Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, May 14, 1995 TAG: 9505150054
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C9 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RANDY KING
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Corron, whose only other trip to the national tournament came in 1993 when he took individual qualifier Matt Jordan, will act as chaperone for five when the Panthers leave today for Terre Haute, Ind., site of the 72-hole tournament that runs Tuesday through Friday.
``It's going to be a little more trouble this time,'' Corron said jokingly. ``It's not too bad when you just have one. But I've got five of them to look after this time.''
The Panthers have looked after themselves for most of this year, earning the school's first team bid to the NCAA championship. Ferrum slipped in as the fifth and final team from District 3, which Corron called ``the strongest district in the country.''
Ferrum was one of four Dixie Conference schools to receive a bid. Powerhouse Methodist (N.C.) College, which has won the NCAA Division III championship four of the past five years, Greensboro (N.C) College and Christopher Newport were the others. Guilford (N.C.) College, of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference, was the other District 3 qualifier.
Ferrum attracted notice by winning two tournaments - the Virginia Intercollegiate and West Virginia Wesleyan Invitational - and finishing second in three others.
``We thought we'd be pretty good this year, since we lost only Stuart Smith,'' Corron said, referring to the Roanoke native who is now an assistant professional at Waterfront Country Club.
``This has been probably the most consistent team I've had. They've all been able to play pretty much the same, and on any given day, any one of them can win.''
Ed Alvarez, a freshman from Honduras, won the Bluefield Invitational, and junior R.J. Weaver of Danville was medalist at the Virginia Intercollegiate.
Jordan, a senior from Altavista, sophomore Aaron Johnson of Roanoke (Glenvar High School) and junior Brant Ruskin of Alexandria complete the fivesome making the trip.
``It's tough to recruit to Ferrum,'' said Corron, in his 28th season as the Panthers' coach. ``The reason is our location, more than anything else. We're way out in the country. Kids now like to be where the action is, and we don't have a lot of action. Most of the guys we get are small-town players.''
How will they react at the big show?
``I don't think we can [win it] ... teams like Methodist and UC San Diego are too strong,'' Corron said. ``I just hope our guys go out there and play well.''
And Corron's job?
``I've got to try to keep up with everybody,'' he said.
FIVE-PEAT: Led by senior Charlaine Coetzee, who won her second consecutive individual crown, Longwood College earned its fifth National Golf Coaches Association Division II women's championship this past week.
The Lancers, who have finished first or second in the country the past nine years, beat runner-up Rollins (Fla,) College by 16 shots at the Links Golf Club in New Palestine, Ind.
Coetzee, of Cape Town, South Africa, shot 74-81-77-232 to take individual honors. Longwood's other top players, Frida Svensson and Anna Holm, hail from Sweden.
OF COURSES: Highly acclaimed Hawthorne Valley in Snowshoe, W.Va., opened for its second season Saturday. The Gary Player-designed layout recently was rated one of Golf Magazine's ``top 10 new courses you can play in the United States.'' The course, located at the base of Snowshoe Mountain Resort, is open to the public.
SAND BLASTS: The Golden Horseshoe has landed the 1998 U.S. Senior Women's Amateur Championship. It marks the first national championship for the Williamsburg course. ... The Nike Tour, which acts as a feeder system for the PGA Tour, returns to Richmond's Dominion Club on June 1-4. Richmonder Robert Wrenn, who lost his PGA Tour card after finishing 170th on the money list in 1994, will be among those playing for a $36,000 first-place prize. ... The Crosby National Celebrity tournament runs May 30-June 4 at Bermuda Run, located near Winston-Salem, N.C. Glen Campbell, Vince Gill and Dennis Franz top the list of some 70 celebrity entrants. ... Martinsville native Jerry Wood, who has been competing on the Asian tour, will return to defend his title in the AMF-Signet Open of Virginia on July 20-23 at Richmond's Willow Oaks. ... The team of Ray Oyler, Wayne Ayers and Sandy Patterson shot a 12-under-par 59 at Ole Monterey to win the recent Roanoke Valley Golf Association's annual captain's choice tournament.
by CNB