THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, October 18, 1995 TAG: 9510180539
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PATTI WALSH, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 51 lines
Cameron Tenney's golf career at Granby has followed the game to a tee. He's had his highs and lows, yet always stayed in the swing of things as his team rolled to two straight regular season titles.
But last Thursday - the second day of play in what could be the final two weeks of his career - Tenney's game finally peaked.
The senior pulled his game out of the rough and led the Comets to a 120-shot victory over runner-up Norview in the Eastern District's 36-hole tournament at Ocean View Golf Course.
The Comets' No. 3 golfer had rounds of 73 and 72 with a 7-stroke advantage over teammates Jason Copeland, the defending champ, and Gary Crutcher, last year's second-place finisher, as Granby earned the league's top berth in the Eastern Region tournament.
``I was struggling at the beginning of the year,'' said Tenney, whose efforts were good enough to earn him The Virginian-Pilot's male athlete of the week award. ``I was having trouble with my grip and my timing.''
Correcting that problem soon became Tenney's top priority. He put in countless hours at Ocean View - almost a home away from home in the summer - trying to fix it.
``I started off slow and was kind of depressed about my game,'' he said. ``But now I feel good about it. With the way my swing feels, I think I can play with anybody now.''
Tenney's extra practice helped him shoot under par twice this season and kept his average just 1-over through Granby's first six matches.
``If you're going to play bad,'' the senior said, ``it's better to do it in the first part of the season.''
Tenney said he couldn't have been more pleased with Wednesday's and Thursday's performances, where he held the lead both days. Wednesday at Stumpy Lake, Tenney was up three strokes at the end of the day and followed with three birdies and five bogeys the next.
``It was such a good feeling,'' he said. ``After the first five holes I was down two to Gary Crutcher. We already knew that we won the Eastern District and that it was between me, Gary and Jason. I just played real strong coming in and turned my game around.''
Added Granby coach Marty Bechtol: ``Golf's a funny game. It's a game of ups and downs. Cameron was cold at the beginning and got hot at the right time. He has perseverance and it pulled him through.'' by CNB