SCGA Amateur Championship History and Chronology
The SCGA Amateur is one of the nation’s oldest continuously contested amateur golf championships. The first SCGA Amateur was held less than one year after the Southern California Golf Association was formed on July 29, 1899. Only the Utah Amateur, begun in 1899, has a longer consecutive string (the U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur both predate the SCGA Amateur, but both USGA events were suspended during war years).
A match play format was used for the first 58 years of the tournament. In 1957, the format was changed to 72 holes of stroke play. In 1973, increasing interest and the number of entries resulted in regional qualifying with a 36-hole finale. The 72-hole stroke play format was reinstituted in 1974. In addition to the championship itself, for many years the tournament also had net competition in flights. However, due to the increasing popularity of this portion of the tournament, a separate SCGA Amateur Net Championship was created in 1993.
The list of SCGA Amateur champions includes many of the legendary names of golf. Charles E. Orr, who won the first title with a 6 & 4 win over SCGA President Peter Maud, was described as a “crack player from the Pasadena Country Club.” Another Pasadena resident, Dr. Paul Hunter, won a record five SCGA Amateur titles from 1912 to 1929. In 1925, George Von Elm became the only player ever to win the SCGA Amateur, Northern California GA Amateur and California Amateur in the same year (a year later, he became the first Southern Californian to win the U.S. Amateur).
In 1933, another legendary amateur, Charles Seaver (who was also the father of baseball Hall of Fame pitcher, Tom Seaver), won the California and Northern California GA Amateur. When he won the SCGA Amateur in 1934, he held all three titles at the same time for a few weeks; only Von Elm has equalled that feat.
The ‘40s were a golden age of golf in Southern California, with the likes of Johnny Dawson, Bobby Gardner and Bruce McCormick — all eventual Walker Cuppers — capturing SCGA Amateur titles. Notable winners in the 1950s included future PGA Champion Al Geiberger (in 1956 and 1959) and car dealer Fletcher Jones, while future PGA Tour members Barry Jaeckel, John Jacobs, Mark Pfeil, Tony Sills, Jeff Hart, Greg Twiggs, Dave Sheff, David Hobby, Paul Stankowski and Todd Demsey have won in subsequent decades. Among those who have tried to win the SCGA Amateur and failed are Craig Stadler, Scott Simpson, Corey Pavin, Mark O’Meara, Phil Mickel son, Duffy Waldorf and Jason Gore.
In recent years, Craig Steinberg has won four SCGA Amateur titles (1987, 1991, 1992, 1997), just the third person to accomplish that feat, joining Dawson, who won four times, and Hunter who won five titles. Scott McGihon joined the list of three-time winners when he won back-to-back titles in 2005-06, in addition to his 2000 win. In 1994, Tiger Woods, the most celebrated golfer of the current generation, won the SCGA Amateur at Hacienda GC, setting a four-round scoring record of 270 helped in large measure by a single-round record 62 in the third round.
Recapping the 2007 SCGA Amateur Championship
Brett Kanda of La Crescenta, a sophomore at UNLV, played superb golf for 68 holes and then survived a shaky finish to finish three shots ahead of Brian Edick of Valencia at Victoria Club in Riverside.
Kanda thus became just the second person to win both the CIF-SCGA High School Championship and the SCGA Amateur (joining Tiger Woods). Edick finished second for the third consecutive time. Kanda had made 10 birdies and two eagles through the first three rounds and shot 4-under-par 32 for the first nine holes on the final day. Two bogeys and double bogey in the first four back-nine holes made things interesting but Kanda righted the ship and sailed home with a four-round total of 275.
Click here for historical championship facts and notes
Championship Chronology
| Year |
Name |
Location |
Notes |
| 2007 |
Brett Kanda |
Victoria Club |
Brett Kanda of La Crescenta, a 20-year-old UNLV sophomore redshirt golfer, won his first SCGA Amateur Championship at Victoria Club when he topped three-time consecutive runner-up Brian Edick of Valencia by three shots, finishing at 9-under-par 68-66-70-71 -- 275. Kanda, whose only other SCGA major title was the 2005 CIF-SCGA Southern California High School Championship at The SCGA Golf Course, while he was in contention for the amateur championship title the two years before finally winning, finishing fifth in 2005 and tied for sixth in 2006. |
| 2006 |
Scott McGihon |
Bakersfield CC |
