Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, August 17, 1994 TAG: 9408170066
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
``Glad to hear it,'' Hill said.
``Didn't bother me any,'' Orlando said.
No wonder. Each was leading his respective division through 27 holes. And when tournament officials H.L. Jackson and George May elected to call play in the wake of Tuesday's deluge, each Northside High School player was guaranteed of leaving Countryside a winner.
``Being in the lead, I didn't argue too much,'' Hill, grinning said. ``Really, I don't think anyone wanted to go back out there in that stuff. Anything had to be better than that.''
Hill, who opened with a 3-under 68 at Blue Hills on Monday, sloshed to a 2-over 38 on Countryside's water-logged front nine. His 1-under 106 total for 27 holes gave him a three-shot win over Cave Spring's Kris Montgomery and tournament favorite Nick Varney of Glenvar in the 15-17 Senior division.
Varney, who lost second place to Montgomery in a match of cards, said this was one title chase he didn't mind surrendering.
``It was absolutely miserable out there,'' said Varney, who opted to use his sand wedge instead of his putter on one green to play through standing water. ``To tell you the truth, it was kind of a relief that they called it.''
Hill, making up for losing this tournament on his home Countryside course a year ago, started with five straight pars despite, he said, ``barely being able to see.''
``I held onto my club somehow long enough to swing,'' said Hill, a 17-year-old senior. "There were clubs flying everywhere out there because guys couldn't hold on to them due to wet grips.
Grips became so slippery that Dustin Rhodes' saw his driver go flying into a pond after a tee shot on No.7.
``Dustin called his father and he came out in waders and found it,'' May said.
Orlando proved he's a pretty good mudder, making three birdies in the veritable monsoon. His day's best score of 37 gave him a 109 total, four ahead of runner-up Brandon LaCroix in the 13-15 Junior division.
``I was glad to get this over with,'' Orlando, a 15-year-old sophomore, said. ``When I got here, I didn't want to play at all. But I hit a couple shots pretty tight.''
In the 10-12 Midget division, 12-year-old Matt Chandler of Rocky Mount didn't have much trouble with anything, shooting a 3-over 36 on the back nine from the ladies' tees. Chandler's 18-hole total of 77 gave him a 17-shot victory over second-place James Turner.
Play in PeeWee (Under-10) division was canceled, ensuring opening-round leader Michael Kidd the first-place trophy.
by CNB