Waco

The 22nd WACO Open gets an extra day with a nine-hole playoff Monday at Beaver Creek Country Club, beginning at 5:30 p.m. Chad Bricker and Steve Caron each finished Sunday at 1-under-par 143. Bricker shot a 1-over 73 Sunday, while Caron shot a 2-under 70 to gain a tie for the lead. See Monday's Herald-Mail newspapers for the full story.

WACO Championship At Beaver Creek Country Club Yards: 6,600 Par: 72 Championship Flight Chad Bricker 73-63-136 Kevin Reiber 70-68-138 Kenny Smith 67-74-141 John Kingora 69-72-141 Ashley Grier 74-70-144 Steve Caron 72-73-145 Brandon Hendrickson 73-72-145 David Boggs 71-75-146 Greg Brouse 74-73-147 Denny Stoner 75-72-147 Dick Roulette 77-70-147 Dave Barr 73-76-149 Tom Brouse...

koelble@herald-mail.com Only once in the 20-year history of the WACO golf championship has a champion successfully defended his title. Greg Henry and Chuck Ingram hold multiple titles, but Alan Zimmerman is the only golfer that defended when he backed up his 1996 title. Kevin Reiber will be out to perform the difficult repeat task at Beaver Creek Country Club when the WACO tournament begins Saturday with 178 players taking aim at the 6,600-yard, par-72 layout, weather permitting.

The "Mighty Munchkin" has returned to the championship throne of the WACO golf tournament. A winner of the WACO in 2002 and a contender year in, year out, Kenny Smith emerged from a knotted pack of players who looked as if they would send the 24th edition of the tournament to a playoff Sunday. With five players - Smith, Kevin Farrell, Kevin Reiber, Clayton Rotz and Denny Stoner - locked in a scoreboard battle at 2-under par at one point on the back nine, Smith, the 5-foot-7 long-hitting dynamo from Waynesboro, Pa., electrified onlookers with an approach shot to the 18th hole that had the pin all covered.

koelble@herald-mail.com Two young golfers with different games shared first place in the WACO junior championship at Beaver Creek Country Club on Monday. Boonsboro's Nick Zaccaria was a model of consistency, carding a 3-over-par 75 without any birdies, going out in 37 and in at 38 over the 6,448-yard, par-72 layout. Smithsburg's Alicia Grier, playing from the ladies' 5,262-yard markers, had a Jekyll and Hyde round, opening with a 41 but then coming alive with three birdies on the back nine that ended with a 34. Sharing first place, each won a $500 scholarship, as did St. James' Kim Eaton, who ended in third place with a 39-38 for a 5-over 77, just edging out Scott Steiner, who turned in a 78 as the week-long WACO festivities began.

The iron-y of it all - Forrester puts away woods to win WACO By LARRY YANOS / Mail Sports Editor photo: KEVIN G. GILBERT / staff photographer Drew Forrester proved to be an iron man Sunday at Beaver Creek Country Club. Forrester discarded his driver after the fifth hole of the final round of the 17th annual Washington County Open Championship and used a 2-iron off the tee most of the remaining holes to claim the championship. continued The 37-year-old member of the Mount Pleasant Country Club near Baltimore carded a 71 Sunday and finished with a two-day total of 145. Greg Henry and Tim Reeves tied for second at 149. Forrester opened tournament play Saturday with a 74 and was one shot behind co-leaders Henry, Reeves and Kenny Smith entering Sunday.

LOCAL GOLF Ashley Grier set a course record at Beaver Creek Monday with a 2-under par 70 and won the Washington County Junior Golf Championship. Grier shot an impressive 33 on the front nine, and followed up with a 37 on the the back nine. 18 holes - 1. Ashley Grier, 70; 2. Steve Young, 78; 3. Will Roney, 79; 4. Clarke Grumbine, 80; 5. Patrick Janet, 85. 9 holes -1. Riley Leddon, 42; 2. Boots Steiner, 43; 3. Chris Martin, 43; 4. Brian Gerhman, 45; 5. Andrea Grier, Andy Mellott, Nick Zaccaria, 46; 8. Dennis Herbert, Kevin Motz, 47; 10. Julian Funk, 48; 11. Matt Weber, 49; 12. Steve Spalding, 50; 13. Justin Fox, 59. -- The WACO Open will not only feature a new look this year, it will also be honoring a new champion.

Leaders of the Washington County Junior Girls Volleyball Club, the Tri-State AIA Volleyball Club and the Synergy Volleyball Club have made the decision to merge all three clubs in an effort to improve the quality of youth volleyball in Washington County. The unified club will be known as Washington County Junior Girls Volleyball Club Inc. "We all felt we could better serve the volleyball community by combining our resources and talents," said WACO president Chuck Weaver in a press release.

YOUTH LEAGUES Sharpsburg 7-8 Blue-Gray Tournament Greencastle 10, Maugansville 5 Greencastle: Jacob Shupp 2 hits; Nathan Starliper 6 Ks,. Maugansville: Spencer Martin, Ben Gazzola 2 hits each; Jacob Carbaugh 5 Ks. Greencastle and Maugansville play for tournament title today. GOLF WACO Long Drive Two-time WACO champion Chad Bricker, of Waynesboro, Pa., distanced himself from the field with a 359-yard blast to win the Big Daddy Long Drive title at Beaver Creek Country Club.

