Scene & Heard at Reynolds Plantation: Second Round
Hokie Gallery: Virginia Tech football coach Frank Beamer was spotted in the crowd following his friend and defending PGA Professional Champion Chip Sullivan, who lives in Troutville, Va., which isn't too far from the Virginia Tech campus. Beamer has a home here on Lake Oconee.
Better Drives: Brad Martin will be driving better after this week. Martin, a PGA Assistant Professional at Portland (Ore.) Golf Club, aced the 170 yard par-3 17th hole at the Great Waters course on Friday and, for his feat, won a 2008 Buick Enclave. Martin also will be playing more golf as his rounds of 73 and 69 were good enough to put him in a tie for 16th place heading into the weekend.
Another Pair of Aces: Brooks West, a PGA Manufacturer's Representative from Brandon, Miss., and Eric Dugas, a PGA Assistant Professional at Old Sandwich Golf Club in Plymouth, Mass., both aced the 150-yard, par-3 11th hole at Reynolds Landing. All three holes-in-one took place in about a 15-minute timespan.
One Day Late: There was one hole-in-one in the first round, too. Clint Avret, the PGA Head Professional at Timuquana Country Club in Jacksonville, Fla., made his debut in the 41st PGA Professional National Championship memorable, recording a hole-in-one -- his first in competition. Avret (pronounced "AVE-ret"), 38, used a 7-iron on the 149-yard, par-3 11th hole at Reynolds Landing. It was the second ace of Avret's career.
10-shot Swing: Charles Meola, a PGA Assistant Professional at Fairview Country Club in Greenwich, Conn., found the layout at Great Waters a good bit more to his liking Friday than he found Reynolds Landing on Thursday. Meola shot a 75 on Thursday, which put him very much in the middle of the pack and in danger of missing the cut, but followed that round with a tournament-best 65 on Friday to jump to the top of the leaderboard.
Go Time: Once again, players knew they needed to birdie hole No. 2 to keep pace with the rest of the field, regardless of which course they were on. At Reynolds Landing, the easiest hole on the course played to an average score of 4.758. At Great Waters, over half the field made birdies as there were 80 birdies in the field, eight eagles and 56 pars. The scoring average on the hole was 4.481. In contrast, the 10th hole at Great Waters is a par 4 that averages 4.41.
HEARD:
SCOTT HEBERT (at Great Waters)
67-71--138 -6
"I let quite a few get away from me but that's golf and that's why I'm a club pro, I guess.
"This course (Great Waters) suits my game better. My score didn't reflect it. I started out hitting it real well but couldn't get a putt to go in and just fought my speed all day. Once I get over here and get a little more on these greens and get the right speed, I'll be able to hole through my putts.
"I came here wanting to win because it's a big boost for your career. I'm happy where I am after two days. I just had a baby girl so I missed the last week of golf. I couldn't practice and prepare. Yesterday I was pleased. I'm a little disappointed in today.
"I had some loose shots. I hit one out of bounds on 16. Things didn't work out real well. When the golf ball bounces a little bit funny, it doesn't work out. Hopefully it will work out a little better tomorrow.
"My caddie has been with me for a lot of state opens. My mom came down and my aunt and I'm staying with some members so my gallery is growing.
"Tonight I'll just get some rest. I did putt a little better toward the end. I just left too many putts short. When you're not hitting them with good speed, then making the reads becomes that much more difficult."
ALAN MORIN (at Reynolds Landing)
69-70--139 -5
"I started off birdie, birdie which is a nice way to start the day. I rolled in a nice 7-footer on the first and a good 12-footer on the second.
"From there I just played steady. I missed two more short birdies on 8 and 9 that should have gone in. I just don't like 12 and made a bogey there.
"On 14, I hit into some English muffin-type stuff and couldn't decide if I should go for the green or not so I took a gap wedge and it went through the fairway and then I hit the sand wedge to the back of the green and ended up making a 50-footer for birdie down the hill.
"I hit a nice 6-iron to about 15 feet on 17 and made the putt for another birdie.
"The greens on this course I think were quicker and firmer, but I putt on this type of green down in Florida so I am not intimidated at all by it. In the practice round I figured out what I wanted to do both there and here and did that all day. I got a few bad bounces and got lucky a few times too so all in all I am happy.
"We are all here to win; this is what we look forward to every year. It is great to see all of your friends and buddies that you get to meet from other Sections and we socialize but we are also here to beat each other at the same time."
CHARLES MEOLA (at Great Waters)
75-65--140 -4
"I am used to bent grass greens. And the Reynolds Landing had Bermuda grass, and I struggled with the putter. I hit it really good so just looking forward to coming here and seeing what I can do.
"I hit the ball solid all day and made some putts. On the front nine I could have birdied every hole, and I just hit a couple in the corners.
PAUL DIETSCHE (at Great Waters)
66-77--143 -1
What's you thought of the course as opposed to Reynolds Landing?
"A little tougher for me today. I like the golf course, it's a good test of tough golf and when you hit some marginal shots, it really shows the weakness in the game, and I was pretty marginal for the day."
How do you feel with your family following you?
"It fun, it's a family vacation. For us to come all the way to Georgia."
