Board Outlasts Bolling In Playoff For Women’s City-County Golf Championship

Meagan Board hits her tee shot on the second playoff hole Thursday at Blue Hills. Board edged Dot Bolling to win the Roanoke Valley Women's City-County Championship.
Meagan Board hits her tee shot on the second playoff hole Thursday at Blue Hills. Board edged Dot Bolling to win the Roanoke Valley Women’s City-County Championship.

There’s no denying a lot of laughter and camaraderie is the norm among members of the Roanoke Valley Women’s Golf Association.

Thursday afternoon at Blue Hills Golf Club, the leaders in the final threesome of Meagan Board, Dot Bolling and Sara Cole weren’t even sure who had won their own championship after the regulation 18 holes.
No problem. Tally the scores, gather the membership and play a couple extra holes to determine the champion.
After the dust had settled, Board made a routine par on the second playoff hole to edge Bolling for the 2014 championship.
The three leaders had begun the final round with Board holding a one-shot lead over 17-time winner Bolling and 2-shot lead over 3-time winner Cole. None of the three had created any separation after the trio each shot 73 the day before at Ashley Plantation.
Thursday it was quite the finish in regulation.
Board had played a strong first nine before the nerves began to show. Likewise, a photographer made things interesting by getting too close for comfort on the final two holes for both Board and Bolling.
After Bpard missed a 1-foot putt at # 17 during which she was distracted by the moving photographer, the Cave Spring grad and Radford University golf recruit thought her chances for a win were out the window.
“I had the one-foot putt and suddenly the photographer moved into my line of sight,” Board said. “I got nervous and started shaking over the ball. I should have just stepped away. I had misjudged some distances on the back nine and had a pair of doubles (double bogeys). I really thought I had given it away with that miss at 17.”
On the 18th green turnabout was fair play when Bolling fell victim of the same lens snapper.
“I had a 3-foot putt for par and asked Sara if I needed to make it to win,” Bolling said. “Sara said ‘I’m not sure’.”
Bolling lined up the what would have been the winner, but balked and walked away. She then missed the downhill effort.
“I was ready to putt and she (the photographer) distracted me by walking around,” Bolling added. “Golf is a game of focus. When I backed away I lost my focus and missed the putt.”
After reaching the scorer’s table, it became evident that Board and Bolling had tied at 225, and barring a huge red number by a couple competitors still on the course from the shotgun start, a sudden death playoff would ensue.
For the spectators, it was grab a cart, grab a draught and watch ’em tee it up on #1.
On the first playoff hole it was advantage Bolling after she reached the par-4 in two and Board came up short on her second shot out of the rough. Board’s chip came up 8-feet short of the hole and when Bolling’s 35-foot putt rolled to within inches for a tap-in par-4, the pressure shifted to Board. But, Board rolled her 8-footer into the right edge to send the crowd to the par-3 second.
Bolling hit first and came up well short of the green.
“I choked down on a wood and just quit on the shot,” Bolling noted.
Board followed with a an iron to within 18 feet, and when Bolling went just over the green with her second shot and missed for par, Board coaxed her birdie putt to within inches and tapped in for the win.
“After I got to the playoff, I calmed down and got confident,” Board admitted with a smile. “This is my first win this summer. I hope it carries over to Radford.”
Cole, who finished three shots back, missed a chance to change the outcome.
“I hit the ball well today, but I had a 4-putt and a 3-putt,” Cole noted.
Bolling was gracious in defeat as the trophies were being presented afterward. “These young girls are amazing,” the standard bearer of Roanoke women’s golf said. “If you had asked me Tuesday, I wouldn’t have expected to be in this position.”
Bill Turner

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