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Lim leads way as Sunny Hills wins CIF golf title
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He shoots 6-under 64 as Lancers repeat as champions; Brea Olinda also advances.
WHITTIER Kevin Lim hooked his first drive into the trees.
“I thought, ‘I'm going to have a long day today,' ” the Sunny Hills senior said.
He didn't. He saved par on that hole, birdied six others and led the Lancers to a second consecutive championship in the CIF-Southern Section team finals.
Lim shot a 6-under-par 64 at Candlewood Country Club on Thursday, a day when only one other golfer shot under par.
“He's just been a horse all year,” Sunny Hills coach Tim Devaney said.
“The fact that he played this well at a major championship and essentially put the team on his back … I'm really proud of him.”
Sunny Hills shot a collective 9-over 359, advancing to the SoCal Championships, May 29 at the SCGA course in Murrietta.
Brea Olinda also advances, shooting 368 to finish third.
Servite shot 374 and finished two strokes behind fourth-place Harvard-Westlake of North Hollywood for the final qualifying spot.
“We feel very fortunate and very happy to continue on,” Brea coach Ken Lutz said after none of his golfers shot par.
Wildcats freshman No. 1 Rak Cho and sophomore No. 6 Joe Ovalle each shot a 1-over 71. Despite his ranking at the bottom of Brea's lineup, Ovalle has been the Wildcats' top postseason player, shooting a tournament-best 71 in Monday's CIF divisional.
“It feels good to keep up with my teammates,” Ovalle said. “I don't feel like the leader at all.”
Leading is not a role Lim expected to play either.
He transferred from Las Vegas before the school year and joined a powerhouse program featuring three golfers with much higher junior rankings. Finally, colleges have begun talking to him.
Lancers No. 1 Alex Kim, who is headed to UCLA, met Lim at a junior tournament two years ago. They kept in touch.
“I knew he was a good player, but I didn't know he would help us out this much,” said Kim said, who shot 70.
“When we're struggling, just to hear someone's 3-under or 5-under really lifts us.”
The Lancers topped second-place Santa Barbara by seven strokes, with a 73 from Mike Im, 75 from Jeff Kang and 77 from Kristen Park.
Last year, Sunny Hills missed qualifying for the state championship by one spot, finishing four strokes behind eventual state champion Edison at the SCGA course.
This year, the Lancers insist, their lineup is deeper.
“It's fun to see the kids achieve something they've talked about all year,” Devaney said. “But there's still a big goal out there.”
Contact the writer: jkay@ocregister.com
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