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Casey upsets defending champ Amanda Nealy in women's play By TIM PYLE The setting is nothing new for Bunny Casey, but her experience was a fresh one Thursday in the Southern Oregon Golf Tournament. With a chip-in birdie on sudden-death hole No. 5, overall hole No. 23 and actual Rogue Valley Country Club hole No. 17, Casey upset defending women's champion Amanda Nealy in first-round match play. Casey, a former Southern Oregon resident who has lived in Palm Desert, Calif., for the last 20 years, said she's played "probably 15" times in the SOGT - including a women's title in 1986 - and didn't hesitate to label Thursday's epic the longest match in her SOGT career. "I'm too tired to be excited," said Casey, who faces Carmen Akins in second-round play beginning at 9:03 a.m. Saturday. Nealy, a Grants Pass native, nearly had the victory in regulation, but Casey sank what she described as a "downhill, fast" birdie putt on the 18th hole to force overtime. Play remained even until Casey chipped in the winner on 23. "We both had our chances," she said. "Both of us messed up holes. ... And we both played well. We were both in the 70s." Luneta ah Sam, the 2000 women's runner-up, is still in the running to wrestle away Nealy's title. Ah Sam advanced over Lena Snyder, 4 and 3. In men's championship flight first-round action, Dane and Tommy Smith of Medford waged a father-son war. Two-time defending champion Tommy bested his dad, 7 and 6, to set up a second-round showdown with Jason Wittkopf, who beat Paul Hoagland, 6 and 5. "We were both pretty relaxed about it," said Tommy Smith, a former University of Oregon golfer. "We've played I don't know how many times over the last 20 years. ... There's no mystery. We both know each other's games." Dane Smith suffered a poor start and couldn't recover against his son. "I played horrible," Dane Smith said. "He played real solid. ... I'm proud of him. If he could have putted better, he could've made it on the big (PGA) tour. He's really talented." Both Dane and Tommy Smith expect Wittkopf to present a formidable challenge to Tommy's throne. "(Wittkopf) hits the ball very well, strikes it good, keeps it in play," said Tommy Smith, whose match against Wittkopf tees off at 10:50 a.m. "It should be a good match. As long as you both play good, who cares who wins?" Men's championship flight contenders Brad Bills, David Boals and Bret Breeze meet today at 5:30 a.m. to determine qualifying-round medalist honors. Each fired a 70 during local qualifying Tuesday. All three players posted victories Thursday. Bills defeated Michael Stoneridge, 5 and 4, Boals marched past Richard Warner, 9 and 7, and Breeze slipped by Paul Chitwood, 1 up. Tommy Smith counts Bills, Boals and Breeze among a deep contending field for the men's title. "I would have to think (the field) is probably stronger than it's been in the last 10 years," Smith said. "You can look all the way across the board, and there's not gonna be any mismatches up there. Anybody could win." Defending men's junior/senior champion Doug Ward advanced with a 3-and-2 win against Jim Wiggins in the junior/senior championship flight. Bob Harrell, last year's men's senior winner, nipped Ron Dixon, 2 and 1, to keep senior championship flight repeat hopes alive. Reach reporter Tim Pyle at 776-4483 or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.