2004: SCGA Regains Seaver Cup with 31-17 Victory

Avenging a one-sided loss two years ago, the Southern California Golf Association (SCGA) rolled to a record-breaking 31-17 victory in the 4th biennial Seaver Cup matches at historic Ojai Valley Inn & Spa.

The victory gave the SCGA a 2-1-1 margin in the competition, which was named of legendary amateur golfer Charles Seaver, who passed away last week at the age of 93. The NCGA had scored a 29.5-19.5 victory in 2002. The SCGA won the inaugural matches in 1998 and the 2000 matches ended in a draw.

With one point counting for the front nine, one point for the back and one point for the total, the SCGA split the eight singles matches today 12-12 and maintained the 14-point margin it built in yesterday’s foursome (alternate shot) and four-ball matches.

Scott McGihon of Bermuda Dunes, the 2004 Trans-Mississippi Mid-Amateur and 2000 SCGA Amateur champion, paced the southerners by winning 8.5 out of nine possible points in the two days, tying the mark set by three-time SCGA Senior Amateur champion John Olive in the 2002 matches.

McGihon halved the front nine this morning against Bob Niger of El Dorado Hills and then won the back nine and overall match, 3 & 2,. McGihon, who won just 1.5 points in 2002, had been part of two teams yesterday that swept their matches. He made six birdies in today’s match and only one bogey to finish 5-under-par for 16 holes.

Former UCLA standout Roy Moon of North Hills, the 2003 SCGA Amateur champion, gave the SCGA squad a jump start when he birdied three holes en route to a 5 & 4 front-nine victory over former two-time California Amateur champion Casey Boyns of Pacific Grove. Boyns came back to birdie three consecutive late holes to win the back nine, but Moon took the overall match, 7 & 6, essentially locking up the SCGA victory.

4th biennial Seaver Cup Matches
at Ojai Valley Inn & Spa; Ojai, CA
6,305 yards; par 70

FINAL SCORE (one point for front nine, one point for back nine, one point total; halves earn 1/2 pt each):
SCGA 31, NCGA 17

SINGLES MATCHES: SCGA, 12; NCGA, 12

• (N) Rob Thompson, Merced, d. (S) Kemp Richardson, Laguna Niguel, 2.5-.5 (FN: Richardson halved Thompson; BN: Thompson d. Richardson, 1 up; TOT: Thompson d. Richardson, 1 up)
  
• (S) Steve Bogan, Placentia, halved (N) Mike Butler, Millville, 1.5 each (FN: Butler d. Bogan, 1 up; BN: Bogan d. Butler, 1 up; TOT: Bogan halved Butler)
• (S) John Pate, Santa Barbara, d. (N) Randy Haag, San Francisco, 2-1 (FN: Haag d. Pate, 1 up; BN: Page d. Haag, 3 & 2; TOT: Pate d. Haag, 2 & 1)
• (S) Roy Moon, North Hills, d. (N) Casey Boyns, Pacific Grove, 2-1 (FN: Moon d. Boyns, 6 & 4; BN: Boyns d. Moon, 1 up; TOT: Moon d. Boyns, 7 & 6)
• (S) Jason Bittick, Coto de Caza, d. (N) Doug Sager, Oakland, 2.5-.5 (FN: Bittick d. Sager, 1 up; BN: Bittick halved Sager; TOT: Bittick d. Sager, 1 up)
• (N) Terry Foreman, Antioch, d. (S) Ed Cuff, Murrieta, 3-0
• (N) Bill Moore, Pacific Grove, d. (S) Tim Hogarth, Northridge, 2-1 (FN: Moore d. Hogarth, 3 & 2; BN: Hogarth d. Moore, 1 up; TOT: Moore d. Hogarth, 1 up)
• (S) Scott McGihon, Bermuda Dunes, d. (N) Bob Niger, El Dorado Hills, 2.5-.5 (FN: McGihon halved Niger; BN: McGihon d. Niger, 3 & 2; TOT: McGihon d. Niger, 3 & 2)

FOURSOMES TOTAL: SCGA 8, NCGA 4

• Hogarth-Pate, halved Boyns-Moore, 1.5 pts. each (FN: Boyns-Moore d. Hogarth-Pate, 1 up; BN: Hogarth-Pate d. Boyns-Moore, 1 up. TOT: Hogarth-Pate halved Boyns-Moore)
• Bittick-Moon halved Foreman-Haag, 1.5 each (FN: Foreman-Haag d. Bittick-Moon, 3 & 2; BN: Bittick-Moon d. Foreman-Haag,k 3 & 2; TOT: Bittick-Moon halved Foreman-Haag)
• Cuff-McGihon d. Niger-Sager, 3-0 (FN: Cuff-McGihon d. Niger-Sager, 1 up; BN: Cuff-McGihon d. Niger-Sager, 1 up; TOT: Cuff-McGihon d. Niger-Sager, 2 & 1)
• Bogan-Richardson d., Butler-Thompson, Merced, 2-1 (FN: Bogan-Richardson d. Butler-Thompson, 3 up; BN: Butler-Thompson d. Bogan-Richardson, 1 up. TOT: Bogan-Richardson d. Butler-Thompson, 2 & 1)
  

FOUR-BALL TOTAL: SCGA 11, NCGA 1

• (S) Hogarth-Moon d. Niger-Sager, 2.5-.5 (FN: Hogarth-Moon d. Niger-Sager, 3 & 2. BN: Hogarth-Moon halved Niger-Sager. TOT: Hogarth-Moon d. Niger-Sager, 2 up)
• (S) Bogan-Richardson d. Butler-Thompson, 3-0 (FN: Bogan-Richardson d. Butler-Thompson, 3 & 2; Bogan-Richardson d. Butler-Thompson, 3 & 2. TOT: Bogan-Richardson d. Butler-Thompson, 5 & 4)
• (S) Bittick-McGihon d. Foreman-Haag, 3-0 (FN: Bittick-McGihon d. Foreman-Haag, 3 & 2. BN: Bittick-McGihon d. Foreman-Haag, 1 up; TOT: Bittick-McGihon d. Foreman-Haag, 4 & 3)
• (S) Cuff-Pate d. Boyns-Moore d., 2.5-.5 (FN: Cuff-Pate d. Boyns-Moore, 1 up. BN: Cuff-Pate halved Boyns-Moore; TOT: Cuff-Pate d. Boyns-Moore, 1 up)