ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, June 24, 1996 TAG: 9606240165
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG
SOURCE: CHAD WILLIS STAFF WRITER
His Virginia Tech golf teammate David Havens called him relentless. Hanging Rock Country Club resident professional Chip Sullivan called him "a very talented player." The record books will simply call him champion.
Sean Farrell, a member of this year's Tech golf squad, fired a second-round 70 on the par-72 Blacksburg Country Club course Sunday and picked up his first blue blazer as winner of the 23rd annual First National Bank Greater Blacksburg Open. Farrell led both rounds and finished the 36-hole competition with a 7-under-par 137, two strokes better than runner-up Sullivan.
"It feels really good to win the tournament, especially since I was the guy everyone was shooting for," Farrell said. "I just tried to keep the ball straight today and not make a lot of mistakes. I'm very happy that I didn't mess this up."
Farrell blitzed the amateur flight, recording just two bogies for the tournament and outdistancing the amateur runner-up, Mark Funderburke, by eight strokes.
Sullivan started the day four strokes off the pace, but cut the gap to just two shots when Farrell ran into trouble on the par-4, 374-yard 12th hole, bogeying the hole after coming up short on his approach to the pin.
Sullivan's comeback bid effectively came to an end when he tallied a four on the par-3 15th hole. Farrell, playing in the final group of the afternoon, saw Sullivan's long par putt slide by the hole while waiting to tee off.
"That was a really big hole because when I saw him miss the putt, I knew I had a little more room," Farrell said. "I wasn't really sure of the scores at the time, but I was pretty sure it was only two strokes. I was also happy with the hole because I missed the green and was lucky to save par."
For Sullivan, the mishap at No.15, coupled with a near-miss on a birdie attempt the previous hole, was just too much to overcome.
"That bogey was pretty much the tournament," Sullivan said. "I knew then I was going to have to birdie the rest and hope Sean ran into trouble if I was going to have a chance in this thing. I put a little pressure on him with birdies on the final two holes, but Sean was just great today. I'm happy with my finish. Anytime I score in the 60s, I'm going to have a smile on my face."
Sullivan's final-round 68 gave him top honors in the Professional flight and earned him a $750 payday. Gibby Wingfield scored a pair of 78s to capture first place in the Senior division.
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