Tournament Champions - 1999... 

Lane Tree members make history

GOLDSBORO-The halls of Lane Tree Golf Course have two of what will become the most coveted plagues in the county hanging on them today, after Lane Tree members Jody Dean (69-73-70-212) and James Ratcliff (75-75-75-225) both came from behind to take the Open and Senior Divisions, respectively, of the first Wayne County Amateur Championship Sunday.

After 36 holes of the 54-hole tournament, Lionel Sutton (63-74-76-213) led the field by six strokes. Sutton scared the Southern Wayne Country Club record of 60, firing an eight-under 63 for the best round of the entire event.

Sutton shot two-over at Walnut Creek in the second stage of the event and had a five-stroke advantage over Dean and Don Garris. Dean shot the only other sub-70 round of the tournament, carding a 69 at SWCC, and Garris stroked out a smooth one-under in Mount Olive and shot the best round of the day Saturday at Walnut Creek, a par 72.

Dean has the letters F, G and P printed on the top of his driver and the philosophy of those three simple letters is what helped turn the tide for him, he said.

"F, G and P means fairways, greens and putts and that was my main goal today to just hit the fairway, do the green and make the putt," Dean said after the tournament.

Before the tournament began, Sutton said he was going to "try to play normal golf and focus on the process and forget about what everybody else is scoring".

However, when his putts didn't fall for him, and his closest rivals for the title were in the same group with him, Dean's ascent and his decent couldn't have gone unnoticed.
Sutton had several putts for birdie that lipped out or broke just an inch or two more than he read, but none were as important as his near miss on the 16th hole.

Dean drained an incredible 35-footer for birdie to take the lead, but Sutton had a birdie putt to hang tight. However, Sutton's ball, breaking from right to left, turned just under the cup and Dean was the outright leader.

Dean nearly put the game completely away on the par three No. 17 when he almost struck for another birdie. "On 17 I thought I made that one too," said Dean. "My putter was feeling real good the last four or five holes."

Sutton hurt himself when he missed the No. 17 green short and to the right, ending up with a bogie to hand Dean a two-stroke lead with one hole remaining.

Dean three-putted the final hole of the three-day tournament and Sutton, who as his ball was about to drop in the cup, sarcastically said, "don't go in", as it did for par in front of a gallery circling the green.

Before the tournament began, Dean said he was worried more about what the group ahead of him was going to do. "The group behind us is the one you've got to watch out for. Those young bucks might sneak up on us and bite us," said Dean.

The "young bucks" Dean was referring to were Don Hill, Jay Joyner and Andy Crain. Joyner (70-74-73-217) started seven strokes behind Sutton and just two out of reach from Dean. Crain (70-75-76-221) was one behind Joyner and Hill (73-73-71-217) two back of him.

Joyner started out with a bang, going two-under par after three holes, but he said his driver started leaking to the right and it wasn't until the 10th hole before he regained control of his game, but by then it was too late.

"I was struggling off the tee and I had a stretch there with three bogies after I started hot and had a chance to make a run at him," said Joyner.

Hill, who was playing in the Wayne Amateur for what could be his only chance since he plans to turn pro in October, said he was disappointed, but that he had to give it up for Sutton and Dean.

"I'm disappointed because this might be the only chance I get to play in this tournament. But when you're beaten by somebody who is playing good, you don't really mind it," said Hill adding that it is hard to make up 10 strokes in 36 holes after he shot a two-over 73 in the opener at Southern Wayne.

James Ratcliff found himself with a one-stroke lead over the field of Senior Division competitors after shooting a four-over 75 on day one of the tournament. However, Jere Hilburn turned the table on Ratcliff, firing two strokes better than the 18-hole leader at Walnut Creek to take a one-stroke lead.

Hilburn held his one-stroke advantage through 17 holes of the final round action and the championship decision came down to one putt.

Ratcliff had an 18-footer for par and Hilburn was already lying four with a six-foot putt for bogie on the 54th hole and final hole of the event. Ratcliff closed the hole down a few notches for Hilburn when he holed the putt. Hilburn missed the bogie try and tapped in for a double, causing a two-stroke swing in Ratcliff's favor.

"I felt like I had to make the par putt so that if he made the bogie I'd at worst be tied," said Ratcliff.