CGA History and Past Champions

The California Amateur Championship is one of the nation’s oldest state amateur golf championships. Although there were other tournaments held early in the 20th century that called themselves California state amateurs, the California Amateur Championship dates its origins from 1912 when the California Golf Association was organized.

The California Amateur Championship was originally held at Del Monte GC but when Pebble Beach Golf Links was built in 1919, the championship shifted to that location. The championship remained at Pebble Beach Golf Links through 2006, with the exception of 2000 when the championship was played at Bayonet and Blackhorse GCs because Pebble Beach was hosting the U.S. Open. The following year, 2007, had something different in store, however...

A new era for the California Amateur Championship...
The 2007 championship began a new tradtion of rotating to courses around the state, alternating between Northern California and Southern California. Monterey Peninsula Country Club in Pebble Beach was the first course in this rotation, and in 2008, Lakeside Golf Club in Burbank and Oakmont Country Club in Glendale served as the first Southern California hosts of the championship in the event's 97-year history.

Many of the greatest golfers in California history have won the California Amateur Championship, beginning with Jack Neville in 1912 and 1913 (Neville would later design Pebble Beach Golf Links). Dr. Paul Hunter, the only five-time SCGA Amateur champion, became the second person to win consecutive titles in 1920-21. In 1925, George Von Elm became the only person to win the California Amateur, SCGA Amateur and Northern California GA Amateur championships in the same year. Eight years later, Charles Seaver won the California Amateur and, by virtue of scheduling, held all three titles at the same time for a brief period of time (see bottom of page for more).

The post World War II years proved to be another golden age for the California Amateur. Bruce McCormick won consecutive titles in 1945-46, Bob Gardner won titles in 1947 and 1950 and Mac Hunter won in 1949, defeating Gene Littler in a 39-hole final match, the longest in CGA history.

Future U.S. Open champion Ken Venturi won in 1951 and a year later, Bob Silvestri prevented McCormick from winning his third California Amateur title when he defeated the San Gabriel fireman 1 up. In 1953, Littler won the title, thrashing Dr. Frank “Bud” Taylor, 7 & 6 in the final match (Littler would go on to win the U.S. Amateur later that summer). Taylor, a dentist who played for USC and would be a future Walker Cupper, then won the next two championships (the last person to repeat) before losing to Venturi, 2 & 1, in the 1956 finals.

Other notable California Amateur champions were Johnny Miller in 1968 and Mac Hunter (“Little Mac”), son of the 1949 champion and, at age 16, the youngest player ever to win the event. The Hunters are also the only father-son team to win the championships. In 1999, Mark O’Meara duplicated Littler’s 1953 heroics by winning both the California and U.S. Amateur titles in the same year.

Among the standout golfers who have tried to win the title and failed are Craig Stadler, Corey Pavin, Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods. Woods reached the semifinals of the 1994 tournament before falling to Ed Cuff, 2 & 1. Cuff went on to lose to Steve Woods in the finals, but eventually won his title in 1998. See the following tables for more information.

Past California Amateur champions