THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, July 12, 1996 TAG: 9607120629
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BILL LEFFLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PORTSMOUTH LENGTH: 52 lines
A South American who calls Miami home and plays golf at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas is the long driving champion of the Eastern Amateur for 1996.
Driving off the tee, that is. Not across the country.
Gilberto Morales won the Tim Newsom Long Driving Contest, an annual Eastern feature, with a poke of 283 yards. The 20-year-old Morales is from Caracas, Venezuela.
Thirty eight players competed in the competition at the 573-yard, par 5 third hole.
In the qualifying round when the field was trimmed to eight finalists, UNC-Charlotte's Scott Newton was the pacesetter at 294 yards. Newton actually had a 310-yard drive but it went out of bounds and was not counted.
Newton finished in a tie for third with George Fischer of Suffolk at 278 yards.
Runner-up at 280 yards was Ben Ferguson, one of three Australian players in the Eastern.
Ferguson and his Aussie travelling companions, Edward Stedman and Graydon Woolridge, came to the United States to play in five tournaments.
Upon their arrival they checked in at the Hampton Inn and called Elizabeth Manor for transportation to the course. A driver went out to the Hampton Inn in Chesapeake to pick them up. They weren't registered.
A call was placed to the phone number they had left.
It seems they had come in to Patrick Henry Airport and were at a Hampton Inn off Jefferson Avenue in Newport News.
SWINGING AND WRITING: The Eastern had another first this year. A college student brought his term paper to the tournament.
University of Maryland golfer Gary Carpenter had a 4 p.m. deadline for the term paper and asked his professor, Seppo Iso-Ahola, if he could hand it in at the Eastern. Both are competing.
Iso-Ahola, a native of Finland, picked up the term paper when he signed in to play.
``If I play well, he could get an A,'' said Iso-Ahola. ``If not, ...''
Carpenter, the high school state champion in Maryland in 1993, posted a 6-over-par 76. Iso-Ahola scrambled to an 81.
BERTHA TALK: All the players received a course evacuation plan in case problems arise from Hurricane Bertha.
Areas on the course that are safe areas are indicated with a sign.
Those who are playing the 1st, 8th, 9th, 10th or 18th holes must go into the clubhouse. Others go to maintenance areas, a safety house garage or a safety house porch. by CNB