California State Fair: Matthew Sutherland runs away from the field to win

September 4, 2023 | by Justin Golba of AmateurGolf.com

Matthew Sutherland (Fresno State Athletics Photo)

Sutherland shot a final round 5-under 67 to finish 18-under and win by six shots.

It has been a month to remember for Matthew Sutherland of Sacramento, Calif.

Sutherland is coming off a run to the round of 16 at the 123rd U.S. Amateur at Cherry Hills, Colo., and now can add the 2023 California State Fair Championship to his resume.

Sutherland shot 18-under in the three-day championship and won by six shots over Baron Szeto of Morago, Calif., who finished 12-under.

"I have played Haggin (Oaks) a lot and have played a lot of junior golf there," Sutherland said. "I felt comfortable on the course, and I know a lot of the pins. I hit the ball solid, and my speed (on the greens) was really good all week."

Sutherland started the day up three shots, and a 5-under 67 final round helped him double that lead.

"I have never been a leaderboard watcher, but one thing that helped me was coming off playing match play at the (U.S.) Amateur, I felt really comfortable just focusing on my game," Sutherland said.

"You still need to go out and play golf and compete, and I got to the point where I was really comfortable," Sutherland added.

He shot rounds of 67-64-67 to get to 18-under.

He tied his career-lowest tournament score with the second-round 64, but the 8-under was a record. In that round, he was bogey-free with an eagle and six birdies, including starting 4-under through the first four holes and birding Holes No. 17 and 18 to end the round.

"I am in a groove with ball striking," Sutherland said. "I have been hitting it very consistently, and I have been scoring really well, so I have been able to keep momentum throughout my round."

Sutherland added, "I have been making some long putts as well."

Costas Panay of Redmond, Wash., and Carlos Astiazaran of Tucson, Ariz., finished T3 at 11-under, and Chris Bettencourt of Clovis, Calif., Jack Deaner of Carmichael, Calif., and Nick Woo of Novato, Calif., all finished T5 at 10-under.

Results: California State Fair

Place	Player	Location	Pts	Scores
1	Matthew Sutherland	Carmichael, CA	400	67-64-67=198
2	Baron Szeto	Moraga, CA	300	70-69-65=204
T3	Costas Panay	Redmond, WA	200	70-71-64=205
T3	Carlos Astiazaran	Tucson, AZ	200	65-69-71=205
T5	Chris Bettencourt	Clovis, CA	200	73-68-65=206

View full results for California State Fair

About the California State Fair

California State Fair: Matthew Sutherland runs away from the field to win

The State Fair Men's Amateur Championship is one of the oldest and most prestigious Amateur Championships in the West. The Championship is limited to 108 players. Competition commences over a 54-hole stroke play format with 18 holes played each day. ...