Virginia Tech golf coach Jay Hardwick undoubtedly smiled when he opened his newspaper this morning.
Marshall Bailey and Aaron Eckstein, a pair of freshmen Roanoke-area recruits who were constants in the Hokies' starting lineup this past season, posted rounds of 67 and 68, respectively, in Friday's first round at Blue Hills and clearly distinguished themselves as the players to beat in the 35th Roanoke Valley Golf Hall of Fame men's golf championship.
After a year of baptism under fire on the much more competitive major-college level, Bailey and Eckstein both were glad to see their names back on the top of a leaderboard again heading into today's second round at Roanoke Country Club.
"Coming in here, definitely you want to be somewhere close to the top, and, hopefully win," said Bailey, the ex-James River High standout who rallied to shoot 4-under after a first-hole double bogey. "It's been a while since I've won something."
Dittos, said Eckstein, the former Salem High star who won the HOF men's title in 2007 and the HOF's junior boys' crown last July.
"I feel like I'm a much better player now after a year of college golf," Eckstein said.
"The first year of college golf is like your first year of high school golf again, you're the little kid again and no one really expects anything from you, but you expect a lot from yourself. Coming back here, you definitely want to win."
That said, neither of the two college kids are banking on the older players residing near the lead to automatically assume the fetal position.
"They're lying if they're saying they can't win," Eckstein said.
Gary Leroux, 50, who captured the 1998 Roanoke Valley Match Play title, hustled his way to a 68 that left him tied for second.
Leroux holed a wedge for an eagle-2 at the short par-4 seventh hole to help overcome a shoddy ball-striking round.
"If hit the ball like I did today, I'll shoot 82 [at RCC today]," Leroux said.
The quartet tied for fourth at 70 includes Miller Baber, 43, a three-time Roanoke Valley Match Play winner who is still searching for his first HOF title, and three-time champion Bobby Penn, 48.
"The chase is on again," said Baber, whom most consider the best area player never to win the title. "I probably have four or five seconds in this tournament. Yeah, I would like to win. It's one of the two majors. I would like to get a fourth major. I would like to catch Penn."
Penn, who also has a pair of Match Play titles to his credit, was ecstatic to finish with a red number, which allowed him to remain one behind Baber in the HOF's record book for most sub-par rounds.
Baber's 12th under-par number in HOF play enabled him to pass longtime category leader, five-time champion Dicky Linkous.
"I'm happy about this round because it keeps me right on Miller's tail," Penn said. "I knew Miller was probably going to post red. But I made a 25-footer for birdie at 17 to get there."
As far as Baber's moving to the head of the HOF's below par-rounds class, Linkous' son, Drew cracked: "Yeah, it took [Baber] about 16 years to pass him. I'd say it's about time."
Barry Wirt Jr. and veteran Mike Fields were the only other players to break par, each posting 70.
Paced by Wirt, Hunting Hills posted a six-man team total of 9-over 435 to take a three-shot lead over Blacksburg and Botetourt.
