
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, July 30, 1993                   TAG: 9307300074
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B-7   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: DALEVILLE                                LENGTH: Medium

SPIERS SURPRISED TO LEAD SENIORS FIELD

Asked when was the last time he had led a golf tournament, Rufus Spiers didn't have to do a whole lot of thinking before supplying an answer.

Grinning from ear to ear, Spiers responded, "Never."

Until now.

Sparked by two chip-ins - one for an eagle and another for a birdie - Spiers shot a 2-over-par 73 Thursday at wind-blown Botetourt Country Club to take the lead in the Roanoke Valley Golf Hall of Fame Senior tournament.

The fun-loving 65-year-old Roanoke retiree will take a one-shot lead on favorite Ned Baber and his Blue Hills sidekick Winston Carter into today's final round at Hunting Hills.

"If I won, it would probably set golf back 100 years," Spiers said. "Shoot, I ain't thinking about winning this thing."

Spiers' hot round on a Botetourt course turned rock hard from torrid temperatures and no rain led Blue Hills to a commanding 12-shot lead in the team competition. Blue Hills, which also got 77s from J.D. Sisson and Gib Wingfield, will be shooting for a record fourth team title.

Spiers' round was highlighted by the two chip-ins - for a birdie-2 at the 172-yard fifth hole and an eagle-2 at the short 281-yard 14th. Other than that, he said "it was nothin' fancy."

"Two lucky shots," he said. "My game has no strengths. I'm the worst putter in the world."

Another stranger to local leader boards, 15-year-old Josh Points, shot a 77 to take a one-shot edge on favored Ryan Ketron in the Junior division. Mark Baldwin (79) was the only other Junior player to break 80.

"I never thought 77 would be leading," said Points, a rising sophomore at Cave Spring. "This is the first I've led one of these things, so I'm looking at it as being good experience for me. Ryan still has to be the one to beat. I'm going to play the best I can; if he beats me, he beats me."

Ketron, coming off a win earlier in the week in the Smith Mountain Lake Juniors, had to play the final 11 holes on his home course even-par simply to shoot 78. The tone for his round was set when he triple-bogeyed the first hole, a relatively easy par-5.

Behind Points, Baldwin and Joe Surkamer (81), Roanoke Country Club takes a three-shot lead on Countryside into the final round. Blue Hills is four shots back in third. Three-time defending champion Botetourt is six back in fourth.

Two-time defending champion Arman Fletcher was a late withdrawal from the Senior field. He injured his right knee several weeks ago when a ladder fell on it.

by CNB