ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, July 23, 1996 TAG: 9607230047
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: KEITH POMPEY STAFF WRITER
JUNIOR GOLFERS Brandon LaCroix and Jason Orlando inspire each other to play their best.
Brandon LaCroix and Jason Orlando couldn't get any closer Monday at Blue Hills.
Both shot 4-under-par 67s in the opening round of the Seniors Division (ages 16-17) at the Roanoke Valley Golf Association's Junior Championship. The 36-hole medal-play tournament concludes today at Countryside.
``I didn't think we would play this close,'' said LaCroix, a rising junior at North Cross High School. ``I knew we were both capable of playing well. But I figured that only one of us would play well and the other would not.''
Things almost turned out that way.
LaCroix suffered a bogey on the first hole, while Orlando birdied, taking a two-shot lead.
``That's when I told myself that I didn't want to be the one that had a bad day,'' LaCroix said.
From then on, the duo was in a class by themselves.
Orlando mixed an eagle with four birdies and three bogeys during the next 17 holes. LaCroix recorded five birdies with no bogeys the rest of the way.
``There were only about three errors between the two of us the whole game,'' said Orlando, a rising senior at Northside High School. ``He hit a bad drive. I hit a bad drive and a bad second shot and that was about it.''
In other age groups, Ryan Patterson shot a 1-under 70 to lead the under-15 division, with Ryan Crush trailing by one. The Midget (under-13) leader is Joshua Chaney. He shot a 4-over 42 on a shortened nine-hole course. Wade Taylor leads the 10-and-under PeeWee division. He shot a 17 on the 41/2-hole course.
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