USC’s Randolph Defeats Greer to Win State Amateur Golf Title

Sam Randolph defeated Brad Greer, 5 and 4, to win the 74th California State Amateur golf championship Saturday on the Pebble Beach Golf Links.

Randolph, 21, a senior at USC, built a 2-up lead in the morning round, shooting a two-over-par 74, and closed out the match by shooting five under par for 14 holes in the afternoon.

Greer, 23, had a 76 in the morning and was even par in the afternoon.

Randolph spent his lunch-break hitting golf balls. “It helped going to the range between rounds,” he said. “I had too much weight on my left side. I evened out the weight (and) started driving better.”

Randolph won the match on the par-five, 565-yard 14th hole, dropping a three-foot birdie putt after Greer had won the 13th with a birdie by hitting an approach shot six inches from the pin.

Randolph lost in last year’s U.S. Amateur final and was runner-up in the NCAA championship last month, losing in a playoff. He plans to turn pro after next year’s NCAA championship.

Greer, who won last year’s Southern California Amateur title by one stroke over Randolph, has said he will turn pro within the next few weeks.