Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, August 19, 1994 TAG: 9408190083
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Few in the Valley Amateur Championship had heard of Ralph Weddle on Thursday morning.
By Thursday afternoon, everybody knew him.
In a development that left many notables asking ``Ralph who?'', Weddle fired a stunning 4-under 68 at Hanging Rock to lead 31 open-division qualifiers into today's start of match play at Countryside.
Weddle, who didn't start playing golf seriously until six years ago, picked a heck of a time to conjure up the round of his life.
``I've never shot under par before,'' said Weddle, 45, an associate member at Blue Hills. ``I've shot even 71 several times. Never seen the 60s, though.
``If somebody had told me this was going to happen today, I'd told 'em they were crazy.''
The only thing that's crazy is golf. For 4 1/2 hours Thursday, a 6-handicapper knocked down pins like some kind of Johnny Miller rerun from the 1970s. ''The reason I shot so low is that I didn't have to putt,'' Weddle said. ``I hit four or five shots within 2 feet of the hole and tapped in.
``Good thing, too. If I had had to putt from any distance today, I'd probably have three-putted.''
After balancing two birdies (Nos.1 and 3) with two bogeys (Nos.2 and 7) to turn in even, Weddle smoked the back in 4-under 31. All four birds were basically gimmes.
``Unbelievable, really,'' Weddle said.
Weddle's amazing story was nearly matched by Tom Hall, another 45-year-old who isn't exactly a household name on the local scene.
Hall, a 5-handicapper from Countryside, also recorded his lowest round ever, hitting 16 greens en route to a 69.
``Boy, what a fun round,'' said Hall, whose card included seven ``3s''. ``I was playing a new set of irons and they worked wonders. I didn't miss a one all day long.''
Like Weddle, Hall admitted to carrying to no delusions of grandeur into match play.
``As far as I'm concerned,'' the Mountain View Elementary principal said, ``I did it all today.''
Floyd's Bobby Clark, a 1992 semifinalist, was third at 70. Clark somehow held on despite a severe migrane headache that struck him in the ninth fairway.
``Blindness started to set in and all I could see was shadows,'' said Clark, still holding an ice pack to his left temple 30 minutes after his round.
``I finished No.9, rushed in here and got some ice and took a couple Tylenol. I birdied No.10 somehow. I couldn't see what I was doing. My vision finally came back at No.11. By 17, I was nauseated and dry-heaving.
``Considering everything, it really was a remarkable round. I have to pat myself on the back for this one.''
Clark said he'll be at Countryside today ``come high or high water.''
``If I start puking all over myself, I might have to reconsider.''
Three others players - 1988 champion Mike Smith and teen-agers Scott Griffin and Adam Harrell - broke par, shooting 1-under 71s.
The most exciting part of Smith's day came before he ever hit a ball. He didn't wake up until 6:25 a.m., and sped approximately 30 miles to Hanging Rock, just making his 7 a.m. tee time.
``I almost got a speeding ticket and I smelled like c---,'' he said. ``Then, I started out playing horribly. I just sort of scraped it around all day, just trying not to hurt myself. I'm in match play, that's all that counts.''
The qualifying cut was at 79. Four players tied for the last three spots, but since only one - Woody Allen - stuck around for a playoff, the final two berths were awarded to Danny Jarrett and Robert Tolley on match of cards. Mark Gambardella was the odd man out, losing in match of cards with an ``8'' on No.1.
In the 50-and-over Seniors division, defending champion Gibby Wingfield led seven other qualifiers into match play with a 74. Bill Proffitt was second at 75, with multiple champion Reggie Clark of Floyd third at at 77.
``I'm playing pretty well right now,'' said Wingfield, who hit 13 greens in regulation. ``I like match play, so I'm ready to get on with things.''
SAND BLASTS: Defending champion Rodney Naff didn't have to qualify. Naff gets No.31 qualifier Robert Tolley in this morning's first round. ... Strong first-round pairings include David Hagadorn vs. 1993 semifinalist Ted Comer; Harrell vs. '93 runner-up Mark Funderburke; and Scott Hunter vs. 1991 runner-up Robert Floyd. ... Griffin, who had six birdies, was 4-under until bogeyings Nos. 15-1 7. ... Talk about collapses. Senior Johnny Sink was 1-under through seven holes and shot 95. ... The biggest name to miss the cut in the open division was 17-year-old Brian Hill, who won the City-County Junior title Tuesday. ... Match play continues Saturday at Blue Hills. The 36-hole finale will be Sunday at Blue Hills.
by CNB