Steinberg Wins SCGA Amateur for Fourth Time

Craig Steinberg of Van Nuys won his fourth Southern California Golf Assn. amateur championship after shooting three-under-par 67 in the final round Sunday at Lakeside Golf Club.

Steinberg, who also won the tournament in 1988, 1991 and 1992, finished with a four-round total of four-under-par 276, one stroke ahead of Jason Gore of Valencia.

He is the third player in the tournament’s 98-year history to win at least four titles. Johnny Dawson (1942, 1945, 1946, 1952) and Paul Hunter (1908, 1909, 1921, 1924, 1926) are the others.

Steinberg, a 39-year-old optometrist with a law degree and a husband and father of two, entered the third round tied for ninth. He carded a 68--the only sub-par round in the third round--to move into a six-way tie for first entering Sunday’s final round.

Consecutive birdies on the 13th and 14th holes on Sunday gave him a two-stroke lead over Gore, who was playing in a group behind Steinberg.

But Steinberg said it wasn’t the birdies that made the difference.

“I had some tough three-to-four-footers for par,” he said. “I made them on 10, 11, 15 and 17. That’s the tournament.”