At 10:30 p.m. on Sunday, Dana Hills boys golf coach Glenn Forster got the bad news. Senior Matt O’Leary, a regular in the varsity lineup, had a 103-degree fever and wouldn’t make it to his Monday tee time for the CIF-Southern Section South Coast Team Regional at Talega Golf Club.
Forster suddenly was a player short for a tournament that started in less than 10 hours in San Clemente. So he called sophomore Hayden Hill.
“And boy did he step up today,” Forster said.
Hill was among the Dolphins’ five scoring players Monday, and his 6-over-par 78 counted toward Dana Hills’ total of 371, which was good enough to win the regional by three strokes. Pacific Coast League champion Woodbridge was second with a 374. Both the Warriors and Dolphins qualified for Thursday’s SCGA Southern California Championship qualifier in Desert Hot Springs.
“It was good to see them come together and play well. We have been getting close as a team,” Forster said. “They had a good day when it counted.”
It was a good, too, for the Servite and Marina boys golf teams, as they also won regional titles. Servite won the Western and Marina took the Southern, edging Sunny Hills by a stroke. (See below for details.)
All six Dana Hills golfers broke 80, with Tanner Podres and Clay Feagler each shooting a 1-under-par 71 to lead the team. Alex Diaz and Matt Fry added a 74 and 77, respectively.
“This is awesome. Clay and I have been working toward this for three years,” Podres said. “It is important to us. Hopefully, we can keep the momentum going and continue to the next round.”
Podres said the course was laid out with the pins in accessible places, and the greens were rolling truer than normal.
“I was kind of shaky there at the end, but I’ll take the 71,” said Feagler, who bogeyed two of his last three holes. “This (winning the tournament) is great. We came up short last year. Hopefully, we can go further.”
The par-4, 16th hole did in Woodbridge. Four of the Warriors’ six players ended up in the hazard.
“The 16th was our nemesis. That was the difference in the tournament,” Woodbridge coach Tracy Roberts said. “I am disappointed that we didn’t play well, but I give all the credit in the world to Dana Hills. They beat us today.”
Joseph Chun was one of the 16th’s victims. The Woodbridge sophomore had his tee shot one hop off the cart path and into the barranca, yet he still came in with a 2-under 70 to lead the Warriors. Hide Yoshihara added a 72 for Woodbridge.
University senior Ari Gulugian posted the low score of the tournament, a 4-under-par 68. He was in the threesome that made easy work of the 503-yard, par 5 15th. They went birdie, eagle, double eagle on the hole. Gulugian carded the latter, hitting a 6-iron 198 yards and into the cup. Tesoro senior Jack Ireland posted the eagle, and finished with an even-par 72 to lead the Titans.
“I didn’t even realize that it was a double eagle. I just thought the hole was a long par 4,” Gulugian said. “But when I found out, I was ecstatic.”
In the Western Regional:
Servite freshman Kyle Kinnane posted a 3-under-par 68 and Tanner Gunning and Matt Wilson each added a 69 to help the Friars win the tournament at Whispering Lakes Golf Course in Ontario with a 2-under-par 353. Santa Margarita placed second, shooting a 380.
In the Southern Regional:
Marina’s Ramiz Jamal had a 4-under 68 and Nick Swanson added a 70 as the Vikings won on the Classic Course at Mile Square Golf Course. Marina shot an even-par 360 to beat Sunny Hills by a stroke. Justin Kim lead the Lancers with a 70.
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CIF-SS South Coast Team Regional
At Talega Golf Club, par 72
1. Dana Hills 371, 2. Woodbridge 374, 3. Beckman 378, 4. Tesoro 379, 5. University 384, 6. Orange Lutheran 387, 7. San Clemente 391, 8. Trabuco Hills 400, 8. Mission Viejo 400, 10. Brea Olinda 403, 11. Aliso Niguel 404, 12. Foothill 408, 12. La Salle 408, 14. Newport Harbor 409, 15. Yorba Linda 417, 16. Canyon 418, 17. Crean Lutherhan 426, 18. Bishop Montgomery 477
CIF-SS Southern Team Regional
At Mile Square Golf Course, par 72
1. Marina 360, 2. Sunny Hills 361, 3. Long Beach Wilson 362, 4. Troy 367, 5. Los Alamitos 375, 6. Huntington Beach 379, 7. Maranatha 387, 8. La Habra 394, 9. Laguna Beach 397, 9. Long Beach Poly 397, 11. Long Beach Millikan 401, 12. Estancia 408, 13. Temescal Canyon 417, 14. North Torrance 418, 15. Webb 423, 16. Culver City 424, 17. Paloma Valley 447, 18. Santa Fe 464
Contact the writer: ddottore@ocregister.com
