July 9, 1999

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - University of Virginia golfer Steve Marino won the Virginia State Golf Association Men's Amateur championship on July 3 at Boonsboro Country Club in Lynchburg.

Marino, from Fairfax, Va., defeated two-time State Amateur winner Keith Decker 5 and 4 in the scheduled 36-hole match. He won the second hole of the morning round when Decker bogeyed and never trailed in the match. Marino was 7-under par for the 32 holes he played in the championship match over the 6,748-yard, par-72 Boonsboro Country Club course.

Before beating Decker, Marino defeated 1992 champion Allen Barber in the first round and 1990 winner Hank Klein in the quarterfinals.

Marino was a freshman at Virginia during the 1998-99 academic year.