Sept. 30, 2015

U.S. Senior Amateur Bracket

EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP, N.J. – Former South Carolina men’s golf standout Steve Liebler earned runner-up honors in the semifinals of the U.S. Senior Amateur on Thursday at Hidden Creek Golf Club in Egg Harbor, N.J.

The sixth-seeded Liebler, a two-time (1980, 1981) All-American honorable mention honoree at Carolina, advanced to the semifinal round after defeating Kevin Cahill 6&5 earlier on Thursday.

His semifinal match against 10^th-seeded Tom Brandes went down to the wire, as neither golfer boasted a lead of more than two throughout the contest. Liebler went 1-up following a bogey by Brandes on hole No. 2, and the former Gamecock’s advantage was pushed to two following another bogey by Brandes on No. 5.

Brandes’ first birdie of the afternoon on No. 9 cut Liebler’s lead to one, and the match was all square after Liebler recorded a bogey on No. 13. The golfers matched one another on the next five holes, and the match was extended to an extra three holes. A birdie by Brandes on the 21^st hole of the contest sealed the victory for the Bellevue, Wash., native.

Liebler claimed four top-10 finishes during his career at South Carolina and notched victories at the 1979 Guilford College Intercollegiate and the 1981 Southeastern Intercollegiate.

Following five years on the PGA Tour, Liebler returned to his alma mater, where he coached the Gamecocks from 1985-95. He led South Carolina to four NCAA Championship Appearances and guided his team to the 1991 Metro Conference Title. Six All-Americans competed under Liebler throughout his coaching career, and in 2012 the Irmo, S.C., native was inducted into the South Carolina Athletics Hall of Fame.