Davenport’s strategy not complicated, but it works

By Chris Lang
Sports writer
Published: June 13, 2008

CLIFFORD — Eric Davenport’s formula for winning the Robert E. Lee Invitational at Appomattox’s Falling River Country Club several weeks ago was simple: Hit fairways, hit greens, sink putts.

In other words, he didn’t make it any harder on himself than he had to.

The same set of rules applied for Friday’s first round of the Central Virginia Invitational Golf Tournament at Winton Country Club. Davenport hit 15 greens and rarely had to sink long putts to make a score. He took the guesswork out of the game and surged to a 67 to take a one-stroke lead into the weekend.

Davenport, a Forest resident, was bogey free until the 16th hole. He countered bogeys at 16 and 17 with a birdie at 18 to finish the day at 4 under, one stroke ahead of 2006 CVIGT champion Chuck Brewer.

“I struck the ball well,” said Davenport, whose highest CVIGT finish was fourth place. “The first five holes, I might have had 10 feet of putts. I had real good looks at it the first five holes. I just didn’t get in any bad trouble.”

Chris Boswell, Donnie Toney and Pat Corbett shot 69s, and Bert Allen and Bobby Hurt carded 70s. Unlike last June, when Will Harper took a four-stroke lead after day one and was never seriously challenged, nine players are within five strokes of Davenport, which should make for an intriguing weekend.

The tournament moves to Forest for the final two rounds — today at Colonial Hills and Sunday at Ivy Hill.

“The greens (at Colonial) are really firm, and they’re small greens,” said Davenport, who recently joined Colonial and spent five years as a member at Ivy. “It sets up well for me. It’s just a matter of driving the ball and keeping it out of the woods.”

Brewer, who won the Fox Puss Seniors in May, rode a four-birdie streak to post his 68. He birdied Nos. 8-11 and didn’t make bogey until posting a four on the par-3 16th hole.

“I’ve played with him a couple of times, and he really doesn’t miss anything,” said Marshall Tinsley, last year’s runner-up who posted a 74 Friday. “He just hits it nice and straight.”

Boswell, a member at Boonsboro, got off to a bogey-birdie-bogey start before settling down for four straight pars. He collected his first birdie at No. 8, and after a bogey on No. 9, he played the back nine at 3 under, carding birdies at Nos. 11, 15 and 18.

“I got up and down a lot,” Boswell said. “I probably only hit 10 or 11 greens, but the greens that I missed, I was very fortunate to get it to six feet or less and make the putt. I hit a couple in there tight and hit some tap-in birdies. That helped.”

Toney had four birdies and two bogeys. Corbett finished with five birdies and three bogeys and missed a short putt on 18 that would have saved par and moved him into a tie for second.

Harper, the former Jefferson Forest standout who didn’t register to defend his title until this week, struggled with his chipping all day and made “stupid mistakes” that cost him strokes on the front nine. He double bogeyed the par 4 fourth hole after hitting his drive to within 50 yards of the green.

He had five birdies, five bogeys and a double bogey to put him 1 over for the day.

“There are a lot of holes to play,” Harper said.

“I like the golf course (at Colonial), I should be able to shoot well. As long as I play smarter.”