Golf fans wowed during inaugural Greenbrier Classic

TOM BONE Bluefield Daily Telegraph

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS — The drizzle came down but the birdies came out on Saturday as a sizeable crowd milled about the inaugural Greenbrier Classic golf tournament at The Greenbrier Resort to watch PGA Tour professionals, and the scenery surrounding them.

Golf fans oohed and ahhed as one professional after another worked the Old White Course at the 232-year-old resort. They were treated to low scores, culminating in a three-stroke lead by Jeff Overton going into today’s final round. He had six birdie holes on Saturday to go 4-under par, and is 18-under for the three days so far.

The final round is scheduled to begin at 8:18 this morning, and CBS-TV will carry the conclusion from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

“I think it’s an awesome place, an awesome setup,” Overton said.

On a day with a high temperature of 73, the weather didn’t deter Randy and Linda Hampton of Athens from enjoying their surroundings, and they applauded the efforts of those who organized the event practically from scratch in a year’s time.

“The Greenbrier’s just beautiful,” Randy Hampton said. “We’ve really marveled at how they’ve put it together, the first year, this well.”

Linda Hampton said, “They’ve really done a nice job.”

The couple, like many at the tournament, were on the lookout for John Daly, known for the outlandish designs on the pants he wears on the PGA Tour. Daly is tied for 61st among the 77 golfers remaining in the field. They also watched Pat Perez and Sergio Garcia, they said.

Other well-positioned guests, ringing the 18th hole, had only to look at a jumbo video screen to keep up to date. The billboard-sized display showed live images of the top players, pop-up biographical notes on the golfers approaching the 18th, recaps of their day’s scores, and even a computer readout of how far the golfer’s ball was from the cup – down to the inch.

Justin Leonard, tied for 11th after a 5-under par day, said the golfers have been having “a great week.” He said, “I think all the guys really are enjoying the golf course. All the things that there are to do here for families and everything, they’ve been very well received by everybody.”

That includes D.A. Points, who had an extraordinary round of 61 Saturday on the par-70 course, and his wife and six-month-old daughter, Laila Jane.

Near the end of a media interview, D.A. Points confided he wanted to go to the day-care area and see his daughter. “She is just the sweetest, happiest little girl, and she will be happy to see me whether I shot 61 or 81,” he said.

Like many fans heading for the shuttle buses, Points talked about the Saturday night concert offered by The Greenbrier at the nearby state fairgrounds featuring country music stars Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood.

“We’ll get something to eat,” Points said about the family’s plans. “I think my wife’s actually going to go to the concert, as long as it’s not raining too bad, and I’ll probably baby-sit tonight, which is all right with me.”

And then today at about 2 p.m. he and Overton will report to the first tee for another “day at the office.”

— Contact Tom Bone at tbone@bdtonline.com

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