Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, June 30, 1990 TAG: 9006300178
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
In a largely local field, FitzHugh is the most prominent player from outside the Roanoke Valley.
"If Gill were to win it, I think a lot of top players would notice and say, `Why didn't I enter ?' " said Barry Wolfe, a Roanoke dentist and golfer who will serve as golf coordinator.
The golf tournament will be held July 7-8 at Countryside. Play will be in four divisions: men's open, women's open, junior boys and senior men.
There were approximately 60 entries as of the June 29 deadline, with most coming in the men's open and junior divisions. There were two foursomes of seniors, Wolfe said, and not even that many women.
"A couple of things conspired against us," Wolfe said. "For one thing, the [men's] state amateur was the week before. For another, the Anheuser-Busch Classic [on the PGA Tour] is the same week. As the reigning state amateur champion, Tom McKnight has an exemption for the Anheuser-Busch."
Also, tournament applications were not mailed until late April, long after many of the top players in the state had started to arrange their summer schedules. It had been hoped that applications would be mailed in February or March.
"I talked to David Partridge [a two-time state player of the year] about playing," Wolfe said, "but he's got a tournament every week for the rest of his life, or at least until August.
"From some of the articles I've been reading, some of the other sports are having some of the same problems we are and they have less competition than we do. The women are a big mystery to me. Originally, we thought we'd have a big women's field."
Entries were mailed to all participants in four tournaments conducted by the Virginia State Golf Association - Men's Amateur, Men's Mid-Amateur, Men's Senior and Boys' Junior - as well as the Women's State Amateur.
As of early this week, however, there were only four women entered in the State Games, including two-time State Amateur champion Kay Schiefelbein of Alexandria. Marilyn Bussey and Sara Cole of Countryside will be worthy opponents.
Alan Boyer of Danville and Virginia Tech golfer Tom Brittain of Tazewell are two of the top outsiders in a men's field that includes such prominent Roanoke Valley golfers as Dan Keffer, Ned Baber, Jack Allara, Tim Chocklett, Jeff Lynch and Bobby Penn.
Roanoke's Arman Fletcher, another former state player of the year, heads the seniors field. Among the juniors, top players include 2-handicapper Derek Royster of Midlothian, Brian Conner of Collinsville, Timmy Bower of Floyd and Adam Harrell of Salem.
by CNB