Scott McGihon of Bermuda Dunes won his third overall and second consecutive SCGA Amateur title when he held off Brian Edick and 15-year-old Bhavik Patel by one shot at Bakersfield CC. McGihon eagled the par-5 15th hole and birdied the par-4 16th to take a 3-stroke lead, then finished bogey, double bogey and had to wait until Edick and Patel both missed par putts on the 72nd hole that would have forced a three-hole aggregate playoff. McGihon finished with scores of 68-75-69-70 — 282, 6 under par. Patel was bidding to become the youngest winner of the event. |
| 2005 |
Scott McGihon |
Tijeras Creek GC |
Scott McGihon held off five young players to win his second championship with a four-round total of 279 (9 under par) at Tijeras Creek. McGihon was five strokes off the lead beginning the final round, but closed with a 69. Brian Edick recovered from an opening-round 74 to fall short by just one stroke, while high school standout Cameron Tringale lost a three-stroke lead on his home course to finish third. CIF-SCGA champion Brett Kanda, another high school standout, finished fourth, college player Greg Lopez finished fifth, and Erik Jarvey, who posted the lowest score in the first round (67), finished sixth. |
| 2004 |
Tim Hogarth |
Hillcrest CC |
Tim Hogarth won his fourth major amateur title (he is also the 1996 U.S. Amateur Public Links, 1999 California Amateur and 1999 SCGA Mid-Amateur Champion) with a 279 at Hillcrest CC. He was the only player to shoot under par for the tournament, finishing 1-under-par. 2000 SCGA Amateur Champion and 2002 Mid-Am Champion Scott McGihon was 3 under par for the final two rounds but finished four strokes behind for second, while Steve Conway finished five strokes off for third. Defending champion Roy Moon lead the pack with an opening 68, but finished six strokes behind for fourth. |
| 2003 |
Roy Moon |
Torrey Pines GC |
UCLA junior Roy Moon came from behind to gain the lead with three holes left, winning by two strokes with a 6-under-par 282 at Torrey Pines GC’s South Course. Moon topped teammate Steve Conway, who after not breaking par his first two rounds, collected a pair of 69s in the last two. Defending champion Nico Bollini opened the tournament at 9-under par his first two rounds, but finished three off the lead for third. Mark Warman hit a wrong ball and was penalized two strokes, but still finished fourth at 2 under par. UC Irvine’s Mike Lavery shot a 75 in the final round, but managed to finish in the top five for the second straight year. |
| 2002 |
Nico Bollini |
El Caballero CC |
USC sophomore Nico Bollini beat two other collegians, eagling the second hole in a three-hole playoff, to win 282 at El Caballero CC. Defending champion John Merrick and Michael Lavery came in second and third, respectively. Scott McGihon tied for fifth at El Cab with 286 with Ron Won. |
| 2001 |
John Merrick |
La Jolla CC |
UCLA sophomore John Merrick scored two-stroke victory (280 total) at La Jolla CC over teammate Travis Johnson. Former champion John Pate registered the tournament's lowest score in the first round (66) to take an early lead, but Long Beach State's Steve Mena posted his second consecutive 69 in the afternoon round to assume the lead. In the third round, Merrick, who had moved into contention with a 67 after a first-round 74, shot a 70 and everyone else went the other way, leaving him with a three-stroke advantage. It proved to be a sufficient cushion for the final day. Reigning U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Greg Puga was in a group five strokes behind Johnson. |
| 2000 |
Scott McGihon |
Rancho Santa Fe GC |
After twice coming close, Scott McGihon (280) finally won his first SCGA Amateur at Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club. The 32-year-old McGihon was the only player under par on the venerable Max Behr-designed and posted a four-shot margin over 1995 U.S. Junior Amateur champion Terry Noe and San Diego’s Darin Sullivan, who works as a cart attendant at Rancho Santa Fe. |
| 1999 |
John Pate |
Industry Hills GC |
John Pate of Santa Barbara (287) birdied the final two holes on Industry Hills GC’s Eisenhower Course to win the centennial playing of the SCGA Amateur Championship by one shot over Scott McGihon. The win marked a breakthrough for Pate, whose younger brother, Steve, won six PGA Tour titles. John had been runner-up in the 1995 California Amateur Championship but had never won a SCGA “major” until the big one. |
| 1998 |
Greg Padilla |
The SCGA GC |
Greg Padilla of Del Mar CC (277) , a student at Arizona State University, rallied on the last day to post a two-shot victory over Mike Samoles, Ed Cuff, Jr. and Scott McGihon. Cuff had won the California Amateur earlier in the summer. |
| 1997 |
Craig Steinberg |
Lakeside GC |
