Hosek, Horton share lead

Paul Kane stood in the left rough on the 18th fairway at Farmington Country Club on Saturday evening, a giant overhanging tree blocking his path to the uphill green.

Coming off a 4-under 66 to claim Friday’s first-round lead in the prestigious Kenridge Invitational, Kane was battling to keep his lead and needed to make something happen.

“Should I do something crazy here or play it safe?” Kane asked a bystander, who recommended the safe way home.

“Yeah, but I’m 49 and playing off of borrowed time,” Kane said, reaching for an iron that he could keep lower than the mass of tree limbs. Questioning his own sanity, he hit a snake-killer that flew beneath the branches and ran up the fairway, all the way up the steep hill and onto the green as he managed to save par.

The questionable strategy was good enough to keep Kane in contention for today’s final round of one of the state’s oldest golf tournaments, one shot off the lead.

“I’ll be 50 in July, so how many more chances am I going to get?” said Kane, who has finished runner-up twice in the Kenridge. “I’d love to get one of these while I can, but just look at the leaderboard and all those kids.”

If Kane is to claim his first Kenridge title on his home course, he’ll have to fight his way through an impressive list of contenders including co-leaders Adam Horton of Chesapeake and Alexandria’s Dan Hosek, who are tied at 3-under 137.

Then there’s defending champion Nick Little of Crozet, tied with Kane at one stroke back, and Garland Green and another Farmington member, Philip Mahone, two back at 139. Ten golfers are within five shots of the lead, and while there are several youngsters, the older generation is well represented, including Kane, Hosek, Mahone, Steve Liebler (140) and Pat Tallant (141).

Horton, who plays out of Elizabeth Manor in Portsmouth, turned the front at even-par but got hot on the back with five birdies before three-putting the often treacherous 18th green for a bogey. His longest of the birdie putts coming down the stretch was a 15-footer on 13.

The 44-year-old Hosek, who is an engineer for the U.S. Army’s Night Vision Lab at Fort Belvoir, finished with a 67, one of only seven players to finish under par for the day. Virginia’s Mid-Amateur champion in 2007, has been steady over the two days.

Little is banking on drawing from last year’s experience to get him through today’s round in an attempt to repeat as champion. The former Radford University golfer is playing in his last amateur event, having decided to play professionally beginning this coming week.

After last year’s second round, Little came off a disappointing 3-over 73 and was tied with David Passerell for the lead. He won a dramatic victory by draining a six-foot birdie on the 18th to edge Passerell by a stroke.

Little had it to 4-under on the day and 5-under for the tournament on Saturday after making the turn at 3-under for the day. He birdied the 12th hole and then, as he said, it was a matter of hanging on for dear life as he struggled to make par on 13, 14 and 15 before disaster struck.

His tee shot on the par-5, 16th found mulch, with the ball against a lip, still 200 yards out. His approach found a greenside bunker, from which he blasted over the green, then back over the green as he suffered a triple bogey 8 on the hole, losing his lead.

“I’ve only had two holes in 36 over par and it cost me five shots,” he said, the frustration showing on his young face. He had a double bogey in Friday’s opening round.

Kane was coming off the best round of tournament golf in his life when he fired the 66 on Friday, including two birdies and an eagle on the par-5, seventh hole, from 50 yards out. He hit every green in regulation.

He made one bogey on the front nine Saturday and eight pars, then duplicated the same on the back, when he hit it in the left bunker on the wicked, par-3, 10th.

“Nick gave us a little charity there on the 16th and let us all back in it,” Kane said. “He probably won’t be as charitable on Sunday.”

Kane believes the winner will have to go two or three shots under today in order to slip on the ceremonial champion’s green jacket at the end of the day.

“I know it’s going to be a battle,” Little said of today’s final round. “I don’t see any of the guys in front coming backward, so I just have to play well and minimize my mistakes.”

Only seven golfers have managed to crack par each day, and today’s setup promises to be the most challenging of the three rounds. Farmington’s greens, which ran at 12.2 on Saturday, are firming up and will test everyone in pursuit of the Kenridge trophy.