Davenport’s Rios leads at Valley Oaks Amateur

Staff report,

Greg Rios of Davenport has played some decent golf at times this summer on the National City Bank Amateur Tour, logging runner-up finishes at the Clinton Riverboat Days event and the Short Hills Country Club Amateur.

He got on a roll Saturday in the opening round of the NCB Am Tour's Valley Oaks Amateur as he carded the lone under-par round with a 4-under 68. His closest competitor heading into today's final 18 holes was Saturday playing partner Dean Cavanaugh, who carded a 1-over 73.

Rios, a teacher and golf coach at Davenport West High School, carded a 3-under 33 on the outward nine and came home in 1-under on the back nine. He is in good position to win his first title on the area's top local amateur circuit.

``I haven't won anything since I was 17,'' Rios said, ``and have had a lot of seconds since then. ... I haven't really lost any tournaments, I've just been beaten by people. There are a lot of good golfers around here.''

The 37-year-old is hoping to be able to hang onto this lead -- one he credited in part to his playing partners.

``I was just inside people (on approach shots) and got to see all day long what the putts were doing,'' said Rios. ``I got to see a few putts that were pretty important. A couple I would have knocked off the green had I not seen them. ... The greens were pretty fast, I kept the ball in play, hit it straight and only maybe had one tough downhill putt.''

It was those tough, speedy greens that had the field of just 26 championship flight players suffering through an agonizing day in a lengthy round. While Rios had the only sub-par round, nearly half the field shot 80 or above.