Daryl Freeman Captures 2007 Dogwood Open with Virtuoso Performance

24 June 2007 - Charlottesville, VA - On the backdrop of an overcast and calm morning, the Virginia PPA Tour contested its first major tournament of the 2007 season, the Dogwood Festival Open, on the picturesque but enigmatic course # 2 in Charlottesville, VA. PPA Hall of Fame legend Daryl Freeman took advantage of the benign conditions and humbled the overmatched field with a brilliant performance, adding further credence to his status as one of the greatest players in the sport's history. Freeman posted stellar rounds of 24, 25, 27, and 29 for a 72-hole total of 105 and a four-stroke, wire-to-wire victory. The win was the fourth of the 2007 PPA season for the pure-stroking Freeman. After a difficult start to the event, 2006 PPA National Champion Brad Lebo battled his way to 109 to capture runner-up honors. Ken Schooler added to his impressive history in the tournament by carding 110 to finish in third place. At 111, three-time past champion Vince Batten completed the tournament in fourth position. Two-time PPA Seniors National Champion Bill Baus made an inspired second-half charge to surge into fifth place at 117.

Play opened in the professional division with Freeman seizing the first-round lead with a sparkling opening-round 24. 2004 PPA National Doubles Champion Rick Rybaczek carded 26 to move into second position. Schooler stood in third place after an opening-round 27. Batten and 2003 ProPutters.com Classic Champion Greg Newport shared fourth position at 29.

Freeman continued his torrid pace in the second round, firing 25 to maintain the 36-hole lead at 49. Rybaczek kept pace, recording a middle-round 25 of his own to remain two strokes behind Freeman, alone in second place at 51. Schooler carded a solid second-round 28 to remain in third place at 55. With a second-round 26, Lebo charged up the leader board into fourth place at 56. At 58, Batten and Newport were tied for fifth position.

In the penultimate round of the event, Freeman widened his lead to five strokes with a solid third-round 27 for an astounding 54-hole total of 76. With a third-round 25, Lebo soared into second place at 81 and likely remained the only player in the field with any infinitesimal chance of catching Freeman's lead. Batten and Schooler were grouped in third position at 84. For the second consecutive tournament in Charlottesville, Rybaczek endured a nightmare third round, this time firing 34 to drop into fifth place at 85.

Freeman enjoyed the luxury of playing on cruise control in the final round, strategically laying up numerous holes for safe deuces. Freeman negotiated a fourth-round 29 for a 72-hole total of 105 and a four-stroke victory, his fourth of the 2007 PPA season. In the battle for second place, Batten took early command by acing the first six holes of the final round to move two strokes ahead of playing partner Lebo, who aced only one of the first six holes. Lebo fought back valiantly, however, acing seven of the next nine holes to once again overtake Batten. Lebo ultimately posted 109 to capture second-place honors. Playing several groups behind Lebo and Batten, Schooler made a spirited final-round charge. Schooler stepped to the 17th tee with the opportunity to usurp Lebo for second place, but deuced the 17th and 18th holes to finish the tournament in third position at 110. Batten completed the event another stroke behind, in fourth place at 111. After a pedestrian start to the tournament, Baus shot 53 for his final two rounds to leap into fifth position at 117. The cash line for the eight money spots awarded in the tournament fell at 124.

In the amateur division of competition, defending champion Conway Coffey canned rounds of 26, 32, 24, and 29 for a 72-hole total of 111 and a four-stroke triumph. The victory was Coffey's third of the 2007 season and gave him his third amateur division major title on the Virginia Tour. 1983 VA State APA Champion Mike Matthews carded a sizzling final-round 24 to charge into a second-place tie with 2006 PPA Women's National Champion Vanette Block at 115. 2007 Southern Open and Eastern Open APA Champion Dennis Biesma finished in fourth place at 117. At 119, 2006 VA Open APA Champion Barry Moore rounded out the amateur division's top five finishers.

Action began in the amateur division with Coffey percolating a stellar opening-round 26 to take the early lead. Biesma, 2004 JPA National Champion John Petrie, and two-time VA Open APA Champion Amy Smith were tied for second place at 28. 2005 Virginia Putting Classic APA Champion Marty Handschuh held fifth position at 29.

Struggling to a second-round 32, Coffey relinquished the lead to Handschuh, who fired a second-round 27 to move into the 36-hole lead at 56. Biesma fired a second-round 29 to remain in second place at 57. Coffey dropped into a third-place tie at 58 with John Petrie and local standout Shane Shiflett.

Coffey once again assumed command of the amateur division leader board in the third round by carding a spectacular third-round 24 for a 54-hole total of 82. Block made a significant third-round move as well, posting a brilliant third-round 25 to soar into second place at 85. Moore and Shiflett shared third place at 88. Handschuh stumbled to a third-round 33 and fell into a fifth-place tie with John Petrie at 89.

With the remainder of the amateur field realistically too far behind Coffey to contend for the win, the final round became a two-player battle for victory between Coffey and Block. Playing in the first amateur pairing as defending champion, Coffey fired 29 to post the clubhouse lead at 111. Block started solidly in the fourth round, moving to four-under par for the final round after 10 holes. An untimely bogey by Block on hole 11, however, all but secured the win for Coffey. With Block ultimately shooting a final-round 30, the victory went to Coffey, who successfully defended his Dogwood Open APA title and earned his third win of the 2007 season. Mike Matthews charged out of the amateur division pack with a sensational final-round 24 to tie Block for second place at 115. Matthews earned the runner-up trophy by defeating Block with an ace on the fourth hole of a sudden-death playoff. Biesma jumped into fourth place at 117 with a final-round 27. At 119, Moore rounded out the event's top five amateur finishers. In a tie for sixth place at 121, John Petrie and Handschuh split the final amateur expense reimbursement spot awarded in the tournament.

In Old Dominion Cup competition in the amateur division, the Lynchburg tandem of Coffey and Randy Baldwin, sans Baldwin, took advantage of Coffey's strong play to notch a narrow one-stroke victory using Coffey's 72-hole total of 111. The team of Biesma and Moore finished in second place at 112. At 114, the father-and-son duo of Mike and Chris Matthews earned third-place honors.

The Virginia PPA Tour extends its thanks and great appreciation to course owner Lloyd Wood and his staff for as always warmly welcoming the tour to the beautiful Charlottesville, VA Putt-Putt facility for a successful weekend of tournaments. The next events on the Virginia PPA Tour will be held on course # 2 in Roanoke, VA on July 7 and 8. The 54-hole tournaments will begin at noon on Saturday, July 7 and 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, July 8.

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