WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS - The record book will show Tim Fisher took the State Amateur lead for good with a birdie on the 17th hole Thursday, but the real fun actually started a few holes earlier.

Fisher's decision to hit a driver out of the fairway on No. 12 led to a birdie and a short-lived lead, and more importantly gave him a jolt of momentum on the back nine.

After his tee shot on the 568-yard par-5 12th - the longest hole on the Old White course - Fisher was left with a 259-yard approach into the wind. Most players would have opted against going for the green and used a long iron or fairway wood to set up their next shot.

But the gambling Fisher isn't like most players.

He smoked that shot with his driver and wound up just off the side of the green. A nice chip led to a 2-foot birdie putt as he went 5-under to take the lead.

"I had my range finder,'' Fisher said, "and it was 259 yards into the wind and there was a creek at 191 yards, so it wasn't really too far to carry. I knew I just had to hit it into the air and I'd clear the hazard. And I hit a real good shot there.''

Reale thought it was real good, too.

"That was definitely the shot of the week by far,'' Reale said. "To have the gumption to even try that is pretty impressive.

"Considering I know his game pretty well and both of us were hitting it horrendous the last two days. We were just getting it in the hole. But to have the bravery to step up there with a driver off the deck ...that's pretty good.''

Fisher's favorite shot of the day - or the week - wasn't that one, however. He preferred his approach shot to the No. 16 green. After Reale stuck his iron within 4 feet of the cup, Fisher dropped his inside that, leaving him 2 feet away. Both made birdies.

"I think the shot on 16 was the shot of the tournament,'' Fisher said. "I think that was the best shot of the tournament.''

If not for a pair of ugly holes on the front nine Thursday, Michael Veres of Logan might have turned the last round into a three-way duel.

Veres, playing in the final threesome, turned in double-bogeys on the par-4 sixth hole and the par-3 eighth, putting him five shots behind the leaders at the turn. He was able creep back within four shots after 14, but the damage was already done.

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS - The record book will show Tim Fisher took the State Amateur lead for good with a birdie on the 17th hole Thursday, but the real fun actually started a few holes earlier.

Fisher's decision to hit a driver out of the fairway on No. 12 led to a birdie and a short-lived lead, and more importantly gave him a jolt of momentum on the back nine.

After his tee shot on the 568-yard par-5 12th - the longest hole on the Old White course - Fisher was left with a 259-yard approach into the wind. Most players would have opted against going for the green and used a long iron or fairway wood to set up their next shot.

But the gambling Fisher isn't like most players.

He smoked that shot with his driver and wound up just off the side of the green. A nice chip led to a 2-foot birdie putt as he went 5-under to take the lead.

"I had my range finder,'' Fisher said, "and it was 259 yards into the wind and there was a creek at 191 yards, so it wasn't really too far to carry. I knew I just had to hit it into the air and I'd clear the hazard. And I hit a real good shot there.''

Reale thought it was real good, too.

"That was definitely the shot of the week by far,'' Reale said. "To have the gumption to even try that is pretty impressive.

"Considering I know his game pretty well and both of us were hitting it horrendous the last two days. We were just getting it in the hole. But to have the bravery to step up there with a driver off the deck ...that's pretty good.''

Fisher's favorite shot of the day - or the week - wasn't that one, however. He preferred his approach shot to the No. 16 green. After Reale stuck his iron within 4 feet of the cup, Fisher dropped his inside that, leaving him 2 feet away. Both made birdies.

"I think the shot on 16 was the shot of the tournament,'' Fisher said. "I think that was the best shot of the tournament.''

If not for a pair of ugly holes on the front nine Thursday, Michael Veres of Logan might have turned the last round into a three-way duel.

Veres, playing in the final threesome, turned in double-bogeys on the par-4 sixth hole and the par-3 eighth, putting him five shots behind the leaders at the turn. He was able creep back within four shots after 14, but the damage was already done.

"I'd definitely like to have 6 and 8 back,'' Veres said. "It was sort of that way all week. I ended up with a triple-[bogey] and three doubles and you just can't do that against these guys. They're just too steady and solid. But overall, I was pretty pleased. I take a lot of good things away from this tournament.''

Veres, who regained his amateur status in April after trying his hand at mini-tours in Florida and North Carolina, ended up in fourth place with a 2-over 286. It was his best finish since being runner-up to Pat Carter in 1998 at the Pete Dye course in Bridgeport.

He thinks he's prepared to take the next step and earn a title of his own.

"I hope I'm not being too cocky here,'' Veres said, "but I definitely know I have the talent and the game to actually do it. But with that being said, you still have to go out and make the shots and make it happen. Hopefully, in the years to come, it will happen for me.''

One bad round doomed Charleston's Christian Brand.

Brand's 4-over 76 on the Greenbrier course in Wednesday's third round took him out of the running after he hit the halfway mark of the 72-hole event at 1-under-par.

In his other three rounds, the 20-year-old Marshall golfer turned in scores of 1-over 71 and even par 70 on Old White and 2-under 70 on the Greenbrier course.

"This whole tournament, I threw away shots,'' Brand said. "I missed so many short putts, it was ridiculous. I played solid, but the rest of the guys played good, too. My ball striking [Wednesday] wasn't as good and I didn't putt as good as the rest of the week, so that was a bad combination.''

Brand came in tied for fifth at 3-over 287 with Bosten Miller of Charleston and 12-time champ Pat Carter of Huntington. It was the highest Amateur finish ever for Brand, who also tied for runner-up honors in the 2007 State Open.

Rounding out the State Am top 10 were Ben Palmer of Parkersburg (291) in eighth, Kenneth Hess of Parkersburg (294) in ninth and a three-way tie for 10th at 295 between Sam O'Dell of Hurricane, Matt Gissy of Weston and David Fields of Fort Gay.

The only other under-par round Thursday besides Fisher's was a 1-under 69 by Bryan Snow of Ranson. Steve Fox, who shot his way onto the leaderboard with a surprising 3-under 69 at the Greenbrier course Wednesday, skied to an 84 in the final round.

Reach Rick Ryan at 348-5175 or rickr...@wvgazette.com.