By Pat Hanna
Regional Editor
July 19, 2008 11:34 pm
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It was believed to be a first — the defending state men’s and women’s amateur champions playing in the same tournament.
Both Anthony Reale of Charleston and Brittany Adams of Huntington teed it up with their dads Saturday in the first round of the West Virginia Father-Child tournament at Glade Springs’ Cobb Course.
The two-day tournament, played under a modified scramble format, drew 100 father-child teams.
“We had a blast,” Reale said after he and his father Phil finished with a seven-under 65. “We don’t get the chance to play together in tournaments that often. Any time you get to spend a day on the golf course with your father, it’s a good time.”
The Reales are playing in the Father-Child for the first time. So are Adams and her father Freddie, who shot a 72 Saturday.
“We had fun, and that’s the most important part,” she said.
While the Reale and Adams teams were new to the tournament, some familiar faces were at the top of the first-round leaderboard.
Seven-time Father-Son champions John Duty Sr. of Hurricane and John Duty Jr. of Morgantown carded an 11-under 61 to share the lead with James Bartsch of South Charleston and Jonathon Bartsch of Murfreesboro, Tenn., who won the tournament two years ago and again last year, both at Glade Springs.
“Dad played really good,” the younger Duty said. “I was kind of sporadic, but Dad played good the whole way.”
The Dutys formerly lived in Shady Spring, from the time John Jr. was 9 until he was 16.
“This is fun,” he said. “When we lived in Shady Spring, we were out here a lot. It’s like a second home.”
Bruce Lawson and son Bruce of Logan finished with a 62.
Two strokes behind the leaders at 63 were Glade Springs members Greg and Ben McGraw of Daniels. They made the turn at 6-under and stood at 10-under before bogeying No. 18.
“This is a great event, one of our favorite events that the West Virginia Golf Association puts on each year,” Greg said. “This is our fourth Father-Child. We have progressed every year, and we’ve progressed exponentially as Ben has improved. We’re looking forward to tomorrow.”
Ben made a 30-footer for birdie on the par 3 third hole to get things rolling on the front nine.
“My tee ball hurt me today, but my putting was good and his iron shots were awesome,” the younger McGraw said.
Ben will play in a State Amateur qualifier Wednesday at Grandview, while Greg, who turns 50 on Aug. 4, is setting his sights on the West Virginia Senior Amateur on Sept. 3-7 at Edgewood and the Senior Four-Ball with Dennis Vass on Sept. 20-21 at Twisted Gun.
The McGraws were tied with Adam and Tom Dyer of Clarksburg. At 64 were Thomas and Brandon Watkins of White Sulphur Springs, Bill and Chris Ward of Beaver, Erwin and Jamie Conrad of Fayetteville, Denny Keiffer of St. Albans and Matt Keiffer of Elkview, Matt and Natalie Cook of Vienna, and Nicholas and Scott Bibbee, also of Vienna.
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Reale says his game is “coming around all right” as he prepares to defend his State Amateur title Aug. 4-7 at The Greenbrier. The Glenville native and former East Carolina golfer won last year’s tournament in a playoff over Matt Hicks.
“I’m hitting the ball fine,” he said. “My ball striking has been good the last several months. It’s a matter of if I make putts or not.
“The first two days, it’s a matter of getting yourself around par. If you’re around par, you’re going to be in the tournament.”
Reale believes his game is about on par with where it was this time last year.
“My ball striking is,” he said. “My results were probably a little better last year. Mentally and physically, I’m the same. It’s going to come down to a putting contest. It always does. There are some great players in the State Am. Pat Carter is playing well, Tim Fisher, Christian Brand, Matt Hicks.”
Adams will defend her State Women’s Amateur title and go for her fourth overall July 28-31 at Glade Springs, where she won her second title in 2003.
“This is good practice for that,” the former Academic All-American at Ohio State said of the Father-Child. “This is a good way to have fun and warm up for that.
“I’m hitting the ball fine,” she added. “I need to sharpen up my short game and putting.”
She believes her game is set up well for the Cobb Course.
“I hit the ball pretty straight,” she said. “The greens are a little tricky. They’re so large. I think the greens are the key to the course. Hopefully tomorrow my dad and I can figure it out.”
This will be the last State Women’s Amateur for Adams in the immediate future. A second-year medical school student at Marshall, her summers beginning next year will be tied up in studies.
“I’d like to go out on top, but we’ll have to wait and see what I can do,” she said. “Being in medical school, I don’t get to practice as much or play. But I’ll try to give it my best.”
Adams plans to eventually return to competitive amateur golf, calling it a game “you can play the rest of your life.”
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