Randy DeLoach Wins 1971 National Championship

Winston-Salem, NC (3-4 July 1971)

Randy DeLoach, 20, of Atlanta, Georgia, topped the 175 man field in the recent $10,000 National Championship at Winston-Salem's Putt-Putt Golf Course with a fantastic score of 218 for the 144-hole event.  DeLoach, the 1968 Amateur National Champion, posted a final day score of 100 for 72-holes to capture a one stroke lead in the prestigious putting event.  This 72-hole score earned for DeLoach a new title for the lowest score ever tallied - an amazing 44 under par.  The previous record of 39 under par was earned by Tom O'Brien of Cleveland during the previous day's competition.

DeLoach finished the first 72-holes of competition with a score of 118, in a six way tie for twelfth.  But second day rounds of 25, 27, 24, and 24 pushed the mop haired pro into a commanding lead.  By the final round, only two men had a chance of catching DeLoach, Bob Williamson of Jacksonville, Florida, and Rick Zola of Maple Heights, Ohio.  Williamson, a former PPA National Champion, dropped putts from all angles in an attempt to catch DeLoach; but, at the conclusion, found himself one stroke short of a victory which would have made him the second man in history to win the National Championship twice - a feat accomplished by Vance Randall of Chattanooga, Tennessee.  Williamson commented, "I didn't win but I putted as well as I know how."

Rick Zola finished third with a score of 220.  At the start of the last round, Zola stood an excellent chance of topping DeLoach's score.  But the Ohio pro was unable to claim the putts necessary for a victory.  "I wasn't sure I could catch him," stated Zola.  "I figured I'd just have to play it hole by hole."

DeLoach's victory earned more than a 72-hole record.  It also tied the 144-hole record of 70 under par held by Dick Florin, the reigning champion of the $100,000 World Putting Championship.

The new National Champion is a popular member of the PPA tour.  Many of his fellow pros joke with him about some of his comments in the past, including "How big is a three inch pipe?" or "What color is a baby blue XKE?"  DeLoach's latest comment concerns his lovely wife, Mindy.  "She brings me bad luck when she's watching me putt," states the veteran Putt-Putter with 14 years of experience.  "Every time she's on the course, I lose."  Mindy DeLoach adds, "The best thing I can do for him while he's playing is to go to sleep in the car."

In the amateur division, Kettering's Roger Hart earned a one stroke lead through Saturday's competition and managed to stretch out an eight stroke victory margin before the conclusion of play.  The popular 14 year old amateur, elected by the fellow amateurs to receive the 1971 Amateur Service Award, paralleled his putting career to the of pro champion DeLoach.  "As soon as I can turn pro," states Hart, "I'll be trying hard to follow Randy's example."

Roger Hart travels to tournaments with his father, Jim, and his younger brother, Jimmy.  All three if the Harts' are APA members and regular tournament participants.  Roger's father, Jim Hart, explained, "I got tired of watching them (his sons) play . . . so I started to play.  It's a little frustration when I can't beat either one of them."

Roger's best round in this event was 25, one stroke over his own previous best score.  The young amateur did not maintain his commanding lead throughout the entire tournament, "I lost the lead during the first round Sunday but the I got it back in the second round."

Interestingly, the first five finishers in the amateur ranks after Saturday's competition were still in the top five on Sunday, although in some cases their position changed.  The top five amateurs included Hart, Robert Smith of Dallas, Doug Cortellini of Indianapolis, Bill Kirby of Fayetteville, and Jay Vetter of Louisville.

Cortellini, the recent member of the $10,000 Amateur National Invitational in Indianapolis, dropped from second place and a one stroke deficit on Saturday to third and a nine stroke shortage on Sunday.  "The putts just weren't falling," stated Cortellini.  "I don't know what I could have done differently.  They just wouldn't go in the cup."

An amazing number of putts did fall for many participants in this event as evidenced by comparing the scores of the 1970 National Championship with this year's tournament.  Both the pro and amateur divisions of last year's Louisville tournament were won with scores of 230, 58 under par.  This year, a score of 230 would have only won $212.50 instead of the first place prize of $2,000.  Fourteen pros scored better than 230 this year.  Three amateurs performed equally as well.

In the $2,500 Pro/Am held on Friday, July 2, pro Mark Lordahl of Jacksonville, Florida, teamed with Jerry Krull of Cleveland, Ohio, to win the event.  They defeated Randy DeLoach and his partner, Jimmy Craig of Orlando, Florida, by a margin of four up with three holes to play.  The semi-finalist teams included pro Herman Strickland of Macon, Georgia, and amateur Glenn Thompson of Euclid, Ohio; and pro Dennis Crispin of Baltimore, Maryland, with amateur Roy Zerner, also of Baltimore.

Both the PPA and the APA held their annual business sessions at the National Championship.  The elective offices of each organization were filled and the annual honors were bestowed.  Here's a recap of those people recognized for various awards at this tournament.

Rick Smith of Muncie, Indiana, received the Tracy Moore Memorial Trophy for the best stroke average in the PPA over the last twelve months.  Smith tallied a 29.29 stroke average, four hundredths of a stroke ahead of Winston-Salem's Wilbur Hildebrand, to win this coveted traveling trophy.

The Gil Caito Sportsmanship Award was presented to Tommy Hoag of Jacksonville, Florida.  Hoag was elected by his fellow pros to receive this coveted honor.

The Amateur of the Year Award went to Gary English of Orlando, Florida.  English has proven himself to consistently be one of the best competitors in the APA.

The Amateur Sportsmanship Award was presented to young Jimmy Craig of Orlando, Florida.  Craig, an amputee as a result of complications arising from a broken leg, proved that, even on crutches, a man can be a strong competitor if he has the desire.

Six men were elected to the Pros Players Committee including Roger Moore (Chairman) of Atlanta, Georgia; Wilbur Hildebrand of Winston-Salem, North Carolina; John Connor of Greenville, South Carolina; Tom Belcher of Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Carl Strickland of Atlanta, Georgia; and Charlie Connor of Asheville, North Carolina.  Jeff Kipnis of Atlanta was selected to serve as the APA's representative to the Pros Playing Committee and the Board of Directors.