Any changes that you will make for tomorrow or just play it one hole at a time like you told us yesterday?
"I would like to do that and now I'm going to go putt. I was very tentative with my putter; it seems that I couldn't find the speed. It seems I either ran above 3 or 4 feet or was 3 or 4 short to save par. Even when I hit it in close, I didn't have the same feel as I did yesterday."
Do you think the grasses made a difference?
"I putt on bent grass so I would like to say that I would be more comfortable on it. I don't know. I just didn't have the feel for it. And of course I am a little nervous and certainly a little tentative in the beginning and I just never was comfortable as I was yesterday. But hopefully tomorrow will be better if it makes it."
BRIAN SPITZ (at Great Waters)
72-70--142 -2
What's your thought of the course and how it compared to Reynolds Landing?
"A little different, the greens are a little softer here at Great Waters. They rolled about the same speed on the grasses. I think that Reynolds Landing has Bermuda and Great Waters is more bent, but they are playing very similar speeds, but just different hardness."
What do you think was the key to your round?
"Just keeping it in play. I did make and eagle on 11 and that kept me in it."
Any plans or changes you may make tomorrow?
"Just play it the same and rely on my caddie. (His wife)"
How do you like your wife caddying for you?
"It is great. It's relaxing. It's more like a walk instead of a tournament. She keeps me in check. It's nice because she is very basic."
DON YRENE (at Reynolds Landing)
69-76--145 +1
"It's great to be back [having also played here in the PGA Cup]. It is really fun to come back with a great attitude and good feelings from a success and a victory, from beating the Europeans, just being here and coming to a place where I have had success certainly is a boost of confidence.
"Yeah, I played really, really good in the PGA Cup and again, physically, emotionally and mentally, just everything feels good coming back to a place where we had such a good time -- my wife was here --so being in an environment where you have had success helps.
"This course (Reynolds Landing) is tough; there are a little more hazards and lay-ups. There is much more going on here at this course than at Great Waters. Great Waters is a great course, but it is straightforward and if you are hitting your driver good, you are going to be in good shape at Great Waters -- here you have lay-ups and you have to curve the ball both ways off the tee. You have to be aware of water just before some tees, there are hazards right before the green on several holes- there are more hazards and more troubles on this course and you have to be more aware of that and I wasn't -- not today, I didn't execute as well today and I did yesterday -- I hit in the water two times today.
"The speed of the greens were good -- they were actually fast, they felt like they were about an 11 on the Stimpmeter -- good speeds, I liked the speed of the greens."
BUTCH SHEEHAN (at Reynolds Landing)
72-74--146 +2
"I putted awful. I went three-putt, three-putt on my first two holes.
"It was a lot of fun coming back and getting to see all those familiar faces from when we were here last year. Some of the people that were here to watch us last year were walking up and talking to us so that was a lot of fun.
"If I can make it to the weekend I have to eliminate mistakes if I want to make it back to the PGA Championship. If I can get the putter rolling I definitely have a chance.
"There are some 65s and 64s out there at the other golf course; you just have to pull one out."
MIKE SMALL (at Reynolds Landing)
72-74--146 +2
"It felt nice to come back to the area and see my friends whom I played with during the [PGA] Cup. I wish we could have played the same course -- Oconee."
RON PHILO (Great Waters)
77-73--150 +6
"Unfortunately, being here for the Cup Matches hasn't given me an advantage. But it was wonderful to have been here both times. It's an incredible place and we're fortunate to have the chance to compete here.
"These courses are drastically different than the Oconee. Certainly the bent greens here are different. This (Great Waters) was a great course and beautiful and the Landing is a very nice course as well just different. I enjoyed being here, just wish could have played and performed a little better.
"They're just two completely different competitions. This is what we do and this is what we get ready for. We play as individuals. The Cup Matches is a great respite from the normal competition that we have and it's great to play with these guys that you've been competing against. But this is what we do and this is what we love to do."
ERIC DUGAS (Reynolds Landing)
69-72--141 -3
"My little brother and I were talking about it and the wind was into and crossing so I figured I would play it in the back of my stance a little bit and it one-hopped in. I didn't even really know what to do.
"I wanted to hit it to the back slope and let it fall back but the wind knocked it down and it one-hopped in.
"I was 2 over after seven and ended up even par for the round so I can't complain.
"My first goal coming into the tournament was to have a solid round and get off to a good start. My second goal was to make the cut. If I am fortunate to do that, which I think I am, I will get a good nights rest and go out there and have a good weekend.
"I could not even describe what it would be like to play in the PGA Championship and to finish in the Top 20. I am only 25 and grew up with these Tour guys being idols. To even consider even hitting balls next to them on the range and to get in that atmosphere I don't even want to get ahead of myself and take it one step a time."
BROOKS WEST (Reynolds Landing)
78-73--151 +7
"This is my third career hole-in-one and I have not seen any of them.
"I hit it perfect, absolutely perfect. The wind was out of the left and I stood it up off the pine tree. The ball hit five feet short and rolled like a putt. I didn't get to see it go in because it was a blind green. The guys in my group as we are walking asked if I thought it was in the hole and the rules guy pointed and let me know it was in."
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