THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, July 29, 1994 TAG: 9407270136
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 18 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BILL LEFFLER, CURRENTS SPORTS EDITOR
DATELINE: PORTSMOUTH LENGTH: Medium: 77 lines
BOTH CHAMPION Steve Liebler and runner-up Tony DeLuca figured the 1994 Eastern Amateur was going into overtime.
DeLuca carefully studied an 11-foot birdie putt on the final hole of the 72-hole tournament Sunday at Elizabeth Manor, cognizant that if it dropped he would be headed to a playoff with the University of South Carolina golf coach.
Liebler, a Portsmouth native who grew up on the Elizabeth Manor course, had putted out for a par 70 and a four-round total of 276.
The birdie would have given DeLuca a 68 and a share of the lead.
``When I hit it I said to myself, `it's in,' '' said DeLuca. ``I played it to the edge of the hole and it just stayed there.''
Liebler looked away as DeLuca putted and then glanced back as the ball approached the hole. ``I thought it was in, too,'' he said.
Afterward, Liebler said the victory meant more to him than his triumph in the same tournament in 1981, the last time he played in the Eastern.
``The first one was the hardest,'' he said. ``But I think this one means more to me because it shows I can still play golf.
``When I won before, I thought it was the last time I would ever play as an amateur, so it was especially pleasing to win.''
That fall he became a professional, spending 4 1/2 years on the PGA tour and a dozen years as a pro until he decided to apply for reinstatement as an amateur.
He regained his amateur status in June and won the Columbia, S.C., city championship in his first outing.
``I really didn't know what to expect when I came home. I knew I was playing pretty good golf, but very little in competition. I have had a lot of trouble with my back, and now I play with a brace on it. So it was questionable whether it would hold up for four rounds,'' said Liebler.
He said his shoulder locked on him - ``it just seems to grind around in the socket'' - at the 15th hole Sunday. ``From there on in, I was hoping I wouldn't have to hit it so hard.''
The 35-year-old Liebler posted rounds of 68-67-71-70. He was a wire-to-wire leader except when David Seawell, the No. 1 player on Liebler's South Carolina team, pulled into a tie on the back nine in the final round.
Seawell, playing in the next-to-last threesome ahead of his coach, shared the lead at the 10th. A birdie by Liebler at the 11th sent him back in front to stay.
A bogey at the 15th forced the 20-year-old Seawell, a second-team All-American, to ``try to make something happen'' in an effort to get back into the hunt. Instead, he had bogeys at the 16th and 17th to finish in third place with 73-66-70-71 - 280.
``You always want to win,'' said DeLuca, a two-time State Open champion who also was reinstated as an amateur this year.
``But none of us knows this golf course any better than Steve, and he wasn't letting up any. I think Steve and I both showed a lot of the old-time heart playing with these young fellows.''
DeLuca, who helped in the building of the Kiln Creek course and is now going into the golf course improvement business with Carl Barrs in Yorktown, is headed to Colorado this week to participate in a charity tournament benefiting abused children.
Eastern officials were delighted to hear that all of the top finishers, including 1993 winner Tom McKnight, hope to play again next year. McKnight, who was awarded the Joe Tusing Memorial Award as the tournament's top sportsman, finished in a three-way tie for fourth place at 281.
``I look forward to coming back,'' said Liebler at the awards ceremony. He also wanted his South Carolina players to share in his victory.
``Playing with these guys has kept me young and makes me play hard,'' he said. ``So I especially thank them.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by MARTIN SMITH-RODDEN
Winner Steve Liebler tees off during an early round of the Eastern
Amateur golf tournament.
by CNB