Pepperdine Graduate Goes to Head of the Class

After Friday morning’s first round of the Southern California Golf Assn. Amateur Championship at Santa Maria Country Club, officials posted some familiar names atop the leaderboard.

Recently crowned California Amateur champion Mark Johnson of Helendale was in a three-way tie for the lead at four-under-par 68. Three-time SCGA champion Craig Steinberg of Van Nuys was one shot back.

But by the end of the second round Friday afternoon, an unfamiliar name was alone at the top.

Kevin Marsh of Goleta, a recent graduate of Pepperdine, shot rounds of 68 and 70 to take the lead by three shots.

Marsh was one of only two players to break par in both rounds. The other was John Pate of Santa Barbara, older brother of PGA Tour player Steve Pate. John shot 71-70.

Marsh had 10 consecutive pars before carding a birdie on the par-5 11th. After three more pars, he finished with three consecutive birdies and a par at 18.

His afternoon round was also bogey-free, with birdies on the first and 14th holes.

“I’m happy for him,” said Jason Gore of Valencia, Marsh’s Pepperdine teammate. “But he’s making it tough on the rest of us.”

Gore remains in contention at 71-71--144 in the 72-hole tournament. He could have been closer if not for three-putting from four feet at the sixth and 16th holes.

“My dad said he noticed that my grip is off on my putter,’ Gore said. “Maybe we’re just trying to make excuses, but we’re going to work on it.”

Steinberg, who hasn’t played two rounds of golf in the same day since this tournament last year, grew weary during the afternoon, when he shot 73.

“I can feel it,” he said as he walked up the 18th fairway. “I haven’t swung this many times in the same day in a year.”

His swing, however, was not what betrayed him. It was his putting stroke.

He had birdie putts on Nos. 8, 10, 14, 16, 17 and 18 miss by less than a foot. His putts at 14 and 17 stopped on the lip of the cup.

“It’s frustrating,” Steinberg said. “But the important thing is to be within striking distance. The third day is the most important.”

Kelly Schlender of Thousand Oaks used a 33 on the front nine to score the day’s biggest turnaround, from 75 to a 68.

Chad Wright of Ventura (146), Brandon Jones of Agoura (148), Michael Turner of Van Nuys (148) and Rick Pratt of Valencia (149) also made the cut.