Davis rallies to claim Open
title
By Matt Hammond
Examiner Sports Editor
07/28/03
Timothy Peck and Dave Linville, who had
just one previous Bellefontaine Examiner Logan County Open appearance
between them, struggled down the stretch in Sunday's final round.
Tournament veteran Gary Davis seized the
opportunity.
Davis, playing in his seventh Open, rallied
from five strokes back at the day's start to beat Peck by one shot at
Liberty Hills Golf Club.
"There were some years where I saw
the camera taking pictures and the people watching, and I got a little
nervous," said Davis. "But today I was ready for that and it
was no big deal. Those past experiences really helped me."
Davis becomes the eighth straight first-time
winner for the county tournament, which celebrated its 10th anniversary
this year. Davis' previous best finish was a third-place effort in 1997.
That year Davis was tied for the lead heading into the final round, but
shot a 79 on the final day and finished four strokes off the lead.
However, he was the one making the charge
Sunday.
Peck held a two-shot lead over Linville
and five-shot advantage over Davis as the final round began.
But Peck's lead was slowly whittled away.
Peck carded a 38 on the opening nine holes (the Championship Flight began
on the back nine at Liberty), allowing Shawn Bechtel to close to within
two strokes. Bechtel fired a 35 on the first nine.
Linville had a 39 at the turn and was three
back, while Davis still had plenty of work to do as his 37 put him four
back.
Things got interesting as the leaders headed
to the final nine holes.
Peck played the first four holes on the
second nine in four over par, with Linville and Davis playing that stretch
in par. That allowed Linville a one-shot advantage and put Davis two shots
behind.
Bechtel fell back to four off the lead
after he played his first five holes on the second nine in three over.
Stormy weather then hit the course, forcing
nearly an hour delay.
As the field gathered in the club house,
it was learned that another golfer - Riverside High School sophomore-to-be
Michael Strayer - was making a mad dash to the top of the leader board.
Strayer, eight back after two rounds, shot
a 36 on the back nine at Liberty on Sunday and then played his first six
holes on the front side in three under par before the delay.
That set the stage for a dramatic tournament
finish.
Strayer fell out of contention after he
played the final three holes in five over par.
That left the door open for the final threesome
of Peck, Linville and Davis.
Peck looked like he had the title in the
bag after nearly holing his tee shot on his 16th hole of the day, the
165-yard par 3, No. 7. Peck birdied the hole and held a two-shot lead
over Davis and a three-stroke advantage over Linville with two holes to
play.
But Peck was in store for a cruel twist
of emotions. His tee shot on Liberty's No. 8 was lost in the woods along
the right side of the fairway. He ended up taking a quadruple bogey 8
on the hole, while Davis parred it.
"After my birdie, I felt pretty good
about my chances," said Peck, who was making his Open debut. "I
was maybe a little overconfident with my tee shot (on No. 8) and it cost
me. I didn't hit the ball right all day and I hit it right there. It was
a mistake that cost me the tournament."
Davis suddenly had a two-stroke lead over
Peck. Davis bogeyed the finishing hole to card a 74 for the day and a
224 for the tournament.
"I had no idea really where I was
at," said Davis, a Rushsylvania resident and employee of Mary Rutan
Hospital. "I thought Tim had it. I just wanted to finish well."
Peck finished his round with a par, giving himself an 80, a three-round
225 and a second-place finish.
"You learn every time you play this
game," said Peck. "I'm really disappointed right now, but I
had a lot of fun. This tournament was set up great and I'm looking forward
to playing in it again."
After experiencing a lot of ups and downs
in past tournaments, Davis said he knew anything could happen in the final
round.
"I remember a few years back, someone
led by about 10 strokes and lost," said Davis. "I just wanted
to keep plugging away and wanted to keep putting the pressure on."
Davis also claimed a little divine intervention.
"My caddie was Pastor Mike (Sandlin
of Hi-Point Church of Christ) and he was a big help," said Davis.
"We did a lot of praying out there."
Davis was awarded $400 in Logan County
Chamber Choice Certificates for his win. But he seemed to be more thrilled
with gaining the title of top golfer in Logan County.
"I like the sound of that," said
Davis. "It feels really good."
Ben Schwaderer, Linville, Bechtel and Strayer
finished two shots back at 226.
Bud Eichholtz shot a 233 to win the A Flight,
while Jay Knight (241) took the top spot in the B Flight.
Other flight winners included Robby Powell
(251) in C Flight, Jim Vermillion (258) in D Flight, Jason LeVan (260)
in E Flight, Ken Jenkins (267) in F Flight and Mike Conley in G Flight
(277).
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