WILLIAMSBURG -- Brinson Paolini never trailed and defeated Roger Newsom 1-up in an all Virginia Beach duel over 36 holes for the Virginia State Golf Association's 95th State Amateur Championship on the River Course at Kingsmill Resort & Spa on Saturday.

At 17 years old, Paolini is believed to be the youngest winner of the State Am since Chandler Harper won the first of his three VSGA State Am titles in 1930 at the age of 16.

Paolini, a rising senior at Frank W. Cox High School, also won the VSGA Junior Amateur Championship last summer and is the first player to hold both titles at the same time.

"It feels great," Paolini said of approaching Harper's mark. "To be in the same sentence as somebody of his stature is a very big accomplishment. It makes me feel very blessed."

Newsom, the father of four daughters, was impressed by the youngster.

"I told Brinson if I had a son, I would wish that they could play like him," Newsom, a 44-year-old ophthamologist said. "He's kind of an All-American kid. I think he's a great person to emulate -- good manners, good work ethic. He'll go a long way no matter what he does."

The match was close throughout, and not lacking for excitement.

The championship match was the first to go 36 holes since 1998, when Suffolk's Jay Fisher scored a 2-up victory over Vienna's Pat Tallent at the Golden Eagle Golf Club in Irvington.

BASEBALL

Mets down Mariners

KINGSPORT, Tenn. -- The Kingsport Mets scored 12 runs in the first three frames and held on to down Pulaski, 14-3.

Shortstop Wilmer Flores stroked a three-run homer in the third and had two more hits to pace the Mets.

-- Staff, wire reports