Southern California Amateur Golf : Steinberg Shoots 69 to Win by One Stroke

Craig Steinberg, a 30-year-old optometrist from Van Nuys, saw clearly and played steady while the rest of the field went backwards, enabling him to win the 89th Southern California Amateur Championship at Annandale Golf Club in Pasadena Sunday.

Steinberg birdied the 14th hole and parred the final four holes to shoot a one-under-par 69, giving him a four-round total of 286 on the par-70 course and a one-stroke victory over James Camaione, 33, of Upland, and Dave Sheff, 38, of San Marino.

For Steinberg, it was his biggest victory since winning the Pacific 10 championship in 1980 as a member of USC’s team.

“This is the best thing I’ve done since I graduated from college,” Steinberg said.

But Steinberg’s biggest accomplishment outside of his optometrist’s office could have very easily been spoiled by Camaione, who had a one-shot lead following his 15-foot birdie putt on the 15th hole. But he bogeyed the next two holes to fall behind Steinberg by one stroke.

Camaione had a 20-foot putt for birdie on the par-5 18th that would have put him in a tie with Steinberg and forced a playoff, but the putt was wide left.

“I read it wrong, to be honest,” said Camaione, who had a final-round score of 72. “I thought it would go a little right. I didn’t want to knock it 10 feet by. You want to use the whole cup.”

Steinberg started the day two strokes behind the leaders and stayed around par the rest of the way, letting the leaders come back to him. Going into the back nine the focus wasn’t on the optometrist, but Camaione and Sheff, both salesmen, battled as if they were competing for the same commission.

Sheff chipped in from 5 feet off the green on 12 to save par and then birdied the next hole to take a two-stroke lead. But Sheff let it slip away, bogeying 15, 16, and 17 to finish tied with Camaione in second place.

Brian Gaddy, playing on his home course, sank a 45-foot birdie putt on 17 to move within just one stroke of Steinberg. But on 18, Gaddy drove the ball to the base of a tree, broke his club trying to punch out, and bogeyed the hole to finish fourth with a score of 288.

John Pate, brother of PGA Tour player Steve Pate, had an eagle on the par-5 15th and finished tied for fourth with Gaddy.

The tournament, billed as the oldest continuosly contested amateur championship in the nation, was played on a course just as tough as it was old. The 6,343-yard layout at the 82-year-old Annandale Country Club, with its tight fairways, tested the amateurs.

“You hit it in the rough, you’re in trouble,” Steinberg said. “It’s not a hard course if you’re in the fairway, but it’s very hard if you’re not. I felt like something around 5-over would be the winning score, and I was pretty close to that.”

In the end, it came down to just Steinberg and Camaione, players who should be quite familiar with each other. They played in the same group in last year’s SCGA Amateur, with Camaione finishing third and Steinberg fourth. This time, the optometrist did one better.

While many young golfers use amateur tournaments such as the SCGA Amateur as preparation for turning professional, Steinberg doesn’t have his eyes set on the PGA circuit. Neither does Camaione.

Steinberg said he thought of turning pro “for about five minutes in 1980, and I said no. It’s a tough question, why. You’re asking me that after I just won a tournament. Ask me that after I shoot 79. It was just a decision I made that I wanted to be a good amateur, and I don’t regret it.”