
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, June 27, 1990                   TAG: 9006270140
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE                                LENGTH: Medium

STATE AMATEUR BEGINS

The State Amateur golf tournament opening today could become a shootout between the University of Virginia and Virginia Commonwealth University - provided defending champion Tom McKnight and four other former winners don't get in the way.

McKnight, a 35-year-old fuel oil distributor from Galax, won his third title in six years last year with a 4-and-3 decision over seven-time former winner Vinny Giles of Richmond.

Giles, 47, who won his record number of championships between 1962 and 1987, is also entered, along with 1988 winner Keith Decker of Martinsville, 1956 and 1965 champion Wayne Jackson of Newport News and 1960 titleholder Ned Baber of Roanoke.

Virginia coach Mike Morgahan is among the entrants, as are Cavalier team members Brian Quackenbush, Greg McCarthy, Charles Wentworth, Steve Serrao, Tom Zeuthen and Ross Cash, among others.

What the Virginia Commonwealth contingent lacks in quantity, it has in quality.

Michael Grant of Radford won this year's Blacksburg Open, Jerry Wood of Martinsville led last year's State Amateur qualifying after one day and beat Decker by two shots in this year's Forest Park Invitational, and Tom Joyce of Bassett beat medalist Harry Lea two years ago in the State Amateur.

Other highly regarded veterans include Dan Keffer of Roanoke and David Brogan of Lexington.

There will be two rounds of match play Friday involving the low 32 from qualifying today and Thursday. Two more rounds of match play Saturday will narrow the field to the two players who will duel in Sunday's 36-hole final.

by CNB