his talents, finds Bridgeport Country Club challenging to his play style.
“I like to play a cut off the tee and every tee shot has to be a draw here,” Evans said. “It makes me focus a lot harder and create the shots that I need to hit, which is hard, but I think if I just lay back with using driver, I’ll be fine.”
Evans will get to tee it up down the road at Bridgeport’s Pete Dye Golf Club, WVU’s home course.
“I played there on my visit last year,” Evans said. “It was awesome just to have the opportunity. To have a course that’s so challenging really makes you a better player.”
WVU’s golf program has been a major success story since its revival under Covich a decade ago and in-state players have played a significant role in that.
“I’m so excited. I feel like we’re still kind of laying the foundation in West Virginia,” Evans said. “Hopefully I can just etch my name at West Virginia and be known as one of the greats.
“But we’ll get there when I get there.”
The final round of the tournament is Thursday.
Coming Up: Profiles of the 3 local golfers in this year's tournament.
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