Pace can hit the long ball

Tiger Woods wasn't the only one hitting drives ridiculous distances in Georgia last week.

Suzanne Pace, director of golf at Timber Oaks, finished second and earned $1,000 in the inaugural stop of the Pinnacle Long Drivers of America Tour at Laurel Springs Golf Club in Suwanee.

Pace, a former LPGA pro, hit a drive of 286 yards in the final after advancing from the semifinals with a drive of 311 yards on the last of her six attempts.

"It was the best I could muster," said Pace, who finished ninth at last year's World Long Drive Championships in Mesquite, Nev.

Next week, Pace will travel to Greensboro, N.C., for the second of five stops with dates also scheduled for New York, St. Louis and Seattle. Pace used a 48-inch AJ Tech shaft with a custom titanium head, and her semifinal drive was her first officially measured at more than 300 yards.

The men's winner, who drove 361 yards, earned $10,000, five times the winnings for women's champion Sharon Sullivan, a firefighter from Shreveport, La., who drove 308 yards in the finals.

Timber Oaks will host a series of local qualifiers for this year's long-drive championship. The local competitions will be on the third Saturday of each month this summer, starting May 18.

UPCOMING: The North Suncoast Junior Golf Association opens its summer schedule May 5 at Sugarmill Woods Country Club, with a Pasco stop among its 13 tournaments on July 15 at Lake Jovita. ... Silver Oaks Golf and Country Club in Zephyrhills will host a charity tournament May 4 to benefit the Zephyrhills Police Explorers troop. Entry fee is $40 per person. Call (813) 788-1225 for information. ... Timber Oaks has two women-only charity tournaments next month. On May 4, the Lady Links.Golf league will host a tournament to benefit the Hernando/Pasco Hospice Children's Assistance Program (cost $45), and May 19, a tournament will be held with proceeds going to the American Cancer Society (cost $35). For information, call (727) 863-1072.

© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright