Brad Lebo Posts 5th Victory of the
2007 Season on the Virginia State Tour

8 July 2007 - Roanoke, VA - Greeted by a second consecutive day of baking summer heat and bright sunshine, the Virginia PPA Tour contested the second of two weekend 54-hole events on course # 2 in Roanoke, VA. 2006 PPA National Champion and defending champion Brad Lebo crafted solid rounds of 26, 23, and 27 for a 54-hole total of 76 to record a nine-stroke wire-to-wire victory and complete a sweep of the weekend's Virginia PPA Tour events. The win was the sixth of the 2007 PPA season for Lebo, who was playing in his last PPA state tour event as reigning PPA National Champion. After a dismal start to the event, 2004 PPA National Doubles Champion Rick Rybaczek courageously aced 19 of his final 30 holes of the tournament to pole-vault into a tie for second place with 2000 Dogwood Open Champion Rusty Taylor at 85. The recently-surging Ken Schooler shot 86 to finish in fourth position. At 87, PPA Hall of Fame legend Daryl Freeman and Thomas Rawles rounded out the event's top five finishers.

Play began with Lebo grabbing a slim one-stroke opening-round lead at 26. Freeman lurked just a stroke behind Lebo, in second place at 27. Taylor hovered in third position at 28. Schooler stood in fourth place after a first-round 30. At 31, Rawles was in fifth position.

After two rounds of play, Lebo seized a seven-stroke lead at 49 by virtue of a sizzling second-round 23, the low round of the weekend. The remainder of the field remained tightly bunched. Taylor moved into second place at 56. Freeman dropped into third position at 57. Schooler and Rawles shared fourth place at 58.

Lebo eliminated any drama from the tournament's outcome by carding a steady final-round 27. Lebo's 54-hole total of 76 gave him a nine-stroke wire-to-wire victory, a sweep of the Virginia PPA Tour weekend events, and his sixth win of the 2007 PPA season. In a performance wrought with guts and courage, Rybaczek aced 19 of his final 30 holes of the tournament to claw his way from the back of the pack into a second-place tie with Taylor at 85. Schooler finished in fourth place at 86 and earned the final cash spot awarded in the professional division of the event. Freeman and Rawles shared fifth position at 87.

In the amateur division of competition, 2007 Dogwood Open APA Champion Conway Coffey, Roanoke course owner Dave Mitchell, and 2007 Southern Open and Eastern Open APA Champion Dennis Biesma completed 54 holes of regulation play tied atop the amateur leader board at 80. After falling behind early in the ensuing 18-hole playoff, Coffey aced 12 of his final 16 holes to shoot 24 and easily capture his fourth APA victory of the 2007 season. Biesma and Mitchell carded 27 and 30, respectively, in the playoff and settled for a second-place tie. Youthful Ryan Carter finished alone in fourth position at 86. A fifth-place logjam at 88 included 2006 PPA Women's National Champion and the event's defending APA champion Vanette Block, tour fashion savant James Walker, Lynchburg's Wade Driskill, Roanoke local player Geoff Boyer, and 1995 and 1996 APA National Champion Clayton Craft, Esq.

Amateur division action opened with amateur heavyweights Coffey and Biesma maneuvering into a first-place tie at 26. Mitchell and Roanoke local player Mark Smith shared third position at 27. Just another stroke behind the leaders and tied for fifth place at 28 were Block and Walker.

In the second round of play, Coffey brewed up a brilliant 25, the low amateur round of the tournament, to gain sole possession of the 36-hole lead at 51. Biesma and Mitchell fired respective middle rounds of 27 and 26 and stood in a second-place tie at 53. Ryan Carter jumped into fourth position at 56. At 58, Block and Boyer shared fifth place.

In the final round of action, the mighty trio of Coffey, Biesma, and Mitchell separated even further from the remainder of the amateur competition. Biesma and Mitchell matched final-round 27's to tie Coffey for the 54-hole lead at 80. An amateur winner would be determined in an 18-hole playoff for the second consecutive day. Interestingly, it would be the second playoff in as many days for Mitchell. Finishing in a distant fourth place at 86 was Ryan Carter. Grouped in fifth position at 88 and splitting the final amateur division expense reimbursement spot awarded in the event were Block, Walker, Driskill, Boyer, and Craft.

In the ensuing 18-hole amateur division playoff, Biesma took early command by acing the first two holes. After deucing those same holes, however, Coffey made a charge of his own. With an outward-nine 12, Coffey enjoyed a three-stroke lead over Biesma and a four-stroke lead over Mitchell at the turn. Biesma fought back valiantly, acing the first six holes of the inward nine to move within a stroke of Coffey's lead with three holes remaining. Biesma's comeback effort ran out of steam at that point, however, as he deuced his final three holes. Coffey aced the 16th and 18th holes to fire a stellar playoff round of 24. Biesma completed the playoff at 27, while Mitchell posted 30. The playoff victory gave Coffey his fourth win of the 2007 season.

In Old Dominion Cup action in the amateur division, the Lynchburg tandem of Coffey and Randy Baldwin posted a 54-hole team total of 78 for a two-stroke victory over the squad of Biesma and Barry Moore, who played without Moore's services. The Richmond, VA duo of Walker and two-time VA Open APA Champion Amy Smith finished in third position at 83.

The Virginia PPA Tour would like to extend thanks and express its appreciation to course owner Dave Mitchell and his staff for their gracious hosting of a successful weekend of tour events at the Roanoke, VA Putt-Putt facility. The Virginia PPA Tour also welcomed Mitchell back to the playing ranks after a state tour competition hiatus of more than a dozen seasons. Mitchell's return to the tour was an impressive one, as he played off for amateur division titles in both weekend events. The next tournaments on the Virginia PPA Tour are scheduled for July 28 and 29 on course # 3 in Richmond, VA. A 54-hole event will begin at noon on Saturday, July 28. Play in the 108-hole Virginia Open, the Virginia PPA Tour's second major tournament of the season, will commence at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, July 29.

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