In his prime, John LoSchiavo was never the best amateur golfer in Augusta, but he was one of them.
The Florida native was an Augusta College golfer from 1978-82 and won the 1981 Augusta City Amateur. Current North Augusta Country Club head pro David Usry vividly remembers LoSchiavo, who left Augusta in 1986.
Usry was on the losing end of a sudden-death playoff when LoSchiavo won the city amateur.
Earlier this summer, the former rivals' paths crossed for the first time since LoSchiavo moved from Augusta to Memphis, Tenn.
It happened at the North Augusta Junior Invitational, where LoSchiavo's 14-year-old son, Jack, was competing.
Steve Leone, one of LoSchiavo's old friends who still lives in Augusta, had told LoSchiavo that Usry was the head pro at North Augusta Country Club, so LoSchiavo looked him up.
"I was excited to see him," LoSchiavo said.
LoSchiavo had beaten Usry, one of the top junior golfers Augusta ever produced, with a birdie on the third hole of sudden death in the city amateur.
"I didn't mention one thing about it, but I know both of us thought about it," LoSchiavo said. "Those kind of things you don't forget. He was a great golfer."
LoSchiavo, 44, now lives in Roswell, Ga. He and his wife, Peggy, have four children - Jack, 21-year-old Katherine, 20-year-old Julie and 11-year-old Susan.
LoSchiavo still visits Augusta at least once a month to see his sister, Gena Spencer, and her four children. Gena and her family live in the house that she, John and their sister Bonnie grew up in when they lived in Augusta from 1973-86. Their mother, Brigit, died in 1989, and their father, Art, died in 2002.
The house is located on Pine Needle Road, not far from Forest Hills Golf Club, where LoSchiavo played his collegiate golf and won the city amateur.
The house always brings back pleasant memories for LoSchiavo, including the celebration he and his friends and family had there after he won the city amateur.
"I'd say winning that tournament was one of the highlights of my golf career," said LoSchiavo, who won two college events. "Subsequently, I won two or three club championships (including the Goshen club championship in 1984) and other tournaments."
LoSchiavo never turned pro because, "I played with some very good guys in college and there is a difference between winning tournaments around here and being a pro that is making money. I never wanted to go into the golf business, like a PGA club pro, because I enjoy the game too much to work at it.
"I wanted to do something else on my time off than go play golf."
Instead, he and his wife started a family when LoSchiavo was 22. He concentrated on work, first with Harris 3M, a document products company, and now with his own company, Quality Recording Solutions.
"Our company provides voice and data recording solutions primarily to public safety agencies and call centers," said LoSchiavo, who has eight clients in Augusta. "We record what comes into dispatch centers, the voices that go in and out and all the data that's associated with the calls."
LoSchiavo seldom plays competitive golf anymore, but he's thinking about getting back into it on a regular basis.
"You get to a certain point where your business grows and you have a little breathing room and your kids get a little older," LoSchiavo said. "Plus, I really enjoy playing with my son Jack. That's a catalyst to get back into playing. That's a lot of fun for a parent."
Earlier this month, LoSchiavo played in the Augusta City Amateur for the first time since the mid-1980s.
A couple of weeks before the tournament, he was taking his son and 17-year-old nephew, Andrew Spencer, to Forest Hills.
"In the pro shop, I saw a sign about the city amateur coming up," LoSchiavo said. "My son Jack's still not ready for a tournament like that, but I said, 'Andrew, why don't we play? I'd never thought about playing again before that. I guess seeing the sign was an omen."
LoSchiavo, who carries a two-handicap at his home course of Bradshaw Farms in Roswell, shot 84-83-81-248 in the city amateur.
Before LoSchiavo teed off in the first round, Steve Leone's father, Jack, who was the starter, had a surprise up his sleeve. He introduced LoSchiavo as the 1981 champion.
"I kind of chuckled and said, 'Who paid you do to say that?' " LoSchiavo said.
Joe Bowles, one of LoSchiavo's playing partners who just met him, said "Whoa, I'm impressed."
"After the fifth hole, I said, 'Are you still impressed?'" LoSchiavo said.
"I'm disappointed I didn't play well, but it was fun," LoSchiavo said.
Reach David Westin at (706) 724-0851 or
david.westin@augustachronicle.com.
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