Randolph Falters but Wins State Medalist Honors

Sam Randolph of Santa Barbara survived a two-stroke penalty and a double-bogey on two of the last three holes to win medalist honors in the 74th State Amateur golf championship Wednesday at the Pebble Beach Golf Links.

The USC All-American finished with a one-over-par 73 for a 54-hole total of 212. Despite his faltering finish, he ended up five strokes ahead of Lee Davis of Thousand Oaks and Ed Cuff of La Mesa.

Randolph was one under par going to the 16th hole but was penalized two strokes when his caddy brushed some pine needles away from the putting line with a towel. Randolph sank a 25-foot putt to save a bogey. He also bogeyed the 17th hole and double-bogeyed No. 18 when he put a ball into the ocean.

Defending champion Duffy Waldorf of Tarzana, Collegiate Golfer of the Year from UCLA, shot a 75 for a 228 to be among the 32 who qualified for match play starting today. Last year, Waldorf won the medal by defeating Randolph in a playoff.