The Bob McLelland Metro Invitational golf tournament turned into an adventure during Thursday’s final round at Blue Hills Golf Club.
When the leaders’ foursome teed off on the first hole, sunglasses were the fashion accessory of choice.
By the time the group reached the 18th fairway, you could make a good argument that night-vision goggles might become the fashion accessory of necessity.
Finishing in total darkness, Hidden Valley junior Kristin Hearp parlayed a four shot lead after her opening round 69 at Ole Monterey on Wednesday into a final-round 68 and solid 8-shot victory over upstart William Byrd senior Tyler Hurley. It was Hearp’s second straight Metro win in as many years.
“We barely finished, but that’s OK,” Hearp noted right after the scorecards were validated and signed with the aid of the light from cellphones. “I was worrying about finishing for a long time, even before we started. At the tee box down there (at #18) it was fine. But, we got to hitting our second shots and it was really getting darker. On the green I had them tend the pin on my putt because I couldn’t see anything. I couldn’t see the hole with the flag in it. Darkest conditions I’ve ever played in competition, for sure.”
When asked if she was concerned about spraying her second shot into the rough and being unable to find the ball due to the darkness, Hearp simply said, “seriously ! “
Hurley was holding his own through the first ten holes, despite starting four shots behind.
After watching Hearp sink a 20-footer for birdie at the tough par-4 fifth hole, Hurley answered by holing a slick downhill birdie of his own to stay within striking distance. Although Hearp was playing a steady round, Hurley made things interesting when he sank long bombs on holes 7 and 10 to get Hearp’s attention.
“That worried me a little,” Hearp admitted of Hurley’s uncanny putting prowess.
“Those were a couple of long putts,” Hurley noted, breaking into a smile. “But, she was hitting a lot of greens and making a lot of birdies. She’s good and I think she’s going to keep improving.”
“He’s our John Daly,” William Byrd golf coach Kevin Tuck noted of Hurley during the round. “He only started playing as a sophomore, but he can hit it a long way.”
Hearp erased much of the closing drama when she reached the par-5 13th in two shots, nursed her eagle putt close and tapped in for birdie.
Salem’s Elliot Gardner finished third at 146, one shot behind Hurley.
In the team competition, Hidden Valley prevailed with an 11-shot margin over runner-up Byrd.
-Bill Turner