Craig Steinberg, Rancho GC (277), returned to Lakeside GC where he caddied as a youth and won his fourth SCGA Amateur Championship by one shot over California Amateur champion Jason Gore. Steinberg joined Paul Hunter (5) and Johnny Dawson (4) as the only player to win four or more SCGA Amateur titles. |
| 1996 |
Kevin Marsh |
Santa Maria CC |
Kevin Marsh, La Cumbre (278) survived a two-hole playoff to defeat 1990 SCGA Amateur champion Pat Duncan, Rancho Santa Fe, at Santa Maria CC. Marsh was a graduate of Pepperdine University; the following year he would serve as assistant coach as the Waves won the NCAA Division I team title. |
| 1995 |
Charlie Wi |
Santa Ana CC |
Charlie Wi, Wood Ranch (280) who had won the 1990 California Amateur Championship the summer after he graduated from high school, became the 13th person to win both the California Amateur and SCGA Amateur when he posted a four-shot victory over Jim Lundstrom and Jorge Corral at Santa Ana CC. Corral had shot an eight-under-par 63 during the third round. |
| 1994 |
Tiger Woods |
Hacienda CC |
Eighteen-year-old Tiger Woods of Cypress set a tournament record of 270 and defeated Mark Johnson of Helendale (275) at Hacienda GC. Woods set a course and tournament record of 62 in third round (breaking the tournament mark of 64 set by Duffy Waldorf in 1982). Woods went on to win Porter Cup, Western Amateur and U.S. Amateur. He was third youngest winner in history (behind Paul Hunter and Doug Clarke). |
| 1993 |
Todd Demsey |
Brentwood CC |
Todd Demsey, La Costa CC and La Quinta Hotel GC, (284) defeated Craig Anderson, Pauma Valley, (285) at Brentwood CC. Demsey, the 1992 California Amateur champion, also won 1993 Pacific Coast Amateur at Shaughnessy CC in Vancouver and was a member of 1993 Walker Cup team. |
| 1992 |
Craig Steinberg |
Fairbanks Ranch CC |
Craig Steinberg, Braemar CC, (284) defeated Bob Clark (284) on the first extra hole of a playoff at Fairbanks Ranch CC. Steinberg's third title was made tougher on the final hole of regulation when he required two drops in a bunker to achieve an unimpeded swing. Clark came up two inches short in his second bid for the title when a tough pitch shot didn't find the flagstick during sudden death. |
| 1991 |
Craig Steinberg |
Bel-Air CC |
Craig Steinberg, Braemar CC, (283) defeated Bob Clark, Bear Creek CC, (284) at Bel-Air CC. Tied prior to the final round, Clark led by three strokes before taking a triple-bogey on 15, then missed a 10-foot putt to tie on 18. |
| 1990 |
Pat Duncan |
Wilshire CC |
Pat Duncan, Rancho Santa Fe CC, (279) defeated Paul Stankowski (280) at Wilshire CC. Stankowski, defending champion and 1990 Western Athletic Conference champion, bogeyed three of the last four holes. |
| 1989 |
Paul Stankowski |
Glendora CC |
Paul Stankowski, CBC Port Hueneme GC, (279) defeated Randy Drake, Glendora CC, (282) at Drake's home course. Stankowski, a junior at University of Texas El Paso, is a two-time winner on the PGA Tour. |
| 1988 |
Craig Steinberg |
Annandale GC |
Craig Steinberg, Braemar CC, (286) defeated Dave Sheff, Oakmont, and James Camaione, Crystalaire CC, (287) at Annandale GC. It was the first of four titles for Steinberg in a 10-year-span. |
| 1987 |
Greg Starkman |
Braemar CC |
Greg Starkman, Hillcrest CC, (283) defeated Steve Lass, Glendora CC, (285) at Braemar CC. It was Starkman's seventh try at the title; he tied for second in 1983 but failed to make the 36-hole cut in 1986 when the tournament was held on his home course. |
| 1986 |
Dave Sheff |
Hillcrest CC |
Dave Sheff, Newport Beach CC, (285) defeated Buz Greene, North Ranch CC, Dennis Iden, Old Ranch CC, Rob Geiberger, Montecito CC, Pat Duncan, Rancho Santa Fe CC, (286) at Hillcrest CC. Sheff avoided a five-way-playoff with a par on the final hole, after taking three shots to get out of a bunker on the par-three 16th hole. |
| 1985 |
Brad Greer |
Virginia CC |
Brad Greer, Mission Hills CC, (274) defeated Brian Mahon, Rancho Bernardo CC, (286) at Virginia CC. Greer dominated the tournament with a record 274, surpassing Bruce McCormick's record of 280 set in 1963. His 12-shot-margin was six shots better than U.T. Thompson's spread in 1969. |
| 1984 |
Brad Greer |
San Gabriel CC |
Brad Greer, Mission Viejo CC, (285) defeated Sam Randolph, La Cumbre CC, (286) at San Gabriel CC. Randolph lost on the final hole, hitting into a bunker, then two-putting from 20 feet. Later that summer, he was runner-up in the U.S. Amateur (an event he won the following year) |
| 1983 |
David Hobby |
Santa Maria CC |
David Hobby, Santa Ana CC, (285) defeated Greg Starkman, Hillcrest CC, Sam Randolph, La Cumbre CC, (286) at Santa Maria CC. |
| 1982 |
Mark Blakely |
Stockdale CC |
Mark Blakely, West Coast Amateur Golf Association, (284) defeated Duffy Waldorf, Calabasas Park CC, (285) at Stockdale CC. Waldorf carded a course-record 64 on final round (including a back nine of 29) to come from 10 strokes back. Blakely played out of a bunker on the final hole to win. |
