SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO – Johnny Hyunh hit two drives out of bounds on the 12th hole at San Juan Hills Golf Club and took a double bogey on the par-5 hole. The Beckman junior then missed a putt he should have made on the 17th.
That’s when he heard that someone had just posted a 3-under round Wednesday. Suddenly, his lead in the Pacific Coast League Finals didn’t seem safe.
He couldn’t make another mistake on the par-3 18th, but he placed his tee shot 5 yards in front of the green, and his chip shot came up short, too, leaving him with a 10-foot par putt. He wound up with a bogey and threw his putter at his bag in disgust.
“I thought I had lost it,” Hyunh said.
He came close to giving the tournament away, but his 2-over 73 in the final round gave him a 1-under 141 in the 36-hole tournament, and that was just good enough to win the Pacific Coast League championship by one stroke.
Northwood’s Samuel Kim finished second with an even-par 142. He was the one who shot the 3-under 68 on Wednesday.
“This is reassuring, knowing that I played bad, but I could still win,” Hyunh said. “If I can shoot 2-over playing bad, who knows what can happen when I feel good.”
Only three players in the tournament broke 70. Hyunh and Corona del Mar’s Walter Frome shared the first-round lead with a 68. Kim had three birdies and an eagle to post the low round of the day Wednesday.
Ryan O’Connor (Woodbridge), Hide Yoshihara (Woodbridge) and Lawrence Tu (Northwood) tied for third at 1-over 143. Corona del Mar senior Chase Wheatley finished sixth with a 146.
The top six golfers qualified for the CIF-SS Southern Individual Regional on May 13 at Skylinks Golf Course in Long Beach on May 13. Last season, Hyunh carded a 3-over 75 at Skylinks and failed to advance to the Southern Section championship by one stroke.
“And I still have some memories from that,” he said. “But it’s a new year, and a new Johnny.”
