Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, June 11, 1993 TAG: 9306110014
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Six-time champion Roanoke Country Club and five-time titlist Blue Hills, still stewing over Hanging Rock's victory in its Hall of Fame debut, will be primed for revenge when the 20th Hall of Fame starts today at Blue Hills.
The team tournament, which pits the 12 best players from each of nine area clubs, continues Saturday at Hidden Valley and concludes Sunday at Hanging Rock.
"Yeah, it's a big deal to win this thing," said RCC's Mike Smith. "We all want to win the title back. We've talked about it all year. We're not going in expecting to win, but we certainly feel we can."
RCC, seeking the first three-peat in tournament history, lost to Hanging Rock by 14 shots last year. Blue Hills, which hasn't won the crown since 1987, was third, 20 shots back.
The advantage of playing the final round on its home course might not be enough this time for Hanging Rock, which has lost the services of two of its top players. Jim Wright, who finished third, and Mike Gardner, who was 15th, have turned professional.
"A lot of people are saying we don't have a chance," said Hanging Rock's Robert Floyd. "There are some dissenters. But the final round is on our course, so you never know."
Hanging Rock has a solid top five from last year's team - individual champ Bobby Penn, Jason Perdue, Bill Burton, John Marsinko and Floyd - but the rest of the lineup could be described as suspect. Somebody will have to emerge each day as the sixth "counter," and the pressure will be immense on the top five to post solid numbers each day.
RCC, which unquestionably has the deepest team, has been bolstered by the addition of Miller Baber, a one-time pro who recently regained his amateur status.
"Miller will help us," Smith said, "but our big problem right now is that nobody on our team seems to be playing very well right now."
Smith, who finished second to Penn in the individual competition last year, said, "Blue Hills is the team to beat."
"Playing the first round over there is a big advantage for those guys," Smith said. "There's a lot of home cooking over there. [Mark] Funderburke, [Don] Foster, Hunter [Morrissette] and [Dan] Keffer . . . there's not many guys on that team you want to play day in and day out on that course. That bunch will play anybody in Roanoke for about anything you want to play for."
Penn, who has won the individual crown the last two years he has competed (1982 and '92), is the odds-on favorite again. His top rivals include RCC's Jake Allison, '89 winner Smith, Baber, Perdue, Morrissette, reigning Valley Amateur champion Foster and Hunting Hills' Tim Gliniecki and Lewis Conner.
The women's portion of the tournament begins Saturday. Countryside, led by 1992 individual champion Sara Cole, is the heavy favorite to claim its second consecutive team title.
Among those expected to challenge Cole for the individual crown are: last year's runner-up, Kathy Dodd of RCC; four-time champion Penny Stallins of RCC; Hidden Valley's Dot Bolling; 16-year-old Lee Shirley of Hunting Hills; 1991 champion Mar-C Milona of Countryside; and perennial contender Marilyn Bussey, also from Countryside.
by CNB