Tony Jackson Wins Virginia Putting Classic (Roanoke, VA

Tony Jackson Shoots 92 to Capture His First Virginia Tour Major Title

19 April 2009 - Roanoke, VA - On an overcast and calm spring morning, the Virginia PPA Tour gathered to contest its first major championship of the 2009 season, the 72-hole Virginia Putting Classic, on course # 2 at the Roanoke, VA Putt-Putt Fun Center. With the nearly ideal playing conditions, very low tournament scoring was anticipated. The field did not disappoint.

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Tony Jackson

2007 Elton Davis Memorial Champion Tony Jackson opened the tournament with a spectacular first-round 21 and rode the momentum throughout the event, posting impressive rounds of 21, 24, 25, and 22 for a 72-hole total of 92 and a wire-to-wire, two-stroke victory. The win was Jackson's first of the 2009 PPA season and gave him his first major title on the Virginia Tour. Two-time PPA ProPutters.com Classic Champion Greg Newport matched Jackson's final-round 22 to leapfrog into a second-place finish at 94. 2003 PPA National Champion Robert Johnson pole-vaulted into a tie for the 54-hole lead with Jackson after a carding a sizzling round of 22 in the event's penultimate round, but with a final-round 25 settled for third place at 95. After a lackluster opening half of the tournament, two-time PPA Senior National Champion Bill Baus charged in the clubhouse with closing rounds of 23 and 22 to complete the day in fourth position at 96. With a fourth-round 23, 2003 South Carolina State Champion Tony Varnadore maneuvered into fifth place at 97. Defending champion Brad Lebo established a new single-round course record of 20 in the tournament's third round amidst an otherwise pedestrian performance and finished in sixth place at 98. The final of the sixteen cash spots awarded in the event fell at a 72-hole total of 103.

Conway Coffey

In the amateur division, reigning Virginia State APA Champion Conway Coffey at last negotiated his way to the top of the final leaderboard after enduring four runner-up finishes in the first five events of the 2009 Virginia Tour schedule. After lurking three strokes off of Wade Driskill's lead at the event's midway point with opening rounds of 27 and 24, Coffey brewed up a brilliant third-round 22 to seize a lead that he would not relinquish. A final-round 25 gave Coffey a 54-hole total of 98, enough for a two-stroke victory, his first of the 2009 season. Two-time APA National Champion Clayton Craft, Esq. also posted a third-round 22 to hover within a stroke of Coffey's 54-hole lead, but a final-round 26 relegated him to second place at 100. At 102, Pittsburgh's Gerald Vick finished in third position. Wade Driskill, who set a torrid pace as the amateur leader in the first and second rounds, cooled off in the final rounds but held on to complete the event in fourth place at 105. Despite a third-round 32, 2004 JPA National Champion John Petrie earned a fifth-place finish at 106. Seven amateur division expense reimbursement spots were allocated, the last of which came at a score of 109.

The Virginia PPA Tour thanks Roanoke, VA Putt-Putt Fun Center course owner and former PPA professional David Mitchell and his staff for their hospitality and extensive efforts in preparing the course for a weekend of very successful tour events. The next tournaments on the Virginia Tour will be held on historic course # 3 at the Richmond, VA Putt-Putt Fun Center on May 16-17, 2009. Two 54-hole events will be contested on Saturday, May 16. 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. A third 54-hole tournament will begin at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, May 17. The Sunday event also will serve as an annual memorial tournament, recognizing the lives and careers of former Virginia Tour players who have passed away. Among those being honored will be 2006 Virginia Open APA Champion Barry Moore, a popular Virginia Tour stalwart who unexpectedly and tragically died in August 2008.

Article provided by Brad Lebo