THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 16, 1995 TAG: 9507160177
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BILL LEFFLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PORTSMOUTH LENGTH: Medium: 81 lines
It figures to be a three-player race in today's final round of the 39th annual Eastern Amateur.
``To win,'' said Ryan Parker, one of the trio of contenders, ``somebody is going to have to catch Tom McKnight. And he's not coming back to us.''
McKnight carded a 1-under-par 69 Saturday at Elizabeth Manor for a 54-hole 203, 7 under par.
Australian Lee Eagleton, who shared the lead with McKnight the first two rounds, posted a 2-over 72 and fell three shots back.
The University of North Carolina's Parker fired a 2-under 68 to move four strokes behind McKnight at 207.
Florida Southern's Daniel Konieczny is the only other player to break par for three rounds, firing a 3-under 67 Saturday for a 209. He shared low scoring honors for the day with DePauw's Richard Allen.
Four players are at par 210 - Old Dominion's Chris Krueger, Paul Carpenter of UNC-Charlotte, U.Va.'s Jimmy Flippen and defending champion Steve Liebler.
Flippen, the North-South runner-up, fashioned his second straight 68 after an opening 74.
``I don't know what I've got to have in this last round but I'll play my heart out,'' said Flippen.
Parker, a 20-year-old from Chapel Hill, N.C., was happy to find he was only four shots behind. ``I thought I was five,'' he said. ``But McKnight is one solid player.''
McKnight, who won the 1993 Eastern and was the oldest champion ever that year at 38, said he hoped Parker's assessment was correct.
``If I play well and lose, that's all right,'' he said. ``I just want to come out and have a solid round.''
For the second day in a row, McKnight viewed his play as ``so-so.''
``I really wasn't comfortable over the ball,'' said the Galax, Va., resident. ``I wasn't hitting it very good. But I had two or three good saves when I got in trouble.''
McKnight had 34-35 with birdies at the first hole, No. 8 and No. 11. He bogeyed No. 6 and No. 16.
The 22-year-old Eagleton shot 35-37 after matching McKnight's 64-70 start. He found trouble coming in, bogeying 14, 15 and 16. His 5-foot birdie putt rimmed out at the 18th.
``Just one of those days,'' Eagleton said. He said his right ring finger, bruised when he slammed a club into his bag at the close of his second round, was tender but didn't bother him.
Parker birdied Nos. 1, 7, 11 and 12 and had bogeys at the 8th and 13th holes.
Konieczny, an Eastern rookie from Mount Pleasant, Pa., didn't have a bogey Saturday and birdied Nos. 6, 8 and 15.
``I let birdies get away at the fourthwhen I missed a 6-footer and at 10 when I had a 4-footer rim out,'' Konieczny said. But he canned a 22-footer at the tough par-4 15th after a nifty 5-iron approach.
Allen's 67 advanced him into a tie for ninth place at 212. ``I couldn't hit the ball any better,'' he said.
Saturday's 10 sub-par rounds also included 69s by Nick Biesecker, Paul Carpenter, Troy Ferris, Old Dominion's Alan Zimmerman and Liebler. It was defending champion and Portsmouth native Liebler's second consecutive 69.
The leaders will tee off at noon in the final group today. ILLUSTRATION: LEADERBOARD
[For a copy of the list, see microfilm for this date.]
Tom McKnight, above, watches a putt roll at the 7th hole at
Elizabeth Manor. The 40-year-old from Galax, Va., who could break
the record as the Eastern's oldest champion that he set in 1993,
shook loose Saturday from Lee Eagleton, right, who matched
McKnight's 64-70 start for 36 holes, but ran into trouble late in
his third round of 2-over 72.
CHRISTOPHER REDDICK
Staff
EASTERN AMATEUR SCOREBOARD, PAIRINGS
[For a copy of the results, see microfilm for this date.]
by CNB