THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, July 27, 1995 TAG: 9507270524
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C9 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 60 lines
Rob Rasmussen's summer of golf is over. The next month will be spent earning pocket money for college and preparing for the start of Virginia Tech's practices in late August, same as last summer.
And just like last summer, he'll hang a Payton Memorial champion's plaque on his trophy wall.
Rasmussen, a rising sophomore at Tech, repeated his winning ways at Cavalier Golf & Yacht Club, shooting rounds of 67-69 for a 2-under total of 136, good for a four-shot victory. He is only the third overall champion in 48 years to successfully defend in this event for players 24 and under.
Wayne Jackson won three straight Paytons from 1952 to 1954 and Carl Paulson, who is now on the PGA Tour, won in '91 and '92.
Rasmussen's victory wasn't as easy as the final margin indicated. He bogeyed the first two holes to give up the lead and didn't reclaim it until the 14th hole.
Oakton's G.W. Cable, who had begun the day a shot back, played the front nine 1 under and was 2 under for the tournament at the turn, while Rasmussen was even.
Rasmussen, however, was rock-solid on the back nine. His 20-foot birdie putt at the par-4 10th got him back to 1 under for the tournament. He drained a 40-footer for birdie at the par-4 16th and parred the other seven holes.
Cable, meanwhile, was on his way to a back-nine 40, including a triple-bogey 6 at the 18th. He finished in a four-way tie for fourth.
Virginia Commonwealth University's John Rollins of Richmond (68-72-140) finished second and Billy Judah of Chesapeake fired the day's only sub-par round, a 68, to finish third at 141.
Rasmussen said he wasn't concerned about his competition after his shaky start. He was more concerned with getting the wheels back on his own vehicle.
``I three-putted the first hole then hit it through the fairway at No. 2 and didn't reach the green with my approach,'' Rasmussen said. ``I didn't look at a leaderboard until the back nine.''
While the Cavalier's slow greens gave much of the field fits, Rasmussen said they played to his advantage.
``The greens at Honey Bee (Rasmussen's home course) are just as slow right now,'' he said. ``I didn't think they were that bad.''
Chesapeake's Karla Roberson, a rising sophomore at Longwood, defended her Girls Division title, shooting 68-72-140 for a nine-shot margin over Desiree Ting of Hawaii.
Earlysville's Shane Foster (72-72-144) won a three-way playoff in the Cadet Division (15-17), Amherst's Ryan Stinnett (78-76-154) won the Junior Division (13-14) and Suffolk's Stanley Holland (35-43-78) won the 18-hole Pee-Wee Division (12-and-under). ILLUSTRATION: Photo by L. TODD SPENCER
Rob Rasmussen, just the third player to take consecutive overall
wins in the Payton Memorial, hits a drive. Runner-up John Rollins
watches.
by CNB