Marshall Bailey regroups after a triple bogey to win in a playoff.

Marshall Bailey's Sunday night plans called for attending a buddy's graduation gathering and hanging out with some of his old friends from James River High. Photo by Don Petersen

Marshall Bailey's Sunday night plans called for attending a buddy's graduation gathering and hanging out with some of his old friends from James River High.

Suffice it to say, Bailey's rare night on the party scene was made much more enjoyable by what had transpired earlier in the day at Hanging Rock Golf Club.

Rebounding from a triple bogey-8 on the 16th hole of regulation that suddenly left him tied for the lead, the Virginia Tech freshman drained a 10-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole to beat fellow collegian Fielding Brewbaker to capture the 35th Roanoke Valley Golf Hall of Fame men's championship.

"Yeah, that party will be a whole lot more fun now," said Bailey, 19. "It will probably be a little celebration, but nothing too crazy, though."

Squandering a late three-shot lead in the 54-hole event was plenty enough excitement for the polite and reserved Bailey. He had the title in his hip pocket until his tee shot on the par-5 16th ran only 2 feet out of bounds. The "snowman" dropped him to a final-round 2-over 74 and into a tie with Brewbaker, who had posted the day's best round of 69 to finish with an even-par 54-hole total of 214.

Brewbaker, coming off a strong season for James Madison's golf team, had little idea what was going on as he waited for the last two groups to finish. He had gone to his car, taken off his golf spikes, and donned his customary flip flops.

Marshall Bailey reacts to a putt on No. 9 at Hanging Rock Golf Club. The putt fell moments later after it stopped on the edge. Photo by Don Petersen

"I had heard a couple of different stories," said Brewbaker, a rising junior at JMU. "I had heard that Marshall was going to be in a playoff, then I heard that Darrell [Craft] was going to be in a playoff and that Marshall had blown up. I was just ready to relax and do a team thing or something, but somebody wound up telling me I was in a playoff."

Bailey, who had started the day tied for the lead with fellow Tech freshman and 2006 HOF champion Aaron Eckstein at 2-under 140, was relegated to a final-round 74 by the late triple bogey.

"I had been playing solid and had a bad hole, and I was like, 'here we go,' " Bailey said. "I didn't know Fielding had played so well. I mean it wouldn't be normal if it wasn't dramatic."

After about 10 minutes to regroup, Bailey quickly sealed the deal, knocking a 70-yard wedge shot to 10 feet and holing the winning birdie putt. Brewbaker's 8-footer for birdie to extend the playoff burned the left edge of the cup and veered astray.

"Marshall hit a great putt, being it was downhill and down grain like that," said Brewbaker, who started the day five shots back in seventh place. "Mine just stayed left. What can you do? But that's good. Marshall played great and he's a good guy."

With others such as Craft (77) and Eckstein (83) fading out of contention, Bailey's older brother Kyle fashioned a solid 71 to share third with Gary Leroux (73) and Barry Wirt Jr. (74) at 217.

Led by Kyle Bailey and Troy Smith (71), Botetourt Country Club captured its first team championship since 1999, clipping Blacksburg Country Club by one stroke.

The winner made sure to make note of his less-heralded brother's performance in crunch time.

"Kyle is a player and, sooner or later, he's going to be the one who's winning this thing," said Marshall of his brother, a rising junior on Radford University's golf team. "He has all the game to do it."

Smith, Botetourt's longtime superintendent, was up at 4 a.m. Sunday redoing the pin placements on the Fincastle course.

"I tried today," Smith cracked. "I came straight here after doing those pins. I'm glad to be able to help out all the boys today."