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Andy Coradini Wins His Second
Straight State Championship Within a Week
Tommy Hutchinson Comes From Eight
Strokes Down on Second Day to Win North Carolina APA State Title by One
Over Brian Hutchins
October 6-7, 2001 - Lumberton, NC - For the first time
ever in PPA history, a player has won two state medal play titles within
the same season. Last weekend in Richmond, Andy Coradini won his first
ever state medal play title in Richmond. Earlier in the season in
Lumberton, Coradini picked up his lone North Carolina victory. Now, with
the 2001 North Carolina State Championship in hand, the native of
Loganville, Georgia has collected two wins in Lumberton for the season
and most importantly, two state titles in a span of seven days.
In the regular season encounter, Coradini won by two shots over Rick
Baird and Robert Johnson with an impressive score of 80. This weekend,
he had to work hard to come from four shots down after the end of the
third round and play solid despite an extra round played on Sunday.
Play began Saturday with a threat of morning showers that would move
on before the start of play. Skies were overcast during the practice
session and no rain did fall. Conditions were also muggy for the 27th
renewal of the North Carolina State Championship. Things got underway on
a sour note when defending champion Greg Ward opened the tournament with
a bogey three on the first hole. The opening round was led by
Thomasville's Randy Carter, playing in his first full season after a
13-year layoff, with a 24 and Charlotte's Jimmy Mott in second at 25.
Carter continued to raise eyebrows after the second round after his
29 maintained his lead at 53 and was up one on Mott still and on Eden's
Randal Smith. Virginia player Peter Neumann moved into fourth at that
point with a 27 to go in at 55.
The amateurs began their six-round state championship with defending
champion Chris Hudson unable to attend, leaving an open opportunity for
11 competitors. In the field were three former winners with a collective
four titles of their own, and two other champions from other states who
won a collective four of their own. Brian Hutchins, who won the South
Carolina State Championship in 1999, got the ball rolling in the first
round as he opened a four-shot lead over Chuck Nance. Hutchins led the
field with a 25 and then was leading the Pros with a 27 to go in at 52
to lead by seven over Nance.
In the third round, the Pros would find a new leader. Pennsylvania
product Brad Lebo fired a 24 to take the clubhouse lead at 80 and was in
command. He was leading by two shots over Neumann and Smith, while
Carter dropped strokes that round with a 33 to fall six back of the
lead.
In the North Carolina State Championship, it is a two-day event with
the format being eight rounds for the Pros (four on each day) and six
for the APA (three on each day). During the fourth round of play for the
Pros (while the APA was completing their third round), skies began to
open up and a heavy shower pelted the course causing it to inundate
within a matter of minutes. After a 10-minute delay, NCPPA chairman
Chris Bunting announced play would cease for the rest of the day due to
unplayable conditions and that the tournament would resume on Sunday and
the fourth round would be thrown out since the round was incomplete
(third for the APA). This would give the players an extra round of play
on Sunday.
An awards banquet was scheduled after play on Saturday in the shelter
at the facility. A cookout was provided by course operator Alan Fowlkes,
who served the players hot dogs, hamburgers, and chicken wings. Special
awards were presented to Greg Newport for winning the 2001 NCPPA Player
of the Year, Baird and Coradini for becoming the 2001 Team of the Year,
Jimmy Comer for capturing the 2001 NCAPA Player of the Year, and Gary
Moore, who was the recipient of the Bill Walsh Sportsmanship Award.
The naming of the 2002 NCPPA Committee was also announced with a new
five-man committee. The tour will be handled by Chris Bunting, Rick
Baird, Greg Newport, Rick Rybaczek, and newcomer Billy Caudle. North
Carolina also fielded its 10 members of the Clayton Cup team, which will
consist of Randy Reeves (captain), Greg Newport and Rick Baird (who will
be the only players to represent North Carolina in every event), Chris
Bunting, Rick Rybaczek, Ray Guthrie, and first-time players Tommy
Barbour, Billy Caudle, and Gary Hester. Randal Smith was voted by the
other nine players as their tenth man on the team.
