Daryl Freeman Outlasts Field in First of Two Tournaments in Columbia
Daryl Freeman3 July 2004 - Columbia, S.C. - Daryl Freeman, a Hall of Fame player, continued to show that after a 20-plus year layoff he is still among the best in the PPA. Freeman took care of business in the first of two events played on Saturday in Columbia. He did so by putting himself in a position to win by four strokes when he fired a final round 26, coupled with a first round 26 and a second round 25 that would give him a one-shot lead.
The Bristol, Tennessee product found himself in fifth place after the opening round. Georgia players Darrell Britt, Steve Lyon, and Frank Warren and Spartanburg player Todd Fowler started out with a three-way share of the lead at 25. Freeman would fire a 25 of his own in the second round that would make him the outright leader after 36 holes. Britt would be a shot out of the lead, but would not keep pace in the final round as he shot 31.
Freeman then played it safe the rest of the way and would take home his first win of the season on the South Carolina tour. At the end of the afternoon, Freeman posted a winning score of 77 and a four-shot victory over Tony Varnadore, who had won the previous two events on Course 1 in Columbia, including the 2003 PPA South Carolina State Championship. Varnadore would post a final round 26 of his own to finish at 81. Warren came back to tie Robert Johnson for third at 82, while Britt dropped to a tie for fifth with Randy Orr and Jay Klapper at 84. Orr's score was the best low qualifying medalist for the South Carolina State Championship.
Ricky D. Schults also had an easy time in the APA Division as he posted a second round 28 to take the lead and carded a final round 27 to win by three shots over local player Jeff Carr. Schults' would win with a score of 85 for his third South Carolina win of the season. Carr would come in second at 88, and Richard Griffin was third at 89.
The second tournament in Columbia will be played later in the day.
Tournament results provided by Opie Roberts.
Professional Division of Columbia, S.C. Event
(Columbia, S.C. - 3 July 2004)
Round Prize Player 1 2 3 Total Money 1 Daryl Freeman
26 25 26 77 $ 120.00 2 Tony Varnadore 28 27 26 81 $ 80.00 3 Robert Johnson 25 31 26 82 $ 60.00 Frank Warren 25 30 27 82 $ 60.00 5 Darrell Britt 25 27 31 83 $ 45.00 Jay Klapper 29 25 29 83 $ 45.00 Randy Orr 30 26 27 83 $ 45.00 8 Steve Lyon 25 31 28 84 $ 35.00 9 Rick Culverhouse 29 29 27 85 $ 35.00 10 Michael Hitt 29 29 28 86 11 Todd Fowler 25 31 31 87 12 Andy Coradini 26 34 28 88 13 Rick Baird 31 28 30 89 Tony Jackson 29 32 28 89 Rick Rybaczek 32 27 30 89 Randal Smith 29 30 30 89 17 Jonathan Reid 30 32 28 90 18 Russell Sigmon, Jr. 33 31 32 96 19 Bob Jackson 32 34 31 97 Amateur Division of Columbia, S.C. Event
(Columbia, S.C. - 3 July 2004)
Round Expense Player 1 2 3 Total Money 1 Ricky D. Schults
30 28 27 85 $ 10.00 2 Jeff Carr 29 32 27 88 $ 10.00 3 Richard Griffin 29 32 28 89 $ 10.00 4 Chris Alley 32 31 27 90 Dennis Biesma 30 32 28 90 Terry Hendrix 31 28 31 90 Lynn Self 30 31 29 90 Larry Smith 26 32 32 90 9 Bill Bryson 33 31 29 93 Russell Taylor 32 28 33 93 11 Chris Hudson 35 27 32 94 Todd Trent 26 38 30 94 13 Larry Hoover 29 37 31 97 14 Robin Trent 33 37 45 115