| 1981 |
Greg Twiggs |
Stardust CC |
Greg Twiggs, West Coast Amateur Golf Association, (285) defeated Jeff Hart, Lomas Sante Fe CC, (286) at Stardust CC. Hart missed a 5-foot put on the final hole after Twiggs holed a 15-footer. Six former champions were entered in tournament. |
| 1980 |
Jon (Bud) Ardell |
Oakmont CC |
Jon “Bud” Ardell, a 23-year-old Bakersfield CC member, shot 71-75-73-71 — 290, 2 over par at Oakmont CC, and defeated defending champion Jeff Hart of Lomas Santa Fe and Don Bliss of Mission Viejo by three shots. Hart had the lead midway through the final round but Ardell eagled the par-5 ninth Hart bogeyed six back-nine holes. |
| 1979 |
Jeff Hart |
Hacienda GC |
Jeff Hart, Lomas Santa Fe CC, (288) defeated Brian Gaddy, Annandale GC, (291) at Hacienda GC. Gaddy had a quadruple bogey on the 16th hole of the third round. Ted Richards Jr. finished seventh with 295. |
| 1978 |
Brian Gaddy |
Bal-Air CC |
Brian Gaddy, Annandale GC, (284) defeated Mark Wiebe, Meadow Lake CC, (284) on the second hole of sudden death at Bel-Air CC. Gaddy's putting earned him the title as he sank a 12-footer on the 17th and a 10-footer on the 18th to tie, he then holed a 10-foot put on the first sudden-death hole and an 8-footer for the win. Gaddy also had a hole-in-one on the 194-yard 16th hole during the third round. |
| 1977 |
Doug Clarke |
La Jolla CC |
Doug Clarke, La Jolla CC, (287) defeated Brett Mullin, Riverside CC, Curtis Worley, Coronado CC, and Scott Simpson, Stardust CC, (288) at La Jolla CC. The l8-year-old Clarke sank a 15-foot put on the 72nd hole to avoid a four-way sudden death playoff at his home course. He won the 1976 Trans Mississippi Championship and was runner-up in the 1976 Junior World and USGA Junior Championships. Simpson was a two-time NCAA Champion. |
| 1976 |
Tony Sills |
California CC |
Tony Sills, Riviera CC, (287) defeated Joe Simpson, Stardust CC, (288) at California CC. The 20-year-old Sills finished third in 1975 and 1973. Simpson is the father of NCAA Champion Scott Simpson, who would later win 1987 U.S. Open. |
| 1975 |
Lee Davis |
Wilshire CC |
Lee Davis, a 30-year-old former USC captain and professional, shot 72-70-71-69 — 282 at Wilshire CC and defeated Art Butler, Jr. by five shots. Davis, a multiple club champion at The Los Angeles CC, was the only player under par (-2) for the event. Davis captained the USC golf team in 1966 and finished third in SCGA Amateur Championship in 1974. Butler's father (Dr. Art Butler) was a two-time finalist in state Amateur Championship. |
| 1974 |
Jim Porter |
Brentwood CC |
Jim Porter, Red Hill CC, (293) defeated Ted Richards (293) at Brentwood CC Porter, now the head golf professional at Red Hill, won on the fourth hole of sudden death over 51-year-old Richards. |
| 1973 |
John Richardson |
El Niguel CC |
John Richardson, El Niguel CC (144) defeated Ed Korylak, Rio Hondo CC, (146) at El Niguel CC. SCGA began regional qualifying to allow all members a chance to play. At age 52, Richardson was the oldest person to win the SCGA Amateur Championship. |
| 1972 |
Mark Pfeil |
Hillcrest CC |
Mark Pfeil, Palos Verdes CC, (284) defeated Craig Stadler, La Jolla CC, (286) at Hillcrest CC. Pfeil was medalist in the 1972 California Amateur at Pebble Beach, won the 1972 Pacific Coast Amateur at Pauma Valley CC, played on the 1973 U.S. Walker Cup squad and won the 1974 Pacific Coast Amateur. |
| 1971 |
John Beetham |
Virginia CC |
John Beetham, Yorba Linda CC, (282) defeated Alan Tapie, Rio Hondo CC (284) at Virginia CC. |
| 1970 |
Gary Sanders |
Oakmont CC |
Gary Sanders (283), Los Coyotes CC, defeated Steve Cook (287) Los Alamitos CC at Oakmont CC. |
| 1969 |
U.T. Thompson III |
Hacienda GC |
U. T. Thompson III (281), Wilshire CC, defeated Kip Puterbaugh (287), La Jolla CC, at Hacienda GC. |
| 1968 |
Barry Jaeckel |
Lakeside GC |
Barry Jaeckel, Riviera CC, (281) defeated Greg Pitzer, Riviera CC, and Kemp Richardson, El Niguel CC, (287) at Lakeside GC. KTTV covered final day of tournament. Richardson was Pacific 8 Champion from USC. Bud Bradley withdrew from the tournament after 54 holes while trailing by two strokes to take his wife to the hospital for their baby's birth. |
| 1967 |
Greg Pitzer |
Riviera CC |
Greg Pitzer, Riviera CC, (289) defeated Ted Richards (294) at Riviera CC. Earlier in the year, the SCGA board of directors decided to limit Southern California Amateur Championship to SCGA members only. |
| 1966 |
John A. Jacobs |
Victoria Club |
John Jacobs defeated Kemp Richardson, on third hole of sudden death at The Victoria Club. Jacobs, another of the fine USC golfers, has become a major player on the Senior PGA Tour. |
| 1965 |
Richard Davies |
