John Bambling Posts Three Stroke Victory in Abingdon, MD

13 May 2007 - Abingdon, MD - Following heavy overnight rain, the Virginia PPA Tour held the second of two weekend 54-hole tournaments on course # 1 at the picturesque Abingdon, MD Putt-Putt Fun Center amidst violent, perplexing winds. The challenging course conditions were no match for the putting prowess of 2004 PPA National Player of the Year John Bambling, however, as he crafted brilliant rounds of 25, 25, and 24 for a 54-hole total of 74 and a three-stroke victory. The win was the first of the 2007 PPA season for Bambling. 2000 Dogwood Open Champion Rusty Taylor captured runner-up honors at 77. 2001 PPA World Match Play Champion Vince Batten fired 79 to finish in third place. At 80, two-time PPA Seniors National Champion Bill Baus completed the event in fourth position, with 2004 PPA National Doubles Champion Rick Rybaczek rounding out the tournament's top five finishers at 82.

Play began with Rusty Taylor producing a stellar opening-round 24 to surge into the 18-hole lead. Bambling hovered just a stroke behind the leader, in second place at 25. Tom O'Brien moved into third place at 26. A five-way fourth-place logjam at 28 included Batten, Baus, 2006 PPA National Champion and two-time defending champion Brad Lebo, Ken Schooler, and 2004 PPA World Match Play Champion Darrell Anderson.

Rusty Taylor continued his outstanding play in the second round, posting 25 and maintaining the lead at 49. Bambling matched Rusty Taylor's 25 to remain a stroke off of the pace at 50. 2004 VA State Champion Matt Summey leapfrogged into third position at 53 by carding a spectacular middle-round 24. Bunched in a fourth-place tie at 54 were Batten, Baus, Rybaczek, and Lebo.

With Rusty Taylor cooling off to a final-round 28, Bambling seized the opportunity, posting a sparkling final-round 24 and coasting to a three-stroke victory. Bambling's 54-hole total of 74 gave him his first win of the 2007 PPA season. Rusty Taylor held on to finish in second place at 28. Batten used a third-round 25 to jump into third position at 79. At 80, Baus completed the event in fourth place, with Rybaczek in fifth place at 82. The cash line for the seven money spots awarded in the tournament fell at 83.

In the amateur division, 1999 VA APA State Champion Malcolm Shumaker survived a closely-contested battle with rounds of 30, 25, and 29 for a 54-hole total of 84 and a one-stroke victory over tour fashion savant James Walker and Monroeville, PA local player Gerald Vick, who tied for second position at 85. Defending champion Conway Coffey finished in fourth place at 86. Another Monroeville, PA local player, Bill Combs, rebounded strongly from a difficult start to the tournament to complete the event in fifth position at 87.

Action commenced in the amateur division with Coffey and the white-hot Dennis Biesma each carding an opening-round 27 to share the 18-hole lead. Vick and Lynchburg's Randy Baldwin were tied for third place at 28. At 29, two-time VA Open APA Champion Amy Smith held fifth position.

With a sizzling second-round 25, Shumaker emerged from the middle of the amateur pack and charged into a three-stroke 36-hole lead at 55. Grouped at 58 in a four-way second-place tie were Walker, Vick, Coffey, and Biesma.

In the final round, Walker and Vick each made a valiant run at Shumaker's lead. Vick's untimely bogey on the 17th hole proved to be particularly costly, as he matched Walker's final-round 27 to fall a stroke short of catching Shumaker. Shumaker negotiated a third-round 29, giving him a 54-hole total of 84 and a one-stroke victory over Walker and Vick, who tied for runner-up honors at 85. Coffey earned the final amateur division expense reimbursement spot awarded in the event by finishing in fourth place at 86. With a final-round 27, Combs soared into fifth position at 87.

In the Old Dominion Cup competition in the amateur division, the Richmond duo of Walker and Smith captured top honors with a team score of 83. The Lynchburg squad of Coffey and Baldwin finished in second place at 85. At 88, the tandem of Biesma and Barry Moore completed the event in third position. The Virginia PPA Tour would like to extend thanks and express great appreciation to Jay Mottley and the staff of the scenic Abingdon, MD Putt-Putt Fun Center for welcoming the tour and hosting a weekend of very successful events. The Virginia PPA Tour next returns to action at noon on Saturday, June 9 with a 54-hole tournament on course # 1 in Abingdon, MD. A PPA National tour event, the 72-hole 2007 PPA Eastern Open, will be held on course # 1 in Abingdon, MD beginning at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday, June 10.

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