By Craig Juer — Daily Staff Writer

FARMVILLE — The golf season — and in some cases, golf careers — ended ingloriously for most of the area's competitors Monday, on a harrowing, far-away course in a mismanaged Region B tournament.

But for Clarke County's Darrin Pyatt, the season will continue.

"I actually shot a lot better than I thought [I would]," said the junior, who shot a 79 — and more importantly, a 59 after 13 holes — to be the lone local player to advance to the state tournament. "I wasn't too accurate on the front nine, but I figured it out on the back."

A large college tournament at Manor Resort Golf Club (Farmville) hosted by Hampden-Sydney in the morning forced the high schoolers to have late tee times, 11:20 a.m. at the earliest, and the slow-playing course pushed things back further. All of the teams finished 18 holes, but some of the players who came as individuals had to be ushered off the course at sunset having finished as few as 13 holes.

"My senior, Jonathon Ritenour, he was in the very last group. They made the determination with his group that they were only going to go to 13," Strasburg coach Bert Martin said. "He was disappointed, because he wanted to finish."

Ritenour shot a 46 on the front nine but finished having parred five straight holes, according to Martin. He didn't get to find out how he would have done with a strong back nine, since his high school career ended five holes earlier than he expected.

"It's alright," said Ritenour, who knew when he teed off at 2:10 that he likely wouldn't finish before dark. "I wasn't playing that great."

Pyatt's 79 in the team competition led Clarke County to a final score of 339 — good for third, and four strokes shy of Appomattox and a team berth at states.

"The same thing has happened all year to us: we throw three good scores in, and then one score that's just a few strokes out or something," said Clarke County coach Randy Anderson, whose scoring players shot 79, 82, 84 and 99. "We got third out of eight teams, so we took down some mighty teams that had been up there — the Randolph-Henrys of the world. I'm proud of my kids."

Even though all the golfers playing on teams finished 18 holes, the slow traffic affected them too.

"Six-hour rounds of golf, how do you mentally prepare yourself for that?" said Anderson, whose players often waited 15 minutes after every hole, and even as much as 40. "That's the hard part."

Stonewall Jackson came into the tournament as the regular-season Shenandoah District champs, but stumbled to a disappointing seventh-place finish at 360.

"[The course] ate everyone here apart today," said Stonewall senior Cory Roadcap, who led his team with an 87. "Everyone played bad."

Stonewall coach Daniel Green said his players' strength is hitting for distance.

"I have a team of ball-strikers," he said.

But at the Manor Resort, "target golf" is the name of the game. The course has dangerous hazards and deep rough, and rewards accuracy rather than distance.

"You have to tee off, and you have to hit it to this spot, and if it goes farther than that spot, you're in trouble," Green said. "If it goes short of that spot, you're in trouble. At Shenvalee, where we play, you can pretty much hit the ball as far straight as you want, and you're fine."

Most of the coaches and players praised the course for its quality, but bemoaned the circumstances of the tournament.

"Between last year playing down here at Appomattox and not having any grass on the fairways because of the drought, and then this year this happens, you just have to take it in stride," Martin said. "But I think there'll be some conversations about it. In fact, I think it's already going on."

For Pyatt, at least, there will be another tournament on another day. Specifically, the Group A tournament at Clear Creek Golf Glub in Bristol on Oct. 13 and 14.

"Darrin Pyatt, I can't say enough about him," Anderson said. "This kid played in the districts and regionals last year, had a hard time breaking 90. Then comes out here in this arena and shoots 79.

"My hat's off to him."

* Contact Craig Juer at cjuer@nvdaily.com