. New faces seize golfing limelight PEBBLE BEACH. Calif. (UPI) - Is This past week it was lietxke who players are hitting the ball, you have to golfs so-call- ed old guard fading? turned back another veteran of the, consider me now as one of the older 46-year-- If you use the first two tournaments tour, old Gene littler, beating 'Sometimes I feel as players, and I havent reached my 30th of the 1977 season as an argument, you the winner of 26 titles on the fourth hole birthday," said Miller, shaking his could build up a pretty good case for the of a playoff with a 65-fo-ot birdie putt in if I can hit the ball head. new bright faces on the PGA tour the Tucson Open. It was. Lietxke's first "The way they putt with no fear at fellows such as Jerry Pate, Bruce victory, but no one could consider it as into the next county' all, reminds me of when I first started Lietzke and Andy North. "justoneofthosetlnngs." out That's the key.putting. 23-years-- Pate burst on the scene last year to In the final round Sunday Lietxke Bruce Lietzke "When you are old, it comes win U. S. and Canadian Opens and fought off strong challenges by Bill easy. That's because you havent been the ' was easily best of the rookie crop. To Casper, Tony Jacklin and littler of the around to miss a few which would have' prove winning in 1976 was no fluke, the old guard and North from among the at Tucson National. won you some money." 23-year--old Georgian, now living in newer group and had the Tucson title Johnny Miller, who won the Tucson Lietxke is not all that young at 25. But Florirlv beat PGA champ .Dave sewed up until he pulled a five-fo-ot putt title three years running, but had to pull he played collegiate golf for four years of 35, on on the hole. only his third year Stockton, part the old guard at final That gave littler a out in the final round of this year's , and now is starting the first hole of a sudden-deat- h playoff chance, which, of course, Lietxke event when he became ill, put his finger on the tour. He made a mark of sorts for the Phoenix Open title two weeks snuffed out with his big birdie putt on on the current state of the tour. last year by placing 39th on the money, ago. the fourth extra hole, actually the 18th "The way some of these new, young list and thereby earning "exempt" status for 1977 in bis sophomore year. "I've never had any problems putting," Lietxke said of his Tucson victory. "But the part of my game I like best is bitting off the tee. Sometimes I feei as if I can hit the ball into the next county." While that may be true, Lietzke has learned a few tricks in his short time on tour. For instance, on the 465-yar- d, par-fo-ur 18th at Tucson National, twice Sunday he used a one iron off -- the tee and a three wood from the-fairwa- y. It proved the perfect combination for reaching the green in two. Quite a few players, gambling for distance, used a driver of four wood off the tee on that hole, some of them wound up in the water. The 18th is a dogleg right with lakes on each side of the fairway. Only Littler and Don Bies of the old guard broke into the top 10 at Tucson. The others, led, of course, by Lietzke and North who was third, were the so-call- ed kids. And they all are in California this week for the Crosby National Pro-A- m. A couple of the older fellows they will have to face here are two of the best names in the game Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer. - -.