Annandale GC |
Richard Davies (285), Annandale GC, defeated James Gilbert (288), Singing Hills CC at Annandale GC. Davies won British Amateur Championship in 1962 and played on the 1963 U.S. Walker Cup squad, then didn't play in another tournament until this one. Gilbert was the No. 1 golfer on San Diego State team. |
| 1964 |
Larry Brown |
San Gabriel GC |
Larry Brown (283), San Gabriel CC, defeated John McGlone (285) at San Gabriel CC. |
| 1963 |
Bruce McCormick |
Hillcrest CC |
Bruce McCormick, San Gabriel CC, defeated Ted Richards Jr. by one shot at Hillcrest CC. McCormick set a tournament record score with his 72-hole total of 280.. It was McCormick's third SCGA Amateur title, a record exceeded only by Paul Hunter (with 5) and Johnny Dawson and Craig Steinberg (4 each). A record field of 580 players began qualifications, and juniors were allowed to play in the championship flight. |
| 1962 |
Larry Bouchey |
Virginia CC |
Larry Bouchey (282), Rio Hondo CC, defeated Richard Glover (285), Gilman Hot Springs CC at Virginia CC. Bouchey was a former professional. |
| 1961 |
Ted Richards, Jr. |
The Los Angeles CC |
Ted Richards Jr. (285) defeated Gene Andrews (287) at The Los Angeles CC. Andrews was later named to the Walker Cup team. |
| 1960 |
Ben Alyea |
Brentwood CC |
Ben Alyea (285), Fox Hills GC, defeated Ted Richards Jr. (286), Bel Air CC. Alyea won battle of UCLA grads at Brentwood CC. |
| 1959 |
Alan Geiberger |
Oakmont CC |
In a battle of former champions, Geiberger (281) defeated Richards Jr. (285) at Oakmont CC in the 60th annual SCGA championship. Geiberger, a senior at USC, claimed this title as his eighth consecutive amateur tournament championship. |
| 1958 |
Frank Hixon |
Wilshire CC |
Frank Hixon (285), South Hills CC, defeated Bud Taylor (288), Red Hill CC. For the first time, the event was played as 72 holes of stroke play on four courses in four days, with the final round televised at Wilshire CC. The entry fee was raised from $5 to $10. Hixon won title 19 years before under match-play, the longest gap between titles. |
| 1957 |
Vern Callison |
Lakeside GC |
In the last SCGA Amateur to be played at match play, Verne Callison, Sacramento, defeated Geiberger, 1 up at Lakeside GC. Geiberger missed a 30-inch putt on the 35th hole to give Callison a 1-up lead, then had a 20-footer hit the cup and bounce away on the 36th which would have forced a playoff. It was sweet revenge for Callison, who lost to Geiberger in the quarterfinals of the 1953 California Amateur Championship. |
| 1956 |
Alan Geiberger |
Santa Ana CC |
Alan Geiberger, Montecito CC, defeated Dick Foote, Santa Ana CC, 9 & 8 at Santa Ana CC in a matchup of 18-year-old finalists. Two years earlier, Geiberger had lost to Bud Bradley in the finals of the U.S. Junior Amateur at The Los Angeles CC. In 1966, Geiberger won the PGA Championship. |
| 1955 |
Jerry Steelsmith |
Annandale GC |
Jerry Steelsmith, Oakmont CC, defeated McCormick, San Gabriel CC, 2 & 1 at Annandale GC. |
| 1954 |
Ted Richards, Jr. |
San Gabriel CC |
Ted Richards Jr., Bel Air CC, defeated Sandy Mosk Jr., Riviera CC, 3 & 2 at San Gabriel CC. Prior to joining Bel-Air, Richards had captured the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship the year before. |
| 1953 |
Fletcher Jones |
The Los Angeles CC |
Fletcher Jones, Bel-Air CC, defeated Robert Morefield, LACC, 5 & 4, at The Los Angeles CC. Jones, who later became a successful automobile dealer, came to California to accept a basketball scholarship from USC, while Morefield was a golfer for UCLA. |
| 1952 |
John W. Dawson |
Hillcrest CC |
Dawson became only the second person to win four SCGA Amateur titles when he defeated Bob McCallister, San Gabriel CC, 2 up at Hillcrest CC. Dawson was the oldest tourney finalist at 44 years old, while McCallister, who was graduated from Whittier High one week prior to the tournament, was 18. |
| 1951 |
Jim Ferrie |
Virginia CC |
For the second consecutive year, Jim Ferrie defeated Del Walker, this time 2 & 1, on their home course. |
| 1950 |
Jim Ferrie |
Oakmont CC |
Jim Ferrie, Virginia CC, defeated a fellow club member, Del Walker, 1 up, at Oakmont CC. Fast play prevailed, as the two took a total of 5 hours and 10 minutes to play 36 holes on final day. Ferrie trailed until 32nd hole before rallying to win. Walker went on to become coach at Cal State Long Beach and a long-time SCGA committeeman. |
| 1949 |
Jerry Douglas |
Victoria Club |
Jerry Douglas, playing on his home course, prevented a McCormick "three-peat" when he the two-time defending champion, 1 up, in the 50th renewal of the SCGA Amateur Championship at The Victoria Club. |
| 1948 |
Bruce McCormick |
Wilshire CC |
McCormick defeated Ray Sleppy, Palos Verdes GC, 1 up at Wilshire CC to win his second consecutive SCGA Amateur title. |
