THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, August 22, 1995 TAG: 9508220410
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C8 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Short : 34 lines
Instead of showing up for Virginia Tech's season-opening golf practices this week, Chesapeake's Curtis Deal is going to play hooky, opting to hang out on the beaches of Newport, R.I.
But he has his coach's blessing.
Deal will tee off today for two days of stroke-play qualifying for the U.S. Amateur Championships at Newport Country Club, a links course he hopes suits his game.
It has not been the best of summers for Deal, who floundered somewhat after finishing third in the Metro Conference tournament this spring. But the U.S. Amateur could change all that.
Deal, whose only victory this summer was in the Sleepy Hole Amateur, was one of four players to qualify regionally for the U.S. Amateur two weeks ago when he shot 75-70 at Petersburg Country Club. Tech teammate Sean Farrell (75-71) of Zimbabwe also qualified, as did North Carolina-Charlotte's Mark Gauley (72-73) and University of Virginia graduate Jimmy Flippen (66-71).
Sixty-four players will qualify for match play, which begins Thursday and runs through Sunday.
``My goal is to shoot two rounds of even-par in the stroke play,'' said Deal, who played in the U.S. Junior Amateur in 1991. ``I figure even-par has to make it into the match-play draw.'' by CNB