Warm, friendly, welcoming. Who says Lebanon is a closed county?
Yesterday, Craig Kliewer officially became one of us.
On a hot Sunday playing Pine Meadows Golf Course’s 6,037-yard, par-72 layout, Kliewer, a veteran player from Ephrata who plays the majority of his golf out of the Lebanon Country Club, captured top honors at the 66th annual Lebanon County Amateur Golf Championship. Kliewer fired a second-round score of one-under par 71 to beat runner-up Bill Massar, Jr. and the rest of the 31-player field by three shots.
Kliewer, who entered the final round of the prestigious event with a one-shot lead over Massar and John DiGiacomo, thanks to a two-under, opening round 70 on Saturday, counted 141 total strokes over the two days to collect his first Lebanon County Amateur title. Massar carded a one-over par 73 on Sunday, which, paired with an opening-round 71, gave him a 144 total that was even par.
DiGiacomo and his 71-75 (146) was third, followed by Jon Day, who posted an 80-71 (151), and Darren Lutz, who came in fifth with a 74-78 (152) total.
Two-time reigning Lebanon County Amateur champion Blake Reifsnyder did not defend his crowns.
Read More: Reifsnyder wins second straight Lebanon County Amateur Golf Championship
Before Sunday, Kliewer, who has become somewhat of a fixture at Lebanon County Golf Association events, had competed in the Lebanon County Amateur over the last decade or so, with a fourth-place finish being his best showing prior to this year’s contest.
“I don’t feel like an outsider anymore,” said Kliewer. “In the beginning, I was. The county stuff was new to me and meeting all these people. I love playing with these guys and sharing the camaraderie. I support every golf association. They all need participation.”
“I’m now on the board (the list of previous Lebanon County Amateur champions),” continued Kliewer. “I love the game, but I also like to give back. Why not have other people enjoy it too? I’m getting older and I was wondering if I can still compete. Now I know I can. I trust my game and don’t let anything fluster me.”
If 36 holes of golf in 90-plus degree temperatures is a marathon, then the race went to the steady Kliewer. After some intriguing gamesmanship between Kliewer, Massar, and DiGiacomo during the early portions of Sunday’s round, Kliewer emerged with the trophy simply because he refused to wilt.
Massar endured bogeys over three of his last five holes and DiGiacomo triple bogeyed the 172-yard, par-three 17th hole to drop from contention. Meanwhile, Kliewer was recording pars over his final four holes to finish with a back-nine score of 35, or one-under par.
“I didn’t feel nervous one bit,” said Kliewer. “I was in my skin. I didn’t think about the end until I got there. You just compete. They (Massar, DiGiacomo) force you to hit good shots because they know how to win.”
“I consider myself a pretty good ball striker, so if you want to call that steady, I’m steady,” Kliewer added. “I’ve always considered my concentration good, and I don’t allow things to get to me. I think that carries a lot of weight in this game.”
Courtesy of birdies at the 409-yard, par-four first hole, the 376-yard, par-four third hole and the 480-yard, par-five fifth hole, Massar established a lead during the early portions of Sunday’s final round. With birdies at the fifth, the 463-yard, par-five sixth hole and at the 132-yard, par-three ninth, DiGiacomo was one-under over his front-nine to tie Kliewer.
“It was close between us three until the very end,” said Kliewer. “I go out and play because I love the game. I didn’t think about the possibility of winning until after yesterday’s (Saturday’s) round. Making putts is my bug-a-boo and I made some putts this weekend.”
Kliewer rolled in an eight-foot birdie putt at the 349-yard, par-four 11th hole and a ten-foot birdie putt at the par-three 13th hole to put the pressure squarely on Massar and DiGiacomo.
“I was just trying to make pars, and if I had a birdie chance I tried to roll it in,” said Kliewer. “I play golf to compete. I love the competition. Johnny (DiGiacomo) and I play a lot of golf together and we usually have a fight to the end. It was sort of calming to have him playing with me. Bill is a great guy and such a good player.”
Day’s Sunday round of 71 consisted of three birdies, a pair of bogeys and 13 pars. With a front-nine score of 37 on Sunday, Lutz was still very much in contention, but carded a 41 over his last nine holes.
More photos from the tournament
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