Bedford Co. man in the hunt at VSGA Senior Stroke Play Championship

AMHERST — The difference between a pretty good round and a special round for Walt Martin on Tuesday was about the width of a pin point.

Martin struck the ball better than anyone in the field at the VSGA’s Senior Stroke Play Championship at Poplar Grove Golf Club. Had he putted just a little better, no one would be within striking distance.

But the putting issues are something the 67-year-old Martin can live with. He has an astigmatism in his right eye, along with a pin-sized hole in the retina in that eye, both of which make reading putts on unfamiliar greens very difficult.

Martin, who lives in Oakton, posted a 2-under par 70 to take the first-round lead by three strokes over a group that includes Forest’s Bert Allen.

Martin shot a 32 on the front, the best nine recorded by anyone on the day. He was threatening to break 30 on the outward nine, but his putting troubles got in the way.

“It gives me fits sometimes,” Martin said. “That’s my Achilles heel. My left eye tries to correct things. A good putter like Vinny Giles, or any of these great putters, would have had 29 on the front nine where I put my ball.”

Martin recorded bogeys on Nos. 11 and 12 before righting himself. He parred the final six holes and finished with a 70.

“I was very fortunate with my irons today,” said Martin, who finished third at last year’s Stroke Play, three strokes behind champion Giles.

“I’ve been working really hard on my short irons. I’m fortunate at my age to have good length (off the tee).”

Allen, Richmond’s Steve Isaacs and Powhatan’s Tom Hackett all shot 73s to sit three back of the leader heading into today’s final round. Isaacs and Hackett will be in the final group with Martin, beginning at 1:54 p.m.

Allen will tee off at 1:45 p.m. in a group that includes Richmond’s Stan Fischer and Virginia Beach’s George B. Owens, both of whom shot 74.

Most players held Poplar Grove, which is hosting its first VSGA championship event, in high regard after the round. The one caveat: The par-5 third hole, which features a quirky, hilly, two-shelf fairway with rough in between the shelves. The green is tiny, the margin for error on the approach to the pin nearly non-existent.

The hole left many of the golfers in the scoring tent grousing.

“That’s a screwed up hole,” Fischer said. “There’s no place to hit your drive and no place to lay up. And it’s almost impossible to go for it in two.”

Some mainstays on the senior leaderboard are well off the pace after one round. Giles is six strokes back at 76 after struggling to a 41 on the front. He recovered to shoot 35 on the inward nine. Tom Grady, last year’s Senior Open of Virginia champion, is five strokes back at 75.

J.P. Leigh, who won four straight Stroke Play titles from 2003-06, shot a 79 and is nine strokes behind Martin.