THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, April 14, 1996 TAG: 9604140191
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JIM DUCIBELLA, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 82 lines
The new Bayville Club in Virginia Beach, which doesn't officially open until mid-July, will give Hampton Roads golf fans a major dividend Oct. 18-20 when it plays host to the Virginia-Carolina matches.
It will mark the first time since 1984 at Princess Anne that the annual event, featuring an amateur team from Virginia and West Virginia against a team from North and South Carolina, will be staged in South Hampton Roads. The winning team receives a trophy known as The Captain's Putter.
The tournament, in which Carolina holds a 38-12 advantage, generally seeks out Virginia's grand dame layouts such as The Homestead in Hot Springs, the Country Club of Virginia, Golden Horseshoe in Williamsburg or Kingsmill's River Course.
The '96 event was scheduled to be hosted by The Country Club of Virginia. But when their membership announced they were beginning a greens renovation project, the Virginia State Golf Association approached Bayville.
``Bayville doesn't plan to host a lot of tournaments,'' Bayville pro Dean Hurst said, ``but being that there will be 48 of the best players in the region involved in this event, it's definitely the kind of tournament we would want to have. What excites me is that those players are going to leave here in October talking about this wonderful new course they've just played in Virginia Beach. I stressed to our people that I thought this was a first-class, yet low-key, way of helping get the word out about Bayville.''
Whatever the venue, the Virginia contingent hasn't fared very well in this series. Their last victory came in 1993 in Charleston, S.C., but was the first time the Virginians had won in the Carolinas since 1961.
The previous two matches in South Hampton Roads have epitomized the lopsided nature of the tournament. In 1984, Carolina won 121-95. In 1974, also at Princess Anne, Carolina won 123 1/2-93 1/2.
SOME HOLES ARE BETTER THAN OTHERS: Between now and the end of the year, Anheuser-Busch is highlighting 18 PGA Tour and Senior PGA Tour holes on cans it packages in Michelob 18 packs. Graphics and descriptions appear on specially marked cans. The 18th hole at Kingsmill's River Course, where the Michelob Championship (formerly the A-B Classic) will be staged this July, is represented. So are holes from some of the great courses in the game - Bay Hill, Doral, Cog Hill, Firestone, Southern Hills, Chester Valley and Silverado.
Anheuser-Busch, which is celebrating Michelob's 100th anniversary this year, also announced that it will become the title sponsor of the LPGA's $550,000 Heartland Classic this July at the Forest Hills Country Club in St. Louis.
NAVY RYDER CUP: A team representing Great Britain's Royal Navy via the Tidewater British Golf Society takes on a team of Americans in this second bi-annual event, Thursday and Friday at Eagle Haven, Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base. The Americans are the defending champions in a tournament in which no competitor can carry more than a 5-handicap.
The British team will spend this week preparing for the competition, playing practice rounds at Honey Bee and Kingsmill before returning to Eagle Haven Wednesday for a final tuneup. Foursome matches will be Thursday morning, with better-ball competition in the afternoon. All singles matches are Friday. Tee-off Thursday is 8:30 a.m. Friday's competition begins at 9.
For more information, call the pro shop at Eagle Haven, 464-8526.
INSIDE THE LEATHER: The Colonial golf course in Williamsburg has established the Colonial Golf Association in order to provide regular customers with preferred starting times, tournament play and USGA handicap service. Cost is $50, and includes 10-percent discounts on golf fees, teaching center and golf academy programs and membership in the Virginia State Golf Association and eligibility for The Colonial Golf Association tournaments. There's one a month from May through December, all on Saturdays. The Colonial is five miles west of The Pottery Factory on Route 603 (Diascund Road). The phone number is 804-566-1600. In January, Golf Digest called The Colonial one of the top 10 public courses in Virginia. . . . On April 27, Honey Bee in Virginia Beach is hosting its fifth annual Golf Expo. Sales reps from all major club manufacturers will be on hand from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with equipment for golfers to test free of charge. In the past, about 200 golfers have taken advantage of the program. . . . On May 15, the American Golf Corporation is sponsoring Women in Golf Day at 200 facilities throughout the United Stateas Honey Bee will be the Hampton Roads site for a day that includes clinics, a fashion show, a luncheon and guest speakers. The cost is $25. For more information, call Honey Bee at 471-2768. by CNB