THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 20, 1996 TAG: 9610200192
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C14 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BRIAN J. FRENCH, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: 45 lines
Fierce winds cut through the golfers at the Virginias-Carolinas Matches Saturday, as a fierce comeback by the Carolinas squad ripped with equal strength through the hosts' lead.
The Carolinas golfers more than made up a 12-point deficit by winning 14 matches at the Bayville Golf Club and rallying to take a 75-69 lead with one day left.
Nine of those 14 wins were 3-0 sweeps, in which the winner won both the front and back nines as well as the overall match.
The day was marked by strong winds and temperatures in the upper 40s and 50s, turning par-4s on the wide-open Lynnhaven Inlet links into holes in which players sometimes needed to hit two woods.
Putting was also a major concern on wind-hardened greens that already had been fast. On one putting surface, at the tricky 14th, many players three-putted. The only below-par performance on that hole was turned in by the Virginias' Allen Barber, and that was a chip shot out of the bunker.
``It's pretty tough to play in conditions like this,'' said Suffolk's J.P. Leigh, who split his match with Mitch Adams. ``The wind really wreaks havoc on the backswing; you almost have to screw the ball into the green to keep it steady.''
The Virginias, up 42-30 after the frist day, extended their lead early on, winning the first three matches. But after Barber, whose 3-0 win over Chuck Tickle was the day's only sweep by a Virginias player, and Vinny Giles, who beat Steve Slayden 2-1, the Carolinas went 6-1-1 the rest of the way in the regulars section, then won five of eight on the senior side, taking eight of the day's last nine points.
Troy Ferris of Virginia Beach tied his contest with Frank Ford. Chesapeake's Billy Judah didn't fare as well, losing 3-0 to Terry Ezell.
The tournament ends today with 12 alternate-shot matches. As in Friday's best-ball, each match can net the winners six points. Like Saturday, weather could be a factor; the forecast calls for winds between 10-20 mph with occasional higher gusts.
If the Carolinas team holds their lead through the final round, they will have won the ``Captain's Putter'' - awarded to the Carolinas-Virginias winner - for the 21st time in 24 attempts. by CNB