McGhion Plays Like a Pro at SCGA Amateur

Scott McGhion finally figured out which day was best to be leading the Southern California Golf Assn. Amateur Championship.

McGhion, a 32-year-old school teacher from Bermuda Dunes who played golf for two years at UC Irvine, started the final round Sunday five strokes behind Steve Conway of Dove Canyon, but shot four-under-par 67 at Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club for a four-round total of four-under 280 and a four-stroke victory over Conway and two others.

The victory was especially sweet for McGhion, a 1991 graduate of UC Irvine who also coaches golf at Indio High. He held the first-round lead in this tournament in 1997, led after two rounds in 1998 and led with three holes to play last year.

He finished ninth, fourth and second, respectively, in those three events, but his 23-putt round Sunday helped him grab the elusive title.

“I can’t even describe it,” said McGhion, fighting back tears as he spoke after the final round. “I haven’t won anything in such a long time I wasn’t sure if it was ever going to happen.”

The emotions began pouring out on the course. After seven consecutive pars, McGhion made an eight-foot birdie putt on No. 15 for a three-shot lead and gave a fist-pump and a shout. A drive down the center of the 16th fairway prompted another fist pump.

“That was important,” he said. “I was scraping around making pars and got that birdie, then the drive on 16 was big because if I hook it, I’m looking at double [bogey] at least.”

He made par there, then saved par out of a greenside bunker on the par-three 17th. On the par-five 18th, he punched an eight-iron third shot between some trees that landed on the back fringe of the green, enabling him to save par.

McGhion, playing a group ahead of Conway and Darin Sullivan of San Diego, birdied the first two holes and added another at the par-five eighth to make the turn at three-under.

Conway, meanwhile, was dropping shots. He led by four after a birdie on No. 7 put him at six-under, but going for the green in two on the par-five eighth, he hooked a three-wood. Officials extended dental floss between out-of-bounds markers to determine the shot was out by three inches.

Conway ended up with a triple-bogey eight and dropped into a tie for the lead with McGhion.

Conway scrambled to save pars on Nos. 9, 10, and 11, but could not do the same on 12, where he hit his approach shot into a greenside bunker, bladed his sand shot over the green and made double bogey, putting him two shots behind.

Conway shot 76 and finished at par 284, tied with Terry Noe of Fullerton and Sullivan.