Northpinellas: Pinellas men reach final of Mid-Amateur

Playing at Palma Ceia on consecutive days, Kevin Dyer of St. Petersburg and Rick Kerper of Safety Harbor each shot a 2-under 68 to win their respective qualifiers and advance to the championship.

The tournament for players 25 and older is scheduled for Thursday-Sunday at Interlachen Country Club in Winter Park. Dyer, who plays to a 1 handicap at Feather Sound Country Club, said he had a steady round from tee to green in the qualifier, which is the way to play that course. He recorded three birdies and just one bogey.

"Palma Ceia has a lot of little quirks to it, which I'm familiar with," said Dyer, who competes in the big Gasparilla Invitational there every year. "I think I have an advantage because I'm comfortable with it."

Dyer, a 1987 graduate of the University of Florida where he played on the golf team with PGA Tour pro Scott Dunlap, got off to a good start. Dyer had a chip-in birdie on the par-4 second hole, but gave it back on No. 4 with a bogey.

His second birdie came on the fifth hole with a tap-in, followed by a birdie on the par-5 18th.

"I'm looking forward to playing Interlachen again," Dyer said. "I've made the state match-play semifinals twice there. It has fast greens, which is what I'm used to at Feather Sound."

Kerper's winning formula was similar -- good course management -- but a little more dramatic with an eagle and a double bogey in his round of 68.

On the 490-yard 18th, he hit his 3-wood second shot 220 yards to the back edge of the green and proceeded to chip in from 25 feet for the eagle.

"You don't get much better than that," said Kerper, who has a zero handicap at Countryside Country Club. "I just went out there to qualify, trying to manage my game. Palma Ceia is a tough course.

"I kept it in play and putted good. And I've had some success at Interlachen too, placing second in the state mid-am there in '91," he said. "I was second at this year's Gasparilla too, so I'm looking forward to the championship."

Paul Caveny of Indian Shores carded a 71 for one of the 17 first-day qualifying spots for the championship. And St. Petersburg's Ryan Cockman had a 72 on the second day to advance with Kerper and seven others. Cockman will defend his St. Petersburg City Championship title at Mangrove Bay on Oct. 12-13. He will be going for his third straight.

CLUB PROS: Pasadena head pro Dean Wilson and Belleair assistant Jim Slattery have qualified for the annual Club Pro Championship, Oct. 11-14 at Timberton Golf Club in Hattiesburg, Miss. It won't be the first time they played together.

Wilson and Slattery were teammates 20 years ago at Clearwater High School. Wilson moved to Georgia for his senior season, then on to the University of Georgia where he helped the Bulldogs advance to the NCAA Championship twice.

Wilson came back to the area late last year when he was selected for the head pro job at Pasadena. He had been the head pro at Swan Point Yacht and Country Club in Maryland.

Wilson will be appearing in an instructional series on Bay News 9 television on Sundays this fall.

ASSOCIATIONS: The Pinellas Men's Golf Association had its opening match of the season at the Vinoy on Sept. 17. Innisbrook won by a wide margin.

Playing quota golf with nine members and a pro representative, Innisbrook shot minus 28 to beat runner-up Belleview Biltmore. East Lake Woodlands and Vinoy tied for third.

Innisbrook's two-man team of Shanin Solt and John Pappas led the way with a 58, followed by teammates George Pappas and Tom Taylor with a better-ball 60.

Host pro Randy Mosley crafted an impressive 4-under 68 to take honors among the 12 club pros in the field. Glenn Shurts of East Lake Woodands was the runner-up with a 71.

The 12 member clubs move on to Innisbrook's Island course next Tuesday for the second match in the 10-match series.

The Seniors Golf Association, comprised mostly of Pinellas players, is gearing up for a full schedule this fall and winter.

In a Sept. 17 match at East Lake Woodlands, Oldsmar's Bernie Krause won with a net 65. Five players tied for second with a 69.

For information on joining the SGA on a regular or part-time basis, call Colleen Walker in Clearwater, 791-1499.

COLLEGES: Jenny Gleason, a former Times Player of the Year at Clearwater High School, has picked up this fall where she left off last spring -- as the No. 1 player at UNC-Greensboro.

In last month's Baytree Classic in Myrtle Beach, S.C., she shot a final round 72 for a team-leading 54-total of 227 to lead the Spartans to a third-place finish in the 32-team tournament.

Gleason, a junior with ambitions of a professional playing career, is a two-time member of the Southern Conference first team.

"I think if Jenny really wants to be on the LPGA Tour she can be," said Ellen Lapierre, Greensboro's coach. "Jenny's swing is beautiful. The more she plays, the better she'll be."

Sophomore Amanda Dick (Countryside High) is No. 5 on the Florida Gator team.

She ranged from first to third last spring. However, two promising freshmen -- Longwood's Andrea Vander Lende and Tampa's Whitney Code -- have shaken up the pecking order in Gainesville.

In Mobile, the South Alabama Jaguars are led by Clearwater High grad Ryan Gildersleeve.

In the recent Kiawah Island (S.C.) Intercollegiate Tournament, he shot 69-68-72 for a 7-under 209 and tie for third. South Alabama tied for ninth in the 15-team field.

Matt Lemma (East Lake High) recorded a 230 for the Jaguars to finish fifth. TAPS IN: Largo's Chester Golem, a World War II Army veteran, participated in last month's Training, Exposure and Experience (TEE) Tournament in Iowa City, Iowa.

Golem, 82, was one of 120 blinded veterans at all levels of impairment to participate in the tourney, which was co-sponsored by the Department of Veteran Affairs.

COMING UP: The Community Service Foundation's annual tournament will be played today at 1 p.m. at Wentworth.

To check for openings, call 461-0618.

For an entry form to the Oct. 12-13 St. Petersburg City Championship, drop by the Mangrove Bay pro shop.

Besides the championship class, there will be divisions for seniors, juniors and women. For information, call 893-7804.

A junior tournament in age divisions starting at 6-7 for boys and girls is scheduled at Lost Oaks of Innisbrook.

The Halloween Junior will be held by the Vincent Reid Foundation at 1 p.m. Trophies will be presented to the top three in each division.

For an entry form, call Cary Stiff, 781-2234.

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