Men’s Amateur Golf Championship : Anderson Dusts Off Old Swing, Takes Slim Lead Into Final Day

Craig Anderson’s clubs may have been a little dusty, but his golf game sure looked polished.

Anderson, whose clubs didn’t get much use after he quit professional golf because of a chronic bad back seven years ago, shot a one-under-par 71 at the Balboa Park Golf Course Saturday to take a two-shot lead after 54 holes of the San Diego Men’s Amateur Championships. Pat Duncan, who has won three of the last five championships, and Steve Haase are tied at 215 after shooting 71s on the 6,058-yard, par-72 course.

The tournament moves back to Torrey Pines for the final round today with a 7 a.m. shotgun start on the South course. Of the three courses on which the tournament has been played--Torrey Pines North and South courses and Balboa Park--the South course is considered the most difficult at more than 7,000 yards.

“It was really frustrating, I couldn’t swing the club right,” said Anderson, who recently regained his amateur status. “I hadn’t played for four or five years. Now I’ve just started getting interested again. The clubs were in the garage gathering dust.”

Anderson was the No. 2 golfer at USC behind Scott Simpson and finished second to Poway’s Lennie Clements in the Southern California High School Championships while at Pacific Palisades in 1975.

After USC, Anderson went on to play nearly three years on the mini, Asian and South American tours. But inflamed arthritis in his lower back forced him to quit the sport in 1982. Anderson, now a general contractor, then joined the family business and put the clubs in the garage.

“My back’s fine if I don’t practice,” Anderson, 31, said. “Golf isn’t too good for your back. Every golfer has a bad back.”

Anderson started playing again in November and said he has come to grips with the limitations brought on by his back. And although his pro career is long over, Anderson does miss some of the aspects of touring.

Instead of traveling to tournaments in Argentina, Venezuela and Chile he now settles for Santa Ana, San Diego and Del Mar.

“All my buddies are out there (on the pro tour),” said Anderson. “I’m happy with my life now. It’s different.

“Now I have a good attitude (about golf) and that helps. I don’t expect a lot out of me.”

Anderson had never played the Balboa Park course until he managed to get in a practice round earlier last week. That experience was not nearly as enjoyable as Saturday’s round on the course turned out to be.

Anderson was with a group on the fifth hole when he heard “fore” and ducked. Just as he did, a ball from another tee hit a 65-year-old man from his group in the head. The man was taken away in an ambulance. He was OK, but Anderson was a little unnerved.

“I was worried about (getting hit) the rest of the round,” Anderson said.

He wasn’t too worried Saturday, as he had three birdies and two bogies to keep the two-stroke lead he had over four other golfers after the second round. Robert Dickinson was tied with Anderson after 36 holes but shot a 75 at Balboa to drop four shots behind the leader.

Now the tournament is back at Torrey Pines South for the finale. “I think I’ll have to shoot under par tomorrow to win,” Anderson said. “You have to think of Duncan, he’s won it three of the last five years.”

Duncan is trying to become the first player to win three consecutive championships since Johnny Thompson (1947-49). Duncan, a landscape contractor from Rancho Santa Fe, also won the tournament in 1984 and finished third in 1985.