Guanzon Finishes Third at Class 4 State Golf Championship; Baxter Seventh, Laughon Tied for Eighth

All three Greater Lynchburg qualifiers finish among the top 10 at Cutalong, with E.C. Glass standout Nikko Guanzon shooting 1-under 71.

MINERAL, Va. — E.C. Glass golfer Nikko Guanzon capped an outstanding season Monday with a third-place finish at the VHSL Class 4 State Golf Championship at Cutalong at Tributer Resort near Lake Anna.

Guanzon shot a 1-under-par 71, finishing just two strokes behind state champion Jack Kerrigan of Broad Run, who won with a 3-under 69. Jamestown's Aiden Connor finished second with a 2-under 70.

Amherst County's Caitlyn Baxter placed seventh with a 1-over 73, while E.C. Glass senior Preston Laughon tied for eighth with a 3-over 75.

All three Greater Lynchburg qualifiers finished among the top 10 in the 60-player field.

Guanzon Caps Outstanding Season with Third-Place Finish

Guanzon played the front nine in even-par 36 before shooting a 1-under 35 on the back. His round featured four birdies, including one at Cutalong's risk-reward par-5 14th hole, which course officials had identified before the tournament as a potential factor in determining the championship.

He closed with four consecutive pars to secure third place, just two strokes behind Kerrigan.

The performance completed a season in which Guanzon won six of nine regular-season tournaments, finished second twice and tied for fifth in the other. He also recorded rounds of 71 and 72 in his two postseason qualifying tournaments.

E.C. Glass coach Jeffrey McCall had praised Guanzon's consistency and confidence entering the championship, noting that he averaged under par during the regular season.

Baxter Rallies on Back Nine to Finish Seventh

Caitlyn Baxter recovered from a difficult opening nine to finish with a 1-over 73.

After shooting a 3-over 39 on the front nine, including a double bogey at the par-3 seventh, she rallied with a 2-under 34 on the back.

Despite back-to-back bogies at 15 and 16 the Amherst County standout recorded four birdies on the back nine, including one at the par-5 14th and another at the demanding par-4 18th.

Baxter entered the championship following consecutive sizzling postseason victories, shooting an 8-under 63 at Hidden Valley Country Club and a 6-under 66 at Winchester Country Club.

She had finished tied for second at the 2025 state championship, just one stroke behind Salem's Ashnoor Kaur.

Kaur, the defending champion, shot even-par 72 Monday and finished tied for fourth.

Laughon Closes With Eight Consecutive Pars

Laughon delivered one of the steadier rounds of the championship, recording 15 pars and three bogeys on his way to a 3-over 75 and a tie for eighth place.

The E.C. Glass senior played his first seven holes at even par before bogeys at Nos. 8, 9 and 10 moved him to 3-over.

He then closed with eight consecutive pars, including at Cutalong's challenging finishing hole.

The performance capped a strong postseason for Laughon, who shot consecutive rounds of 69 in the sub-regional and regional championships to earn his first state tournament appearance.

Weekend Rain Adds to Championship Challenge

The championship followed a weekend of 1.2" of heavy rain that forced the cancellation of Sunday's scheduled practice rounds.

Tournament officials implemented lift, clean and place rules for Monday's competition.

Cutalong officials had identified the speed of the greens, Bermuda grass surrounding the putting surfaces and several strategically challenging holes as important factors for competitors unfamiliar with the course.

Despite the conditions, all three Greater Lynchburg golfers finished in the top 10.

BAIRD PRIVATE WEALTH MANAGEMENT LEADERBOARD

VHSL Class 4 State Golf Championship

Monday, Oct. 12, 2026 | Cutalong at Tributer Resort, Mineral, Va.

Individual Leaders --Entire Individual Leaderboard can be found here

Team Standings--Entire Team Leaderboard can be found here

⛳ Next on the Tee: LCA Pursues Class 3 Championship

Liberty Christian Academy competes Tuesday in the VHSL Class 3 State Golf Championship at Cutalong.

The Bulldogs, runners-up in 2025, are making their third consecutive state championship appearance as a team. Five players return from last year's squad, and coach Josh Gilmore's team has spent the season rallying around its motto: “One Team, One Goal.”

LCA State Championship Tee Times — Tuesday, Oct. 13

• 10:00 a.m. — Tanner Hesse
• 10:10 a.m. — Logan Walker
• 10:20 a.m. — Matthew Stephens
• 10:30 a.m. — Dylan Maddox
• 10:40 a.m. — Ripken Colling
• 10:50 a.m. — Baylor Ritter

Follow the Action — Scoring Class 3 State Championship

Follow Liberty Christian Academy's six golfers as the Bulldogs pursue the VHSL Class 3 state championship.

Follow LCA's scores and the Class 3 tournament on Golf Genius.