UNIVERSAL CITY, Oct. 19—Steve Titus of Pasadena was elected the 86th President of the Southern California Golf Association this morning, at the association's 111th Annual Meeting in Universal City.
Titus, 52, is the President and Chief Operating Officer of The Rule Company, a Southern California-based commercial insurance group. A graduate of University of Southern California and its golf team, the San Gabriel Country Club member began his tenure with the SCGA in 1998 and since has been active on the Rules and Competitions Committee as well as Audit, Finance and Insurance. Titus is a director on the board of the California Golf Association, and a current member of the Golf Course Management, Inc. Board of Directors.
“I’m tremendously honored to be elected President,” Titus said. “I look forward to continuing both the good work of the association and expanding programs for the SCGA membership.”
Other officers installed include Vice President Dennis Harwood of Corona Del Mar, Secretary Dr. Tom Lindgren of Indian Wells and Treasurer Ken Bien of Rancho Santa Fe. John Rydell II of Santa Barbara assumes the position of Immediate Past President and General Counsel.
Jim Vernon of Pasadena, the 1997 SCGA President and 2008 president of the United States Golf Association, was honored with the SCGA’s Lynn Smith Award, given for meritorious service to amateur golf in Southern California. Vernon, 60, is only the second Southern Californian in the USGA’s 114-year history to be elected president. Vernon is the owner of downtown Los Angeles’ Frank Vernon Diamond Brokers and Wholesale Jewelers, a family business begun by his father more than 50 years ago, and joins such names as Bob Hope (1992), Len Kennett (2005), Tom Morgan (2007) and Peter James (2008) as those honored.
“To even have my name associated with the past winners is a great honor,” Vernon said. “I’m still shocked and gratefully accept.”
Lynn McClung, a high school sports coach from Palmdale, was named the SCGA’s ninth Jim House Award winner, which was established to honor exemplary service of SCGA volunteers. McClung began as a volunteer for the SCGA’s Rules and Competitions Committee in 2005, and in 2010 alone, as in years’ past, will work 64 tournament days and 44 events for the association, a number that equates to hundreds of hours and more than 9,000 miles of driving distance a year.
“I really wasn’t expecting this,” said McClung of the award. “I feel very honored and am looking forward to many more years of volunteering.”
Other special recognitions at the SCGA Annual Meeting included the 20-Year Committeemen Awards given to 2001 SCGA President Dirk Kingma of La Jolla and Tony Lehman of Palm Springs; the 30-Year Committeeman Award given to 1994 SCGA President Lowell English of Hacienda Heights; and the 20-Year Handicap Chair Award presented to El Segundo’s Charles Krolak of the Boe-Ray Golf Club.
SCGA Player of the Year Kevin Marsh of Henderson, Nev., and Senior Player of the Year Brad Larsen of Oceanside were also recognized for their tournament accomplishments. Scott Travers of Trabuco Canyon, the 2010 SCGA Amateur and California State Amateur champion, was presented with the Outstanding Achievement Award.
The SCGA Annual Meeting preceded the fourth SCGA Hall of Fame induction ceremony, at which golf legends Dave Stockton and Al Geiberger, as well as SCGA founder Joseph Sartori posthumously, were inducted into the 2010 class.
Read about the Hall of Fame here.
