SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GOLF ASSN. AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP : Baker Gets Close View of Woods’ Record

Don Baker is 43 years old. Most of the time, that number doesn’t bother him. He is an accountant by trade and these are not big numerals.

It was a different story over the weekend at the 95th Southern California Golf Assn. Amateur Championship.

Baker, who lives in Canoga Park, is neither a young lion nor a graybeard, but he definitely felt closer to the latter Sunday.

“This was the fourth time this week that I played with guys who weren’t even born when I played in my first SCGA (in 1972),” said Baker, who shot a 74 to finish in a tie for fourth with Santa Barbara’s John Pate and give him his second consecutive top-10 finish. “How’s that make a guy feel?”

Tiger Woods of Cypress, an 18-year-old with the mettle of a veteran and who played in the same threesome as Baker, cruised to an even-par 70 Sunday at Hacienda Golf Club to win the championship by five shots with a tournament record of 10-under 270.

Mark Johnson of Helendale was second at 275, followed at 278 by Charlie Wi of North Hills (five shots ahead of Baker). Other area players finishing in the top 10 were Jason Gore of Valencia, ninth at 287, and Chad Wright of Ventura, 10th at 290.

Wi, 22, shot a 69 for his third under-par effort, yet he was never in contention down the stretch. “I didn’t play awesome, but I played good,” Wi said. “What do you say when a guy plays that well? Maybe one of these days, that’ll be me.”

Woods opened the day with an eight-shot lead over Johnson, 39, who made a definite run at Woods on the front nine. Johnson trimmed Woods’ lead to five as the pair played the par-five seventh hole.

Johnson reached the center of the green in two and had a 20-footer for an eagle. Woods was on the fringe, 35 feet from the hole.

Almost predictably, the red-hot Woods holed the putt--which would have rolled at least six feet by the hole had the ball not slam-dunked squarely into the back of the cup--for an eagle. Johnson two-putted for a birdie and finished with a 67, the second-best round of the tournament.

Gore, 20, shot a 70. Despite four three-putt greens, Wright, 18, shot a 74. James Camaione of the Crystalaire Country Club in the Antelope Valley shot one of the day’s best rounds, a 68, to jump into a two-way tie for 13th at 293. Dave Sheff of the Oakmont Country Club in Glendale shot a 70 and finished at 295. Keith Kinsel of Glendale shot a 79 and fell to 306, and Greg Bell of Studio City shot a 78 and finished at 300.