| 1947 |
Bruce McCormick |
The Los Angeles CC |
Bruce McCormick, Lakeside GC, defeated Mac Hunter, Riviera CC, 1 up after 36 holes at The Los Angeles CC. Hunter, the son of 1923 champion Willie Hunter, went on to win the 1949 California Amateur and eventually become head professional at Riviera CC. His son, also named Mac, won the 1972 California Amateur. |
| 1946 |
Bobby Gardner |
Virginia CC |
Robert Gardner, La Jolla CC, defeated Dawson, 2 & 1 at Virginia CC. Gardner won the California Amateur the next year. Dawson defeated actor Forrest Tucker, 7 & 6 in the semifinals. |
| 1945 |
John Dawson |
San Gabriel CC |
For the second consecutive year and third time in four years, Dawson defeated McCormick, this time 4 & 3 at San Gabriel CC. McCormick went on to win the California Amateur Championship later in the year. |
| 1944 |
John Dawson |
Lakeside GC |
Dawson again defeated McCormick, but this time the match went 37 holes. The tournament was played at Lakeside GC, which was each golfer's home course. |
| 1943 |
Smiley Quick |
Hillcrest CC |
Smiley Quick defeated Steve Tiberg, Annandale GC, 6-5 at Hillcrest CC. Quick defeated defending champion John Dawson 5 & 4 in semi-finals. Sectional qualifying introduced by Lakeside GC's Maurie Luxford, allowed a field of 503, largest in tournament history. |
| 1942 |
John Dawson |
The Los Angeles CC |
John Dawson, Lakeside GC, defeated Bruce McCormick, Oakmont CC, 10 & 8 at The Los Angeles CC in the most lopsided final since 1925. It was the first of four titles that Dawson would win in a 10-year span. |
| 1941 |
Pat Abbott |
Oakmont CC |
Pat Abbott, Flintridge CC, defeated Jim Clark, Lakewood CC, 3 & 2 at Oakmont CC. Clark defeated 1940 champion Smiley Quick 8 & 7 in semifinals. This was the first SCGA Amateur Championship at Oakmont. |
| 1940 |
Smiley Quick |
Lakeside GC |
Smiley Quick, Cloverfield CC, defeated Ralph Evans, Brentwood CC, on the 38th hole at Lakeside GC. Evans defeated Pat Abbott, who was the heavy favorite to win the tournament, in a first round match. The field included 286 entries, up from 69 in 1939 and 86 in 1938. |
| 1939 |
Frank Hixon |
Annandale GC |
Frank Hixon, Midwick CC, defeated Pat Abbott, 2 & 1 at Annandale GC. Hixon, a survivor of infantile paralysis, would win a second SCGA Amateur title 19 years later at Wilshire CC. |
| 1938 |
Pat Abbott |
California CC |
Pat Abbott, Altadena Golf Course, defeated Guy Hanson, Lakeside GC, 5 & 4 at California CC. Abbot, who won the 1936 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship, became the first public course players to win the SCGA Amateur; he won again in 1941. |
| 1937 |
Jack Gaines |
Riviera CC |
Jack Gaines defeated Jimmy McHale, 7& 6 to win his second SCGA Amateur title. It was the first SCGA Amateur Championship played at Riviera CC. Gaines was also the 1935 California Amateur champion. |
| 1936 |
Roger Kelly |
San Diego CC |
Roger Kelly, LACC, defeated Gibson Dunlap, Oakmont CC, 3 & 2 at San Diego CC, the first time the event had been held outside of Los Angeles County. Kelly won back-to-back California Amateur titles in 1938-39 and became one of the finest amateur golfers ever; the Kelly Cup at Lakeside GC is named after him. |
| 1935 |
Harry Wesbrook |
The Los Angeles CC |
Harry Wesbrook, Annandale GC, defeated Gibson Dunlap, Oakmont CC, 2 & 1. Wesbrook never trailed in the tournament at The Los Angeles CC. |
| 1934 |
Charles Seaver |
Bel-Air CC |
Charles Seaver defeated Lynn Lardner, Brentwood CC, 7 & 6 at Bel-Air CC. Seaver was the son of 1920 champion E. H. (Everett) Seaver and father of baseball hall-of-fame pitcher Tom Seaver. Seaver was also just the second person to hold both the SCGA, NCGA and California Amateur titles having won the State in 1933. Lardner was Wisconsin State Champion in 1932. |
| 1933 |
Harold Thompson |
Brentwood CC |
Harold Thompson defeated Neil White, USC, 2 up at Brentwood CC. Thompson defeated Dave Martin, the 1931 SCGA and California Amateur champion, before facing White. White was defending state champion after beating Thompson in the 1932 state finals 3-2. |
| 1932 |
Jack Gaines |
San Gabriel CC |
Jack Gaines, Oakmont CC, defeated Harold Thompson, Oakmont CC, 2 & 1 before a record gallery of 1,000 at San Gabriel CC. Gaines was 2-down after 18 holes, but four birdies on the final 18 fueled his victory. Thompson defeated Joe Hunter on the 41st hole in their semifinal match |
| 1931 |
David Martin |
The Los Angeles CC |
David Martin, California CC, defeated W. L. (Wild Bill) Jelliffe, El Caballero CC, 2 up at Los Angeles CC. This marked the first time that the tournament was all match play with no qualifying round or medal play. The championship trophy was presented to Martin by Bobby Jones. |
