Sam Stilwell

School: Dominion
Sport: Golf
Years playing: Four
GPA: 3.8
Favorite Golfer: Luke Donald
Favorite Club: 52 degree wedge

Staring at a five-stroke deficit heading into day two of the Virginia AA state golf tournament, Dominion High School junior Sam Stilwell was aiming for an even par round in hopes of earning a spot among the tournament’s medalists.

Instead, Stilwell shot the round of his young life - a 5-under par 66 - to win the state individual championship, becoming just the third Loudoun golfer to do so.

Stilwell’s stellar round brought his two-day total to an even par 142, one stroke better than Nick Bredinger of Cave Spring. Bredinger and Jamestown’s Trevor Times led the tourney - contested Oct. 10-11 at Shenandoah Valley Golf Club in Front Royal - after day one with rounds of 71.

“After the first day, my goal was to shoot right around par the second day and just try to medal if I could,” Stilwell said. “And then putts started rolling in ... I started hitting wedges close and made a couple of long putts.”

Stilwell - in his third season on Dominion’s golf team and fourth year of playing competitively - said his accomplishment started sinking in later that evening at home.

“I finished up some homework for the next day and was alone for a little bit. I was like, wow, this is pretty cool.”

He joins Potomac Falls’ Garrett Pike (2001) and Loudoun County’s Kenny Roseberry (1999) as local state golf champions. Dominion’s Sara Hurwitch won the Virginia Girls Open Championship in 2004, while Loudoun Valley won the state team title in 1994 and Potomac Falls were team champs in 2001.

“It feels really good,” Stilwell said. “I’ve had a lot of people come up to me when I’ve walked down the hall the last few days ... It’s been kind of cool.”

Stilwell’s individual championship caps off a stellar season for coach Jon Abbett and the Titans. Dominion won its first-ever Dulles District regular-season championship earlier this fall. 

“Our top three or four play in tournaments almost year-round,” Stilwell said. “We are used to playing tournament golf which is a lot different than just knocking it around with your friends. Our top three were pretty consistent and then our bottom three, at least one would have a good day. That happened almost every time.”