The scheduling and the stage might have been out of whack, but no one can argue that Roanoke Valley Golf Hall of Fame's 25th women's championship wasn't some show.

On a day in which the field had to play two courses - 18 holes at Hidden Valley and nine more at Countryside - because of Saturday's first-round rainout, veteran Marilyn Bussey took advantage of a late collapse by collegian Meg Davies and finally captured a crown she has been chasing for two decades Sunday.

"I still don't believe I won this thing," said Bussey, 54, wiping tears from her eyes. "I didn't know anything coming off the last green. Sara Cole [Countryside teammate] hollered, 'You won it' and I just dropped it all. I was in shock. I had no clue, absolutely no clue.

"This is my last week of teaching school [at Northside Middle School] and I just had a retirement party thrown for me. That was so much fun, and now this. It could not get any better than this. Well, unless I hit the lottery, but I don't bet."

The odds were stacked in favor of 20-year-old Davies after the opening 18 at Hidden Valley. Davies, a rising junior at James Madison University, shot a 6-over 78 and carried a four-shot lead across town to Countryside for the finish.

After an hour-plus morning delay for rain at Hidden Valley had forced officials to cut the tournament from 36 to 27 holes, Davies' lead looked even more imposing.

"Unless Meg just blows up, nobody else has a chance," said five-time champion Dot Bolling, who was tied for second with 82-shooters Wanda Flora and Bussey.

Davies, who finished second the past two years, then proceeded to do the unexpected. She bogeyed six of her first eight holes, then double-bogeyed the par-4 ninth to fall into a three-way tie for the clubhouse lead with Bolling and 56-year-old long shot June Reed.

As many began to anticipate the prospects of a three-way playoff, Bussey was still on the course. The two-time Roanoke City-County champion had played the first eight holes in 2 over, meaning she needed only a bogey-5 on the final hole to win.

"I saw a bunch of people standing around the green, but I thought that meant the team race must be really close," Bussey said. "I was never thinking of winning, I was thinking of the team situation."

After making her par, Bussey walked off the green, heard Cole's shout and dropped her putter. Seconds later, she was swapping hugs with everyone in sight.

"I thought I was too old to ever win this thing," said Bussey, who dedicated her victory to her elderly parents, Russell and Dorothy.

"I feel bad for Meg. I watched her hitting practice balls this morning and I thought how nice it was to be that young and have that kind of swing. But you know you never know in this game."

Davies took the tough defeat with class.

"I just gave it away," Davies said. "I totally choked it away. I couldn't make any pars. I couldn't get the ball up and down."

Davies desperately wanted to win and match her boyfriend, Scott Wise, who won the men's HOF on Sunday.

"We've been talking about how neat it would be to both win the same year ever since last year," Davies said. "Then to have it right on my fingertips and let it slip away is tough. We'll just have to keep on hoping, I guess."

Bussey's winning 27-hole total was 12-over 120. Davies shared second with Bolling and Reed at 122. Wanda Flora was fifth at 123.

Hidden Valley captured the team competition by 12 shots over defending champion Countryside. It was Hidden Valley's fifth crown in the past six years and eighth overall.

Reprinted with permission from The Roanoke Times.