In his prime, Rodney Naff once held both Roanoke Valley men's golf crowns at the same time, a feat that was being compared Friday to Tiger Woods once holding the trophies of professional golf's four major championships at the same time.

"The Tiger Slam?" Naff said. "No, I don't think you could compare that to the Tiger Slam."

For one thing, it was only two tournaments, the 1993 Valley Amateur and the 1994 Hall of Fame, but there was a time when Naff stood atop the local golf world.

Now 48, Naff celebrated the 10-year anniversary of his lone Hall of Fame championship by shooting a 1-under-par 70 at Roanoke Country Club for a one-shot lead over Chris Clemens and Matt Mankin.

"You were winning championships when I couldn't break 80," an admiring Cam Young, who shot 73, told Naff.

Naff, representing municipal players everywhere, helped Blue Hills post a six-man total of 446 and tie for first with Roanoke. The host club was led by Clemens, who was recently elected to Salem City Council but did not receive any increased respect from his fellow golfers.

Clemens had six birdies and had positioned himself for sole possession of the lead before finishing bogey-bogey. He was playing with Mankin, whose birdie-birdie finish enabled him to make up four shots in two holes.

Like Clemens, Naff was on pace to break 70 until he bogeyed the 18th hole. Until that point, he was 3 under on the back nine.

"I haven't been playing much," said Naff, a wholesale car dealer, "so, frankly, I played a little bit over my head. These young guys are hard to beat and they'll get me eventually, like maybe tomorrow. It's just a matter of time."

The second round of the men's tournament, as well as the first round of the women's Hall of Fame, will be at Ashley Plantation today. Clemens remembers playing in a captain's choice there once.

"I guess it would have helped if I'd played a practice round," he said.
Miller Baber is at 72, followed by the threesome of Young, Jack Allara and Tim Chocklett at 73. Chocklett, the golf coach at William Byrd, is the 2004 Hall of Fame inductee.

At 74, Salem High School golfer Matt Willard is tied with Hanging Rock teammate Bill Burton, who has played for more clubs than he can remember.

"How many are there?" Burton asked.

Lurking at 75 are Scott Wise, bidding for his third straight title, and Blue Hills teammate David Tolley, who turned professional after a 1983 season that included the Hall of Fame championship, a state amateur title and a runner-up finish in the U.S. Amateur.

"I don't think I shot myself out of the tournament," said Tolley, playing in this event for the first time in 21 years.

Wise did not lead after the first round in either of his championships and, two years ago, had a first-round 77 that he followed with a 65.

"I seem to make it hard on myself," he said.

Reprinted with permission from The Roanoke Times.