Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, August 20, 1994 TAG: 9408230031
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
A plane crash just off the 13th fairway at Countryside claimed two lives and shook up the competitors when they saw the accident scene at the 9th tee.
``When seeing that it sort of made you wonder how important the golf really was,'' Tim Chocklett said.
``I started thinking about how my two kids had flown in from Florida [Thursday]. It could have been my two boys in that plane.
``That happens, and here we are, playing golf.''
Tournament director George May said he considered calling the players off the course.
``There was some thought about that, but there's absolutely no way we could have gotten everything in [today] at Blue Hills,`` May said. ``I thought the best thing to do was to get the players away from that as quick as possible.''
The players in the second-round matches, all on the front nine at the time of the accident, were sent back to the front side to complete play.
Defending champion Rodney Naff dodged a huge scare from Chocklett to lead eight players into today's semifinals at Blue Hills.
Naff, 38, birdied the second playoff hole to oust Chocklett 1-up in 20 holes in the headline match of the day.
``I knew Tim would be tough on this course,'' Naff said. ``He's a steady player. I'm lucky to survive, no doubt. I just didn't play very well today.''
Chocklett, undoubtedly, will never forget this day. He could have won the match in regulation if not for automatically losing the first hole when he hit the wrong ball.
``That turned out to be the difference,'' Chocklett said. ``I've played golf for for 20-some years and I don't ever remember doing that.
``I was playing the same kind of ball Andy Miller was. When his opponent [David Hagadorn] hit his second shot out of bounds and conceded the hole, they drove off. I got up there, saw a ball in the area where I hit my tee shot and hit it. When I got to the green, I looked at the number on the ball and I knew I must have hit Andy's ball.''
``You can't give a guy like Rodney Naff that kind of break and win.''
Naff draws ex-Virginia Tech player Hagadorn in this morning's quarterfinals. Hagadorn, 26, bounced '93 semifinalist Ted Comer 5 and 4 in the morning, then nipped Andy Miller 1-up in 20 holes in the afternoon.
Hagadorn drained a 35-foot birdie on the final hole to force overtime with Miller, then won it when the latter bogeyed the second hole.
``Rodney and I both scraped it around and survived,'' said Hagadorn, 4-down to Miller after six holes. ``I can beat Rodney if I hit it well.''
In the lower half of the upper bracket, 1988 champion Mike Smith advanced with methodical 3-and-2 wins over Dickie Morgan and Scott Hunter. Smith faces Billy McBride III, who eliminated Rufus Spiers 2 and 1 and Bobby Clark 1-up.
If Smith and Naff win this morning, most believe the tournament title will be at stake in this afternoon's semifinals.
``I hope I don't see Rodney,'' said Smith, who beaten by Naff in a heads-up duel in the Hall of Fame. ``He would have a huge advantage on his home course.''
The weaker lower bracket remains a tossup. Carl Leonard faces Adam Harrell in one quarterfinal, while unknowns Woody Allen and Dewayne Streng hook up in the other.
``It's wide open,'' said Leonard, who dispatched qualifying medalist Ralph Weddle 5 and 4 in the second round.
``Adam is playing well. He'll be tough to beat. I don't know the other two.''
Allen, a 1992 Glenvar graduate, surprised No.2 qualifier Tom Hall 1-up before eliminating Todd Parker 4 and 3.
Streng, who plays out of Botetourt Country Club, birdied the final hole to get even with Scott Griffin, then won when Griffin bogeyed the first playoff hole.
In Seniors play, defending titlist Gibby Wingfield ousted John Edwards 4 and 3 to join 69-year-old Connie Sellers, division rookie Bill Proffitt and five-time champion Reggie Clark in today's semifinals.
``I feel good about things, especially going to Blue Hills,'' said Wingfield, a member at the northeast Roanoke club.
Sellers said his goal today is ``to make enough putts so I can take Gibby to the back nine.''
Clark, 61, said he hopes his birdies have been saved for the weekend. He faces Proffitt today.
``I've only made one in two days,'' Clark said. ``I'm certainly due.''
SAND BLASTS: Harrell eliminated perennial contender Mark Funderburke 2 and 1 in the morning. ``It's my own fault,'' Funderburke said. ``That what I get for qualifying 26th and getting a tough first match.'' ... In the collapse of the day, 1991 runner-up Robert Floyd lost the final four holes to lose 1-up to Scott Hunter in the first round. ... The 36-hole open-division final and 18-hole Senior final are slated for Blue Hills on Sunday.
by CNB