WILLIAMSBURG
A small crowd of people gathered around the rim of the 18th green at Marsh Hawk to watch the drama play out Tuesday in thrilling fashion. But Hickory’s John Dawson didn’t seem to notice. He was consumed with the putt he was about to attempt – one that would give him the share of the Eastern Region title if he were to somehow guide it into the hole.
“I knew what I had to do,” Dawson said. “I had to make it.”
Seconds later, he tapped the ball, watched it skip along the fine grass, travel down the slightest of embankments, curve like a boomerang and roll into the cup as the sun began to set in the background.
Dawson’s last shot of the day – a birdie -- was his biggest as he forged a tie with Cox’s Brinson Paolini, who had just knocked in a short par putt to finish with a two-round total of 146. At the last possible moment, Paolini watched the one-stroke advantage he had clung to most of the day disappear.
“You have to expect the unexpected,” said Paolini, who shot one-over 73 both days.
On this day, when Kellam won the team title by 11 strokes over defending state champion Cox, that was especially true.
After all, fate seemed to be on the side of Wade Wawner, who along with Dawson trailed Paolini by one shot when they teed off just after noon. Wawner, a Kellam senior who tied with Paolini at last week’s Beach District tournament, flirted with disaster on the back nine but was able to avoid it entirely by relying on luck and resolve.
Two consecutive wayward drives on 15th and 16th appeared to be headed out of bounds. The first ricocheted off a tree; the second managed to land in a well on the back of a golf cart. Wawner combined total for the two holes? One-under.
“I didn’t play that great,” Wawner said. “But I got a few breaks.”
Buoyed by the fortunate turn of events, Wawner headed to the 18th tied with Dawson and one shot behind Paolini. But Wawner sliced his drive on the par-four dogleg and saw his last chance to catch Paolini vanish among the trees, where his ball rested at the moment.
After sinking a par putt, he then watched Dawson do what Wawner did one week ago – come back and tie Paolini before learning there would be no opportunity to break the deadlock.
“That definitely was a big putt,” Wawner said. “But it’s not right for them not to go to a playoff.”
Dawson, though, didn’t seem disappointed he would not have a chance to win the title outright. If the ball on his last stroke went a few inches to the right or left, he would have had to settle for second place.
“That was the biggest putt in my life,” he said. “I just had to give myself a chance.”
John Holmes knew that Dawson would.
“He’s the best player under pressure I have ever had,” he said. “The best.”
Team scores
Kellam 303-304 607
Cox 314-304 618
Hickory 317-305 622
Princess Anne 333-337 670
Grassfield 333-339 672
Western Branch 337-339 676
Menchville 340-343 683
Gloucester 346-346 691
Churchland 365-344 709
Maury 360-355 715
Granby 394-361 755
Kecoughtan 389-395 784
*First 12 all qualified for state
John Dawson, Hickory 74-72 146
Brinson Paolini, Cox 73-73 146
Wade Wawner, Kellam 74-73 147
Chris Greenfield, Princess Anne 74-77 151
Chase Duffy Kellam 75-77 152
Jonathan Harris, Cox 75-78 153
Ryan Kilmon, Kellam 76-77 153
Ben Hunter, Lakeland 76-79 155
Hunter Spencer, Hickory 75-81 156
Alex Gylfason, First Colonial 78-78 156
Chris Valianos, Cox 84-72 156
Lauren Coughlin, Hickory 80-77 157
Taylor DiChiara, Western Branch 82-75 157
Alex Lloyd, Kellam 81-77 158
Stuart Sloat, King’s Fork 76-83 159
Other Cox qualifiers
Andrew Becraft, Cox 82-82 164
Richie Salter, Cox 84-89 173
Moss Clark DQ-81 81
Other Kellam qualifiers
Bryce Cope, Kellam 78-82 160
Trey Smith, Kellam 81-82 163
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