ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, August 16, 1996 TAG: 9608160079
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: KEITH POMPEY STAFF WRITER
It was only fitting that Tommy Lesperance stood out at the 13th Scott Robertson Memorial junior golf tournament.
Heading into the prestigious event at Roanoke Country Club, he dedicated the competition to his brother.
``My younger brother, Andy, has leukemia and I wanted to win this one for him,'' said Lesperance, heading to George Mason University in the fall on a golf scholarship. ``This is my last junior tournament, so I wanted to do good for him.''
With 25 state champions and six international players competing, Lesperance was a heavy underdog.
The Salem native, who recently graduated from Glenvar High School, never had fared better than last year's 18th-place finish. His only major junior title came at the 1995 Roanoke Valley Golf Association tournament.
But after the first round Tuesday, Lesperance and Georgia native Allen Thompson were tied for first place at even-par 71. Six golfers were one shot back.
On Wednesday, Lesperance found himself one shot behind Earlysville native Shane Foster, who had a two-day total of 142.
``This is right were a I want to be,'' Lesperance said Wednesday evening. ``For the final round, I'm not going to worry about anyone else. I just want to win it for my brother.''
On Thursday, he was 12 feet away from becoming his brother's hero. And five minutes away from becoming the first Timesland-area golfer to win the boys' 15- to 18-year-old division.
Lesperance stood over his ball on the 18th green, lined up his putt and missed the hole.
But he had another chance, this time in a playoff against three other golfers after the three-day 54-hole tournament.
``I wasn't upset with my missed putt,'' he said. ``I didn't expect to be this far up. I was real fortunate to be this far up. I wouldn't trade this experience for anything in the world. I had a lot of fun.''
Shane Foster went out after bogeying during the first hole of the playoff. That left Lesperance, Mac Kellett and Larry Nuger.
Suddenly the tables started to turn.
Nuger, a native of Longmeadow, Mass., was out of the running as he hit the sand trap.
Kellett took full advantage, hitting a 35-foot putt to win it all. And Lesperance finished second.
``Second isn't bad,'' he said. ``There are a lot of good golfers in this tournament. This is a national tournament.''
Well how does Andy feel? His brother dedicated this tournament to him. And if Tommy hadn't missed a putt on the final hole, they would have celebrated a title.
``I'll look up to [Tommy] no matter what he does,'' Andy Lesperance said. ``My brother still had a great tournament. He has always been there for me. He didn't even need to be in the tournament to make me happy. I will always be proud of my brother.''
Maybe there was a lesson to be learned.
With this loss, Tommy Lesperance didn't receive hugs from the crowd. The media didn't ask questions about being the first Salem native to win the tournament. Instead, they asked about the putt that got away.
He didn't get upset. Lesperance politely answered the questions. Then he looked for Andy and his father. And the three men walked out of the Roanoke Country Club with their heads up.
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