THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, July 17, 1995 TAG: 9507170136
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: WILLIAMSBURG LENGTH: Long : 109 lines
When Jim Gallagher Jr. won in Greensboro earlier this season, his playing partner was a little-known 28-year-old pro from Wilkes-Barre, Pa., named Ted Tryba.
An amazed Tryba watched as Gallagher shot 64 and came from seven shots back to win.
``It was one of the best rounds of golf I'd ever seen,'' Tryba said. ``He was so calm and cool.''
Tryba, son of a retired high school math teacher, took notes.
And when test time arrived Sunday at the Anheuser-Busch Golf Classic, Tryba, which rhymes with Sheba, passed with honors.
Clinging to a one-shot lead over Scott Simpson as he came to the watery 18th hole at Kingsmill's River Course, Tryba split the fairway with his drive, drilled a 6-iron to within 12 feet and two-putted for his first PGA Tour victory.
Tryba, who led by four with six holes to play, shot a final-round of 3-under 68 to go with earlier rounds of 69-67-68. His 12-under total of 272 was the highest winning score at heat-drenched Kingsmill since Fuzzy Zoeller's 10-under in 1986.
Tryba had to hang on down the stretch as Simpson closed with birdies at the 13th, 14th and 17th holes.
But the former Ohio State All-American had the luxury of a lead built on holes he tore up all week - Nos. 8 through 11.
He was 7-under on those holes and is thinking about buying a condo behind the 413-yard, par-4 eighth, which statistically was the toughest hole of the week for the rest of the field. It gave up 50 birdies all week, and three of those were Tryba's.
``I just love this golf course,'' said Tryba, who tied for eighth here two years ago after leading at the midway point. ``Every tough hole out here sets up well for me.''
In the final round, Tryba hit a 7-iron to within six inches at the eighth, earning rousing gallery approval that could be heard holes away. It was his third consecutive birdie and got him to 12-under.
He bogeyed the ninth but bounced back with a birdie at the par-4 11th, which he birdied all four days.
Meanwhile Kingsmill touring pro Curtis Strange, his closest pursuer, was bogeying the 10th and 11th to fall four off Tryba's pace.
Strange had tantalized his faithful following by getting to 10-under with a birdie at the par-5 7th.
``I got off to a good start and didn't play well on the back,'' said Strange, who shot a 68 Sunday after his 65 Saturday lifted him into contention. ``I didn't play as well as yesterday.''
Third-round leader Jim Carter played the front nine in 4-over 40 to fall from the leaderboard. And Gallagher and Blaine McCallister, who had begun the day one shot back and tied with Tryba, spun out of control, both shooting 75.
Tryba was facing a new set of challengers on the final nine as Scott Hoch (67) and Lennie Clements (68) tied for third at 10-under with Carter, who rebounded on the back nine with an eagle and two birdies that came too late.
Tryba, who birdied the par-5 15th after hitting 3-wood to within 35 feet on his second shot, was at 13-under and led by three over Simpson, Hoch and Clements as he came to the 16th.
While Tryba hung a 6-iron approach shot and failed to save par from a greenside bunker, missing a 7-footer for par, Simpson was in the group ahead knocking in a 4-foot birdie putt at the par-3 17th to cut the lead to one.
Simpson made a miraculous par at the home hole after pushing his drive behind a pine tree and hitting a blind 4-iron under the branches to within 40 feet of the hole. His birdie putt, however, didn't threaten.
After Tryba hit his approach shot at the home hole, he knew the tournament was his as he celebrated by playfully banging fists with caddy Norm Blount and began to think of the rewards.
The victory earns Tryba a two-year PGA Tour exemption as well as invitations to this summer's World Series of Golf and next year's Mercedes Championships and The Masters.
And the $198,000 winner's share gives him $288,869 for the season, more than $40,000 more than he earned last year in his best previous season on tour.
Will he slow down a schedule that has him playing in more events than almost everyone else?
``I'm gonna keep playing,'' said the 6-foot-4 Tryba, who lists basketball as his favorite hobby. ``I'm not married. What else am I going to do, shoot hoops with my buddies?''
Prior to joining the PGA Tour full-time two seasons ago, Tryba had won three times between 1990 and 1992 on the Hogan Tour, the Nike Tour's predecessor.
``When I think about this win, no matter what happens to me, no matter where I go, I'm a member of all those TPCs (Tournament Players Clubs) for the rest of my life,'' laughed Tryba, who now resides in Orlando, Fla. ``I don't have to pay to play anywhere.
``As an old man I can move to Jacksonville and be out in a cart drinking beer and know I'm in, I'm a member.''
Chances are, meaning what this tournament now means to him, he'll be drinking a cold Anheuser-Busch product. ILLUSTRATION: Color staff photo by LAWRENCE JACKSON
Scott Simpson put some pressure on Ted Tryba with birdies at Nos.
13, 14, and 17, but couldn't produce a tying birdie at 18.
Photo
Scott Simpson put some pressure on Ted Tryba with birdies at Nos.13,
14,and 17, but couldn't produce a tying birdie at 18.
Graphic
Anheuser-Busch scoreboard, winner's scoreboard For copy of graphic,
see microfilm.
by CNB