Early tee times benefit leaders

It’s no coincidence that the only two players who broke par in the first round of the Fox Puss Invitational tournament Friday teed off before 9 a.m.

By mid-afternoon, swirling, gusty winds made the Boonsboro Country Club golf course a tiresome adventure. Players had ideas of where they wanted to hit, but once balls got caught up in that thick wind, there was no telling where they would land.

In many cases, it was just hit and hope.

Wytheville resident David Schmidt went off at 8 a.m. and posted a 3-under par 69, and the score held strong throughout the day. Forest’s Brian Horning, who teed off at 8:40, was two strokes behind after shooting a 1-under 71.

In the afternoon, the winds were so strong that the scorer’s tent shook violently. One by one, top players turned in scorecards, none of them all that pretty. Keith Decker, who has won five of the last six tournament titles, carded a 74. Top Virginia Beach amateur Roger Newsom managed a 73. Former South Carolina pro Steve Liebler got to 2-under late before finishing with an even-par 72.

Decker was just happy no one behind him posted a low number, like the 66 he put up in last year’s first round.

“In these conditions, that would be a mighty good score today,” said Decker, who was 2-under through 10 but finished with bogeys on three of his last four holes.

Schmidt, who grew up in South Africa, started strong, with birdies on the first two holes. He made the turn at 3-under and got to five under when he eagled the par-4 12th.

Using a 56-degree wedge from 95 yards away, Schmidt hit the contoured green and listened as the ball trickled into the hole.

“I couldn’t see the flag, but I thought it was a pretty good shot,” he said. “Then some guy screamed (when it went in). It was definitely pretty cool.”

Schmidt bogeyed Nos. 14 and 15 but regained control, parring the final three holes.

Horning notched birdies on holes 4, 6, 12 and 16 and bogeyed 8, 13 and 17.

Horning struggled in the first round last year, posting a 79 that essentially ended any chance he had at contending on the weekend.

Strangely enough, Horning’s solid performance this year came with little practice. He’s had scant time to hit the golf course since the birth of his first son, Ethan, on March 26. He didn’t play a practice round at Boonsboro and has only played “four or five rounds” since he became a father.

The little one kept Horning awake until 4:30 Friday morning, so Horning was working on about two hours of sleep.

“I was a little reluctant about how I was going to play today, because I was so wore out,” Horning said. “So I was very happy.”

Horning and his wife have already taken Ethan with them out to the driving range, and Horning noticed the infant smiling any time he heard the sweet sound of driver meeting dimpled ball.

“I could tell he was going to be a golfer,” Horning said. “I bought him a little Nerf putter, and when he sleeps, he just grabs a hold of it. When he gets a little bit older, I hope he appreciates the game as much as I do.”

Amherst’s Ryan Stinnett is among the four golfers tied for third at 72, three strokes behind Schmidt.

Four players, including Lynchburg’s Jeb Burton, are tied at 73. Joining Decker at 2-over was Lynchburg’s Donnie Toney, Jimmy Angel and Bill Calfee, the president of the Nationwide Tour.

Decker, who led wire-to-wire last year, is in a rare position at Boonsboro, chasing someone well ahead of him on the leaderboard.

Conditions are expected to be similar today, with forecasts calling for wind gusts up to 30 mph in the afternoon.

“I’ve got to make up some shots,” Decker said. “I’ve got to play differently than I did today. I’ve got to hit the ball a little better. I started off putting well but I sort of lost it at the end.”

CHIP-INS: At 11:30 Friday morning, BCC presented an honorary Fox Puss medal to the Sigler family. Hal Sigler, the 22-year-old son of BCC member Will Sigler, was killed recently. After the medal presentation, Hal’s brother Walker hit a tee shot in his brother’s memory. Later, Hal’s name was added to the Fox Puss scoreboard. … Former champion David Passerell was expected to play but withdrew earlier this week, citing a sore back. … Bob Yow shot a first-round 75 to take the lead in the seniors division.