Hilton Head Island, South Carolina-Steve Lowery of Birmingham, Alabama emerged as the winner of the 76th Annual Southern Amateur Championship, but only after a head to head match with John Spelman of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.

The winner was decided by a "sudden death" playoff since both players had completed the 72 holes of tournament play tied at 6 under par scores of 282. On the first hole of the playoff Lowery had a birdie to Spelman's par and thus Lowery earned the crown as 1982 Southern Amateur Champion.

Lowery returned scores of 73-68-71-70-282, 6 under par on the great Devil's Elbow South Course at Moss Creek Plantation. Spelman's scores were 69-73-71-69-282, also 6 under par for the 72 hole route. Jay Sigel of Berwyn, Pennsylvania finished third with rounds of 67-7373-71-284.

Fourth place was won by Lee Rinker of Stuart, Florida with a four round total of 285 consisting of rounds of 70-69-76-70. Finishing in fifth place was Scott Dunlop of Sarasota, Florida with rounds of 71-75-70-70-286.

Sixth place was shared by two players with scores of 289; Jack Veghte, Clearwater, Florida and Ray Biancalana, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. In 8th place was John Inman of Greensboro, North Carolina at 291; while Brad Faxon of Somerset, South Carolina was ninth at 292.

Four players shared the tenth place, tied at 293. These were Jeff Goettman, Durham, North Carolina; Stuart Smith, Nashville, Tennessee; Ignacio DeLeon, Sugarland, Texas and Danny Yates, Atlanta, Georgia.

At the end of the first 18 holes of play Jay Sigel took the lead by a thin one stroke margin by reason of his fine opening round 67 which is 5 under par. Close on his heels, however, were David Leveille of Baton Rouge, Louisiana with an opening round 68 followed by Spelman, Rinker, Mark Brooks, defending champion from Ft. Worth, and Dr. Gayle Sanchez from Baton Rouge, who each had rounds of 69. At this point one would have to consider Sigel as the favorite because of his proven record in both national and international competition.

However, at the end of 36 holes of play, Lee Rinker had taken over the lead and his 139 total, 5 under par, also gave him the medalist honors. At this point Rinker enjoyed a one stroke advantage over Sigel and a two stroke advantage over Lowery and Inman.

At the conclusion of 54 holes of play the lead changed again with Lowery in 1st place at 212, 4 under par. Following closely, at only 1 stroke behind was the trio of Spelman, Sigel and Inman. Also, at this point, Rinker and Veghte were only 3 strokes behind Lowery and all indications were that the Championship could still belong to any one of these closely-grouped players.

Spelman had a very fine closing round of 69, 3 under par, but Lowery refused to buckle under the pressure and his final round 70, 2 under par, gave him a total score of 282. Thus Lowery and Spelman were tied for the Championship. The first hole birdie by Lowery in the sudden-death playoff made him the winner.

Both Lowery and Spelman carry great credentials based on their past records and their respective college performances; and they both played superb golf and each was deserving of being the Champion. However, only one Champion can be recognized, and it is fitting that Steve Lowery's name will be added to the illustrious listing of winners of the Southern Amateur Championship.

The Devil's Elbow South Course at Moss Creek Plantation is truly a magnificent layout and a great test of golf. The excellent playing conditions presented a delightful challenge for all participants. The cooperation and assistance received from Tim Moss, Tournament Director and Golf Professional, and his staff, were outstanding and contributed immeasurably to the tremendous success of the 76th Southern Golf Association Championship.

The Bob Jones Trophy, awarded annually to the low team of four players from the some state (based on the first 2 rounds of tournament play), was won by Florida for the second year in a row. Their 36 hole team score was 575, based on the performance of Lee Rinker, Stuart (139); Jack Veghte, Clearwater (142); Scott Dunlap, Sarasota (146) and Ken Mattiace, Ponte Vedra Beach (148).