July 28, 2007 -- Greensboro, N.C. --
Blame it on opening-round jitters or blame it on the new look of the range, but the 48 shooters in the Buckmasters Top Bow Indoor World Championship struggled in the first round of competition Friday night. But Saturday was a new day at the Buckmasters Expo in Greensboro, N.C.
Three shooters, Colin Boothe, Sonny Hawthorne and Keith Brown, shot perfect rounds, proving to the standing-room-only crowd that the Top Bow course could be beat. Boothe, fresh off his win of the Birmingham qualifier a week earlier, led the field after two rounds as the top 40 shooters advanced to round three.
The good shooting continued into round three, including four more perfect scores courtesy of Tom Pruitt, Dale Howington, Mark Wages and Randy Barley.
But even a perfect round doesn't guarantee anything in the Buckmasters Top Bow Championship, as Wages and Brown failed to advance to round four, which takes only the top 16 archers. Some familiar faces failed to make the cut, some newcomers were able to advance, and some past champions proved they still have what it takes. Boothe's perfect score did help propel him to the top of the final 16 with a total of 521 points.
Shooting will start again Sunday morning at 10:15 a.m. when round 4 shooting will determine which eight shooters advance to the head-to-head rounds. The competition will continue until the 2007 Top Bow champion is crowned on Sunday evening.
Elsewhere at the Expo, a very large crowd braved rain showers to take in the sights and sounds of the show, including the free Buckmasters members-only concert with country music star Mark Chesnutt.
TOP BOW RESULTS (Through 3 Rounds)
Place, Name, Town, State, Rnd1, Rnd2, Rnd3 ... Total
1, Colin Boothe, Harrisonburg, La., 152, 207, 164 ... 523
2, Randy Barley, Brown Summit, N.C., 156, 176, 189 ... 521
3, Jackie Caudle, Gadsden, Ala., 128, 200, 168 ... 496
4, Jamie Patterson, Tallassee, Ala., 147, 200, 142 ... 489
5, Darren Collins, Galena, Kan., 131, 199, 156 ... 486
6, Sonny Hawthorne, Fosters, Ala., 124, 207, 144 ... 475
7, Lynn Morrison, Northport, Ala., 127, 158, 168 ... 453
8, Mark Herring Jr., Diamond, Ohio, 115, 184, 151 ... 450
9, Tom Pruitt, Stotts City, Mo., 128, 127, 189 ... 444
10, Skipper Booth, Northport, Ala., 152, 127, 161 ... 440
11, Dale Howington, Buford, Ga., 105, 146, 189 ... 440
12, Larry Goza, Crossville, Ala., 133, 179, 126 ... 438
13, Jesse Lane, Chatham, Va., 125, 176, 123 ... 424
14, Justin Martin, Enterprise, Ala., 122, 146, 156 ... 424
15, Joseph Goza, Henager, Ala., 143, 123, 156 ... 422
16, Ricky Joe Pearson, Berry, Ala., 112, 179, 130 ... 421
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17, Gene Goddard, West Liberty, Iowa, 99, 145, 172 ... 416
18, Bobby Hubbard, Talladega, Ala., 116, 179, 111 ... 406
19, Josh Deering, Maple City, Mich, 119, 104, 183 ... 406
20, Chris Berry, Sarcoxie, Mo., 118, 189, 84 ... 391
21, Mark Wages, Grand Forks, N.D., 99, 99, 189 ... 387
22, Randy Hendrix, Winston Salem, N.C., 90, 124, 171 ... 385
23, Clyde Huckeba, Oxford, Ala., 108, 151, 121 ... 380
24, Ted Turner III, Townsend, Ga., 112, 157, 108 ... 377
25, Keith Brown, Greensboro, N.C., 113, 207, 55 ... 375
26, Tommy Taylor, Verbena, Ala., 105, 160, 105 ... 370
27, Michael Ard, Northport, Ala., 147, 113, 110 ... 370
28, Jason Brickey, Saint Charles, Ark., 97, 139, 132 ... 368
29, Brian Cooper, Robertsdale, Ala., 128, 116, 109 ... 353
30, Jeremy Odom, Bay Minette, Ala., 101, 144, 106 ... 351
31, Dusty Bishop, Arden, N.C., 92, 123, 136 ... 351
32, Allen Conner, Attalla, Ala., 93, 147, 106 ... 346
33, Donald Bishop, Horseshoe, N.C., 120, 100, 110 ... 330
34, Robert Morrow, Hartselle, Ala., 118, 127, 72 ... 317
35, Terry Goza, Flat Rock, Ala., 77, 107, 132 ... 316
36, Crayton Taylor, Verbena, Ala., 62, 135, 115 ... 312
37, Keith Thomas, Boaz, Ala., 59, 123, 128 ... 310
38, Jamison Ward, Hubbardston, Mich., 81, 114, 95 ... 290
39, Tony W. Smith, Rainsville, Ala., 72, 122, 94 ... 288
40, Pete Davidson, Monroe, N.C., 76, 135, 44 ... 255
By Ken Piper