Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, June 29, 1990 TAG: 9006290742
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: AMHERST LENGTH: Medium
Former professional Liz Rogers of Virginia Beach overtook Slaughter on the back nine Thursday at Winton Country Club and pulled away for her third Virginias Women's Stroke-Play Championship.
Rogers had a round of 1-over-par 74 to finish with a 54-hole total of 220 and a four-shot margin over Slaughter, from Floyd, and Broadway's Donna Martz. Vikki Valentine of Virginia Beach was next at 225.
"I just put a lot of pressure on myself," said Slaughter, a University of Arizona sophomore. "I felt other people were expecting me to win and I was thinking, `If I lose this, it will be embarrassing,' which was the wrong approach."
Rogers, a 31-year-old Arizona State graduate, trailed Slaughter by two shots before making up five shots on her younger rival on holes No. 12-15.
"I was really shocked at the turnaround," Rogers said. "I wasn't making any putts and I just felt like things weren't going my way. I can't believe I won, really. The last thing I expected was that she'd fall apart."
Slaughter was at par for the tournament after a birdie-2 at No. 11, but she went bogey-double bogey-bogey-bogey on the next four holes.
"I just had a bad day," Slaughter said. "I hadn't been really pleased with the way I was hitting the ball all week, but I had gotten away with some mis-hits. I didn't lose it upstairs; I kept my cool, but I lost my concentration at times."
Rogers, who was a professional from 1983-84, was at the top of her game after shooting 67 from the men's tees last week at the Cavalier Country Club in Virginia Beach.
"I felt I hadn't played as well as I might have liked [for two rounds]," she said, "but this game can make you kind of greedy."
by CNB