Hogarth seeks to defend crown at 25th SCGA Mid-Amateur Championship at Toscana CC

APRIL 2 -- Defending champion Tim Hogarth (pictured left) of Northridge will lead one of the nation’s strongest amateur golf fields that will tee it up in the 25th SCGA Mid-Amateur Championship April 21-22 at Toscana Country Club in Indian Wells.

The field of 84 golfers will play 36 holes on Monday (April 21) over the new Jack Nicklaus-designed South Course layout, after which the field will be cut to the low 42 and ties, who will play the final round on Tuesday.

Hogarth captured his second SCGA Mid-Am title (he also won in 1999) when he blew away the field by eight shots at Mission Viejo CC (see the 2007 Mid-Amateur Web site HERE). 

The win was Hogarth’s seventh SCGA championship, which includes the 1999 California (state) Amateur title and the 2004 SCGA Amateur, making him the only person to hold the SCGA “triple crown.”  Hogarth also won the 1996 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship and played in the 1997 Masters.

The 41-year-old Hogarth will face a formidable field, including:
• Scott McGihon of Bermuda Dunes, winner of four SCGA Amateur titles and the 2002 SCGA Mid-Amateur;
• John Adams of San Clemente and Jason Bittick of Coto de Caza, winners of the recent SCGA Foursomes Championship (see the official Web site HERE);
• David Bartman of Los Angeles, winner of last December’s SCGA Tournament of Club Champions and a former SCGA Foursomes and Four-Ball champion (with Robert Funk);
• Don DuBois of Newport Beach, the 2005 California Amateur champion;
• Robert Funk of Canyon Lake, the 2006 SCGA Mid-Amateur champion;
• Kevin Marsh of Henderson, NV, the 2005 U.S. Mid-Amateur and 1996 SCGA Amateur champion;
• Tim Mickelson of San Diego, brother of former Masters champion Phil and golf coach at the University of San Diego;
• John Pate of Santa Barbara, brother of former PGA Tour player Steve and the 1999 SCGA Amateur and 2000 SCGA Mid-Amateur champion;
• Jeff Wilson of Fairfield, a veteran Northern California player who has twice been medalist at the U.S. Mid-Amateur.

The SCGA Mid-Amateur was established in 1984 for golfers ages 25 and older. With collegians, in effect, playing golf full-time year-round, the SCGA (like the USGA three years before) felt there was a need to establish a championship for high-quality golfers who didn’t have that “full-time” opportunity due to business requirements.

Oceanside fire captain Jim Myers won the first event at Apple Valley CC.  Other notable winners (in addition to those listed above) were:
• Craig Steinberg in 1996 and 2001 (Steinberg also won four SCGA Amateur titles);
• Mark Johnson, now a member of the Champions Tour, who won the Mid-Am in 1989, 1993 and 1994 (the only three-time winner);
• Mitch Voges, the 1991 U.S. Amateur champion who won the SCGA Mid-Am in 1990; and
• Pat Duncan, the 1990 SCGA Amateur and two-time SCGA Tournament of Club Champions winner.