| 1930 |
Fay Coleman |
Midwick CC |
Fay Coleman defeated Russell Thompson, Oakmont CC, 3-2 at Midwick. This was Coleman's second SCGA Amateur title. |
| 1929 |
Gibson Dunlap |
Bel-Air CC |
Gibson Dunlap, Riviera CC, defeated David Martin, California CC, on the 38th at Bel-Air CC. All of the "old guard" players were eliminated by the semifinals. Dunlap, a junior at UCLA, won on the second extra hole when a missed putt stymied Martin, who would come back to win the title two years later. The 38-hole final match is a tournament record. |
| 1928 |
Fay Coleman |
Midwick CC |
Fay Coleman, California CC, defeated Charles 17-year-old Seaver, 6 & 4 at Midwick CC. In 1933 Seaver (whose father had won the 1920 SCGA Amateur) went on to win the Northern California GA and California Amateur and the following year won the SCGA Amateur. |
| 1927 |
George Von Elm |
Lakeside GC |
George Von Elm defeated Paul Hunter, Annandale, 7 & 6. First time fans are charged to attend the tournament, $2 for the week. Five former champions in the field, including Von Elm who also won the 1926 National Amateur Championship. Rain delayed the final match one day, first time the event was held at Lakeside GC. |
| 1926 |
Paul Hunter |
California CC/Brentwood CC |
Paul Hunter defeated R. G. Cawsey, California CC, 10 & 9, to win his fifth SCGA Amateur crown, a record that still stands. It was also the second-largest margin in a final match. This marked the first time that the tournament was held at California and Brentwood CCs. |
| 1925 |
George Von Elm |
The Los Angeles CC |
George Von Elm defeated Norman Macbeth, Wilshire CC, 12 & 10 at Los Angeles CC, the largest final-match margin in tournament history. Von Elm went on to win the 1925 Northern California Golf Association and California Amateur championships, making him the only man to win all three titles in the same year. The following year, Von Elm won the U.S. Amateur Championship. |
| 1924 |
Paul Hunter |
Annandale GC |
Paul Hunter defeated Willie Hunter, 2 & 1 at Annandale GC (Paul Hunter's home course). It was Paul Hunter's first tournament after getting married. The best match of the tournament was during the second round between Fred Wright, Flintridge CC, and W. W. Campbell, Los Angeles CC, which Wright won on the 26th hole. The field included five former champions among 130 entries. |
| 1923 |
Willie Hunter |
Midwick CC |
Willie I. Hunter, Rancho CC, defeated E. S. Armstrong, Midwick, 2 & 1 at Midwick CC. Hunter (no relation to Paul) was 1921 British Amateur Champion and 1922 runner-up. He arrived at the newly rebuilt Midwick course by train the morning of qualifying. |
| 1922 |
George Von Elm |
Flintridge CC/Pasadena CC |
George Von Elm, Rancho CC, defeated E. H. Seaver, LACC, 5 & 4. Von Elm arrived from Salt Lake City with a big reputation for sterling tournament play. This marked the first time the tournament was held at Pasadena CC and Flintridge CC. |
| 1921 |
Paul Hunter |
The Los Angeles CC |
Dr. Paul Hunter, Annandale and Midwick, defeated Robert E. Hunter, Midwick, 6 & 4 in a 36-hole match at Los Angeles CC. Paul Hunter returns to the tournament as a physician and defeats his cousin in the final. Dr. Hunter qualified with a 144. He then played on the U. S. International Golf team (precursor to the Walker Cup) which defeated Great Britain. |
| 1920 |
E.H. Seaver |
The Los Angeles CC |
E.H. Seaver, LACC, defeated J. F. Neville of San Francisco, SFCC, 3-2 at Los Angeles CC. Seaver, who had just won the Trans-Mississippi Championship, is the father of Charles Seaver (1934 SCGA Amateur champion - see separate box) and grandfather of Baseball Hall of Famer Tom Seaver. |
| 1919 |
Douglas Grant |
The Los Angeles CC |
Reigning California Amateur champion Douglas Grant, Burlingame CC, defeated Paul Gardner, 3 & 2 at Los Angeles CC. Grant, a player of international reputation,was spending winter in Southern California. With Jack Neville, he designed the famed Pebble Beach Golf Links, which opened in 1919. |
| 1918 |
R.J. Cash, Jr. |
The Los Angeles CC |
R.J. Cash Jr., LACC, defeated Harold Lamb, California CC, 1 up after 36 holes at LACC. Lamb and Cash qualified 1-2 with scores of 159 and 160. Both cruised in their semifinal matches, Lamb winning 7 & 6 and Cash 10 & 9. |
| 1917 |
Windsor B. Walton |
Midwick CC |
Windsor B. Walton, LACC, defeated R. Crane Gartz, Annandale GC, 8 & 6 at Midwick CC. Walton defeated SCGA President Ed Tufts, 5 & 4, in the first round. |
| 1916 |
Harold B. Lamb |
The Los Angeles CC |
Harold B. Lamb defeated Jack Neville of San Francisco, SFCC, 6 & 4 at Los Angeles CC. Neville had won the first two California Amateurs in 1912-13 (he would eventually win three more) and co-designed Pebble Beach Golf Links along with 1919 SCGA Amateur champion Douglas Grant. |
