Liebler, others set for SC Hall of Fame

Steve Liebler is not the longest player off the tee, and his putting sometimes gets a little shaky.

“But then you look at the scoreboard,” Bobby Foster said, “and he’s right there at the top.”

Indeed, thanks to pure ball-striking and a superb wedge game, Liebler has earned an abundance of championship hardware, and his accomplishments will be recognized Saturday with his induction into the South Carolina Golf Hall of Fame.

From the 1973 U.S. Junior Amateur to the 2016 U.S. Senior Amateur, he has excelled. From twice reaching the semifinals in USGA national championships to, at age 52, competing against the young guns (U.S. Public Links) and the older heavyweights (U.S. Senior Open) in the same year, his credentials sparkle.

His coaching success at the University of South Carolina, his competing on the PGA Tour and his off-course persona complete the picture.

“What people might not know is what a special person he is,” Mike Gravley, Liebler’s long-time four-ball partner, said. “He has donated his time and money to the game, and he’s always willing to help anyone who asks.”

Foster, a member of the State Golf Hall of Fame, recruited Liebler to USC twice – first as a player, then to become the Gamecocks’ golf coach – and echoed those thoughts, noting, “No one could ask for more in a person.”

Liebler, 58, grew up in a golfing family in the Tidewater area of Virginia. Through the years, he has competed in every USGA event for which he is eligible (except the recently created U.S. Four-Ball). He advanced to the semifinals in both the 2005 U.S. Mid-Amateur and the 2015 Senior Amateur, and he reached the Round of 16 in the 2016 U.S. Senior Amateur.

He made All-America at USC and played four years on the PGA Tour before he heeded Foster’s call to take over the Gamecocks’ men’s program. Six of his 10 teams made the NCAA Tournament. Along the way, he regained his amateur status.

Liebler said he applied to regain his amateur status so he could play with the youngsters he was recruiting. Plus, he said, “our children were at the age I hoped they wanted to play the game, and I could compete with and against them. Finally, if I could play at the level I thought, I could help increase the talent level in the area.”

Liebler, a regional manager for Colonial Life who lives in Irmo, calls himself “a marginal Tour player, good enough to keep my card, but I didn’t have the success of others. Being on the road and away from my family was very taxing, and coming back to the University was perfect for me.”

One of his best seasons came in 2011 at age 52. He won a couple of Carolinas PGA Section events, qualified for the U.S. Public Links against a field of mostly college-age players, won the Eastern Amateur and played in the U.S. Senior Open.

In a 36-hole qualifier, he earned his spot in the U.S. Public Links with an 8-under 64 in the second round to secure medalist honors.

His triumph in the Eastern Amateur – his third title in the tournament with each one coming in a different decade and this one 30 years after his first – followed. He beat the young guys with a course-record 29 on the back nine in the second round, shot a final 65 and birdied the first hole to win a playoff.

Those moments still come against younger players. He finished second in the 2016 Carolinas Mid-Amateur and won the 2016 Festival of Flowers, the latter with an eagle-2 on the first playoff hole.

Chip shots

Liebler and the late Bob Boyd will be inducted into the State Golf Hall of Fame during Golf Day ceremonies on Saturday at Columbia Country Club. In addition, state players of the year will be honored and other awards presented. For ticket information, call the SCGA (803-732-9311). … The state golf community mourns the loss of Georgia Hart, a grand lady of the game and a member of the S.C. Golf Hall of Fame who died Thursday. …Katelyn Dambaugh (Goose Creek/USC) earned the Carolinas Golf Association’s Player of the Year award among women and Trent Phillips (Inman) received top player recognition among junior boys. …Dustin Johnson (Columbia/Coastal Carolina) added the Golf Writers Association of America’s player of the year prize to his collection of 2016 trophies.

This story was originally published January 7, 2017 at 9:24 PM with the headline "Liebler, others set for SC Hall of Fame."