13 August 2006 - Fredericksburg, VA - Enjoying a second-consecutive sunny and pleasant summer day, the Virginia PPA Tour contested it third major tournament of the season, the 72-hole Virginia Putting Classic, on course # 3 in Fredericksburg, VA. The tournament was the final event to be held at the beautiful Fredericksburg Putt-Putt facility, which will be closing this fall. Playing in only his fourth event of the 2006 PPA season and competing with limited pre-tournament practice, Dave Taylor exhibited his natural putting prowess by carding rounds of 23, 28, 24, and 26 for a 72-hole total of 101 to capture his fifth career Virginia Putting Classic title. Taylor joins 1996 PPA National Champion Mike Brown as the only five-time winner of the event. Defending champion Vince Batten fell one stroke short of a successful title defense, finishing in second place at 102. Rusty Taylor earned third-place honors at 104. Sharing fourth position at 106 were 2005 Virginia State Champion Darrell Anderson and Manfred Stewart. 2006 PPA National Champion Brad Lebo finished in sixth place at 107. At 108, Rick Baird completed the day in seventh position and secured the event's final cash spot.

Play began with Dave Taylor seizing the opening-round lead with a sizzling 23, which eventually would tie Anderson, Lebo, and John Petrie for the low round of the tournament. Batten and Rusty Taylor shared second place at 25. A fourth-place logjam at 26 included Stewart, Tom O'Brien, High Point putting legend Robert Ward, and PPA Hall of Fame member Gary Hinshaw.

The leader board tightened considerably following the second round of play. Batten fired a brilliant second-round 24 to jump into the 36-hole lead at 49. Dave Taylor's torrid pace cooled a bit in the second round as he fired 28, dropping him into a second-place tie at 51 with Rusty Taylor, Baird, Hinshaw, and Lebo, who carded a second-round 23 to climb into contention.

Dave Taylor rebounded strongly in the third round of action, crafting a spectacular 24 despite suffering a double-bogey on the tenth hole of the round. With a 54-hole total of 75, Dave Taylor leapfrogged back into the lead. Batten carded a third-round 27 to drop into second position at 76. At 78, Rusty Taylor hovered in third place. Lebo held fourth position at 79. Lurking another stroke back at 80 was Anderson.

Dave Taylor carded an opening-nine 12 in the fourth round to increase his lead over Batten and Rusty Taylor to four strokes with nine holes remaining. Batten made a courageous late charge, firing 11 on his final nine holes to establish the clubhouse lead at 102. Aware of his status, Dave Taylor managed his game prudently during the event's final nine holes, posting a final-round 26. Dave Taylor's 72-hole total of 101 earned him a one-stroke victory over Batten, his first victory of the 2006 PPA season, his fifth career Virginia Putting Classic title, and his tenth career Virginia PPA Tour major title. Rusty Taylor finished alone in third place at 104. Deadlocked in fourth position at 106 were Anderson and Stewart, who catapulted up the final leader board with a fourth-round 25. At 107, Lebo finished in sixth place. Baird completed the day in seventh place at 108 to secure the event's final cash prize.

In the amateur division, Dennis "the APA" Biesma dominated the field, firing rounds of 27, 29, 24, and 24 for a 72-hole total of 104 and a wire-to-wire six-stroke victory. The win was Biesma's second of the 2006 season. Former JPA National Champion John Petrie notched runner-up honors at 110. 2003 APA National Champion Bonnie White finished in third place at 111. In fourth place at 113 was 2006 Dogwood Open APA Champion Conway Coffey. 2006 Virginia Open APA Champion Barry Moore and Lynchburg's Bill Petrie shared fifth position at 114.

Action commenced in the amateur division with a tightly-packed leader board developing. Biesma, White, and Mike Matthews moved into a tie for the opening-round lead at 27. A three-way tie for fourth place at 28 included John Petrie, tour dandy James Walker, and Virginia Beach's Bob Chetister.

The amateur field generally struggled during the second round of play. Biesma seized the outright 36-hole lead at 56 despite a second-round 29. White stood in second place at 57. Bunched in a six-way tie for third place at 58 were John Petrie, Coffey, Bill Petrie, Matthews, Walker, and Chetister.

The APA field separated a bit more following the third round of action. Posting a brilliant third-round 24, Biesma maintained a one-stroke lead at 80. John Petrie tied the tournament-low score of 23 in the penultimate round and as a result moved into second place at 81. White hovered in contention, in third place at 83. Despite a solid third-round 26, Matthews fell into fourth position at 84. At 85, Bill Petrie was in fifth place.

Biesma removed any drama from the tournament's outcome by carding another spectacular 24 in the final round. With a 72-hole total of 104, Biesma secured his second win of the 2006 season and his second career Virginia Tour major APA title. John Petrie clung to second place, firing a fourth-round 29 to finish at 110. White finished in third position at 111. The kettle finally heated up for Coffey in the final round, as his final-round 25 moved him into fourth place at 113. Tied for fifth place at 114, Moore and Bill Petrie split the final amateur division expense reimbursement spot awarded in the event.

In Old Dominion Cup action in the amateur division, the team of Moore and Biesma fired a 72-hole total of 100 to notch a convincing five-stroke victory over the Lynchburg, VA squad of Coffey and Randy Baldwin, who shot 105 to secure second-place honors. The father-and-son tandem of Bill Petrie and John Petrie finished in third place at 107. With the win, Moore and Biesma increased their lead in the season-long Old Dominion Cup competition. With their strong performance in Fredericksburg, Coffey and Baldwin jumped ahead of the Richmond, VA team of Malcolm Shumaker and Amy Smith into second place in the Old Dominion Cup standings.

The Virginia PPA Tour would like to extend its thanks and express its appreciation to Barbara Hall and her staff for graciously welcoming the tour to the picturesque Fredericksburg, VA Putt-Putt facility for the final time. The Virginia PPA Tour will return to action with 54-hole events to be held on course # 2 in Lynchburg, VA on August 26 and 27. The tournaments begin at noon on Saturday, August 26 and at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, August 27.