Brad Lebo Closes with Rounds of 22 and 22 for Victory in Abingdon, MD

12 May 2007 - Abingdon, MD - With the focus of many players already turned towards the looming PPA Southern Open in High Point, NC, a small but competitive field gathered in near-ideal playing conditions to contest the first of two weekend 54-hole Virginia PPA Tour events on course # 1 at the beautiful Abingdon, MD Putt-Putt Fun Center. The facility will host the 2007 PPA Eastern Open on June 10, 2006 PPA National Champion and defending champion Brad Lebo overcame a potentially disastrous start to the event to fire rounds of 29, 22, and 22 for a 54-hole total of 73 and a one-stroke victory, his third of the 2007 PPA season. 2001 PPA World Match Play Champion Vince Batten notched runner-up honors at 74. Northern Putting Tour standout John Bambling made a late charge to finish in third place at 76. At 80, 2004 PPA National Doubles Champion Rick Rybaczek completed the event in fourth position. Playing in his first PPA event in nearly a year, PPA Hall of Fame member Buddy Taylor carded an 80 to round out the tournament's top five finishers.

Action began with higher scoring than anticipated in the professional division. Rybaczek took the early lead with an opening-round 24. Buddy Taylor lurked just a stroke off of the first-round lead at 25. At 26, Batten stood alone in third position. 2004 VA State Champion Matt Summey and 2006 VA Putting Classic Champion Dave Taylor shared fourth place at 27. Lebo was mired in tenth position after a lackluster first-round 29.

In the second round, Batten and Rybaczek continued their steady play. Batten's middle-round 24 pole-vaulted him into a tie for the 36-hole lead with Rybaczek at 50. Lebo charged back into contention with a second-round 22 and leaped into third place, one stroke behind the leaders at 51. Buddy Taylor stayed within striking distance, in fourth position at 52. With a second-round 25, Bambling jumped into fifth place at 53.

Lebo continued his torrid pace in the final round. Despite recording a deuce on each of the final two holes of the tournament, Lebo carded a second-consecutive 22, giving him a 54-hole total of 73 and a one-stroke victory. The win was Lebo's third of the 2007 PPA season. With a final-round 24, Batten clinched second place at 74. Bambling made a spirited final-round run, firing 23 to leapfrog into third position at 76. Rybaczek fell into fourth place at 78 after a third-round 28. At 80, Buddy Taylor completed the day in fifth place. The cash line for the seven money spots awarded in the tournament fell at 83.

In the amateur division, 2006 Dogwood Open APA Champion Conway Coffey maintained the theme of the day, recovering brilliantly from an inauspicious beginning to the tournament to card rounds of 32, 25, and 26 for a 54-hole total of 83 and a two-stroke victory. The win was Coffey's second of the 2007 season. Coffey was the beneficiary of the final-round cataclysmic misfortunes of 2004 Dogwood Open APA Champion Dennis Biesma, who recorded a triple bogey on his penultimate hole of the tournament to fall into a second-place tie with 1999 VA APA State Champion Malcolm Shumaker at 85. Two-time VA Open APA Champion Amy Smith finished in fourth position at 86. At 90, 2006 VA Open APA Champion Barry Moore ended the tournament in fifth place.

Play commenced in the amateur division with Biesma, an eight-time winner in the amateur division this season, continuing his stellar 2007 play and seizing the 18-hole lead at 26. Shumaker hovered two strokes behind the leader, in second position at 28. Smith held third place at 29. Monroeville, PA's Bill Combs and local player Alan Forish were deadlocked in fourth place at 30.

By virtue of his second-consecutive 26, Biesma opened up a five-stroke 36-hole lead at 52. Coffey carded a second-round 25 and soared into a second-place tie with Smith at 57. Shumaker held fourth position alone at 58. At 60, Forish stood in fifth place.

With two holes remaining in the tournament, Biesma seemingly had his ninth victory of the 2007 season secured. However, Biesma suffered a shocking triple bogey on the relatively benign 17th hole and in the process allowed Coffey to overtake him for the win. Coffey percolated a solid third-round 26 for a three-round total of 83, enough for a two-stroke victory over Biesma and Shumaker, who finished tied for second place at 85. Smith completed the event in fourth place at 86 and captured the final amateur division expense reimbursement spot. At 90, Moore rounded out the tournament's top five amateur finishers.

The Virginia PPA Tour returns to action on Sunday, May 13 at 10:00 a.m. with the contesting of the second of two weekend 54-hole events on course # 1 in Abingdon, MD.

Scores and Article provided by Brad Lebo, Rick Rybaczek and AmPutters.com.