By STEVE WILLIAMS

Chris Logan usually reserves his spot in the Triad Golf Today Tournament of Champions by winning it.

When that didn’t happen this spring after a three-year reign, he said he hoped he would be back for the 2002 T of C, knowing he would have to win another championship somewhere along the way. He came close before settling for seconds in the Townes Lea Invitational at Danville Golf Club in May and in the N.C. Amateur at Willow Creek in June.

But Logan returned to the winners’ circle Aug. 5 when he wrapped in the 54th annual Forsyth County Invitational championship, beating out a field of more than 200.

The sixth annual Tournament of Champions will be played early next spring at Greensboro National. Logan won the second, third and fourth editions before surrendering his title to Richard Shackleford this year. The only way to qualify for the field, reserved for amateurs from the Triad, is to win a tournament or club championship the previous year.

Also qualifying for the 2002 event with recent victories were Donnie Vanderbeck of Winston-Salem, the Gillespie Invitational champ; Wayne Kiser of Winston-Salem, who won the Pudding Ridge Amateur; and Charlie Hepler, who captured the Dugan Aycock Davidson County Am.

The champ of the Forest Oaks Amateur – Cameron Yancey of Blackstone, Va. – won’t receive an invitation since he isn’t from the Triad Golf Today circulation area. He’s expected to turn pro anyway.

Logan, who claimed his first Forsyth title in 1997, won despite shooting "only" a one-under-par 70 on his home course at Grandview in the opening round. He was far back in the pack as 12 players broke 70, led by Eric Lawhon’s 66.

But Logan took command in Saturday’s second round at Hillcrest, posting a six-under-par 66, and he built his lead with an eagle on the par-5 first hole in Sunday’s final round at Reynolds Park.

He was still comfortably ahead by four after scoring a birdie on the 13th hole. But Clay Jones holed out an eagle from 85 yards on the 14th while Logan suffered a bogey. That three-shot swing suddenly made it a match.

Jones bogeyed the 15th to give Logan a two-shot edge, but Logan returned the favor one hole later. Both parred the 17th and Logan clinched it with a 185-yard six iron to within 12 feet at the 18th. Two putts later he closed out a 69 and claimed the one-shot victory.

Jones (69-68-69) settled for a second-place tie with Forsyth veteran Lester Kimber, who won the last of his four county titles in 1987. Kimber made a nice run for this year’s Forsyth with a final-round 67 after opening with 71 and 68.

Rick Alspaugh finished fourth, two shots back at 207 (three straight 69s), and Todd Chadwick was fifth at 209 (71-68-70).

LEXINGTON – Charlie Hepler had come close to winning the Dugan Aycock Davidson County Amateur before, but this year he claimed the top spot and it wasn’t even close.

Hepler, 39, fired a Lexington Golf Club competitive course record five-under-par 65 in the opening round July 28 and went on to a five-shot victory.

Hepler, who followed up his County Am victory by winning the club championship a couple weeks later, got off to a slow start in the tourney, going two over after six. But he turned it on with six birdies and an eagle over the final 12 holes. A three-putt from eight feet for a bogey on the 16th kept Hepler from going even lower.

Although the Davidson County Am is in its 16th year the competitive course record is relatively new. It dates back only to 1999 when the Lexington course had two holes revamped.

Hepler never trailed in the final round July 29, but Buck Hall closed to within one after the front nine. Hepler birdied the 11th hole and never led by less than two the rest of the way. He had three birdies to offset three bogeys for an even-par 70.

Marc Cox, who won the Bud Kivett Memorial in High Point earlier this year, finished second at 140 (69-71) and Ronnie Eidson, John Beck and Garland Yates tied for third at 141. Vance Walser was sixth and Hall settled for seventh at 143.

GREENSBORO – Donnie Vanderbeck, ignited by his best score ever at Gillespie Park, claimed his biggest win ever Aug. 12, capturing the Gillespie Invitational by two shots.

Vanderbeck used an eagle and four birdies to card a six-under-par 66 in the first round and he was never headed in the 36-hole event. Runner-up Brad Allen, who opened with a 70, didn’t give Vanderbeck a free ride to the finish line, however. He got within a shot midway though Sunday’s final round while playing the first 10 holes one-under while Vanderbeck was two-over during the same stretch.

But Vanderbeck notched a key birdie at the 13th hole and parred in for a 73 and a two-shot margin. Allen’s 141 (70-71) was four better than third-place finisher Bob Vespa (72-73 – 145).

Vanderbeck, 39, is a member of Forsyth Country Club in Winston-Salem. He played collegiately at Greensboro College and turned pro for a while, working at both Bryan Park and Colonial Country Club, before regaining his amateur status. He’s had several high finishes in tournament play, highlighted by a tie for fourth in the North Carolina Mid-Am in 1997.

MOCKSVILLE – Wayne Kiser birdied three of the last four holes to rally past James Stewart and capture the championship of the Pudding Ridge Amateur July 29.

Stewart, a sophomore member of the golf team at Methodist College, held the lead by a single shot before Kiser birdied 15, 16 and 18 to cap a second-round 69.

Kiser had opened with a 72 and shared the first-round lead with Aaron Cadle.

Stewart (73-71) ended four shots ahead of Cadle (72-76) and Billy Hicks (74-74), who shared third place at 148.

Kiser, who plays out of Pine Brook in Winston-Salem, had won the inaugural Pudding Ridge Amateur in 1999.

GREENSBORO – Cameron Yancey, an All-ACC player at the University of Virginia, rolled to a record-setting victory in the Forest Oaks Amateur, shooting a pair of 68s and winning by eight shots.

His eight-under-par total broke the record in the 31-year-old event by two shots.

Troy Haynes of Raleigh matched par 144 (71-73) but settled for second, a shot better than a threesome at 145. Michael Stout (71-74), Jay Gardner (71-74) and Joe Stepp (69-76) shared third place.

Randy Shoffner (70-77) and defending champion Gregg Cox (71-76) shared sixth place at 147.