Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, July 4, 1993 TAG: 9307040101
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: NEWPORT NEWS LENGTH: Medium
Richmond golfers Partridge and Simon Cooke - a 2-up winner over Jay Scheumann of Newport News - will play 36 holes for the championship today on the 6,406-yard, par-70 James River Country Club course.
The tournament's first all-Richmond final since 1982 will match not only fellow Hermitage Country Club members but two players with University of Virginia ties. Partridge, 38, is a graduate; Cooke, 20, will be a sophomore at the school in the fall.
"There's a little bit of a revenge factor involved," Partridge said. "In the 1991 quarterfinals, I birdied 15, 16 and 17 and beat him 2-up."
En route to the semifinals, Partridge was a 6-and-5 winner over Tom Offutt of Arlington and Cooke turned back Greg Bales of Glen Allen 2 and 1.
In the other quarterfinal matches Saturday morning, Vinny Giles was a 2-and-1 winner over Conlin Giles of Norfolk and Scheumann turned back J.P. Leigh of Chesapeake, also by 2 and 1.
Two down with two holes to go in the semifinal, Vinny Giles got a break when Partridge missed a two-foot par putt that would have ended the match on the 17th hole.
Partridge drove into the trees on the par-5 18th and had to chip out, but he hit a 3-wood to 25 feet from the cup with his third shot.
"I guess that shot was the one I was most pleased with," Partridge said. "I've seen Vinny come back before. He has more lives than a cat."
Partridge was able to two-putt for par from there, and Giles - whose second shot landed in the left trap - missed a 15-foot birdie try.
"I didn't feel like I putted the ball that badly," said Giles, who didn't have a birdie and was 4 over for the afternoon. "I hit a lot of good putts. The hole just didn't get in the way. It might be it was supposed to be that way."
Scheumann held a 3-up lead over Cooke in the other semifinal after three birdies in six holes, but Cooke got back to 1-down at the turn with a birdie on the eighth and a par on the ninth.
After Cooke pulled even with a birdie on the par-5 10th, Scheumann took his final lead with a birdie on the 12th.
Cooke got even with a 30-foot birdie putt on the par-3 13th, and he finished the match with birdies on the last two holes. For the 18, Cooke was 4 under.
"I felt a lot more comfortable with my putter this afternoon," Cooke said.
Asked whether he might have gotten frustrated when Scheumann kept making birdies on the front nine, Cooke said, "I always expect my opponent to make every putt he looks at, and then I won't be disappointed, but, yes, it's a little frustrating."
by CNB