ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, July 24, 1996 TAG: 9607240040
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
THE 20-YEAR OLD golfer downs a neighbor and starts off hot in Hot Springs.
During the past five years in Roanoke tournaments, Bonita Howell caught plenty of Lee Shirley's act on the golf course.
Unfortunately for Howell, she got to see Shirley up close in Tuesday's start of match play of the 71st VSGA Women's State Amateur Championship in Hot Springs.
One day after blitzing the field by seven shots in qualifying, Shirley began her quest for her first State Am title by dusting off Howell 4 and 3 in a first-round match.
Shirley, a 20-year-old Salem native, advanced to today's second-round of match play at the Cascades Course. Meanwhile, Howell, of Roanoke, will play the rest of the week for championship-flight consolation honors.
Roanokers Kathy Hull and Sara Cole also scored first-round victories Tuesday. Hull dispatched Meg Gilmer of Charlottesville 3 and 1, and Cole eliminated Linda Divall of Alexandria 2 and 1.
Other Southwest Virginians advancing included the Martinsville duo of Fran Hensley and Jessica Adams, plus reigning State Junior champion Joannah Pattison of Wytheville.
Hensley, last year's runner-up, throttled Alexandria's Jesse Lahr 8 and 6. Adams nipped Ann Kite of Penhook 2 and 1, and Pattison downed Marie Winks of Lynchburg 4 and 2.
Martinsville's Becky Poindexter, Roanoke's Valeta Pittman and Blacksburg's Juanita Petrone were first-round victims. Poindexter lost to Sherry Zaleski of Manassas 4 and 2; Pittman dropped a 4-and-3 decision to Charlottesville's Gail Hoerr; and Petrone was eliminated 3 and 2 by Kimbra Patterson of Ft.Belvoir.
In the day's biggest upset, two-time champion Anne Patrick lost to fellow Richmonder Maggie Balch 2 and 1.
In the 39th Senior Women's State Amateur played on The Homestead course, Salem's Dot Bolling captured her first-round match, downing Barbara Garrett 5 and 4.
Four-time champion Audrey Najjum of Roanoke was eliminated 2 and 1 by Lorainne Houlahan of Alexandria.
Covington's Norma Lemon, the final Southwest Virginian making the Seniors championship flight, lost 4 and 3 to qualifying medalist Peggy Woodard of Virginia Beach.
The championship match in both events will be played Friday.
LENGTH: Short : 50 linesby CNB