Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, June 10, 1995 TAG: 9506120066
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SCRUGGS LENGTH: Medium
Consider:
Jeff Snyder, who claimed his tournament goal was simply to break 80 all three rounds, shoots a brilliant 2-under-par 69 to take the lead.
"I'm the mystery man,'' said Snyder, the 32-year-old son of Water's Edge head professional, John Snyder. ``I'm shocked. I'm not supposed to be here.''
Jack Tuttle, who has 35 putters in the garage of his Roanoke home, finally finds one that works. The 4-handicapper at Roanoke Country Club proceeds to make nearly every putt he sees to shoot a 1-under 70.
``I've never been in the hunt in this tournament before,'' Tuttle said. ``This came out of nowhere. I shot 81 here Tuesday.''
It was a long day for many of the top players.
Defending champion Rodney Naff unravels on the back side to shoot 77. Former professional Mike O'Keefe, dubbed the favorite by many, staggers to an 81. Mike Smith, last year's runner-up and 1989 champion, stumbles home in 82.
And the final topping to this wackiness? How about Ole Monterey? For the first time in recent memory, the gang from the northeast Roanoke club might not finish last in the team competition. Ole Monterey has a five-shot lead on Countryside with two rounds left. "We're not going to finish last again. I guarantee it,'' Ole Monterey's Rico Rourk said.
About the only thing that followed form Friday was Roanoke Country Club's strong showing. In search of its record eighth men's team title, RCC dusted its closest pursuer, Blue Hills, by 13 shots.
RCC's performance didn't exactly go by the book, though. The scores of the club's top two qualifiers, Smith and O'Keefe, weren't low enough to count.
``One crazy day, no doubt,'' Smith noted.
The funny farm. That's where Snyder would have sent anybody who would have predicted he'd shoot 69 and be out front.
Snyder's work on the golf course usually doesn't involve clubs. He spends 55-60 hours a week in his position as greens superintendent at Water's Edge.
"After working all day, usually the golf course is the last thing I want to see,'' Snyder said. "But I've been playing a little more lately ... maybe once a week or so.
"I shot 76-83-84 in this tournament last year. But today I got the ball in the right places and made a few putts.''
After birdieing Nos.3 and 9 to turn in 2-under 33, Snyder kept it together down the stretch, canning a 6-foot birdie at the 18th to finish off the round of a lifetime.
"I'm totally shocked,'' said Snyder, a 3-handicapper. "It's the best round I've ever played.''
For 5 1/2 hours at least, Tuttle found the cure to his chronic putting woes. He went with a new long-shafted putter Friday after a Thursday night audition at RCC.
"I got the long one and the short one out and said to myself "whatever ones wins the putting contest gets the bag tomorrow,''' said Tuttle, a 46-year-old Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agent.
"Then I go out and have the best putting round of my life. I missed one putt all day inside of 15 feet. If I putt like I usually do, I shoot my usual 77 or 78.''
Jake Allison and 20-year-old Adam Harrell, the 1994 Valley Amateur champion, are in good shape after opening-round 72s.
A quartet at 73 includes dangerous old-timer Ned Baber, Waterfront club champion Al Persinger, Water's Edge champion Tom Mortenson and Roanoker Jack Allara, who always seems to hover around the HOF leaderboard.
SAND BLASTS: Allara holed a 3-wood out of the rough from 200 yards for one of the day's three eagles on par-4s. Lewis Conner and Authur Jernigan each made 2s on the par-4 seventh. ... Only 36 of the 120 players broke 80. Tough rough and greens at a 9-pace on the stimpmeter made things tough. The heat and pace of play - it took nearly six hours - didn't help matters. ... Snyder's and Tuttle's rounds are only the second and third under-par rounds at The Waterfront in HOF history. Five-time champion Dicky Linkous had a 68 in 1991. ... The field moves to Hunting Hills for today's second round. The 54-hole tournament wraps up Sunday at Hidden Valley. ... The 45-player women's field, led by two-time defending champion Lee Shirley, goes off first today, starting at 7 a.m.
by CNB