THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, October 18, 1996 TAG: 9610180718
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C8 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: 44 lines
There will be a newness to the 51st annual Virginias-Carolinas Match, a Ryder Cup-style event that begins today at Bayville Golf Club.
There's a new course - the 7,100-yard, par-72 Bayville, which was officially unveiled over the summer.
And there are some new faces from points nearby, primarily 22-year-olds Billy Judah of Chesapeake and Troy Ferris of Virginia Beach.
Those two will pair up this afternoon against Steve Slayden and Bob Stranger when the event tips off with 12 two-man, best-ball matches.
``(Judah and Ferris) are our secret weapons,'' said Virginia State Golf Association executive director David Norman. ``They're used to playing in the wind at the beach, and both guys can putt like demons.''
Judah considers his pairing with Ferris the best for both golfers.
``We play a lot together and are real comfortable with it,'' Judah said. ``We hope to play well. We're kind of like the new breed moving in.''
The Virginias team could have had a major youth injection, but two potential team members, University of Virginia graduates Jimmy Flippen and Simon Cooke, both turned pro this summer.
Two other top players from the state, Virginia Tech's Curtis Deal of Chesapeake and Virginia Commonwealth University's John Rollins of Richmond, cannot play because they are still competing at the collegiate level.
The Virginias team is made up of players from West Virginia and Virginia while the Carolinas team consists of individuals from North and South Carolina. Both teams consist of eight senior players and 16 regulars.
The Carolinas team holds a 38-12 edge, but the Virginias squad has won three of the last eight matches, with its most recent victory in 1993.
Bayville pro Dean Hurst insists the players will be in store for a challenge on the new Tom Fazio-designed course.
``The conditions are incredible,'' he said. ``The greens are as fast as anything you'd ever play, even on the PGA Tour.''
NOTES: Today's featured match will be Vinny Giles and Tom McKnight vs. Paul Simpson and Steve Harwell in the last grouping at 12:50 p.m. Simpson is the sixth-ranked amateur in the U.S. . . . Suffolk's J.P. Leigh is also representing the Virginias team and tees off with Virginia State Open champion Keith Decker of Fieldale. MEMO: Staff writer Ed Miller contributed to this report. by CNB