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(Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli) Plenty of Drive Alistair Andre and Rick Dimick put up big numbers early, then waited to see if they would hold up against a barrage of heavy hitters in driving competitions Saturday at Centennial Golf Club. Andre's didn't. Dimick's did. In an event that featured both long and accurate hitters, the two local players were among the standouts in what turned out to be a festive and successful golf event that continually elicited gasps of awe from onlookers. Andre, a golf instructor at Oak Knoll Golf Course in Ashland, muscled a drive 373 yards in the REMAX World Long Drive Championship shortly after noon, only to be overtaken several hours later by a scant five inches. That was done by Matt Averill, who works in the pro shop at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club outside Portland. Another local hitter and newcomer to this event, Brent Santoni, a former star wrestler at Phoenix High, crushed a drive 366 yards to place third in the open division. Advertisement The top five open hitters advance to the district championships in September in Washington. The other two are Jorgen Gustafson and David Barber. Others who won their divisions and advance were Tara Landers of Central Point, the women's winner at 278 yards; Chris Amici of White City, the senior winner at 366 yards; and Dennis DeAngelis of Klamath Falls, the super senior winner at 340 yards. In all, 12 hitters moved on from the local qualifier. District winners go to the world championships in Mesquite, Nev., in October. Dimick's victory came in the Pinnacle Exceptional Driver contest. The Eagle Point resident put his first five balls in the 40-yard grid, earning a bonus sixth ball, which he also scored on, giving him 68 points — well past the previous best of 40. He, too, competed near the lunch hour at the course driving range, and his mark withstood challenges for seven hours or so, earning Dimick a berth to the national finals in Laughlin, Nev., in November. In all, the event proved an entertaining spectacle. Players had to land their tee balls in a grid to score, which was sort of like fitting a sofa through a doorway. It's a tight squeeze, but it can be done. "It's a piece of cake," Santoni laughed facetiously. "All you have to do is hit it to a 40-yard fairway." Then he paused. "There's definitely an art form to hitting it long," he said. Andre was among the earliest of the big hitters to take aim. At the time, it seemed somewhat pointless, as the tail wind that blew for him figured to get stronger as the day got longer. However, the wind died down later in the afternoon — perhaps foiling those who had banked on it — then gained strength toward the end. Andre moved to Ashland about five years ago from South Africa. His playing season is generally in the winter because he's busy with lessons at this time of year. Nevertheless, he wasn't so rusty he couldn't launch a couple monsters. Players could enter as many times as they wanted, getting five balls each time. Andre went to the top of the leaderboard early with a 355-yard blast. He came back a bit later, pounding his third ball 373 yards. "Except for the first one, they all felt pretty good," Andre said of his second go-round. "You just have to catch one of them. It's all luck, really. Just swing hard and hope, I guess." He didn't come out of his shoes, however. "You try to keep somewhat of a golf swing," said Andre, whose father advised him not to over swing, as a cricket player might. About three hours later, Averill, who has competed at the district level three times, came along and inched past Andre. By winning at the local level, Averill gained a bye in the first round at district. Averill's winning shot had a much lower trajectory than many of the big hits because he used a driver with only 5.5 degrees of loft. Less loft means less backspin, he said, and more travel, provided the ball is hit just right. "I feel good," he said, "but I didn't hit the ball as far as I would have liked. We should have had somebody in the 400-yard neighborhood." The setting appeared perfect for such a mammoth hit, but the back end of the range was watered down to slow balls before they got to tall grass beyond. The last portion of the range also goes uphill. Santoni mashed one so far it looked like it could be a winner. But his 366-yarder got very little, if any, roll, he was told. "I caught it a little on the toe," he grinned. Santoni has worked at Quail Point for four months, having come over from Dutcher Creek in Grants Pass. He's just getting started in the PGA professional program and passed his player's ability test with medalist honors in April at Oak Hills Golf Club in Sutherlin. Dimick, who weighs 157 pounds, didn't have to hit as far as the aforementioned, but he did have to stay in the grid as much as possible. Points were awarded based on distance and accuracy, and Dimick scored well in both. His third drive was 320-plus yards, earning 14 points. He had four others in the 300 range, including his fifth ball, which found the grid and earned him the bonus. "As many balls as I hit — and I hit a lot of balls — to me it felt real comfortable," he said. "I look at it like I'm hitting into a fairway. If you think of it as being a grid, you're not going to hit it." Dimick's game has been on of late, producing scores in the 63 to 67 range. He plays mostly at Stone Ridge Golf Course, and next week will defend a tournament championship at Coos Country Club in Coos Bay. James Lewis of Medford, who thrice has gone to the world finals, had a best mark in the 350s and didn't advance. Next year, Centennial will host the district championships. REMAX WORLD LONG DRIVE (Those who advance to district) Open 1, Matt Averill 373 yards, 5 inches; 2, Alistair Andre 373 yards; 3, Brent Santoni, 366 yards; 4, Jorgen Gustafson, 365 yards, 1 foot; 5, David Barber, 363 yards, 2 feet. Women's 1, Tara Landers, 278 yards; 2, Darci Trimmer, 269 yards, 2 feet. Senior 1, Chris Amici, 366 yards; 2, Mark Kane, 360 yards; 3, Mike Eagan, 359 yards. Super Senior 1, Dennis DeAngelis, 340 yards; 2, Fred Chung, 329 yards. PINNACLE EXCEPTIONAL DRIVER (Winner advances to national finals) 1, Rick Dimick, 68 points; 2, Ryan Mort, 51; 3, Tanner Cropper, 49; 4, Ron Rautenberg 40; 5, Barry Kessler, 37. PREMIER WEST BANK PUTTING CHALLENGE 1, David Welt, 34.5 inches; 2, Ed Murphy, 37.5; 3, Ron Burgess, 94; 4, George Hossu, 94.75; 5, Steve Grove, 121.75 Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. 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