SANTA ANA – Every match means a bit more these days to Mater Dei boys golf coach Ollie Martin. And he said he can tell his players feel the same way, putting in a little extra effort to make sure that Martin gets to go out in style.
Martin’s 14th season coaching golf will be his last as he will retire at end of the season, which from the looks of it might end with a trip to the CIF State championship.
On Thursday, four of the five Monarchs who figured into the final score finished in the 30s at Santa Ana County Club to help No. 1 Mater Dei remain undefeated with a 190-202 Trinity League victory against Santa Margarita.
Isaiah Aguirre carded a 1-under-par 35 for the Monarchs (8-0, 3-0) to medal for the first time this season. No one else in the match finished at or under par.
Marcus de La Rosa and Issei Tanabe, the Monarch’s two scoring leaders, both came dangerously close to going close to going into the hazard on the par-5 ninth as their approaches landed on the bank alongside the creek.
Both players, though, chipped it close to save par, with Tanabe’s fourth shot coming within six inches of going in for a birdie. De La Rosa finished with a 1-over 37 while Tanabe came in with a 39.
“I really appreciate the guy’s efforts. They are working hard. They are competing hard, and you can tell that they are very focused,” Martin said. “It is fun to watch them do what they are doing and I am happy to be a part of it.”
The Monarchs were missing Jacob Biss, who ranks third on the team in scoring average. He was battling a cold, but rode around the course in a cart, supporting his team. He will be back next week, Martin said.
“He’s one of our co-MVPs. He shoots right around a 37 so he is down there also,” Martin said. “We are deep. We are liking what we are seeing.”
Santa Margarita coach Chuck Morales, though, can’t say the same thing, especially when the Eagles are standing over a putt of 5 feet or less. Consistency on the greens has been lacking, and sometimes it takes 21 putts for one of his players to make it through nine holes.
Max Hellstrom finished with a 38 and Carter Irwin added a 39 to lead the Eagles.
“It is our short game. Off the tee we are doing well, but it’s a lot of grip it and rip it,” Morales said. “What we talk about all the time is making better decisions on the course. Play the course the way it is designed to be played. We try to over play a course and over power it, and you can’t do that.”
