By DARRELL TUEBNER

The only thing that stood between Robert Kulp of Winston-Salem and the Carolinas Senior championship at the DeBordieu Club was getting down in three from 140 yards to a difficult hole location with a few bunkers to carry and a lake on the right with his ball lying in a bunker. No problem.

Kulp responded with a shot that ended eight feet from the hole and the subsequent two-putt gave him a three-day total of three-under par 213 and a one-shot victory over Woody Greene of Blythewood, S.C., and Bob Stringer of Columbia, S.C.

"I had a great front nine," Kulp explained, "But then I hacked it home. But I have figured out that I shouldn't give up no matter what."

Kulp's struggle coming in gave Greene and Stringer their chance. Stringer, who shared the first round lead, stood at four under par for the tournament with five to play. Bogies on 14 and 15 took him back to two-under and seemingly out of the tournament. But his birdie on 17 while Kulp was making bogey on 15 got him to one behind playing the final hole. His three-putt from sixty feet left him at 214. His round of one-under par 71 was the lone round under par for the day.

Greene, who started the day with a one-stroke margin over Kulp and two over Tom McLean of Greenville, N.C., was rock-solid in the early going, but three-putt greens at number five, six and eight left him three back starting the final nine. His final-nine 37 was not enough to make up the margin, as again a three-putt on no. 13 was his lone blemish. "I had been putting great the last two months," said Greene, "But today I had

four three-putts and that made the difference."

Greene was impressed with Kulp's performance on 18, "Bob hit a great shot on the last hole when it really counted."

Kulp's victory caps off a great year for the 55-year old cosmetic dentist. Reaching the quarterfinals in the USGA Senior gave him a needed boost coming into the championship. "I gained a lot of confidence from my success in the U.S. Senior. It helped me a tremendous amount." Kulp also has two North and South Senior titles to his credit.

Besides Stringer, only one player was at par or better for the day. Vic Hannon of Camden, S.C., started the day in 14th place in the tournament and in 10th place for a spot on the Carolinas Senior Team which will take on a team from the Virginias at Alamance Country Club in Burlington on November 2-4.

Hannon's grinding round of even par 72 gave him a sixth place finish in the tournament left him in eighth place in the team standings, giving him a spot on the team.

Ron Morgan of Clemmons held the first round lead with Greene and Stringer with a four-under par 68. His subsequent rounds of 75 and 77 gave him a tie for 10th place. The 1998 Carolinas Senior champion, Larry Boswell of Jamestown, finished with a 75 and a three day total of 219, good enough for a tie for eighth and a spot on the Carolinas Senior team.

Joining Boswell and Hannon in qualifying for the team were Kulp, Cliff Cunningham of Monroe, who won the North Carolina Senior this spring at Starmount Forest Country Club, Greene, Stringer, Bill Cox of Gastonia, and Glenn Lassiter of Robbins. Cox and Lassiter qualified earlier this year with a victory in the Carolinas Senior Four-Ball Championship.

Defending Champion Ronnie Grove of Raleigh shot a final-round 76 and finished tied for 18th at 224. The 36-hole cut came at 149 with 30 players qualifying for the final round.

The Carolinas Senior Championship is open to any male amateur golfer who has reached his 55th birthday by the first day of the championship, is a legal resident of one of the Carolinas, is a member in good standing of a club which is a member of the Carolinas Golf Association and has a current CGA handicap index that does not exceed 10.4.

This championship is conducted by the Carolinas Golf Association.