Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, September 28, 1994 TAG: 9409280066
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
But there he was, two days removed from his ninth PGA Tour victory, trudging up and down the fairways of Hunting Hills Country Club.
``Sure, a lot of guys may have begged off a commitment like this,'' McCumber said. ``But I committed to come here, and I don't break commitments.''
He does break par. Despite being drained from his victory Sunday in the Hardees Classic and Monday's three-connection flight from Coal Valley, Ill., to Roanoke, McCumber shot 2-under 68 on a course he needed a road map to get around.
McCumber didn't need help in finding Roanoke. He estimated he's been to Roanoke about 20 times to visit close friend Mike Sassard, a Hunting Hills member.
``Mike and I grew up together in Jacksonville, [Fla.],'' McCumber said. ``He moved up here in 1969, and we've stayed in touch since. We used to come up here to go sledding in the wintertime. There's not a lot of snow and hills down where we came from, you know.''
McCumber spent Monday and Tuesday night at Sassard's Roanoke home. He gets to go home today.
``It's hard being here,'' McCumber said. ``Like Patty [his wife] said, `We're biting at the bit to see you and go celebrate.' I've been on the phone to them for about five hours. I'll sure be glad to see them.''
The sizable gallery sure was glad to see McCumber, one of only four players to win more than one tournament on the PGA Tour this year. Between shots, McCumber willingly answered every question and happily took care of every autograph or picture request.
``I don't do but about five or six of these type events a year because I hate being away from my family,'' McCumber said. ``But when Mike mentioned this to me and the money going to charity, I knew right away this one was going on the schedule.''
After the grueling six-hour round, McCumber moved to the 10th tee, where he conducted an informative clinic. McCumber said most high-handicappers kill their swings by gripping the club too tightly and failing to transfer their weight through the ball at impact.
``I don't care which grip you use, but to grip the club too tight is the destroyer of all golf swings,'' he said. ``The single biggest fault I see is people doing a `reverse pivot.' To hit a golf ball, you've got to get behind it, load up and release ... transfer the weight backward, then forward.''
Roanoke Country Club's Mike Smith matched McCumber's 68, holing a downhill 40-foot slider for birdie at the par-4 18th. Smith won the Champion of Champions tournament, which featured the champions from nine area clubs.
Hanging Rock's Jason Perdue, who was 3-under until making triple-bogey at the par-3 15th, finished second at 72.
Tom Mortenson (74) of Water's Edge (74), Wes Cothran (75) of the Waterfront, Mark Funderburke (76) of Ole Monterey, Hunter Morrissette (77) of Blue Hills, Barry Graham (79) of Hidden Valley, John Newton (79) of Hunting Hills and Carl Leonard (85) of Countryside completed the field.
by CNB