ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, August 9, 1996 TAG: 9608090031
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-8 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: LOCAL GOLF
SOURCE: FROM STAFF REPORTS
Perhaps the Roanoke Valley Women's Golf Association should consider renaming its annual City-County championship the Dot Bolling Invitational.
Again proving there's no match for her in Roanoke - that is, unless University of North Carolina golfer Lee Shirley is in town - Bolling waltzed to a record sixth City-County crown Thursday.
Bolling carded a 3-over-par 74 at Botetourt Country Club to finish the 54-hole haul at 10-over 229, five strokes ahead of runner-up Kathy Hull.
Valeta Pittman, after a third consecutive 80, was third. Meanwhile, the rest of the 41-player field finished in another zip code. (Scores in Scoreboard. B9)
``Your evil ways must be stopped, Dot ... if we have to break your legs,'' fifth-place finisher Bonita Howell (248) told the winner.
Right now, a hit man might be the only thing can stop Bolling, at least locally.
How hot is Dot? She has won the past two and five of six City-Countys. She won the Hall of Fame in June, which coupled with Thursday's triumph, gave her a 1996 sweep of the valley women's majors. Only one other player has achieved that double - Wythe Fleshman in 1979.
``Winning never gets old,'' said Bolling, who, counting her Lynwood Invitational title, is a three-time victor this summer.
``Some people might be saying I've got no competition. Well, Kathy [Hull] can beat anybody on a good day. And there are some other good players here.
``The thing I'm proud about is I played well, shot some good numbers. It's not like I showed up and was handed the trophy.''
The City-County trophy, named in honor of four-time State Seniors champion Audrey Najjum of Roanoke, was awarded to Bolling for the sixth time in nine years. Liz Waynick (1976, '77, '80-82) is the only other player to have won five.
``I've got room at home for some more,'' Bolling said. ``You've got to get all you can when you can. You never know when it's going to be your last one.''
In other local golf:
VALLEY AMATEUR: If you're Miller Baber or Bill Proffitt, it's unfortunate the Valley Amateur format switches to match play today.
If medal play continued, Baber and Proffitt, as they say, would just about have the hay in the barn.
Baber, a former professional golfer who plays competitively about once every blue moon, can only hope match play provides the same kicks medal-play qualifying has given him the past two days.
Leaving the field quaking in his wake, Baber added a 3-under-par 68 at Blue Hills to his first-round 67 at Hanging Rock to run away with the Open division qualifying medal by seven shots. (Scores in Scoreboard. B9)
Meanwhile, Proffitt wasn't letting anyone up for air in the Senior division, either. The 51-year-old defending champion shot 1-under 70 to finish at 1-under 142, six shots better than runner-up Al Looney.
Today, though, everybody is even again when they tee it up at Countyside.
``The first two days mean absolutely nothing now,'' said Baber, the 31-year-old son of two-time Valley Am champion Ned Baber. ``The best thing to do is not to be the medalist, but I went ahead and did it anyway. Everybody is gunning for you ... the medalist almost never wins.''
Baber's 8-under 135 was seven strokes better than second-place Mark Sweeney and newcomer Ryan Konkus. Sweeney, a sophomore at Carson-Newman College, had a 68 on Thursday, while Konkus, a Florida native who played collegiately at Radford, carded a 70.
The low 31 players in the Open division - the cut was 16-over 159 - joined defending champion Tim Chocklett in match play. There will be two rounds of match play today, which will trim the field to eight for Saturday's double round. The 36-hole final will be Sunday.
All of the Open field's heavy hitters, including former champions Bobby Penn, Rodney Naff and perennial contenders Scott Hunter, Mark Funderburke and Bobby Clark, made match play. Hunter had to make the biggest charge, shooting 69 on Thursday after a first-round 81.
In Seniors play, Proffitt, who would have tied for second in Open qualifying, hopes his game stays on auto pilot. Plus, he has a secret weapon.
``I've got an edge,'' he said. ``I'm borrowing the same driver that won the Hall of Fame Seniors. [Hall of Fame winner] Bill Beasley is out of town this week and is letting me use it.''
Besides Proffitt, the biggest name left in the Seniors final eight is five-time champion Reggie Clark, who rallied with a 76 on Thursday.
Gibby Wingfield, the 1994 champion, was the most prominent player who failed to qualify for Senior match play, finishing at 162.
STATE JUNIOR BOYS: Timesland-area players won three of the five age-group titles at the 44th State Junior Amateur Championship in Charlottesville. Robert Chandler (12-13) of Glade Hill, Ryan Sypniewski (10-11) of Radford and Wade Taylor (9-and-under) of Roanoke won their respective divisions. (Scores in Scoreboard. B9)
Chandler shot a 5-over-par 77 to build on rounds of 78-71 and win by five strokes over Steven Hite of Kenbridge at Birdwood Golf Club. In the 10-11 division, Sypniewski followed nine-hole rounds of 35-37 with a 34 to beat runner-up Hunter Bendall Jr. of Richmond by 10 strokes at Farmington Country Club. Taylor struggled to a 48 in his final nine holes, but still finished at 134, four strokes ahead of second-place Matthew Cornuet of Newport News.
In the 14-15 division, Roanoke's Chris Pugh took a three-shot advantage into the final round, but ballooned to an 84 and a 234 total that left him two strokes behind medalist Andy Dofflemyer of Earlysville. Lee Taylor of Roanoke was a stroke behind Pugh, Trey Clower of Roanoke finished at 239 and fellow Roanoker Ryan Patterson had a 241 total.
Cameron Yancey of Blackstone successfully defended his title in the featured 16-17 division, finishing with a 3-under 213 total. Runner-up Michael Gooden of Staunton was six strokes back, and Marty Stanley of Martinsville finished at 228.
LENGTH: Long : 105 linesby CNB