Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, July 22, 1995 TAG: 9507240054
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
What defending champion Jerry Wood called an ``iffy round'' produced a 2-under-par 70 on Friday and a tie for the lead in the AMF Signet Open golf tournament.
That gave Wood, a touring pro who lives in Richmond, a 36-hole total of 138 and a deadlock with 22-year-old amateur Simon Cooke of Richmond, who also shot a 70 on the 6,684-yard Willow Oaks Country Club course.
If Wood played good golf, he made a lousy prediction after his morning round.
``I don't expect to be leading after today,'' said the 26-year-old former Virginia Commonwealth University standout.
He wasn't in the lead at one point - Cooke and first-day leader John Stone of Williamsburg got to 7 under midway through the afternoon round but faded.
Stone ended a slide with birdies on the last two holes for a par-72 and a tie for third with Falls Church pro Frank Ferguson, who shot 71. (Scores in Scoreboard. B4)
Despite almost passing out from the heat and humidity on the back nine, pro Rob McNamara of Charlottesville fashioned a 71 and was fifth, at 140.
Pro Jeff Osberg of Clifford hit two balls into the water and still shot a 70 for a 141 total.
Tied at 142 were Chantilly pro Rick Schuller, 71; Roanoke pro Mark Fry, 73; and Fieldale amateur Keith Decker, whose 73 included a triple bogey on the infamous par-5 15th hole.
The only other players under par were State Amateur champion David Partridge of Richmond, 72, and Vienna amateur Pat Tallent at 141. His 69 was the day's best round.
The cut came at 6-over 150, leaving 80 players for the final two rounds today and Sunday. They will be televised to several stations in the state from WRIC-TV in Richmond.
All the former champions made the cut - pro Woody FitzHugh of Great Falls at 144, Richmond pro Tim White at 145, senior pro Bruce Lehnhard and amateur Tom McKnight of Galax at 146.
``I had my chances to do something good, but I don't think I shot myself in the foot,'' said Wood, who won $25,000 in a Hooters Tour event a week ago and hopes to pick up the $12,000 first-prize money here Sunday.
``It seemed like I hit a lot of solid shots, but not a lot of close shots,'' said Wood, who hit a bunker shot to within a foot on the par-5 12th for a birdie and birdied the par-5 No.8 by reaching the green in two.
``It's hard for players to play well four days in a row,'' said Wood, who escaped without a bogey. ``Everybody's going to have an iffy round and, hopefully, today was mine.''
Cooke, playing the back nine first, had birdies from 4, 10, 10 and 25 feet and just one bogey to be 7 under for two days at the turn. He three-putted the first for a bogey and parred in from there.
``I played pretty well on my front nine,'' said Cooke, who will be a senior at the University of Virginia in the fall.
Stone, the 27-year-old assistant pro at Williamsburg Country Club, birdied the fourth, fifth and ninth holes after a bogey on the third to make the turn 7 under.
But he had two three-putts and two other bogeys before he birdied from one foot on No. 17 and 15 feet on No. 18.
by CNB