GOLF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AMATEUR : Duncan Battles Heat for One-Shot Lead Over Stankowski, Voges

Paul Stankowski of Oxnard and Mitch Voges of Simi Valley had to settle for a second-place tie on Friday midway through the 91st Southern California Golf Assn. Amateur Championship.

On a day hot enough to wilt a shrub, the only man to play two better rounds than they did was a landscape architect.

Pat Duncan, 32, of Rancho Santa Fe put together rounds of 67 and 72 over the tight, 6,531-yard Wilshire Country Club course to take the lead. Stankowski, 20, had rounds of 67 and 73, and Voges, 40, shot 72-68 to trail Duncan by a stroke.

Charlie Wi of Thousand Oaks, the 18-year-old who stunned the state’s amateur golfers a month ago by winning the California Amateur on the Monterey Peninsula, struggled in the 100-degree heat. He shot an opening-round 73 and then stumbled to a 76. His total of 149 also was the 36-hole cut. He and 31 others advanced to today’s second round. The championship round is Sunday.

Among those who did not advance were Craig Steinberg of Van Nuys, who lost to Wi in the semifinals of the state championship and was the 1988 SCGA amateur champion. He shot rounds of 72 and 80, with a nine on No. 17, a par-four, during the afternoon.

Stankowski, a junior at Texas El Paso, won the tournament last year at the Glendora Country Club. He tied for low medalist honors in this year’s state amateur tournament before being ousted in match play by Wi.

He said the heat wore him out after his morning-round 67.

“I really felt (it) at the end of the first round,” he said. “I was really tired. I sat in the shade for an hour between rounds and then didn’t even want to get up again. Later in the day I think it started to bother me. I lost my concentration a little bit and my focus wasn’t there.

Stankowski won the Oxnard City championship by eight strokes three weeks ago and said he knew he would have to bring his best game into the SCGA tournament to win it.

“There is a stronger field here than there was for the state amateur,” he said. “This tournament just has better golfers. I knew I had to bring my A-1 game to win this one. And I think I have.”

Voges, who plays out of the Wood Ranch Country Club in Simi Valley, finished in the top five in last year’s SCGA Mid-Amateur Championship and made it to match play of the 1990 state amateur.