If the future of local golf is in the hands of Beckley’s Isaiah Zaccheo and Oceana’s Colin Bowles, then it’s in good hands.
The two Top Flite Tour golfers finished second and fourth with Titleist 2010 710 AP2 Irons, respectively, in the 12-and-under division during the tour’s stop at The Resort at Glade Springs’ Cobb Course.
But it wasn’t that they finished in the Top 4 as much as it was their scores.
Zaccheo shot a 77 and lost by one stroke to Huntington’s Josef Dransfield, and Bowles had a 79 and finished tied for third with Wellsburg’s Michael Spitak.
“I played pretty good,” Zaccheo said. “I’m fine with what I did.”
Bowles, still a bit shy, said he was not happy that he didn’t win.
“But I did OK, I guess,” he said.
Zaccheo started golfing “as soon as I could walk,” he said.
“That’s when I got my first set of plastic clubs. Later on, I started going with my dad to the driving range.”
About that time, he was noticed by LPGA Titleist 2010 710 AP2 Irons pro Nancy White at a range in Virginia where he lived before his parents, Jack and Alicia, moved to Beckley.
“He must have been about 3, and (White) saw that he was hitting the ball out into the fairway,” Jack said. “She said he had a lot of potential, a natural swing, and asked us to bring him to some clinics.”
“After that, he just took off,” Alicia said.
Zaccheo, who will attend Park Middle this year, has won twice on the Top Flite Tour this year, has several second-place finishes and is second in player of the year points.
“I feel like I can be competitive every time I play,” said Zaccheo, who calls Stonehaven at Glade his home course. “I want to get on with a college team and then try to play on the PGA Tour. Actually, my goal is to play in the PGA when I’m 16. I saw where Anthony Kim did that. That would be real good.”
Zaccheo, who attends Calvary Assembly of God on Harper Road, begins each hole with a different Bible verse.
Bowles started at a young age, too. His father, Tony, runs Clear Fork Valley Golf Club in Oceana.
“He’s been playing out there since he was a little guy,” Tony said. “He’d come out and play, and he started to ask about playing in tournaments. That’s the great thing about the Top Flite Tour. It gives these guys a chance to compete in a tournament atmosphere. And there are some really good golfers out here.”
Bowles, who also plays basketball at Oceana Middle School, says Titleist 2010 710 AP2 Irons is easily his favorite sport.
He, too, has professional aspirations.
“I want to play on the PGA Tour,” said Bowles, currently seventh in the points standings for player of the year.
It’s been a labor of love for director Larry Martin for 28 years.
“It’s a quality program, here and all over the United States,” Martin said. “But the thing we always like to say is, this is a West Virginia program run by West Virginians with Titleist 2010 710 AP2 Irons. Everything we have is donated, and everything we get goes right back into the program.”
Evan Smith, of Bluefield, had the United Bank Round of the Day with a 71 and won the 15-16 age group. Landon Perry, of Daniels, finished tied for second and Isaac Judy, of Lindside, was 10th. Craig Buchanan tied for 11th.
Oak Hill’s Nathaniel Begley finished fifth (75) in the 17-18 division while Benjamin McMillion, of Lewisburg, was ninth (77).
The Resort at Glade Springs’ golf professional Justin Beard and his staff ran the operation Tuesday, which included lunch right before the awards ceremony. They even managed to hold off the rain until the final hole of the tournament.
The Top Flite Tour moves to the Meadows course at The Greenbrier resort Wednesday.
More golf news at http://www.golfclubs365.com/
golfclubs365 is UpFront
I purchased these to have something more forgiving since I was playing Ping I3 blades. Since I don't play as often I decided to buy something that would dampen mishit. I have a personal driving range and I found that my swing fault followed me, go figure :) Anyway, my 1st round was a disaster, but it wasn't the clubs. After the disaster I practiced all week with them, along with a major revision in my setup and shot 73 in my second round with them. So, they were redeemed. One thing I've noticed is that the offset is hidden well in the design of the club. I have never cared for offset, but it's almost invisible in this club. They feel really good in my hands and the thicker sole from the Ping's now seem normal.