CENTREVILLE –– Central Virginians Scott Campbell and Larry Loving Jr. of Mechanicsville wiped out a four-shot closing day deficit, delivered a final-round best 7-under-par 65 and notched a one-shot victory as the 40th Virginia State Golf Association Four-Ball Championship concluded today at Chantilly National Golf and Country Club (7,098 yards, par 36-36—72).
The tandem finished the championship with a 10-under-par 134 (69-65) aggregate, claimed their first State Four-Ball title and finished one shot clear of overnight leaders and three-time champions Keith Decker of Martinsville and Manakin-Sabot’s David Partridge (65-70) as well as the father-son team of Tim and Brock Kelley of Ashland (66-69).
Playing five groupings ahead of the final pairing of Decker-Partridge and the Kelleys, Campbell-Loving played a bogey-free round that included seven birdies. Campbell, a day shy of his 29th birthday, supplied most of the scoring punch on the final day, accounting for six of the team’s seven birdies. He got things going by getting up-and-down for birdie at the par-5 third hole and drained putts of 20 and 15 feet at Nos. 6 and 8, respectively.
After Loving (pictured right) sank a 30-footer at the par-4 11th hole to get the tandem to four under for the day, Campbell birdied three of the final four holes to provide what would be the difference, holing a 20-footer at No. 15, before closing with two birdies at 17 and 18, making putts of 15 and 6 feet. All told, after bogeying two of the first four holes during Friday’s first round action, Campbell-Loving went without a bogey on their scorecard thereafter. In addition, they played the layout’s four par 5s in three under on Saturday.
“I knew that if we could get the ball on the green that we were going to make some putts,” said Campbell. The two were runners-up at the 1996 VSGA Four-Ball to champions Robert Nussey and Bob Garrison of Midlothian at The Golden Eagle Golf Club in Irvington.
Decker-Partridge shot even par on the front, but answered back as Decker made eagle at the par-5 13th hole from 5 feet and he birdied the par-5 17th to tie them for the lead at 10 under heading to the last hole. However, Partridge’s slippery birdie putt from 12 feet slid past and he just narrowly missed his par-saving comebacker. Meanwhile, Decker misfired on his 7-foot par putt after bunkering his second shot in a fronting greenside bunker with his iron approach from deep rough.
Campbell-Loving Jr. were as surprised by the tandem’s two bogeys at 18 as anyone.
“You never expect something like that,” said Loving. “You expect one of those guys to make birdie.”
Though they knew what Campbell-Loving had shot ahead of them while playing the inward half, ultimately Decker faulted the team’s second straight slow start on the first nine holes as blame for falling a stroke shy of a record fourth title.
“We had a chance to close the door if we shot three or four under on the front,” said Decker (pictured right). “Instead, we let everybody back in the game. In some ways, we got what we deserved.”
Despite three birdies and a bogey heading to the final hole, the Kelleys were two back of the leaders, but finished strong with a closing birdie as Tim Kelley knocked in a four-footer.
Campbell-Loving are making something of a habit of leapfrogging to the top of the leader board on the final day. At last week’s Belle Haven Four-Ball at Belle Haven Country Club in Alexandria, they shot a final round 66 and climbed from the middle of the field to fifth at the event’s conclusion.
“That gave us a lot of confidence heading into this week,” said Campbell, who teamed with Loving to vault seven spots at the VSGA Four-Ball. “You feel like anytime you can make some birdies, you can really get on a roll.”
CENTREVILLE –– Scores following the final round of the 40th VSGA Four-Ball Championship, which concluded today at Chantilly National Golf and Country Club (7,098 yards, par 36-36—72).
