Spotlight pairings highlight SCGA Amateur Championship

STUDIO CITY, July 10 -- Pairings have been set for the 110th SCGA Amateur Championship at Wilshire CC in Los Angeles July 17-19, and among the field of 84 are several spotlight groups to watch. See all pairings HERE.

• The SoCal College Rivalry group (7:48 a.m. off tee 1): Bo DeHuff IV (USC), Alex Shi Yup Kim (UCLA), and Johnny Mac Arthur (Pepperdine)
• Top 5 at the 2009 SCGA Mid-Amateur (7:57 a.m. off tee 1): Tyler Crawford (T2), William Degenhart (4), and Jason Bittick (T2)
• Past Champs group (8:06 a.m. off tee 1): Robert Funk (2005 SCGA Mid-Am), Don DuBois (2005 State Am), and Harry Rudolph (1991 State Am)
• Past SCGA Amateur Champ group (8:15 a.m. off tee 1): Kevin Marsh (1996, 2008), Tim Hogarth (2004), and John Pate (1999)
• Big West Conference 1st Team group (8:24 a.m. off tee 1): Geoff Gonzalez (2009 State Am Champ and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo golfer), Nick Delio (2008 State Am Champ and Cal State Northridge golfer), and Austin Graham (UC Davis golfer)
• Future Stars group (8:33 a.m. off tee 1): Kevin Dougherty (2009 CIF Southern Regional and State High School champion and incoming at Oklahoma State), Max Homa (incoming at UC Berkeley), and Bobby Lange (incoming at UCLA)
• The WIlshire group (9:00 a.m. off tee 1): Gary Hamblet and Beau Nellor, Wilshire members, along with E.J. Kahn

Tee times begin at 7:30 a.m. off tees 1 and 10 on Friday, and the second round will begin at 1 p.m. that day. Nine-hole scoring will be available, with three-hole live scoring after the cut on Saturday and Sunday.

Kevin Marsh looks to defend his title at the 110th SCGA Amateur Championship July 17-19 at Wilshire CC

Kevin Marsh of Henderson, Nev., will look to defend his title at the 110th SCGA Amateur Championship July 17-19 at Wilshire CC.

Defending champion Kevin Marsh of Henderson, Nev., headlines this year’s 110th SCGA Amateur Championship, as he and several other decorated golfers tee it up June 17-19 at Wilshire Country Club in Los Angeles.

Marsh, 36, is a two-time SCGA Amateur champion, winning the 1996 playing of the event as well as the 2005 U.S. Mid-Amateur. That Mid-Amateur win earned him an invitation to play in The Masters Tournament the following year. He ended 2008 on a hot streak when he won the SCGA Four-Ball with George Downing and earned 2008 SCGA Player of the Year honors.

Marsh will contend with 2009 SCGA Mid-Amateur champion Tim Hogarth of Northridge, the most decorated amateur golfer in the Southland with a resume of titles that precede him. Marsh and Hogarth played together in the final group at last year’s event at Saticoy CC in Somis, but Marsh held off his competitor by two shots for the win, firing a 3-over-par 75 in the final round and finishing at 3-under-par 285 for 72 holes. Hogarth, who shot a 2-over-par 74 in the final 18, was the only other golfer under par for the championship after a 72-hole 287.

Fresh off an historic win at the 2009 California State Amateur Championship, rising Cal Poly San Luis Obispo senior Geoff Gonzalez of Diablo will join the field at Wilshire. Gonzalez was the first player in 15 years (and only the 12th overall) to win both medalist honors and the championship, breaking the “medalist curse.” Gonzalez defeated Jeff Wilson of Fairfield, the 2008 SCGA Mid-Amateur champion, 3 and 2 in the 36-hole finale at Lake Merced GC June 26.

In addition to Marsh and Hogarth, another past champions slated to play is John Pate of Santa Barbara (1999), who has seven various SCGA championship titles and was the 1995 California Amateur runner-up.

Players of note include:
• Jeff Wilson of Fairfield, 2009 California State Amateur runner-up and 2008 SCGA Mid-Amateur champion;
• Jason Bittick of Ladera Ranch, 2008 SCGA Foursomes champion (with John Adams), runner-up (tie) at the 2009 SCGA Mid-Amateur and quarterfinalist at the 2009 California State Amateur;
• Matt Hoffenberg of Simi Valley, 2008 SCGA Match Play winner and 2008 California Amateur semifinalist;
• Kevin Dougherty of Murrieta, incoming freshman at Oklahoma State University and the 2009 CIF-SCGA Southern Regional and CIF-State High School individual champion;
• Josh Anderson of Murrieta, 2007 California State Amateur champion and Round of 16 qualifier at the 2009 California State Amateur;
• Tyler Crawford of Rancho Mirage, runner-up (tie) at the 2009 SCGA Mid-Amateur;
• Don DuBois of Newport Beach, 2005 California Amateur champion and 2009 SCGA Foursomes champion;
• Nick Delio of Valencia, 2008 California Amateur champion and semifinalist in the 2009 event;
• Robert Funk of Canyon Lake, 2006 SCGA Mid-Amateur champion;
• Clark Heath of Coto de Caza, 2008 SCGA Senior Amateur champion;
• Boyd Martin of Corona del Mar, 2008 SCGA Senior Match Play champion;
• Jordan Nasser of Anaheim Hills, 2007 California Amateur champion; and
• Harry Rudolph of La Jolla, 1991 California Amateur champion.

This year’s championship will also feature the SCGA Amateur Championship Junior Golf Clinic presented by the SCGA Foundation, on Thursday, June 16. With amateur golfers, professionals from Wilshire CC and SCGA staff, the club will host 60 young golfers from The First Tee of South Los Angeles, The First Tee of Pasadena, Tregnan Golf Academy and Urban Golf League who will participate in golf skill drills as well as listen to speakers discuss their golfing experiences. The clinic runs from 2:30-5:30 p.m. at the club.

Wilshire CC, host of five SCGA Amateur Championships and two SCGA Senior Amateurs, has recently completed a restoration of its Norman Macbeth layout, at the hands of famed architect Kyle Phillips. Phillips, who had put his name on Kingsbarn Golf Links in St. Andrews, Scotland, and 10 courses in the U.S., including Incline Village courses in Nevada, brought back Macbeth’s vision to the 1919 layout.

“The layout and rhythm of the course were exceptional,” Phillips noted about the course. “At the same time, this once strategic gem had been slowly compromised by years of so-called ‘improvements’ to the point where its original inspired bunkering and pultiple angles of play had been all but eliminated.”

The SCGA Amateur marks the unveiling of the classic course, and spectators are encouraged and welcome to attend. Tee times begin at 7:30 a.m. on July 17, and pairings will be available soon.