Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, June 13, 1993 TAG: 9306140166
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: E8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Conner, 19, fired a brilliant 4-under-par 32 on the back nine Saturday at Hidden Valley Country Club to open a two-shot lead heading into today's final round of the 20th Roanoke Valley Golf Hall of Fame men's tournament.
Conner finished with a 1-under 70, leaving him at 1-under 141 through two rounds. Salem's Barry Graham, who had a 70 on Saturday, and 65-year-old Arman Fletcher, who manufactured a sterling 69, are tied for second at 143.
Defending champion Bobby Penn, who at one time Saturday was in position to squash the field, is tied for fourth at 144 with reigning Valley Amateur champion Don Foster. Penn, who was 5 under through 10 holes, unraveled down the stretch and finished with a 71. Foster fired his second consecutive 72.
Hunter Morrissette, who tied Fletcher for the day's best round of 69 by holing a sand wedge from 90 yards for an eagle-2 on the par-4 18th, and long-shot Rodney Naff (73) are four shots back.
In the team competition, Blue Hills took dead aim at its record-tying sixth title with a stout 5-over 431 total. Blue Hills, which was five shots back in third when the round began, leads Hunting Hills by 11 and Hidden Valley by 13.
Blue Hills rebounded from Friday's first-round disappointment, in which it soared to an 18-over 444. "We shoot 13 shots better here than at home," said Blue Hills professional Billy King. "Go figure that one."
Nothing figured Saturday.
First, there was Penn's roller-coaster ride. Playing his old home course, he made the turn in a personal-best 4-under 31 to snare the lead. When Penn rolled in a 15-footer at No. 10 for his fifth birdie in seven holes, he seemed primed to walk over the field with his size-15 cleats.
Then, the wheels came off. He left an 8-footer for birdie short on the 11th green, located only a flip wedge from his house. He proceeded to bogey three of the next four holes. Then, in a painful ending, he three-putted from four feet on the 18th, making double-bogey 6 and settling for a 71.
"When I made the turn in 31 - that's my best ever here by three shots - I thought I was really in good shape," Penn said. "I wasn't really thinking about 64 or 65, because every time you do that it backfires. But anybody with any game at all could have shot 7 or 8 under after the front side I had.
"I just hit a succession of bad shots. I'm not that mad. I just don't understand how I did that."
While Penn floundered, Fletcher made his move. The old-timer who refuses to go away birdied two of the last three holes to climb into contention.
"I'm more of a pretender than a contender," said Fletcher, who has won so many trophies that his wife has been forced to store most in their attic. "I can't hit the ball near as far as these young fellows, so it all comes down to course management. I'm pretty good at that part, you know.
"Can I win? I don't know. Hey, I've already had my turn. It's [the younger players'] turn now."
Conner, who will be a junior at Virginia Tech in the fall, doesn't know if it's his turn yet.
"There used to be a time when if I was leading, I'd be cocky and say, `I'm going to win,' " Conner said. "But that was in juniors, where I was not playing with the same players, not to mention better players like I am now.
"I'm just not playing that well. If I were, I might still say it. I'm just thinking top 10 or better.
"You know Bobby Penn is the favorite. He's hard to beat. I saw him on the range this morning and he's pure. I see his name in these local tournaments, and every time I see it it's at the top. He's still the man to beat."
\ SAND BLASTS: Barry Wirt's card from Nos. 6-8 read 3-1-3. That's not a typographical error. Wirt went birdie-ace-birdie, scoring his fourth hole in one with a 7-iron at the 143-yard seventh hole. He aced the same hole with a 5-wood as a 13-year-old. Wirt shot 40 on the back side en route to a second consecutive 74. "I got it 1 under after those three holes and then my nerves went. I was thinking I might shoot 68 or 69, then I made a bunch of bad swings."
by CNB