THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 30, 1994 TAG: 9410280296
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 30 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Sports
SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 86 lines
If Matt Paulson had an opportunity to let outer intervention destroy his concentration, it came at the ninth hole in the final round of the Group AAA golf championships at The Hamptons.
The ninth of the Woods Nine is an uphill dogleg that bends left and is surrounded on both sides by foot-high grass that gobbles golf balls like the Cookie Monster devours chocolate chips.
Paulson, a sophomore from Cox High, had just birdied the par-3 eighth hole to take the lead in the chase for the state's individual title.
Standing on the tee, Paulson pulled out the 1-iron he'd used to carve up The Hamptons golf course and laced a perfect drive down the middle of the . .
A set of high-voltage power lines slices through The Hamptons and crosses the ninth fairway. Paulson's tee shot hit one of the lines squarely and bounded into a water hazard off the fairway. After discussion with a Virginia State Golf Association rules official, it was deemed that Paulson's original tee ball did not count. Any player hitting the wires was free to hit another tee ball again without penalty.
So Paulson teed up another ball, ripped it down the . . . what the heck?
He hit the wires again.
Asking a player to hit three perfect tee shots down the middle of a tight fairway is hard enough. Asking him to do it with a state title on the line is a little much. But Paulson did it anyway, and this one cleared the wires, landing in the middle of the fairway, from where he made par.
Could it be said Paulson walked the high wire to a state title?
Maybe not, but it can be said that he ``charged'' to his eventual one-stroke victory.
Paulson shot 71-73 - 144 to win the state title by one shot over James Madison's Chad Moseley.
Salem freshman Kevin Miller (73-76 - 149) finished tied for third with Oakton's G.W. Cable and Cave Spring's Victor Garcia.
Paulson is the sixth Eastern Region player to win the title in the past eight years.
Beginning with First Colonial's J.J. Serrao in 1987, an Eastern Region player has finished either first or second. First Colonial's Carl Paulson, Matt's cousin, won in 1988 and was followed in the champions' circle by Bayside's Brett Pendergast (1989) and Great Bridge's Curtis Deal (1990).
The streak was broken in 1991 and 1992 when Meadowbrook's Matt Dilday and Langley's Jason Poole won. But in those two years, the Eastern Region had the runner-up, first Deal then Salem High's Eddie Kurpiel.
Maury's Conlin Giles won last season.
Deal was a junior when he won, but the previous four winners from the Eastern Region were seniors.
Matt Paulson is only a 15-year-old sophomore. And he's brimming with confidence.
``I saw what winning the state title did for Carl,'' Paulson said of his cousin, who two weeks ago advanced through sectional qualifying for the PGA Tour. ``It took his game to another level.
``This is the biggest tournament I've ever won. I feel like I improved a lot through districts and regionals and the state tournament. I feel like I'll be in contention in every tournament I play now.''
Paulson finished in a tie for second in the District tournament, then won the Eastern Region title by a whopping 10 shots.
With Paulson leading the way, Cox almost won the team title. The Falcons had cruised to a Beach District tournament title and won the Eastern Region tournament by seven shots over runner-up Kempsville.
But they came up one shot short of Mills Godwin High of Henrico County at the state tournament.
Next year awaits this team, however.
The Falcons did not have a senior in the starting lineup.
Juniors Troy Cummings, Ryan Marks and Kevin Murphy and freshmen Darren Alexander and Ryan Roebuck all should return.
``We should have won it this year, but we'll be back next year,'' said Cummings, who shot 79-77 - 156 and finished tied for 12th with Alexander (79-77) and two others. ``It's not a bad finish for a team with two freshmen.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by MARTIN SMITH-RODDEN
``I saw what winning the state title did for Carl,'' Cox's Matt
Paulson said of his First Colonial cousin, who two weeks ago
advanced through sectional qualifying for the PGA Tour. ``It took
his game to another level.
by CNB