Published: May 08, 2008 11:21 pm         

Teacher at head of the class at qualifier

The teacher was at the head of the class Thursday, and with his 52nd birthday approaching, he served notice to the young guns that he still has plenty of game left.

Oak Hill High School teacher and golf coach Joel Davis made four birdie putts on the back nine, and six altogether, to finish with a 2-under 70 and earn medalist honors in a West Virginia Open qualifier at Glade Springs’ Cobb Course.

“It was just one of those rounds where I got a few putts to drop and kept the ball in play,” said Davis, who will turn 52 on May 27. “I didn’t want to get sloppy and get ahead of myself. If you can do that and execute, normally you’ll do OK.

Davis finished one shot ahead of former Concord University golfer Darcy Donaldson and three in front of Canvas’ Josh Arbaugh, a West Virginia Wesleyan golfer.

In all, 19 golfers qualified for the Open, set for June 25-27 at Berry Hills in Charleston. Five golfers who tied at 78 competed in a playoff to decide the final four spots and the first alternate position. Brandon Tinney, David Loggins, Monte Chittum and Robert “Duke” Erwin made the field, while Shady Spring’s Scott Prince had to settle for first alternate when he bogeyed the second playoff hole. Six other players tied at 79 fought it out in a playoff for the other three alternate spots.

The best round of the day was turned in by 2005 state amateur champion Tim Fisher, who fired a 5-under 67 to win medalist honors in a state Mid-Amateur qualifier held simultaneously. Fisher, who was exempt from qualifying for the Open, and 13 others, including Richwood’s Tinney, Greg McGraw of Daniels and Dennis Vass of Stanaford, will move on to the Mid-Am, a 32-player match-play event set for May 16-18 at Stonewall Resort near Weston.

“I hit a lot of fairways and greens, and made the putts I should make,” Fisher said, including a 20-footer to save par on his last hole, No. 9.

“It was a really solid round.”

Fisher says he has put more time into his game this spring than he ever has.

“And I think it’s showing,” he added. “I was playing well coming in and I expected to shoot under par, but maybe not 5-under.

“I’ve hit more range balls this spring, and four days a week I go to the course and putt for three hours. I don’t think I missed any five- or six-footers today.”

Davis, meanwhile, said the putter felt good in his hands all day.

“You’ve got to make some birdies to give yourself confidence,” he said. “I putted well.”

Davis said he was looking forward to the Open.

“I wanted to play Berry Hills,” he added. “I haven’t played there in a long time, and I wanted to shoot well enough to qualify. I’ve always enjoyed Berry Hills. This is the best way for me to go back and see what I can do.”

For Josh Arbaugh, Thursday’s visit to the Cobb Course certainly turned out better than his last one.

Last summer, he was in a playoff for a spot in the West Virginia Amateur when he injured his shoulder on his tee shot on the first playoff hole. He completed the hole, but made bogey and missed qualifying. The injury sidelined him about a month.

“I was hoping the same thing wouldn’t happen again,” he said after yesterday’s round, which included four birdies.

“I hit the ball well off the tee today,” he added. “I kept the ball in play, and my putting was good. I shot 75 here last year (at an Open qualifier to make the field), and I felt if I shot that again I’d be pleased. I figured anything in the mid-70s would be good today.”

Arbaugh just finished his junior season at Wesleyan. He was named second-team All-West Virginia Conference and qualified for the national regionals, but didn’t get to go because he played in only three spring tournaments when NCAA rules call for a minimum of four.

“That gave me more motivation to play well here,” he said.

Scott Prince’s 78 included a quadruple-bogey 7 on the par 3 third hole when he encountered some bad luck. Playing his third shot from under the back lip of a bunker, the ball hit his wedge after he struck it, resulting in a one-stroke penalty.

He played the rest of his round at 2-over.

“I had some bad breaks, but that’s golf,” he said.

Prince will attend Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Va., in the fall and play golf. He is graduating from Shady Spring High School as salutatorian.

The last of three Open/Mid-Am qualifiers will be played Monday at Sleepy Hollow in Hurricane. The Open field will consist of 120 pros and amateurs.