Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, August 19, 1993 TAG: 9308190009
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Face it. You don't shoot the lowest competitive round in Roanoke in 10 years and hide it.
Naff, whose arsenal of shots already is well known on the area's daily Nassau circuit, put his game on public display Wednesday. He scorched Blue Hills with a record-setting 8-under-par 63, highlighting first-round qualifying for the Roanoke Valley Golf Association's 1993 Valley Amateur championship.
Naff's round matched the first-round 63 shot at Botetourt Country Club in the 1983 Roanoke Valley Golf Hall of Fame tournament by current Roanoke professional David Tolley. It also set an RVGA qualifying record, eclipsing John Newton's first-round 64 at Botetourt in 1986, and surpassed the course record of 64 from the white tees. Blue Hills pro Billy King has shot 62 twice from the blue tees.
"Can't we keep this a secret?" asked Naff, realizing his round might cost him more than a few dollars at the next Nassau session. "I don't need everybody in town knowing this. Just put in there I shot 73 and let it go.
"Seriously, though, it was the best I can play. I hit the ball well, made some putts and just got lucky. We played the white tees, so that made the course a little easier. I probably shoot 68 or 69 from the blues."
Don't bet on it. Naff missed one green in regulation - the 180-yard par-3 11th, where he had his only bogey - and made seven birdies and an eagle. The 37-year-old former car dealer birdied four of the last five holes on the front nine to turn in a 4-under 31. After bogeying No. 11, he birdied Nos. 13, 14 and 17, then punctuated his career round with a 5-iron to five feet for eagle-3 at the par-5 18th.
"It's pretty hard to keep a round like that secret," said Naff's playing partner, Richard Surface, who shot 68 and still had his pocket lightened somewhat. "It was one hell of a round of golf, no doubt."
Surface, who was 4 under through 11 holes before taking a double-bogey 6 at No. 12, shares second place with Ohio transplant Alex Stanek, junior hotshot Ryan Ketron and 1992 Valley Am runner-up Kelly Hunter.
Other par-busters included Blue Hills regulars Denton Willard and Mark Funderburke, who each carded 69, and Eric Early (70).
With the field playing from the 6,095-yard white tees for the first time in tournament history - at the suggestion of King - the round was one of the lowest-scoring in Valley Am history. Still, it was hard to detract from Naff's 63.
"You've still got to put the ball in the hole," tournament director George May said. "Billy said that last time over here [in the Hall of Fame] nobody broke par and everybody was complaining, so he suggested we play from the whites. So the decision was made to make it more playable for the bulk of our field, the 8- and 10-handicappers."
Thirty-one players - the exact number of golfers who will join defending champion Don Foster for the start of match play Friday - shot 75 or better. The final round of qualifying will be held today at Hanging Rock.
by CNB