By Mike Wynn
South Carolina Bureau Chief
Article dated Feb. 23, 1996

FLINT, Mich. - A trip to Atlanta is firmly within the grasps of two Augustans heading into today's final round of the U.S. Olympic Table Tennis Trials.

Two wins each by Jim Butler and Amy Feng in their four remaining matches will clinch a spot on the team. Three spots each for the men's and women's teams are up for grabs at the competition.

The three male and female players with the best records after today will make the team. The two men and women with the best records will play singles for the respective squads. The players with the third best records will play doubles with the winners of the competition.

Butler and Feng have faced little opposition in their quest to make the team. Both enter today's final matches undefeated.

As expected, Feng has dominated a basically weak field, losing only one game in six matches. She won a seventh match by default.

A loss by Feng would be considered the upset of the tournament.

``Feel free to say that she will make the team,'' said Bob Allshouse, director of the US Table Tennis Association's training facility in Davison, Mich.

Butler has been nearly as dominant, winning 23 of 24 games in eight matches. He won a ninth match by default.

A good draw has helped the 1992 Olympian, facing players all ranked below him.

That changes today, as he will square off against the three players ranked above him - David Zhuang, Khoa Nguyen and Todd Sweeris, respectively. He needs to beat at least one of these players to win a spot on the team.

``It sounds and looks good right now, but he has not been truly tested yet,'' said Christian Lillieroos, Butler's coach. ``He has had the best draw of all the top players.''

Butler agreed, adding that he is far from being overconfident.

``As far as my game or anything, I haven't been tested yet,'' he said. ``I'm winning and winning convincingly, but I don't feel totally smooth yet.''

Smooth would be far from the way to describe Augusta player Derek May's day Thursday. After a stirring win over a tough Darko Rop in opening play during the morning session, May lost a gut-wrencher to future Augusta resident Brian Masters in five games.

Emotionally drained, he then lost to Sean O'Neill in straight games about 30 minutes later. A lost to Sweeris during the night session virtually ended his hopes of making the team.

``That was a heartbreaker,'' May said about the loss to Masters. ``My goal now is to finish as high as I can.''

The scheduling of matches so closely behind each other has drawn fire from some players and coaches. For example, Butler's three matches during Thursday's morning session were scheduled at 9, 10:30 and noon.

He then had to return for a night session for matches at 7 and 8:30.

``It's stupid,'' said Butler, who has had conditioning problems in the past. ``Never in international play do we play this many matches.''

Added Lillieroos: ``We have a tradition of beating our players to death. We may see some defaults on the last day.''

Paul Montville, executive director of USA Table Tennis, defended the tournament's scheduling.

``We want to get the toughest and the best players,'' he said. ``I almost call it trial by fire. A tournament like this will weed out the flukes.''