24th VSGA Senior Four-Ball Champions
SUFFOLK, VA (May 17, 2006) –– Area golfers George B. Owens and Billy McClanan of Virginia Beach shot a bogey-free round of 5-under-par 67 to score a one-shot victory over three other teams as the 24th VSGA Senior Four-Ball Championship concluded today at Nansemond River Golf Club (6,572 yards, par 36-36—72).
Owens-McClanan emerged from a bunched leader board after day one to complete action at 9-under-par 135. First round leaders Gil FitzHugh (Fairfax)-David A. King (Sterling) as well as Central Virginians Lee Coble (Richmond)-Tim Rash (Midlothian) and Charles E. Green III (Tazewell)-Dr. Bob Rotella (Keswick) finished a stroke back at 8-under-par 136.
Playing in the next-to-last grouping of the day, a pivotal four-hole stretch on the outward nine helped Owens-McClanan capture the title. The run started when Owens made birdie at the par-5 third hole, before McClanan drained birdie putts inside of 10 feet in a demanding three-hole stretch from Nos. 4-6.
“That set up the whole day,” said McClanan, a member at Princess Anne Country Club.
They continued to play steady golf thereafter, with McClanan draining a 15-footer at the par-3 16th for their final birdie of the day. Owning a one-shot lead over Coble-Rash and Green-Rotella, who had completed their rounds, Owens holed an uphill 4-foot par putt at the par-5 18th to secure the tandem’s first State championship. The longtime friends who have played golf together on and off for 30-plus years, complemented each other well, going without a blemish on their scorecard for a second consecutive round.
“We feel comfortable playing together and our games are very similar,” said Owens, who plays at Broad Bay Country Club. “We both had chances for birdie or par on a pretty consistent basis for two days.”
Green-Rotella rode a hot putter to shoot 8-under 64 and match the low round of the championship (Portsmouth’s Murray Rudisill and Suffolk’s J.P. Leigh also had 64), birdieing six of their final 12 holes. Meanwhile, Coble-Rash had eight birdies and had only one bogey on their card to score 65. Rash completed their birdie-birdie finish by sinking a sidehill 25-footer at the last.
King and FitzHugh, the overnight leaders, shot even par on the front, but charged late in the day by birdieing three of the final four holes (Nos. 15, 16 and 18) to fire 69. They finished as the championship runners-up for a second consecutive year and won the first flight.
Other flight winners were Coble-Rash in the second flight; Green-Rotella in the third flight; George Kemp (Virginia Beach)-Richard Ogden (Chesapeake) in the fourth flight (143, -1) and Bill Hess (Richardsville)-Dick Fisher (Powhatan) and Larry Brinn (Chesapeake)-Glynn Rogers (Virginia Beach) in the fifth flight (both at 147, +3).
For complete results, click on the tournament link above.
ABOUT THE VSGA Senior Four-Ball
36-hole four-ball stroke play competition (18 holes
per
day). Open to VSGA Members who will are at least
50
years old and have an active GHIN number issued
by a
licensed VSGA Member Club in good standing.
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