Play resumed on Sunday with the APA teeing off first to start their
third round. The weather on Sunday was much better as sunny skies
prevailed but temperatures approximately 20 degrees cooler and a
blustery northwest wind were the key factors. Hutchins began his second
day with a commanding seven-shot lead but would start to deteriorate and
fell apart in each round. Tommy Hutchinson, who was eight back of the
lead and tied for third, started to make a run to the title with rounds
of 31 and 27 to within shot of the lead. Hutchins started his day with
rounds of 34 and 31 to make the contest interesting.
Into the fifth round, the two found themselves tied for the top spot
at 148. However, a third player was making his own move to keep it
close. Keith Waters, who won in 1993, fired rounds of 31, 26, and 30 to
move to within two shots of the lead at 150. In the final round, the
winner was decided on the back nine. Waters tried to take the lead
outright, but missed two critical tee shots on the last two holes and
ended up finish at 179. Hutchinson made 18 to walk in the house at 177
and Hutchins was a shot back with two to play. Needing at least one ace
to stay alive in the championship, Hutchins missed the final two holes
to end up one back of Hutchinson. Hutchinson, who won three previous
state titles in South Carolina, collected his first North Carolina title
ever with a final score of 177 and won by a single shot over Hutchins,
who ended up at 178. Waters settle for third at 179 and Adam Smith came
in fourth at 181.
Meanwhile, the Pros continued their action with the beginning of the
fourth round. Lebo held a two-shot lead going into play and would
continue his strong play. Lebo fired a 27 to lead at 107. His lead was
still two shots, but Coradini would make a charge of his own after a 25
in the fourth round put him at 109. By the end of the fifth round, it
would become a three-man race for the title as Neumann put himself right
back in the chase with a 25 to move to within three shots of the lead.
Lebo still held on to his two-shot lead on Coradini with three rounds
remain.
Coradini managed to tie things up by besting Lebo by two shots in the
sixth round. Lebo and Coradini were sharing the lead at 163 and Neumann
was now two back at 165. The three players carded a seventh round 28 to
stay close to each other and Coradini and Lebo still held on to their
co-lead. With one round left, both players were in at 191 and Neumann
was at 193. In the seventh round, Robert Johnson, who began the weekend
in 34th place after a first round 34, posted a 22, which included a
perfect back nine, to jump to fourth.
The front nine would be the deciding outcome for Coradini as he
posted an 11 to take a huge lead on Lebo. Coradini would seal his first
state title in North Carolina with a final round 25 and won the tournament
by four shots over Lebo. Coradini fired a five-round Sunday score of 132
to post a final score of 216. It is the highest score ever posted in a
North Carolina State Championship since the format became eight rounds,
eclipsing the winning score of 215 posted in Durham by 1999 State
Champion Bart Bason and runner-up Michael Hitt.
For his win, Coradini received $800 first prize, while Lebo cashed in
$650 for second. The purse for the Pro Division was $9, 175. Neumann's
final round 32 dropped him to a third place tie with Johnson and Reeves
at 225. Kevin Garrett had a strong weekend of his own to finish in sixth
at 227. Defending champion Greg Ward tied Newport for seventh at 228 and
Vince Batten and Thomas Rawles round out the top 10 with a ninth-place
tie at 229. Players in the field were representing from six different
states from Alabama to Pennsylvania and points in-between.
The North Carolina tour will play one more weekend for 2001. They
will be in Durham on Saturday, November 3 for the Teams Championship,
which was re-scheduled from earlier this year that was postponed due to
terrorists attacks across the country. The event will get underway at
10:00am on Course 2, with the team of Baird and Coradini going first. On
Sunday, November 4, 24 players will vie for the Match Play title,
currently defended by Ray Guthrie, and it will get underway at 9:00am on
Course 2.
Tournament recap and scores courtesy of Opie Roberts
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