A void near the top

Only his daughter’s high school graduation could keep multi-time champion Keith Decker away from this weekend’s annual Kenridge Invitational at Farmington Country Club.

The absence of Decker — considered by most to be the premier amateur golfer in the state — may take some of the glitter from the 147-man field, but there are plenty of top-notch competitors dying to try on the green champion’s jacket just before dusk on Sunday.

Defending champion Nick Little — who, last year, became only the second Charlottesville-area player to claim the coveted Kenridge title in the past 35 years — is going for a repeat. Several other locals are hoping to finally get their hands on the prestigious trophy.

Glenmore’s David Passerell and Farmington’s Paul Kane and Philip Mahone have come close in the past, but fell short of winning one of the state’s oldest events. Greene Hills’ Mikey Moyers and Weston Eklund will be competing in the Kenridge for the first time in their young careers.

Moyers, who is headed to Virginia Tech this fall, is finishing up his senior campaign at William Monroe High. He is two-time defending Group AA golf champion. Eklund, a graduate of Albemarle, just finished up his first season with Radford University’s team. He won the individual portion of the recent Old Trail Team Championships at the Crozet course.

Other players to watch in the field include: Gainesville’s Scott Shingler, who finished third, two strokes behind Little, in last year’s event; Staunton’s Nick Biesecker; JMU’s Tim Driver; Fairfax’s Scott Marino (PGA Tour member Steve Marino’s younger brother); Garland Green, Adam Horton, Steve Liebler, Scott Inman, Pat Tallent, and others.

The three-day tournament gets underway this morning, weather permitting.

Farmington head professional Rob McNamara expects this year’s event to be a thriller.

“I expect the overall winning score come Sunday will be 3- or 4-under par because the greens are softer due to all the rain and because the course will not be set up quite as hard,” McNamara said.

The course will not be played from the tips. In fact, McNamara will add a little spice each day by moving tees forward on certain holes to add some variety and unexpected challenges.

For example, the short par-4 on No. 13 will likely be reachable from the tee on Sunday, providing the players a risk/reward scenario.

Then there’s the devilish par-3 10th hole that Farmington assistant general manager Wayne Hall likes to refer to as the “easiest par-4 in the state.” Normally the hole plays 226 yards to a long, narrow green well-guarded by bunkers.

McNamara will move the tees up during one of the rounds to the senior tees, making it a 170-yard shot, which will force golfers to think about where they want to place their shot.

While the rough is up a bit and very lush, the greens are softer and more receptive to approaches, which tends to favor the long hitters. Those sloped greens were running a terrifying 12.5 in speed for Thursday’s practice round and will be slowed to 11.5 or 11 for the competition.

McNamara reported that the course is in great shape in spite of the wet conditions and credited superintendent Scott Kinnon for his work.

Most Farmington spectators were delighted to see a local pull out last year’s championship. Tim Pemberton broke a 30-year drought when he won the 2005 Kenridge, then turned pro.

Little became the second area player to claim the title in recent years with his one-shot victory over Passerell in ‘08. Passerell sank a 20-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole that forced Little to make a six-footer for birdie in order to win the title.

“Nick played great,” McNamara said of last year’s tournament. “He hits it a long way and is a strong player. He has a cool head and that helps a lot.”