Springfield
Armory’s Rob Leatham captured the 2009 U.S.
Practical Shooting Association (USPSA) Single Stack National Championship this
Saturday at the PASA Park range in Barry, Illinois. The match, which was
sponsored by Illinois-based firearms maker Springfield Armory, drew more than
255 top 1911 shooters from around the country.
Despite
winning just one of the 20 stages, Leatham led through the entire competition
and finished with a final score of 1197.4090. The win represents Leatham’s 15th
straight in the match that was previously known as the Single Stack Classic.
Team
STI member and Chino, Calif., resident Michael Voigt rallied back from
finishing ninth in 2008 to take second place. His final score of 1178.2523 put
him just over 19 points behind Leatham.
Taran
Butler of Simi Valley, Calif., claimed third for the second year in a row by
winning four stages and posting a final score of 1161.7933. Earlier this year
Butler defeated Leatham to win the Western States Single Stack Classic.
Rounding
out the top five were Para USA’s Todd Jarrett of Hopewell, Va., and Smith &
Wesson team shooter BJ Norris of Tyler, Texas, in fourth and fifth shooting
1151.1429 and 1112.6781 respectively.
The Single Stack Nationals was established in 1994 as the Single Stack
Classic by pistolsmith Richard Heinie, and then USPSA Illinois Section
Coordinator, Russell Cluver. The match was designed specifically for the 1911
model pistol and no other pistol design is permitted in the competition. In
2006 USPSA designated the popular match as a national championship and it has
remained the preeminent showcase for the venerable 1911 ever since.
Rounding
out the top five were Para USA’s Todd Jarrett of Hopewell, Va., and Smith &
Wesson team shooter BJ Norris of Tyler, Texas, in fourth and fifth shooting
1151.1429 and 1112.6781 respectively.
