Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, August 29, 1994 TAG: 9408290064
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
HOT SPRINGS - Salem's Don Foster smelled trouble long before he and Moss Beecroft ever hit a shot in Sunday's finals of the 43rd VSGA State Senior Amateur Championship at the Cascades.
``I read in the paper this morning about Moss' even-year winning streak in this tournament,'' Foster said.
``I hadn't known that. But right then, I got to thinking that maybe I'm picking on the wrong guy at the wrong time.''
No doubt.
Continuing his amazing run of winning this event in every even-numbered year since 1986, Beecroft captured his record fifth State Seniors Am title, beating Foster 4 and 2.
Beecroft, a 64-year-old Newport News clothing store executive, owns this tournament every other year, winning in 1986, '88, '90, '92 and now '94.
``You know you didn't have a chance ... not in an even-numbered year,'' Beecroft razzed Foster after the match.
``Isn't that crazy? You explain it. I sure can't.''
Beecroft's golf game needs no explanation, however. Just ask Foster.
``I had heard a lot about him,'' said Foster, a 55-year-old communications technician for the Associated Press.
``But I hadn't played with him until today. He's very good. He's as good as they all say he is. I think the guy should be on the Senior PGA Tour.''
After Foster canned a 30-foot birdie putt at No. 2 to go 1-up, Beecroft put the whip to the Senior division rookie, birdieing Nos.3, 4 and 8 to build a 2-up lead by the turn.
``I played as good as I can play on the front [1-under], and I'm still 2-down,'' Foster said. ``I must have made him mad by making the putt on No.2 because he came right back, making birdie-birdie.
``He just doesn't make any mistakes. He's very offensive. He keeps the pressure on. And most guys I play with, well, aren't like that.''
Foster had a slight opening at No.10, but three-putted from 18 feet, missing a 6-footer for par, allowing Beecroft to escape with a halving bogey.
Foster then missed a 21/2-foot par putt at No.11, letting Beecroft go 3-up.
``If I could have made those two little putts at Nos.10 and 11 it could have been different,'' Foster said.
Foster won No.12 with a par to get back to 2-down, but gave it right back at No.13, where drove his tee shot into jail - a devilish sand trap some 185 yards from the green - and made bogey.
Foster drained a 12-foot birdie at No. 14 to get back to 2-down, but that was close as he would get.
After Foster bogeyed No. 15 to fall 3-down, the match ended on the par-5 16th. After Beecroft stuck his third shot 4 feet from the hole, Foster bladed his third from a sand trap over the green, and conceded the match.
``Well, second ain't too bad for a rookie,'' the easy-going Foster said. ``I'm just glad to have made it this far. A lot of others didn't.''
Foster, who beat Blue Hills clubmate Don Ragland in Saturday's semifinals, also was second in the State Senior Stroke Play Championship, losing to Jim Kite by a stroke.
``It's been a good year,'' Foster said. ``I would have taken two seconds before the year started.
``Hey, as a rookie, you're not supposed to set any records out here.''
Beecroft predicted Foster will soon become a household name among the state senior set.
``He's a solid striker of the ball,'' Beecroft said. ``He's going to be trouble for somebody. I told him to come on down [to Newport News] one day. I'll take him as my partner any day.''
by CNB