| 1915 |
E. S. Armstrong |
Midwick CC |
E. S. Armstrong defeated Harold B. Lamb, California CC, 3 &1. This was the first SCGA Amateur held at Midwick CC (Armstrong's home course). Armstrong became the first person to win both the SCGA Amateur and California Amateur in the same year. |
| 1914 |
Carleton Wright |
San Gabriel CC |
Carleton Wright, Annandale GC, defeated Morris Phillips, Redlands CC, 2 & 1. Wright was 19 years old. This was the first SCGA Amateur held at San Gabriel Valley CC. |
| 1913 |
Norman Macbeth |
The Los Angeles CC |
Norman Macbeth prevented E. S. Armstrong from becoming the second back-to-back winner in a 37-hole match at Los Angeles CC. It was the first time the tournament was played at LACC's new location in Beverly Hills and the first time that the championship match had gone extra holes. |
| 1912 |
E. S. Armstrong |
The Los Angeles CC |
E. S. Armstrong, Midwick CC, defeated M. A. McLaughlin, Annandale GC, 3 & 1, at Los Angeles CC. High winds made play difficult; it took Norman Macbeth 13 strokes to finish the first hole of match play (518 yards), in part because the wind blew the ball off the green. This also marked the first year that the field exceeded 80 players. |
| 1911 |
Norman Macbeth |
The Los Angeles CC |
Norman Macbeth, LACC - designer of Wilshire CC and SCGA president in 1929 - defeated E. N. Wright, Annandale GC, 9 & 8, at Los Angeles CC in Macbeth's first Southern California event. Hugo Johnstone again set a course record with 153 in qualifying. |
| 1910 |
Wm. Frederickson |
Annandale CC |
William Fredrickson defeated Nat F. Wilshire, 1-up, after 36 holes at Annandale GC. Fredrickson needed 19 holes to win his semifinal match. Hugo R. Johnstone set a course record of 157 in qualifying. |
| 1909 |
Paul Hunter |
Annandale CC |
Paul Hunter became the first person to successfully defend his title when he defeated Nat F. Wilshire, LACC, 11 & 10 at Annandale GC. Hunter was top qualifier of 58 entries and an easy winner of the first championship held on the new Annandale GC course at San Rafael Heights. T. W. Jacobs, Wisconsin state Champion won the driving contest with a 240-yard blast. |
| 1908 |
Paul Hunter |
The Los Angeles CC |
Seventeen-year-old Paul Hunter defeated another Chicago resident, Nat F. Moore, 5 & 4, at Los Angeles CC. It was the last championship at LACC's Pico Heights course. It was also the first of a record five SCGA Amateur titles that Hunter would capture; he remains the youngest champion in the tournament's 99-year history. |
| 1907 |
Sterling Liness |
The Los Angeles CC |
Sterling Liness, LACC, defeated Robert Hixon of Toledo and Pasadena, 5 & 3 at Los Angeles CC. The rain-softened course limited qualifying to one round, while high winds kept scores high (medalist Winsor Walton shot 86 and only one other play broke 90). |
| 1906 |
Wm. Frederickson |
The Los Angeles CC |
William Fredrickson defeated A. B. Swift of Chicago and Santa Barbara, 3 & 2, at Los Angeles CC. Fredrickson defeated Nat F. Moore of Chicago to reach the finals. |
| 1905 |
Walter Fairbanks |
The Los Angeles CC |
Walter Fairbanks won his third championship, defeating William Fredrickson, 5 & 4, at Los Angeles CC. A qualifying round was reinstated. |
| 1904 |
W.K. Jewett |
The Los Angeles CC |
W.K. Jewett of Colorado Springs defeated William Fredrickson, 3 & 2, in a 36-hole match at Los Angeles CC. This was the first year without a qualifying round, following a British tradition. |
| 1903 |
Walter Fairbanks |
The Los Angeles CC |
Walter Fairbanks defeated Charles E. Maud, 2 & 1 at Los Angeles CC. Fairbanks set an 18-hole course record of 77 in qualifying. Robert E. Hunter (age 17) of Chicago set a 36-hole record of 158 in qualifying. Thirty-seven players entered the tournament. |
| 1902 |
H.M. Sears |
Pasadena CC |
H. M. Sears defeated J. E. Cook, Los Angeles CC (who would serve as SCGA president from 1905-1911), 6 & 5 at Pasadena CC. Sears set a course record at LACC's Pico course with 79-83 - 162 in the qualifying round. It was the first time that rubber- covered balls were used; they got much attention from the press. |
| 1901 |
Walter Fairbanks |
The Los Angeles CC |
Walter Fairbanks of Denver and Los Angeles CC defeated Charles E. Maud, 5 & 4, at Los Angeles CC. Fairbanks rallied from 2-down with two to play and eventually needed 20 holes for his first-round win at his home course over William Fredrickson (who would become the tournament champion in 1906 and 1910). |
| 1900 |
Charles E. Orr |
The Los Angeles CC |
Charles E. Orr, Pasadena GC, defeated SCGA President Charles E. Maud, Riverside Polo & Golf Club, 6 & 4 at Los Angeles CC. Twenty-nine players started the qualifying round after a rain delay. |
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