FINCASTLE -- Salem’s Aaron Eckstein had the last laugh in his final appearance in a Roanoke Valley junior golf event.
Stung by a missed short putt for victory on the final hole of regulation that produced audible snickers from many of his counterparts, Eckstein regrouped and birdied the second hole of a playoff to capture the Roanoke Valley Golf Hall of Fame Junior championship at Botetourt Country Club on Friday.
"I could hear the laughs when I missed that 3-footer," Eckstein said. "And that was great. Boy, that was good sportsmanship."
Some 40 minutes later, Eckstein responded to the derisive chuckles of the 18th-hole peanut gallery by draining a 20-foot birdie putt to beat David Hudgins.
"Undoubtedly, Aaron is one of the best golfers in the Roanoke Valley," said Hudgins, a rising senior at Franklin County High. "I don’t know why they did that. Maybe a lot of people felt Aaron shouldn’t win everything."
Parlayed with his triumph in the 2006 HOF men’s championship, Eckstein, 18, joined Jake Allison and Ryan Ketron as the only players to ever win the HOF’s junior and men’s titles.
"This was my last shot and that’s why I played," Eckstein said.
Eckstein and Hudgins both entered the final round one shot back. Each shot 1-over 72s to leapfrog first-round leader Josh Hale (74) and finish tied at 2-over 144.
"It’s nice to win it because I had an awful finish and I was not happy" said Eckstein, who bogeyed Nos. 16 and 17 before his short miss at 18.
After competing in next week’s State Junior in Williamsburg, Eckstein will bid adieu to the junior ranks and head to Virginia Tech on golf scholarship. After playing the role of the New York Yankees on the area junior stage, he’s looking forward to taking the next step.
"It’s time to move on," he said. "I don’t mind the junior tag, though, because I kind of like being young. I’m 18, man. I’m getting old."
Speaking of old, the rest of the day belonged to a pair of senior citizens -- Roanoke’s Carl Leonard and Blacksburg’s Jim Davidson.
Leonard, a rookie in the 55-and-over class, refused to fold on the heels of his head-turning, first-round 69 on his home Countryside course, posting a solid 1-under 70 to fend off Blue Hills’ Van McCarter by two strokes and score his biggest triumph ever.
"I’m proud of the way I handled it," said Leonard, 56. "I’m just a self-taught player who never had any lessons until the past 10 years."
He gave McCarter and the third member of the final group, Roanoke’s Chips Wooddy, who shot 72 and finished third, plenty of lessons on how to scramble.
"He’s uncanny ... the darndest thing I’ve ever seen," Wooddy said of Leonard. "Whoever said he could make par [at Countryside] out of a garbage can on I-581 was probably being kind."
McCarter, a Galax native who played college golf East Tennessee State in the mid-1970s, had the "Garbage Man" seemingly tied up in a sack until the par-3 16th. Leading by one after birdieing No. 15, McCarter blew a 6-iron into a stiff wind over the green at the 160-yard hole. His ball wound up in some knee-deep weeds, paving the way to a costly double bogey.
"Shoot, I was lucky to make double," said McCarter, imbibing on a post-round ale.
Davidson, another newcomer to the area mix, survived a four-way playoff to capture the 65-and-over super senior crown. After he and Bill Shrader birdied the first playoff hole (the 18th) -- a development that ended the hopes of Ned Baber and Jimmy Deemer --
Davidson watched as Shrader butcherd the second playoff hole (No. 1) and won with a par.
Davidson, 67, wouldn’t be in Blacksburg if not for his younger brother, Ron, a former Tech football player and Tech Hall of Famer. Davidson played football at Maryland from 1959-61 and coached ex-NFL greats Franco Harris and Irving Fryar during his 25 years as coach at Rancocas High in Mt. Holly, N.J.
"Ron is the reason I came down here to retire," Davidson said. "I love this place. This right here though ... just sheer luck."
In team competition, Blue Hills rolled to a 13-shot victory in the junior division and captured the senior title over Countryside on a tie-breaker. Ironically, the last time Blue Hills won team crowns in either class was in 1999, when it also swept both divisions.
The pair of titles gave pro Billy King's club 25 overall HOF team titles, leaving it one behind Hidden Valley which is second all-time in HOF team victories. Roanoke Country Club's 30 team crowns ranks No. 1 in all-time HOF competition.
Blue Hills' balance was too much for runner-up Hidden Valley in the junior class. Blue Hills' Josh Hale (145) finished third, Matt Gibson (149) was fourth, and 2006 junior titlist Jed Rasnick (151) finished tied for sixth.
Paced by runner-up McCarter, Blue Hills finished in a tie with Countryside with a 439 total. Blue Hills was awarded the title on a tie-breaker in which their No. 4 final-round scorer Bill Nunnenkamp (76) topped Countryside's No. 4 final-round scorer Ron Smith (79).
It marked a HOF-record 10th senior team crown for Blue Hills.
Blacksburg Country Club won its second HOF team crown in its second year of competition, taking the super senior title by two shots over RCC.
