Men's State Team Championship Iron Men: Keith Decker And Frank Vana Jr.

By David Shefter, USGA

Keith Decker has claimed a record 17 major golf titles in Virginia, including seven Mid-Amateurs, three State Opens, two State Amateurs and five 4-Balls.

But all of those wonderful trophies and championships pale in comparison to his one gold medal.

“That’s one of the biggest thrills that I could imagine, in my golf career anyway,” said the 49-year-old from Martinsville. “Getting a gold USGA medal, I mean that’s the same thing that the [champion] at the U.S. Open gets. That’s a pretty small fraternity in the scheme of things.”

Decker won that medal 14 years ago in the inaugural USGA Men’s State Team Championship held at Lake Nona Golf Club in Orlando, Fla., teaming with future U.S. Amateur runner-up and current Champions Tour player Tom McKnight and David Partridge.

Since then, Decker has competed in every Men’s State Team Championship, a streak that will reach eight this coming week on the Lewis and Clark Course at the Country Club of St. Albans outside of St. Louis.

Keith Decker of Martinsville is one of Virginia's most-decorated and come Sept. 23, he will have represented his state in all eighth USGA Men's State Team Championships. (USGA Museum)

Once play begins on Sept. 23, Decker and Massachusetts’ Frank Vana will be the only golfers to have played in all eight State Teams. Vana is a two-time Massachusetts State Amateur winner who was the runner-up in the event this summer to Bill Drohem at The Country Club in Brookline. Vana has won the Massachusetts Player of the Year honor a record nine times and Drohen has called him the state’s “most decorated [amateur] golfer since Francis Ouimet.”

Three female players have competed in all eight Women’s State Team Championships, with Carol Semple Thompson (Pennsylvania), Martha Lang (Louisiana/Alabama) and Susan Marchese (Nebraska) fulfilling the feat earlier this month at Sycamore Hills Golf Club in Fort Wayne, Ind.

The USGA Men’s State Team is a 54-hole stroke-play competition involving three-person teams from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The best two 18-hole scores from each squad are used in figuring the team’s score.

For the past two decades, Decker, a furniture salesman, has been racking up trophies like a kid collecting candy on Halloween. A former two-time All-American at Elon (N.C.) College, where he helped the team win an NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) team title in 1982, Decker chose not to pursue a professional career in the game. He never could envision himself spending hour upon hour on the practice range nor enduring the endless travel.

Decker admittedly hates to practice, preferring to play a couple of times a week at his home club (Chatmoss Country Club) or in the many competitions around the state.

He’s been chosen for the Virginia squad for the USGA Men’s State Team mainly because he’s led the Virginia State Golf Association’s points list virtually every year since it was started in the late 1990s. In fact, Virginia did not have a points system prior to the inaugural Men’s State Team in 1995. The VSGA’s tournament chairman helped pick the squad.

It’s a practice that still is used today, although selections are heavily based on points. Mike Ancel, the VSGA’s Tournament Chairman and his committee chose the three-man squad.

Decker led the 2009 list with Scott Shingler of Haymarket, a former pro who got his amateur status back a few years ago, ranking second. The team’s third member, Pat Tallent of Vienna, was fourth on the list, but No. 1 among seniors. Tallent shared medalist honors at the recent USGA Senior Amateur at Beverly Country Club in Chicago.

Virginia  has not finished worse than a tie for seventh in the Men’s State Team and has twice finished second (1999 and 2001), along with its nine-stroke win over Florida in 1995.

“We feel good about our team,” said Decker. “We don’t know about anyone else’s team. But Pat has had a great year and Scott is truly one of the best players in the state of Virginia. You never know with me who is going to show up.”

Generally, Decker arrives with focus and resolve. Nobody accumulates the amount of trophies he has by performing poorly on the big stage.

“He’s the Tiger Woods of Virginia amateur golf,” Roanoke’s Matt Mankin , one of Virgnia’s most respected amateur golfers, told Roanoke.com back in 2004. “Just look at his record. We all look up to him as the guy to beat.”

But you won’t find Decker tinkering with his swing or spending countless hours with an instructor or sports psychologist. Outside of a warm-up and a few putts, Decker prefers to just play.

“I hate practice,” said Decker, sounding like another Virginia native who stars in another sport (Allen Iverson). “You don’t see me hitting balls on the practice range.

“Fortunately in the state of Virginia, we have some of the best tournaments of anywhere in the country. We have invitational tournaments that are top-notch where we get great players.”

Combine that with a full-time job and four kids – two of his own and two stepchildren – and it’s easy to see why Decker doesn’t have lots of downtime. He’s worked at the same company, American of Martinsville, for 26 years.

So it’s no wonder why Decker cherishes every opportunity to play on the national stage. A few weeks ago, he qualified for his eighth U.S. Mid-Amateur, which will be held Oct. 3-8 at the Kiawah Island (S.C.) Club (Cassique). It will just be his fourth time playing in the event, as he’s been unable to attend in some circumstances due to work commitments. His best finish came in 2003 when he advanced to the third round of match play.

“It never gets old,” said Decker. “Anytime you are obviously playing in a USGA event, that’s the pinnacle for amateurs. It’s as good as it gets. It’s an honor to be invited. They run it second to none. They’re the best.”

David Shefter is a USGA Digital Media staff writer. E-mail him with questions or comments at dshefter@usga.org.