Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, January 13, 1992 TAG: 9201130069
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RANDY KING SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
SUCCESSES BRING HONORS FOR DECKER, HENSLEY
The rest of the area's players could have been given a basketful of mulligans and they still couldn't have prevented Keith Decker from remaining atop the Roanoke Times & World News' annual golf rankings.In one of the most dominating seasons ever by a Timesland player, Decker won eight tournaments, including his second State Amateur championship, and easily retained his No. 1 position among men.
Decker, a 31-year-old furniture sales executive from Martinsville, was selected the Virginia State Golf Association's player of the year last month.
Another Martinsville player, Fran Hensley, was the No. 1 choice among women in the newspaper's rankings. The 48-year-old elementary school teacher won four tournaments, including her hometown Lynwood Invitational.
Lewis Conner, who in June became only the second Roanoker to win the prestigious Bobby Bowers Memorial, was selected No. 1 among juniors.
Decker had an unprecedented year at the state level for an area golfer. In addition to winning the State Amateur, he won his second straight Mid-Amateur (for players 30 and over) and the Kenridge Invitational in his first try.
"It's by far the best year I've had in competitive golf ever," he said. "The only thing I could compare it with was 1988 when I won the State Amateur and probably four other tournaments. I won eight this year, and the quality of the tournaments were much better than in '88."
Among his season's highlights, Decker said, his State Am victory at the Tide's Inn Golden Eagle course in Irvington was tops.
"This State Am was much bigger, . . . a real contrast to [1988]," Decker said. "When I played in Danville in '88, I was up in every match. I was never down. This year, I was down in all five matches plus the 36-hole final."
Decker rallied from three holes down with 16 holes to play to whip former Roanoker Gary Strickfaden 4 and 3 in the final.
Decker's superlative season leaves one question for 1992: What can he do for an encore?
"I'm certainly going to try and duplicate [1991]," he said. "I don't normally set any type of goals starting out the year. One thing I try to do is enter every tournament and try to win the thing. If I don't feel like I can win, I normally don't enter the tournament. From the first tee, I'm thinking win the tournament."
Hensley replaced Floyd's Susan Slaughter, who has turned professional, at the top of the women's list.
"I had an OK season and I'll take it," Hensley said. "I won Lynwood, Glen Oaks in Danville, the South Central in Lynchburg and Bryan Park [in Greensboro, N.C.]. But I usually judge my season by how I do in the big one - the State Amateur."
Hensley lost in the championship-flight quarterfinals in the State Am, which was won by Virginia Beach's Vikki Valentine.
Conner, 18, earned his top ranking despite not playing a high school season. The Virginia Tech freshman won consideration with a slew of strong finishes in a busy summer schedule that included many state-wide events.
In addition to the Bowers title, Conner won the Roanoke Valley Golf Association Junior championship and finished second in the State Juniors Match Play and in the Hall of Fame juniors.
"Winning the Bowers, though, was the big thing," Conner said. "It's such a big tournament with so many good players. It's the biggest tournament I've ever won."