THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, June 28, 1994 TAG: 9406280433
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: 940628 LENGTH: VIRGINIA BEACH
The Farm Fresh Pro-Am, which brought together 28 LPGA players and 112 amateurs Monday at Cypress Point, ended early as gusting winds, lightning and the threat of a tornado stopped play with some groups having as many as five holes left.
{REST} ``Trite but true, it's a lot better to be safe than sorry,'' said Mary Murphy, one of the pros. ``It was basically pretty miserable.''
With winds that knocked trees down on the ninth, 10th and 18th holes whipping through the area, tournament officials took a look at radar reports on The Weather Channel, saw a string of storms from Elizabeth City to the Chesapeake Bay and called it quits.
Nina Foust's group, which included amateurs Mike Hughes, John Cannistra, Mike Marella and Rich Meyers, was declared the winning team, edging Gina Hull's group, which included Larry Sutton, Gary Strickfaden, John Malaspina and Kit Malbon.
Both teams finished 13 holes at 12-under par. Foust's group won a comparison of scores at a random hole, ironically No. 13.
When Farm Fresh sponsored the pro-am tournament at the Crestar-Farm Fresh Golf Classic, a regular LPGA Tour event which was discontinued two years ago, the event was plagued by foul weather.
``The last time I played in weather like this . . . I hate to say it but it was in the last round of the Crestar-Farm Fresh two years ago,'' said Jennifer Wyatt, who won the tournament in 1992. ``It's as if the weather knew the LPGA was back in town. One of my playing partners was very accurate when he called those pin-bending winds.'' by CNB