ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, July 23, 1996 TAG: 9607230050
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
SALEM GOLFER LEE SHIRLEY has a career-best day in winning medalist honors by seven strokes.
The rest of the field at the 71st VSGA Women's State Amateur must be wishing that Salem's Lee Shirley had stayed in summer school.
Playing in her first tournament after attending the first session of summer school at the University of North Carolina, Shirley fired a 1-over-par 72 Monday at the Cascades Course in Hot Springs to run away with the qualifying medal.
Shirley's career-tying low score was seven shots lower than anyone else in the 83-player field.
Joannah Pattison, the reigning State Junior champion from Wytheville, and 1991 State Am runner-up Sherry Zaleski of Manassas tied for second at 79.
Shirley, a 20-year-old junior at UNC, mixed four birdies with three bogeys and a double bogey in eclipsing her previous best score of 76 on the tough 5,448-yard layout.
``I'm very happy with 72,'' said Shirley, a three-time Roanoke Golf Hall of Fame champion. ``That's my low score anywhere. It's even better coming on a course of this caliber.''
Shirley, who will face No.32 qualifier Bonita Howell of Roanoke in today's first round of match play, said her performance doesn't make her the player to beat.
``This round only means I'm into match play,'' she said. ``This round will mean nothing starting [today]. There's a lot of work left to be done.''
Patti Anctil of Nokesville and Mimi Hoffman of Alexandria tied for fourth at 80. Four-time champion Jane Mack and two-time winner Anne Patrick, both from Richmond, tied with Reston's Sarah Kayson for sixth at 81.
Besides Shirley, other Southwest Virginians making the low 32 included 1995 runner-up Fran Hensley (82) of Martinsville; Roanoke's Valeta Pittman (82); Roanoke's Sara Cole (82); Roanoke's Kathy Hull (83); Ann Kite of Water's Edge (83); Martinsville's Jessica Adams (84); Blacksburg's Juanita Petrone (84); Martinsville's Becky Poindexter (87); and Howell (88).
There will be single rounds of match play today and Wednesday. Two rounds of match play will be conducted Thursday, with the two winners advancing to Friday's final.
In qualifying for the 39th VSGA Women's Senior Amateur, Peggy Woodard carded a 1-over-par 73 on the 4,852-yard Homestead Course to claim medalist honors.
Two-time champion Ruth Ann Verell was second with a 74, while Helen Ferneyhough of Monroe was third at 75.
Salem's Dot Bolling, making her State Senior Am debut, struggled to a 78, but safely advanced into match play.
Four-time titlist Audrey Najjum of Roanoke also qualified with an 81.
In other golf news:
VSGA ADULT-YOUTH: Radford's Rob and Ryan Sypniewski shot 39-36-75 to win the 11-and-under division in the Virginia State Golf Association Adult-Youth Championship at The Crossing in Richmond.
Richmond's Tim Kelley and his 16-year-old son Brock won the overall title after shooting 34-35-69 in the modified alternate shot competition. Lexington's Alex Macheras and Eric Reynolds finished in a tie for fourth at 35-38-73.
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