An active-duty Army colonel and Air Force captain were among 13 golf champions crowned last month by the Veteran Golfers Association, a nonprofit group founded in 2014 that already boasts 1,500 members.

Col. Shauna Snyder, with the Army Medical Command inspector general's office, took top honors in the women's bracket, while Air Force Capt. Brandon Johnson, an Air Force Academy graduate stationed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, won the men's event. More than 1,200 golfers began the tournament over four regions, with 82 qualifiers reaching the final held Oct. 16-19 at Fallen Oak Golf Club in Biloxi, Mississippi.

The winners received red jackets, were interviewed on the Golf Channel's "Morning Drive" program Friday as part of its Veterans Day fare, and will be invited along with the other 11 division champs to Augusta, Georgia, in April to witness a Masters practice round at Augusta National Golf Club and play a round at nearby Jones Creek Golf Club as part of the VGA's Tuesday for the Troops charity event.

"Going out there, playing with fellow veterans, meeting new people … you're outside, hopefully it's beautiful weather, you're having a good time," Johnson said during his "Morning Drive" interview, discussing the value of the game as a social and stress-relief activity for service members.

Retired Army Capt. Joshua Peyton co-founded the VGA in 2014, shortly after spending two years at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland, recovering from injuries suffered in a vehicle rollover in Kuwait. Now the group's president and CEO, Peyton said surgeons nearly were forced to amputate his hand as a result of the incident, but he was able to bounce back – with some help from the links.

"There was a group of guys there who were golfing, using golf as a recovery tool," he said. "That kind of started the idea for the association."

Air Force Capt. Brandon Johnson, left, and Army Col. Shauna Snyder took top honors last month at the second-annual Veteran Golfers Association championship in Biloxi, Miss.

Photo Credit: Veteran Golfers Association

The group also stresses the therapeutic benefits of the game that go beyond physical rehabilitation.

"I just got out of the Army in July, so I missed that day-to-day action with the guys and getting into a fun setting such as a golf course," said Adam Napier, who won the men's Combat Wounded A Flight.

Napier, who left service as a captain, earned two Purple Hearts after improvised explosive device attacks in Iraq.

"You're paired with four guys you've never met before and it's like you've been working with them for years," he said in a news release announcing the tournament results.

A $40 membership gets a service member (current or former) or military family member a Golf Digest subscription, discounts on gear and other benefits. The VGA also offers membership and sponsorship opportunities to golf courses. It hosted 125 VGA Tour events this year, with events at public, private and military courses, Peyton said.

The group's other 2016 champions, with service affiliation and rank where applicable:

Veteran: Army Sgt. 1st Class Ruel Poliquit (B Flight), Retired Army Staff Sgt. Michael Beringer (C Flight), Army Sgt. Jeremy Garcia (D Flight).

Combat Wounded: Army Spc. Samual Grove (B Flight), Army Sgt. 1st Class Chris Herrick (C Flight), Army Col. Glenn Blackburn (Wounded Veteran D Flight).

Family: Joel Lynn (A Flight), Craig Hart (B Flight), Patrick McMenomy (C Flight), Susan Blackburn (women's champion).

About Kevin Lilley

Kevin Lilley is the features editor of Military Times.

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