Scott Campbell (Mechanicsville)-Larry Loving Jr. (Mechanicsville), 69-65—134
Keith Decker (Martinsville)-David Partridge (Manakin-Sabot), 65-70—135
Tim Kelley (Ashland)-Brock Kelley (Ashland), 66-69—135
Robert Nussey Jr. (Midlothian)-Glenn Mullian (Richmond), 68-68—136
Tony Good (Glen Allen)-David Passerell (Scottsville), 67-69—136
Craig Groenendaal (Centreville)-Albert Johnson (Centreville), 69-68—137
Daniel Hurley (Leesburg)-Joey McLister (Leesburg), 69-68—137
Allen Barber (Yorktown)-Paul C. Erdman (West Point), 68-69—137
Buck Brittain (Tazewell)-Donnie Hankins (Tazewell), 71-66—137
Tim Vigotsky (Centreville)-Blair Johnson (Centreville), 70-68—138
Michael Kirby (Fairfax)-Craig Mason (Fairfax), 71-67—138
Duff Meyer (Harrisonburg)-Chris Slonaker (Harrisonburg), 68-70—138
Greg Henderson (Fredericksburg)-Chester Guzek (Fredericksburg), 70-70—140
Ryan Sypniewski (Radford)-Aaron Rygas (Pulaski), 68-72—140
Jeffrey Klatt (Manassas)-Jimmy Delp (Manassas), 71-70—141
Tom Vlahakis (Ashland)-Spence Andrews (Glen Allen), 70-71—141
Rick Wakefield (Fairfax)-H. Dudley Payne (Fairfax), 72-69—141
Jimmy Angel (Midlothian)-Hunter Russell (Midlothian), 68-73—141
Mike Howell (Centreville)-John Price (Centreville), 71-71—142
Lance Rice (Purcellville)-Stan Williams (Purcellville), 71-71—142
Starell M. Cox Jr. (Chesterfield)-Tucker Bradshaw (Chesterfield), 71-71—142
Clark Bixler (Reston)-Ryan Price (Reston), 71-71—142
Robert Menefee (Alexandria)-Jason Pool (Alexandria), 71-71—142
Chad F. Hanes (Vienna)-Grayson Hanes (Vienna), 71-71—142
Bill Musto (Sterling)-Andy Heye (Sterling), 70-72—142
Chris Tuttle (Virginia Beach)-Robert Bradshaw (Virginia Beach), 70-72—142
Tom Offutt (Arlington)-Richard C. Thomas (Arlington), 73-69—142
Todd Burgess (Lynchburg)-Tim Campbell (Lynchburg), 72-70—142
Kevin Dillard (Fairfax)-Jamie Gough (Fairfax), 71-71—142
Mike Brennan (Leesburg)-Steve Douglass (Leesburg), 71-72—143
Brent Daughtrey (Troy)-D.P. Seay Jr. (Troy), 73-70—143
Steve Serrao (Midlothian)-Jay Serrao (Midlothian), 70-73—143
Frank Driver (Timberville)-Emmett Clougherty (Timberville), 72-71—143
Tim Krouse (Vienna)-Tony DeLuca (Vienna), 72-72—144
Bill McClanan IV (Virginia Beach)-Joseph Morton (Virginia Beach), 71-73—144
Russ Fricke (Haymarket)-Ron Cooke (Haymarket), 73-71—144
Jon Zampedro (Centreville)-Jeffrey Topp (Centreville), 71-73—144
Brett Chambers (Mount Sidney)-John Rosenstock (Mount Sidney), 71-74—145
Sam Taylor (Roanoke)-Danny Hopkins (Roanoke), 71-74—145
Larry Spielberg (Williamsburg)-Jaymie Martino (Williamsburg), 71-75—146
Michael Hudenburg (South Riding)-Mike Stone (South Riding), 74-72—146
Scott Inman (Springfield)-Buddy Patch (Springfield), 72-74—146
Brendan Giuseppe (Vienna)-Paul Avis (Vienna), 72-74—146
Gary Honey (Potomac Falls)-Dave Spannbauer (Potomac Falls), 75-72—147
Tim Rash (Midlothian)-Tim Lyons (Midlothian), 73-74—147
Marc Marcuson (Richmond)-Peyton Lawson (Richmond), 72-75—147
Dean Griffith (Front Royal)-Daniel Yates (Front Royal), 75-72—147
Steve Southern (Midlothian)-Howard Overbey (Midlothian), 76-72—148
John Hudson Jr. (Roanoke)-Powell Holly (Roanoke), 75-73—148
Steve Hartley (Waynesboro)-Jeff Toms (Waynesboro), 73-75—148
Rodney Peters (Woodbridge)-Brad Love (Woodbridge), 72-77—149
J.W. Entsminger (Lexington)-David Brogan (Lexington), 72-77—149
Vic Williams (Winchester)-Jeff Tyndall (Winchester), 72-77—149
Ben Hogan (Centreville)-Mark Graham (Centreville), 74-75—149
Gordon Shelton (Charlottesville)-Scott Garrison (Charlottesville), 75-75—150
Jay Vizgaitis (Alexandria)-Dan Hosek (Alexandria), 74-76—150
Brian Johnson (Spotsylvania)-Paul Priebe (Spotsylvania), 77-74—151
John Bolino (Suffolk)-Wayne Leeder (Suffolk), 76-76—152
Skip Zobel (Virginia Beach)-Keith Champton (Virginia Beach), 73-80—153
B.K. Kelley (Chester)-Dustin T. Hussey (Chester), 80-76—156