Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, June 11, 1995 TAG: 9506120088
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
One can forgive Jack Tuttle for not being overly confident entering today's final round of the 22nd Roanoke Valley Golf Hall of Fame men's championship.
``I can't help it,'' said Tuttle, 18 holes away from one of the biggest upsets in tournament history. ``Frankly, I'm amazed to be in this position. I look at that scoreboard and there are people behind me who I play with every day who give me two shots a side.''
The 46-year-old agent for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms has the field covered. Although he bogeyed the final hole Saturday at Hunting Hills Country Club, Tuttle came home in 1-over-par 71. His 36-hole total of even-par 141 leads his closest pursuers - Adam Harrell and Jake Allison - by two shots.
Harrell and Allison had 71s on Saturday.
Roanoke dentist Jack Allara, who has the luxury of playing the final round on his home Hidden Valley course, and surprise first-round leader Jeff Snyder are three shots back at 144. Allara posted a 71 Saturday, while Snyder slipped to a 75.
Chris Clemens (70) is four back at 145, while 1988 champion Ned Baber (73) and perennial contender Barry Graham (71) are five off the pace.
Tuttle, a 4-handicap player at Roanoke Country Club, only wishes he had the working margin on the field that his RCC team owns.
The squad waltzes into the final round with a 31-shot cushion over second-place Hidden Valley. Sparked by Charlie Keffer's 69 - the day's low round - and 70s by Clemens and rebounding Mike O'Keefe, RCC threw a tidy six-man total of 4-over 424 at the field.
RCC will shoot for its tournament-record eighth men's team title today. The 31-shot lead through 36 holes matches the biggest winning margin in tournament history. Hidden Valley won by 31 in 1981.
``When your ninth qualifier [Keffer] shoots 69, you know you've got a pretty strong team,'' Allison said.
Tuttle's lead, however, is not nearly so safe. He admitted to residing in some rarefied air the past 48 hours.
``Sure, I'll be nervous,'' he said. ``But I'll sleep. Right now, I'm praying for rain. Shoot, yeah, I'll take it with an asterisk.''
Tuttle calmed matters early Saturday, rolling in birdies at Nos.3, 4 and 6 to go 2-under for the day and 3-under for the tournament. But bogeys at Nos.8, 15 and 18 complicated things somewhat.
``I three-putted No.8, chili-dipped one at 15 and knocked it over 18,'' Tuttle said. ``But I can't complain. I made a lot of putts again, at least short ones. Whatever happens [today], happens. I would like to play well, but if I don't, that's fine, too.''
Harrell might be the one to watch. The 20-year-old former Glenvar High School star is close despite ``not hitting a a handful of solid iron shots in two days.''
``I'm not hitting the ball real crisp, but for the most part they've turned out well,'' said Harrell, who will be a senior in the fall at George Mason University. ``I had a 68 in the practice round at Hidden Valley, and I think I can shoot another one of those.''
Allison also bears watching. The 31-year-old former Northside High School star has finished in the Hall of Fame's top 10 a number of times, but never has won. This could be his turn.
``If I'm still in it about [No.]13 [today], I'll start thinking about it,'' he said. ``Jack's the man to beat. Don't let him fool you. He's started that rumor. He can flat play.''
Allara, who tied for third last year with Baber, is lurking - again.
``If home course means two shots, I'm only one down,'' he said. ``A lot of guys like to come from behind, and I've done it a couple of times in the club championship. We'll see, won't we?''
SAND BLASTS: Snyder, admittedly ``nervous as hell,'' couldn't match his first-round theatrics at The Waterfront, where he shocked himself and the field with a 2-under 69. ``I'm feeling good now,'' he said. ``The pressure is not on me anymore. I can go out and do my thing [today].'' ... Keffer's 69 came on the heels of an 81 on Friday. He played the back side Saturday in 4-under 31. ``I figured something out,'' said Keffer, 25. ``I figured out where the club face was today and hit the ball there.'' His subpar round was only the sixth at Hunting Hills in Hall of Fame play. ... Rodney Naff, the 1994 champion, continued to struggle. He shot 79 and is at 156. ... The field found Hunting Hills' short track much more to its liking than The Waterfront. Of the 120-player field, only 26 shot higher scores Saturday than Friday.
by CNB