Suffolk News-Herald

Teddy Collins showed why Golf Week magazine recently ranked him in the top 50 teenage golfers in the country on Monday and Tuesday, shooting a four-under-par 140 to win the first (and hopefully annual) Subway Junior Golf tournament at the Suffolk Golf Course. A nationally ranked tournament, the event was sponsored by the local Subway franchises.

Local Subway manager Doug Eitel was instrumental in lending his store’s support to the tournament.

Golf has been taking the Louisville, Ken. 17-year-old on a quick sightseeing tour of the Cast Coast – before heading to Suffolk, he took part in a tournament in Atlanta. &uot;There was a lot of really tight competition out there,&uot; Collins said of the Suffolk tournament. &uot;Everyone was in the game.&uot;

One of his toughest competitors was Greg Hunt, Jr., one of the top stars on the Nansemond River High School golf team. &uot;I thought I did better on Tuesday than Monday,&uot; said Hunt, who took fifth place with a score of 156. &uot;I’d rather play here than in high school, because colleges look more at tournaments.&uot;

Hunt was a charter member of the Southeastern Junior Golf Association, which was founded by his father, Greg Sr. The organization gives youths across Suffolk and other local areas a special chance to show their skills in the fairways, bunkers and greens.

Aaron Stacy, who came in with a 161, also used the tournament to sharpen his skills for high school competition; next fall, the junior will be vying for the top spot in Lakeland’s lineup.

&uot;Everybody’s really good out here,&uot; said Stacy. &uot;But it’s more fun playing against individuals, because the competition’s higher.&uot;