SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO – For a while at the start of the season, Dana Hills boys golf coach Phil Wilburton was worried. Players, the ones the he was relying on to go low, were suddenly shooting 14 strokes over their scoring average.
“But now the guys are really starting to put the hammer down,” he said. “And that is really good to see. We are finally starting to show ourselves and be the team that I envisioned.”
Playing in a strong, gusty wind on Wednesday at San Juan Hills Golf Club, Alex Diaz and Tanner Podres both posted a 3-over-par 39 to lead the Dolphins to a 202-209 South Coast League victory against Capistrano Valley. Roman Aragon medaled for the Cougars (8-4, 4-2), carding a 1-under-par 35.
It’s the Dolphins’ fifth win in a row, and their eighth in the past nine matches.
“We are got off to a rough start, but now we are actually doing pretty good,” said Diaz, who medaled in the Dolphins’ last match. “But our players are finding their game and working as a team.”
Four Dolphins (10-5, 3-1) have scoring averages under 40 this season, led by Clay Feagler, who is shooting 36.8 for every nine holes he plays. Diaz is next at 38.2 followed by Podres and Matt Fry, who both were averaging 39.3 heading into this match.
“That is very good, so if we all shoot our average, we should win,” Diaz said. “We are so much better than last year after working together as a team for a year. We are going to help each other. We have some high expectations this year.”
Earlier this season, the Dolphins finished with the lowest score that Wilburton said he could ever remember one of his teams having at El Niguel Country Club, among the most difficult courses used in high school golf. The Dolphins fired a 3-over-par 183 in beating Laguna Beach by 43 strokes.
Podres medaled that day with a 3-under-par 33.
“This is one of the better teams that I have had in a while,” Wilburton said.
On Monday the Dolphins saw all six of their players break 40 at El Niguel in a 190-201 victory against Capo Valley. “We have a bunch of really good young players.”
