Blacksburg, Va. – Blacksburg golfer Lanto Griffin’s career exploded after winning the Houston Open in October of 2019. The 32-year old former VCU golfer has six top ten finishes on the PGA tour since. Lanto is currently ranked 69th in the world and this week he is giving back to his home course and home community by hosting a junior golf championship in his name.
“I played the AJGA in 2005 or 1006, then I went off to college. So 15 years later to host an event at my home course in Blacksburg, Virginia and raise a bunch of money for local charities is really cool,” Griffin says.
“He came and picked me up and we played two holes and he was talking about how he played here as a kid, and not a lot of people come out of Blacksburg go on the tour so Lanto being one of them is pretty cool and having his own tournament here is fun,” third grade golfer Major Ewing says.
The AJGA’s Lanto Junior Championship runs through Thursday, with boys and girls ages 12-19 competing on the course where Lanto cut his teeth--Blacksburg Country Club.