Local pro bolstered in bid for Senior PGA Tour

By DAVE THEALL

© St. Petersburg Times, published May 10, 2000

One of the area's top PGA professionals, teaching pro Jim Smith of Largo's Missing Links Range, is trying to capitalize on his recent victory in the North Florida PGA Senior Open by earning a start on the Senior PGA Tour.

Smith, who turned 50 on March 19, shot rounds of 7-under 65 and 72 for a 137 total and a three-stroke margin over Ron Terry of Valrico in the North Florida PGA event at the Plantation Golf Resort in Crystal River.

The win earned Smith $2,000 and bolstered his confidence as he headed for Monday's Senior Tour qualifier for the Nationwide Championship in Alpharetta, Ga.

"Shooting 65 that first day at the North Florida PGA was a boost to my confidence," said Smith, a 1968 graduate of Clearwater High who went on to excel for St. Petersburg Junior College and the Florida Gators.

"That was a tournament record for me. I had eight birdies and my one bogey came on the only hole I didn't hit the green in regulation. It was a solid round, which I needed because on the second day it was real windy and I only shot par."

Two weeks ago at a Monday qualifier for the Senior Tour's Memorial Classic in Birmingham, Ala., Smith was 5-under on the back nine but slipped to even par-71 to miss making the tournament by three strokes.

"I was a little disappointed because I was close in that one," Smith said. "It's a struggle and a long shot. You have to fight your way on. But it's been a long-term ambition of mine and I'm going to continue to chase my goal."

NOTES: When Smith was a junior at the University of Florida in 1971, his teammates included future PGA Tour regulars Andy North and Tampa's Gary Koch. They were leading the NCAA tournament that year with nine holes to play but finished third.

Smith later coached the SPJC golf team until it was dropped in view of the Title IX requirement for gender equity. Smith was an advocate of adding women's golf to provide equity rather than discontinuing the men's program.

Kacey Smith, his daughter, was the Times 1995 Pinellas player of the year. She earned a scholarship to Florida Atlantic where she played for two years before deciding to concentrate on her academic major, finance. She works as a program administrator for Atlas Services in Largo.

At the North Florida PGA Senior Open, Frank Reynolds of Palm Harbor tied for third with a 143 total. Buck Thornbury of Seminole Lake Country Club and Wally Kuchar of Apopka were two strokes back in a tie for sixth.

WOMEN'S STATE AMATEUR: Taffy Brower of Boynton Beach defeated Barbara Lilley of West Palm Beach 5 and 3 to win the 71st annual match-play tournament at Feather Sound Country Club. Brower, who had won the 1990 title, defeated Terrell Italiano of Tampa, the defending champion, in the quarterfinals.

DUNEDIN CITY INVITATIONAL: Former club champion Tom Percival won the 26th annual tournament Saturday, shooting 3-under 69 with three birdies and 15 pars. Andrew Turker, a member at host Dunedin Country Club and a sophomore on the golf team at Berkeley Prep, was runner-up with a 70. Turker eagled the 478-yard par-5 15th hole with a 20-foot putt.

The event raised money to provide a $2,000 scholarship to Dunedin High senior Shane Schaibly, who has been accepted to Auburn to study architecture; $2,000 for a Christmas party for local needy children, and $5,000 for the Dunedin Historical Society.

U.S. OPEN QUALIFIER: A total of 31 professional and amateur golfers from Pinellas County will be in the field on the Westin Innisbrook's Island course May 17 hoping for a spot in a sectional qualifier.

Theo and Michael Koulianos of Tarpon Springs, father and son, are entered. Michael, a former regional high school champion and Florida Gator, is playing on the mini tours.

Amateur standout Neil Vanleeuwen of Palm Harbor will play in the same foursome with Belleair assistant pro Jim Slattery.

Danny Allen, a junior at Tarpon Springs, is in the field, along with Brendan Tackacs of Countryside High and former Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Shane Rawley.

In Monday's qualifier at Hunter's Green in Tampa, St. Petersburg's Sam Lewis, Tom Eagan, Ralph Imbriani and Patrick Walsh were in the field.

A third qualifier will be held at World Woods in Brooksville on May 22. All three area sites have six qualifying spots. A sectional qualifier will be held on June 5 at Bear Lakes Country Club in West Palm Beach.

A record 8,475 golfers have entered qualifiers for the 100th U.S. Open. The Florida State Golf Association, with offices in Tampa, will conduct 15 qualifiers.

The U.S. Open will be held at Pebble Beach, Calif., June 15-18.

JUNIOR UPDATE: The Florida Junior Golf Association will hold the Memorial Day Classic at Innisbrook May 28-29. Brittany Lincicome of Pinellas Park is the leader among girls ages 13-18 with 95 points in the year-long series. She won the title last year at age 13.

For information on joining the association, call (352) 567-7600.

TAP-INS: Nick Klassen of Dunedin won a Moonlight Tour event at River Hills on April 25 with a 1-under 71.

Paul Coe, head pro at Wentworth, birdied the third extra hole in the Liquidgolf.com/North Florida PGA Shootout at Grasslands in Lakeland to win over Chad Stancil of Sarasota. It was Coe's third Shootout win. The others were in 1994 and 1997.

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