29 March 2009 - Lynchburg, VA - On a sunny but intermittently windy spring morning, the Virginia PPA Tour held the third of three weekend 54-hole events on course # 2 at PPA Tour Commissioner Joe Aboid's immaculately-maintained Lynchburg, VA Putt-Putt Fun Center. With the carpets having been saturated and the rails dampened from the previous evening's steady rainfall, the patience and adaptability of the players were tested in the rapidly-changing course conditions.

Manfred Stewart

After having lost in a playoff and missing another playoff by one stroke in the previous day's two tournaments, two-time Virginia Open Champion Manfred Stewart finally found the winner's circle, carding rounds of 24, 29, and 26 for a 54-hole total of 79. A barrage of late-tournament aces enabled Stewart to erase a two-stroke 36-hole deficit and earn his first victory of the 2009 PPA season. Defending champion and second-round leader Rick Rybaczek and a resurgent Ken Schooler shared runner-up honors at 81. At 82, 2007 PPA Tournament Players Champion Vince Batten and 2007 PPA National Champion Rick Baird tied for fourth place. The final of the eight money spots allocated in the tournament came at 85.

Malcolm Shumaker

In the amateur division, 1999 VA APA State Champion Malcolm Shumaker posted steady rounds of 27, 26, and 27 for a three-round score of 80 and a wire-to-wire triumph, Shumaker's first of the 2009 season. Amateur heavyweight Conway Coffey once again was relegated to bridesmaid's status. Despite charging into the clubhouse with a stellar final-round 24, Coffey shot 82 to settle for a second place finish for the third consecutive event. A tie for third position at 87 included reigning North Carolina State APA Champion Todd Trent and Lynchburg's Randy Baldwin. Trent and Baldwin also captured the final amateur expense reimbursement spots awarded in the event. Bill Petrie and reigning Virginia Open APA Champion Amy Smith completed the tournament deadlocked in fifth place at 88.

The Virginia PPA Tour extends thanks and expresses great appreciation to course owner Joe Aboid and his staff for graciously welcoming the tour to the Lynchburg, VA Putt-Putt Fun Center for a weekend of very successful tournaments. The Lynchburg, VA facility will host the PPA Clayton Cup and Hancock Cup matches later in the 2009 season. The Virginia PPA Tour resumes play on the weekend of April 18-19, 2009 on course # 2 at the Roanoke, VA Putt-Putt Fun Center. Two 54-hole events will be held on Saturday, April 18. The first of those two events will commence at 11:00 a.m., with the second event being scheduled to tee off at approximately 2:30 p.m. On Sunday, April 19, the Virginia PPA Tour will contest its first major tournament of the season, the 72-hole Virginia Putting Classic, starting at 10:00 a.m.