Great Shotmaking Highlights Carolina Blonde Action 

By STEVE WILLIAMS

Eagles were flying on the Carolina Blonde Tour in recent weeks.

Four were scored one day at Tobacco Road July 27. A week later, a golfer scored the ultimate two-under score on a hole, an ace.

Greg Peterson of Dunn was the ace maker. The Chicora Country Club member used an eight iron for the 163-yard shot of perfection that took one hop, glanced off the flagstick and into the cup on the Southern Pines Elks Club Ross Course’s No. 7 hole.

A couple of bad holes during the round left Peterson, who plays in the championship flight, in second place with a 78 that day.

“I didn’t know if I was ever going to get one again,” Peterson said, noting his first ace had come 10 years earlier.

At Tobacco Road, Jim Aughtry of Charlotte and Roger Smith of Archdale both took the short cut on the 333-yard, par-4 fifth hole, found the green and negotiated testy putts. Aughtry was closest to the pin and he made his six-footer. Smith, coming along three groups later, sank a 13-footer – canceling out what Aughtry through was a sure payday in the friendly skins game.

Lou Panesi of Charlotte notched an eagle at Tobacco Road on the par-5 first hole, a 521-yard opening test.

The most improbable eagle of the day came from C Flight player Jonathon Everett of Fayetteville. After not getting good metal on his tee shot on the 383-yard, par-4 seventh hole, he was left with 173 yards to the green. A four-iron did the trick as the ball found the cup for a nice deuce.

One of the hottest players on the Carolina Blonde Tour this summer has been one of the youngest and smallest. Ben Pinkelton, a 14-year-old from Greensboro with a sweet swing, has consistently picked up points in B Flight competition.

“It’s great to be finishing high each week,” Pinkelton said. “This will qualify me for the year-ending Tour Championship at Myrtle Beach. “I feel confident that I can compete with all the B Flight players from the other Tours.”

The Tour Championship, set Oct. 26-27 at Wild Wing Plantation, brings together qualifiers from all of the Carolina Blonde sections throughout the region. There are 16 other tours that will have representatives at the championship.

Pinkelton plays out of the Triad Tour.

In Harris Teeter Senior Tour play, Vic Robertson of Greensboro took over the B Flight points lead with a victory at Beacon Ridge. He fired an 82 and now leads Jim Pritchett of Winston-Salem by 31 points.

Larry Willett of High Point is one of many players who joined the tour late in the season and made a quick move up the point standings. His third-place mark at Beacon Ridge moved him to third in the championship flight point standings.

“I’ve played in a lot of them recently because I really want to qualify for the year-ending Tour Championship. It looks pretty good for me to finish in the top-10 now, but I’m going to keep playing because it’s so much fun.”

The Harris Teeter Tour championship will be played at Legacy and Anderson Creek Nov. 5-6.

There are two more full months of action on both the Carolina Blonde and Harris Teeter tours. Tour director Bruce Hallenbeck is still welcoming new members.