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Golf

Graham grabs big first-round lead of state tourney

By Al Muskewitz
Sports Writer

06-21-2008

OXFORD — Dante Graham calls himself "an average Joe who happens to play golf," but there was nothing average or ordinary about the way he started in Friday's opening round of the 59th State Lefthanders Championship at Cider Ridge Golf Club.
Graham, a 47-year-old pharmaceutical district manager from Hoover, was 5-under-par through 13 holes — even with a double bogey — off the course's blue tees. He stumbled coming home, but still managed a 2-under 70 — the day's only round under par — good for a five-shot lead.
"I'm just an average Joe, like everybody else, and about probably 15 or 20 years ago I just finally decided to take it serious if I was going to play and started practicing some," said Graham, who considers Jasper's Musgrove CC his home course but plays throughout the Birmingham area. "I'm just an average Joe, just an average amateur. An old average amateur."
Try telling that to the guys he beat in this event last year at Oxmoor Valley — in his first attempt — by a whopping 10 shots.
"Most of the guys who know me, I have played a lot of golf over the last 10 years," Graham said. "Haven't practiced a whole lot, but have managed to be able to play and keep a reasonably good sense of the short game. I've always pretty much driven the ball pretty good, keep it in play, and that's what my game is all about."
He was rarely in trouble through his first 13 holes Friday. He did catch a fairway bunker on No. 6 that led to a double bogey, but he offset that with five birdies and an eagle.
But just when it looked as if he were going to lap the field the first day, the course jumped up to pull him back.
Graham had a three-putt bogey on 14, made double-bogey on the narrow 16th after hitting two balls into hazards and parred the last two holes.
"The thing that was good today was my putter, for the most part; I putted well," he said. "Of course, that one three-putt was bad, but (the round) wasn't because I was hitting it stiff or close. I just made the putts."
Graham's closest challengers starting today's second round are Jason Barrett of Trussville and Jason Glover of Cullman. Barrett shot 75, while Glover posted a 77.
Best of the Best Series
Brennan Clay made six birdies — three in his last five holes — and a bogey to shoot 5-under 67 and lead all qualifiers for the championship flight of the Cane Creek Invitational.
He takes a one-shot lead into this morning's second round over Ott Chandler and Matt Rogers. Garrett Burgess is another shot back at 69, while Marcus Harrell and Grant Hockman both shot 70.
Clay birdied both par-5s and the par-3 15th in the closing stretch and came home in 32.
Chandler had five birdies and a bogey, while Rogers had seven birdies and three bogeys.
Burgess capped his round with an eagle at 18, while Hockman had five birdies.

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About Al Muskewitz

| Al Muskewitz covers golf and Jacksonville State University sports teams for The Anniston Star.

Contact Al Muskewitz

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