LUMBERTON — Knocky Thorndyke said he could sense the footsteps of the players behind him giving chase during Saturday’s final round of the super senior division of the Robeson County Golf Championships.
The coach of over 30 years at Littlefield and Lumberton High Schools had Larry McNeill and Willie Jacobs on his heels on the back nine, but slip ups by his opponents and a late eagle put those surges to rest at Pinecrest Country Club. The win is the first for Thorndyke after competing in the RCGC for only a few years prior as he shot a 76 for a two-round total of 146.
“I don’t know what I was trying to focus on except try and make pars,” he said. “I watch golf on TV and see those guys with big leads and it’s not necessarily that easy to know what to do. … I thought that if I could shoot 75 or 76 I’d be OK because that meant somebody would have to make a lot of birdies.”
Thorndyke entered Saturday with a six-stroke lead after shooting the only under par round of the field, but the lead had dwindled to two strokes at one point on the back nine after McNeill closed in with a 37 and Jacobs a 36 on the front. Thorndyke went to the back after shooting a 40 on the front nine.
“(McNeill) was getting up and down every time he had to, but he give me a little scare on the front,” Thorndyke said. “I felt the pressure.”
Following the double bogey on No. 1, Thorndyke dropped shots on back-to-back holes, Nos. 6 and 7. He continued to bring the pack closer with a bogey on the par-5 11th hole that left McNeill and Jacobs two back at that point.
McNeill took a tumble on the back nine starting with the short par-3 12th when he hit his tee shot in the water. He took a double bogey on the hole and followed with four bogeys on the next five holes. Jacobs also had a run of dropped strokes after he birdied the 11th hole when he took a double bogey on No. 14 and then bogeyed two of the final three holes to come back in 39.
“Once (McNeill) hit it in that water, it deflated him,” Thorndyke said.
With the competition fleeting, Thorndyke put the finishing touches on his title with an eagle on the par-5 No.15.
“I was about eight foot short of the green and I rolled in about an 18-, 20-footer,” Thorndyke said.
Jacobs took second in the division with a 152 and Michael Monroe took third with a 154.
14-year-old Woods in contention of regular division
No, not Tiger, but Silas Woods was the talk of the course on Saturday after his first-round score was posted on the scoreboard of the regular division during the middle of the day.
The 14-year-old rising sophomore at Purnell Swett held the early clubhouse lead in the regular division with his 3-over round of 75, and at the end of play in the first round he sits in a tie for second behind Nick Lowery after he shot a round of 73.
Woods’ first time playing the RCGC was nerve and worry free after playing a season for the Purnell Swett golf team and takes time to play about three rounds a week at Pinecrest.
“It was my home course so I didn’t really feel nothing,” Woods said of the feelings on the first tee. “It feels good and I like the way I played in my first county tournament too.”
There were no nerves, but after getting off to a slow start, Woods rebounded. With three bogeys on his first four holes, Woods picked a stroke back up with a birdie on No. 6 to make the turn at 38. With birdies on Nos. 10 and 15, and bogeys on 12, 13 and 18, Woods came in with a 37.
“I hit the ball good, but a few holes got me,” Woods said. “I wasn’t hitting the ball too good (in high school golf), but right after the season ended I started hitting the ball good so next year will be a whole other season.”
Phillip Wallwork, the 2016 senior division champion, and Aaron Hunt sit in a tie with Woods.
“It feels good to compete with the older people. This is the first time I’ve played against people that age,” Woods said. “I’ve just got to stay focused and try to do what I do in my regular tournaments.”
LeMark Harris and Stoney Stone are in a tie for fifth, four strokes off the lead.
Rian Collins had the shot of the day with an eagle on the par-4 13th hole. The shot was witnessed by Chris Kinlaw and Chris Britt.
Williams’ 74 takes first-round lead in senior division
Eddie Williams’ 2-over 74 has him four strokes ahead of second place in the first round of the senior division, but he thinks that he still left strokes on the course
“I played good, but just couldn’t make no putts,” Williams said. “I got it around.”
He leads Jim Steed by four strokes after a 78 and Larry Lynn Locklear by five after his 79.
On the front, Williams bogeyed both par 3s, Nos. 2 and 7, and also No. 5, but managed to get strokes back with birdies on Nos. 4 and 6 to make the turn at 37. He also went 1 over on the back with two birdies coming on Nos. 12 and 17.
“I’ve got to do about 70 tomorrow,” Williams said.
