Radford's Rettberg wins Southwest Virginia Amateur golf tournament

Ryan Rettberg, a junior at Radford, knows his way around the Draper Valley Golf Club.

Christian Moody | Special to The Roanoke Times

Ryan Rettberg hits out of a sand trap on Sunday at Draper Valley Golf Club.

Christian Moody | Special to The Roanoke Times

Matt Chandler finished second in the Southwest Virginia Amateur on Sunday.

Turn captions on

1 of 2

Southwest Virginia Amateur

Results from the Southwest Virginia Amatuer golf tournament at Draper Valley Golf Club.

Open Division

Ryan Rettberg 67-70 -- 137
Matt Chandler 67-71 -- 138
Justin Young 68- 71 -- 139
Brandon Lacroix 72-71 -- 143
Matt Harman 72-71 -- 143
Logan Tilley 74-69 -- 143
Zack Henry 72-72 -- 144
Tanner Carbaugh 70-74 -- 144
Ryan Mondy 70-75 -- 145
Buck Brittain 71-74 -- 145
Ben Campbell 75-71 -- 146
Nick Brediger 72-75 -- 147
Quinn Boyle 73-76 -- 149
Brad Chambers 75-74 -- 149
George Perkovich 74-75 -- 149
Hunter O'Neil 76-74 -- 150
Brock Cox 77-73 -- 150
Ken Yager 78-73 -- 151
Stuart Gillespie 75-77 -- 152
Ben Firebaugh 76-77 -- 153
Chris Scott 76-81 -- 157
Gunar Frazier 76-84 -- 160
Corey Gallagher 80-80 -- 160
Josh Hale 81-79 -- 160
Alex Van Dyke 84-76 -- 160
Tyler Chocklett 81-80 -- 161
Jack Prater 80-81 -- 161
Charles Paschall II 80-81 -- 161
Barry Wirt Jr. 78-84-162
Gavin Hanks 78-85 -- 163
Ryan MacFarlane 84-83 -- 167
Erik Ervin 80-87 -- 167
Chris Wallace 84-86 -- 170
Chip Walton 85-86 -- 171
Chad Kasell 86-87 -- 173
Benny Silva 83-90 -- 173
A.M. Jackson 90-83 -- 173
Tim Harris 88-86 -- 174
Josh Moore 91-84 -- 175
Jimmy McKenna 93-91 -- 184

Senior division

Danny Suthers 73-78 -- 151
David Vest 74-74 -- 148
Jack Allara 74-70 -- 144
Bill Nunnenkamp 73- 79 -- 152
Tony Perez 78-76 -- 154
Larry Smith 77-78 -- 155
Tim Chocklett 78-77 -- 155
Ernie Whitmore 76-86 --162
Ronnie Higgs 86-84 -- 170

Super senior division

Butch White 73-74 -- 147
Al Looney 74-74 -- 148
Aaron Cadle 79-78 -- 157
Charles Puckett 85-80 -- 165
E.R. Dickerson 86-88 -- 174
Pat Hardy 86-90 -- 176
Bud Acken 90-89 -- 179
Bill Hail 89-91 -- 180

Christian Moody | Special to The Roanoke Times

Sunday, August 4, 2013

DRAPER — When a golf course is being stingy, the easiest way to move forward is to stand still.

Ryan Rettberg, a 21-year-old junior on the Radford University golf team, outlasted his more experienced playing partners and won the Southwest Virginia Amateur at Draper Valley Golf Club by standing still at 1-under par, hole after hole.

Rett berg and Roanoke Valley stalwart Matt Chandler entered the day tied after matching 67s in the opening round. After the lead bounced around in the first few holes, they were tied again after six. Both birdied Nos. 7 and 9 to head to the back nine at one-under for the round, five under for the tournament. Rettberg then began a nine-hole parade of pars that resulted in a one-stroke win over Chandler, who made six pars himself, but bogeyed No. 11 and 18 while sinking a short birdie on No. 14 after a wedge shot from 130 yards landed within four feet of the pin.

Rettberg, from Front Royal, knows the course well since the Highlanders practice three days a week at Draper Valley.

“Normally you can make some birdies out here, but today it was playing tough,” Rettberg said. “There was wind and the rough was up. The pins were tucked so pars were good scores.”

The course played tougher Sunday, where Logan Tilley’s 69 and Rettberg’s 70 were the only rounds at 70 or better. Saturday saw five players in red numbers on the track set at par-71 for this event.

Chandler, who will turn 31 Saturday, is a veteran of mini tours who regained his amateur status. He just shook his head afterward when thinking of a tournament that he let slip away with a second shot on 18 he’d like to have back.

“I can’t make an excuse for it, it was just a bad shot. It flew on me,” Chandler said.

Rettberg and Chandler were about five yards apart in the fairway, with Chandler closer to the green on the dogleg right. Rettberg hit the green but left himself about 25 feet for a birdie. He barely missed his putt, leaving the ball about four inches from the hole. He chose to mark rather than putt out.

Chandler flew a tad long and rested just off the back of the green, above the hole. His chip didn’t want to settle and he was left with a nine-footer to save par.

“I felt like I hit a good putt, but I should never have been in that position. When I hit it, about halfway there I thought I made it,” Chandler said.

The ball caught the edge of the hole but lipped out, allowing Rettberg the shortest tournament-winning putt of his life.

Looking back, Rettberg will look at a 20-footer on No. 16 as the tournament winner. The collegian found a front bunker on the 220-yard par-3, while Chandler and Justin Young, just two strokes back, each hit the green. Rettberg blasted out of the trap but wasn’t happy to leave himself 20 feet for par.

“I didn’t hit the sand shot very well, but thankfully the putt was straight uphill. All I had to do was make sure I got it there and it would go in,” Rettberg said

Young finished third, shooting even par for the day and 3-under for the event.

Rettberg is unfamiliar to most regular players in Roanoke Valley events, but this was his third time playing in the Southwest Virginia Amateur and he competes in all VSGA events in the region, he said.

Chandler gave all credit to Rettberg: “He didn’t make a mistake. It was a good win for him.”

Jack Allara defended his title in the senior division, firing a final round 70 for a two-day total of 144. Allara entered the day a stroke back, but broke par for the day and walked away with a 4-stroke win. David Vest was second and Danny Suthers was third.

Butch White won the super senior division by a single stroke over Al Looney. Aaron Cadle was third.

Monday, August 12, 2013