Area Roundup YOUTH LEAGUES Adam Kees Tournament American 4, Maugansville 2: Winning pitcher Jarrell Rodriguez and Teddy Casper each had two hits for American. Bret Bloom pitched a complete game for Maugansville. Thurman Smith Tournament South Mountain 14, American 4: Greg Eichelberger, Justin Ellsworth, Aaron Twigg and Travis Donini each had two hits for South Mountain. Sharpsburg 11, Federal 1: Philip Marshall threw a complete-game one-hitter with nine strikeouts to lead Sharpsburg.

Steve Ligi drilled in a 12-foot birdie on the difficult 18th hole, and then pointed his finger to the sky, indicating he was the No. 1 golfer at Beaver Creek Country Club. The Jefferson, Md., golfer shot a 2-under-par 70 on Sunday to go along with his opening-round 67 that gave him a 7-under 137 and the 29th WACO Championship. “The birdie was just a great way to cap off a great weekend,” said Ligi, winning his first medalist tournament since the Frederick City Amateur in 2006.

Friday, August 10, 2012   GOLF Kirk Waldeck took top honors in the Big Daddy Long Drive contest at Beaver Creek Country Club on Friday, the final pre-tournament activity prior to the WACO Championship which starts today. Waldeck hit his drive 299 yards to garner first place. Bill Reed was second at 294 yards, Nik Steiner was third at 289 yards and Todd Parks was fourth with 280.

Thursday, August 9, 2012   GOLF Chuck Thatcher won his second straight Chi-Chi's Shootout on Thursday at Beaver Creek Country Club. In a sudden death chip-off, Thatcher bested Dennis Stoner. Jim Sklencar finished third followed by Paul Babineau and Pat Steiner. Bernie Deane won the long drive with a 330-yard shot on No. 13 and Dirk Schultz, a six-time Chi-Chi's winner, had the closest to the pin, getting to within 14 feet on No. 14. WACO week continues tonight with the Big Daddy Long Drive at 5 at the driving range.

A two-under-par 70 has been the norm for Chuck Thatcher in the first round of the last two WACO Championships. Last year was good enouogh to share the first-round lead with eventual winner Jim Markovitz. This year, Thatcher hopes to eliminate the second-round blues. The 29th edition WACO Open tees off on Saturday at 6:30 a.m. with 148 golfers perusing the 6,650-yard layout of Beaver Creek Country Club. A disappointing 75 took Thatcher out of contention, but he bounced back and rediscovered his game to win the Frederick City Amateur weeks later.

HAGERSTOWN - Things could have gotten away from Nik Steiner on the 18th hole Thursday, but a clutch iron shot led to a bogey-saving putt. Steiner captured the WACO Junior Golf Championship at Beaver Creek Country Club with a 7-over-par 79, one shot better than Chad Shindle's 80. “I hit the cart path on 18, had to re-tee and then hit a nice iron to the pin,” said Steiner, winning a WACO event for the second time this season. His fourth shot from 120 yards came to rest about 12 feet from the pin on the dogleg 18th, and Steiner rolled in the putt for a bogey that saved him from falling into a tie with Shindle.

Friday, December 2, 2011 PREP VOLLEYBALL The sixth annual Spikefest, hosted by the Washington County Juniors Volleyball Club, will be held Saturday night at South Hagerstown High School. The Washington County Eighth Grade All-Stars open the festivities at 6 p.m., with the Washington County Senior All-Stars following at 7:30. Admission is $4 for adults and $2 for students, with children under 5 admitted free. The following players will be participating: * Senior All-Stars: Boonsboro - Tiffany Rohrer.

Jim Markovitz was at the top of the WACO leaderboard last year after the first round. Things did not change on Saturday. Late in the day, Markovitz charged into a first-place tie in the 28th WACO Championship in what looks to become a shootout at the Beaver Creek corral. Markovitz fashioned a 2-under par-70 over the 6,650-yard layout to share the lead with Chuck Thatcher, who was in the early wave of the 154-player field. Thatcher, of Boonsboro, had the early clubhouse lead by firing a 36-34 for what appeared to be solo leadership of the tournament until Markovitz birdied No. 17 to tie for the lead.

The Super Bowl of Washington County golf is here. For the 28th year, Beaver Creek Country Club is host to the annual WACO Championship on Saturday and Sunday. Tournament Director Rod Steiner and head professional Dirk Schultz have the field set for 154 golfers who will tee it up beginning at 6:30 Saturday morning. Defending champion Chris Baloga leads the field as he looks for his second straight title. “I remember the great par save from the greenside bunker on 18 last year,” said Baloga.

The 28th WACO Championship is just around the corner. The two-day tournament is scheduled for Aug. 13-14 at Beaver Creek Country Club. Chris Baloga, of Towson, Md., ended a long run of championships by Pennsylvania golfers last year and is expected to return and defend his title. Tournament director Rod Steiner said spots are still open for the 36-hole flighted event, which carries a $160 registration fee. Entries close on Aug. 6. Applications are available online at www.beavercreekcc.com.