THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 6, 1996 TAG: 9610040241
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 26 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BILL LEFFLER, CURRENTS SPORTS EDITOR
LENGTH: 60 lines
IN AN EFFORT to get a larger field in the City Amateur, a new BB&T Portsmouth Fall Golf Classic will be held this year.
The three-day competition, which will include the city tournament, will be held at Sleepy Hole Nov. 8-10.
The Fall Classic will be a two-man team tournament with different formats each day and will include professional players as well as amateurs.
The city tournament will be in the same competition but only the second and third rounds will be counted. This event is limited to amateurs and will carry an additional $20 fee (in which all funds will go toward prizes).
The classic is a brainstorm of Sleepy Hole operator Jim Armentrout and amateur J.P. Leigh, long the city's dominant player and a 12-time City Amateur winner.
``We had a very successful fall two-ball tournament last year,'' said Armentrout. ``We're incorporating the Portsmouth Amateur into it.
Added Armentrout: ``The course always is beautiful in November and the greens are very fast. We think this is an excellent time to have the tournament.''
``We hope this will be a way to rebuild the tournament back to where it is one of the premier events in the area,'' said Leigh. ``With so many tournaments, we have had problems with entries in recent years. We want a good turnout.''
Armentrout and Leigh believe the addition of pros in the classic field will attract more top players, as well as a larger field for the City Amateur.
The two-man teams cannot consist of two pros. The teams will either be two amateurs or an amateur and a pro.
The first round will be Chapman better ball. The second round will be better ball. The third round will be a combined total.
``So, actually, we will have 72-hole scores by counting both scores on Sunday,'' said Armentrout.
There will be shotgun starts each day. The first round will begin at 12:30 p.m. Friday, the second round Saturday at 11 a.m. and the closing round Sunday at 9 a.m.
All amateurs competing in the city tournament will be playing their own ball throughout the last two rounds.
Believed to be the longest continuous city tournament in the nation, the City Amateur started in 1926.
The 48-year-old Leigh, a Portsmouth native and now a resident of Suffolk, first won in 1967. His last victory came in 1994.
Billy Judah won last year with rounds of 70 and 69. His 139 was a record since the tournament was reduced from 72 holes to 36.
BB&T Bank, which sponsored the City Amateur in recent years as Commerce Bank, is sponsoring the entire Fall Classic.
Entry blanks are now available at BB&T, Sleepy Hole and area pro shops. For information, call 538-4100. ILLUSTRATION: Photos
The new Fall Classic, scheduled for Nov. 8-10, is the brainstorm of
Sleepy Hole operator Jim Armentrout, left, and amateur golfer J.P.
Leigh, right. It will be a two-man team tournament with different
formats each day and will include professional players as well as
amateurs. by CNB