Old Trail set to host team championships

Central Virginia has become a golfing mecca for amateurs over the past few years, boasting more tournaments each season.
Next on the list is Old Trail’s Central Virginia Team Championships this coming weekend (June 20, 21, 22) at the challenging Crozet course. It’s a unique event in its second year, hosting teams from all comers in the Central Virginia area, but at the same time is an individual tournament in terms of acquiring points in the Battle Trophy race.
Last June, Old Trail’s team won the event and will be attempting to defend the title against teams from Greene Hills, Glenmore, Birdwood and First Tee of Charlottesville. Various individuals from clubs that couldn’t field a team will also be competing for the individual title and important Battle points.
The event has attracted one of the strongest fields of any tournament in Central Virginia with the likes of Nick Little, David Passerell, Dustin Groves, Jerry Burton, Phil Mahone, Scott Garrison, Brent Daughtrey and several others set to compete.
Little, who is attempting to capture his second consecutive Battle Trophy, is fresh off one of his greatest golfing feats in capturing the prestigious Kenridge Invitational title at Farmington earlier this month. Groves had a terrific junior campaign at Wake Forest and played in the NCAA Championships.
Qualified
A trio of golfers entered in the Old Trail field qualified this past week for the Virginia State Amateur and the SunTrust Open of Virginia.
Groves fired a two-round, 12-under par, 67-63 — 130 at Old Trail last Monday to qualify for the State Amateur. He will be joined in that tournament by Garrison, who scored a 4-under 140, and by Daughtrey, who finished with a 7-under, 137. Daughtrey will also compete in the State Open.

Big Break is here
The Golf Channel is looking for a few good golfers and they’re looking in your backyard.
Golf Channel’s Big Break Series will hold tryouts at Spring Creek Golf Club in Gordonsville, across the bridge from Zion’s Crossroads this week when the Tarheel Tour’s Spring Creek Classic returns for its second year. Tryouts will be held on Tuesday the 17th at the Spring Creek course, during the official practice round for the Tarheel Tour event. The pro tournament begins on Wednesday.
Spring Creek’s master pro Jack Snyder confirmed the Big Break will hold tryouts for its upcoming episodes.
The Tarheel Tour has supplied a few players to past Big Break Series shows, including current PGA Tour member Tommy “Two Gloves” Gainey, who competed in the Spring Creek Classic last summer. Gainey competed in the second Big Break Series at Carnoustie in Scotland and then also competed in the Big Break VII Reunion.
Other Tarheel Tour players who have participated in the Big Break include Matt Vick, Kevin Taylor, Matt Every, and James Nitties.
For more information, contact Spring Creek Golf Club, or The Golf Channel.
Area golf fans are invited out to watch the tryouts and the tournament at no cost.
Remembering Bill
Farmington’s popular golf pro Rob McNamara told some of his favorite stories about the late Bill Battle during last week’s memorial service, which was attended by some of the most famous names in the golfing world.
McNamara had known Battle for 14 years and usually referred to him as “Mr. B.”
Early in the relationship, before McNamara knew just how accomplished in life that Battle was, they were playing a round of golf at Farmington with two other men, who were keenly aware of Battle’s greatness and were somewhat intimidated by his stature. McNamara said he knew that Battle was a good golfer, but didn’t know that Battle was psychic until that day on the links.
“For anyone who played with Mr. B, they all knew he had developed a case of rabbit ears in that he could hear every little movement when it was his turn to play,” McNamara said. “On that particular day, Mr. B had backed away from the ball at least a dozen times by the time we had reached the 15th tee. We all realized it and I promise you, nobody was saying a word. We were all as still as a church mouse.
“So, Mr. B addressed the ball at the tee, and even though we were careful not to speak or move, he backed off again, looked up at us and said, ‘I can hear what you’re thinking.’”
John Solheim, CEO of Ping Golf, was on hand for the service, having flown in from Phoenix and he revealed a well-kept secret about his relationship with Battle. The two had been adversaries in the Ping lawsuit against the USGA, of which Battle was president at the time. Battle and Solheim negotiated a settlement for the good of golf and from that battle became friends for life.
Solheim said just as a reminder of the momentous occasion, he would send Battle a nice Ping product every year on the anniversary of the settlement.
“Bill would always tell me, ‘John, the only way I can accept this is if I pay for it,’” as Battle was careful to avoid any conflict of interest, Solheim explained. “I told him, that’s fine, just make a nice donation to junior golf and we’re all square.”