active season by Matt Pochily

In this engaging interview, Emilia Doran shares her journey from amateur golf to professional broadcasting, her experiences at the Donna Andrews Invitational, and insights into preparing for major tournaments like the US Women's Mid-Am. Discover how her dedication, strategic approach, and the supportive golf community shape her success and love for the game.

The Scott Robertson Memorial returns to Roanoke Country Club — and in this preview episode of the Active Season Podcast, Matt sits down with some of the top junior golfers in the country during practice round week at one of the premier junior invitationals in America.

We catch up with PGA Tour winner and Virginia native Michael Brennan to hear about his win in Utah, his experience at the Masters and relive some shots and memories from his win at the Scott Robertson Memorial as an amateur in 2019. We're joined on the show this week by Justin Young who played alongside Michael in many Virginia events.

This episode covers the vibrant week in Virginia golf, highlighting key tournaments, qualifiers, and players making waves nationally and locally. From the PGA Professional Championship at Bandon to the Virginia State Amateur qualifiers, discover the stories behind the scores and the future stars of golf.

Golf didn’t show up early in Luke’s life — it found him later, somewhere between fatherhood, the pandemic, and a single round that changed everything.

PGA Professional Bryan Jackson grew up playing Ocean View Golf Course in Norfolk, Virginia, before walking onto the golf team at James Madison University. After chasing pro golf through mini tours and side jobs, Bryan pivoted into teaching — a move that unexpectedly led him inside the NASCAR circuit as a traveling golf instructor.

In this episode of This Round’s on Me, we sit down with Travon Willis to talk about the moments that quietly shape a professional golfer’s journey.

This week on This Round’s on Me, we’re joined by professional golfer Ryan Cole, a JMU alum who’s been grinding on tours since graduating in 2017. Ryan breaks down his journey through pro golf—from winning the 2025 Nebraska State Open, to recovering from a bizarre mid-season injury (yes… he fell on an airport escalator), to prepping for Second Stage of Q-School.

This Round’s on Me kicks off with Erica Whitehouse — former standout at Christopher Newport and Charleston Southern, and fresh off her run at the U.S. Women’s Mid-Am.

Jackie Rogowicz shares her journey in golf, from her early days influenced by her father's passion for the sport to her collegiate experience at Penn State. She discusses the evolution of junior golf, the challenges of balancing a full-time career with competitive play, and her decision to pursue amateur golf rather than a professional career. Jackie reflects on her experiences at the Donna Andrews Invitational, including her victory in 2021, and emphasizes the importance of course strategy and community in the sport.

In this conversation, Emilia Migliaccio Doran shares her experiences as a broadcaster and golfer, reflecting on her recent participation in the US Open and her upcoming involvement in the Donna Andrews Invitational. She discusses the challenges and excitement of covering major golf events, her transition from aspiring professional golfer to broadcaster, and the importance of preparation and support in her career. Emilia also highlights her meeting with Donna Andrews and her anticipation for the upcoming tournament, emphasizing the significance of legacy in women's golf.

This conversation explores the experiences of young golfers Logan Reilly, Ben James and Michael Brennan transitioning from amateur to professional play, focusing on their recent competitions, travel experiences, and the importance of fitness and time management in their training. The discussion also highlights their reflections on significant tournaments like the Scott Robertson and offers advice for aspiring young golfers.

In this conversation, Justin shares his journey in golf, from introducing his son to the game to his own experiences growing up playing various sports. He discusses the importance of enjoying the game without pressure, the competitive nature of golf, and his transition to college golf. The conversation also highlights the significance of the Scott Robertson Memorial Tournament, its history, and its role in nurturing young talent in the sport. In this conversation, Justin Young discusses the vision for the Scott Robertson Tournament, the significance of Roanoke Country Club as a premier venue, his personal journey in competitive golf, and the origins and development of The Goat tournament. He emphasizes the importance of community, competition, and continuous improvement in the sport.

Our friend John Rosestock has qualified for the US Mid-Am! Rosey shot 69 at Willow Oaks Country Club to earn the third of four spots into the US Mid-Am field held in September at Kinloch and Independence Golf Clubs in the Richmond region. This is the second time John has qualified for the US Mid-Am but this is even more special with the tournament being held here in Richmond. In this conversation John takes us through his round which included an early double-bogey and a birdie on 18.

Matt is joined by LPGA major winner Donna Andrews to get hyped for The Donna Andrews Invitational this coming weekend (June 30-July 2, 2024) at Boonsboro Country Club in Lynchburg, Virginia. In this episode, Donna talks about growing up at Boonsboro, shares some stories from her time on tour and offers some thoughts on the field and future of The Donna.

Matt catches up with Sky Sload to preview the 2024 Donna Andrews Invitational at Boonsboro Country Club. Sky has played in The Donna since it began in 2019 and come to know Donna personally over the course of her golf career in Virginia. In this episode, Matt and Sky look at the course and areas that can play difficult and talk about keys to playing well and contending at The Donna.

Matt's checking in with a recap of the past few weeks including the work we did around the anniversary of the PGA Championship at Belmont, talking about social media content including takeaways from Name Your Number and a look at what's coming up in the next month of golf around Virginia.

This week on the show we have the pleasure of talking with Bill Potter of The First Tee - Greater Richmond, the organization that manages and operates Belmont Golf Course in Henrico County. Belmont, then Hermitage Country Club, hosted the 1949 PGA Championship won by Virginia's own Sam Snead and to-date is still the only major championship hosted in the commonwealth. Bill talks about the work the First Tee has done at the property to preserve the A.W. Tillinghast's original design while making it accessible for golfers of all levels on multiple entry points.

In this episode, we're going to recap The Signature, which was at The Federal Club over the weekend. That was Friday, May 17th and Saturday the 18th at The Federal Club in Hanover County, an Arnold Palmer signature design course really in great shape, a little bit softer than it has been traditionally for this event, but in great shape.n For this episode, we're playing the post round interviews in their entirety versus the selected clips that make the post-round videos.

Matt previews the 2024 Signature at The Federal Club with the help of Federal Club head pro Scott Graber, along with defending champion Joey Jordan and Federal Club member Adam Houck. In the episode, we hear about Joey's excitement to return and defend his title while Scott and Adam talk about course conditions and Adam goes deep into strategy. Matt also runs through some of the field, many players from the top 30 of VSGA player rankings in the event and all of them playing well.

Thomas Lawton came to the 2015 Fox Puss just out of his sophomore season at Jacksonville State before before flying home to England for the summer. He'd go on to win the event in a five-hole playoff, eventually work as a professional at Boonsboro and now works as a financial advisor in Lynchburg and is a member at the club. We talk about his 2015 win and overall experience of the event.

Two-time Fox Puss Champion, Korn Ferry Tour member and reigning State Open of Virginia Champion Connor Burgess joins us to talk about his victories at the Fox Puss, course strategy for Boonsboro and the experience of the event.

Matt talks with Jordan Utley after he's returned from The Gasparilla to hear about the experience of the event, recap how preparations went for the tournament and look ahead to The Valentine Invitational at Hermitage Country Club in August. Watch the video of Jordan preparing for The Gasparilla at https://youtu.be/sxxJACdS-lo.

Hi. I'm Matt. Welcome to the Active Season podcast! The podcast is a companion to our YouTube videos of golf stories and tournaments across Virginia. You're hear exclusive conversations with golfers and industry folks on the channel as well as audio from tournaments we've covered throughout the season. There's always an active season of golf in Virginia and that's what we're here to share.