New season, another victory for Servite
CHINO HILLS - This morning, Coach Dane Jako said, his Servite boys golf team finally moved, forgetting the bitter disappointment suffered nine months ago on Murrietta.
The undefeated, 23-0 Trinity League champion Friars, the CIF team champions failed to qualify for the state championship, playing one of their worst rounds of the season on the SCGA Members course.
"They got over it at 6 o'clock this morning," Jako said. "I think that it (a big disappointment) does (make a a team more focused," Jako said. "They know they have a big bulls eye on them and people are going to be looking for them when we play them. ... But I feel good about the future."
And with the way that the Friars played on Monday in the Servite Invitational, who can blame him? Servite won the tournament by two stokes, shooting a 379 here at Western Hills Country Club. Great Oak (381) finished second followed by the Friars' Trinity League rival Santa Margarita.
The much-improved Eagles careded a 385, and had both the first and second place individual finishers in freshman Beau Hossler and Andrew Levitt. Hossler finished with a 3-under 69, making him the only player in the field to break 70.
Jako said Hossler's score would have been a 65 on another other day here because the course was playing harder than when the U.S. Open qualifying tournament was held here last year. Some of the pins were in pretty tricky places on Monday.
Levitt was one of three players to post a 1-under 71. Villa Park's Ryan Tetrault and Great Oak's Kevin Ruby were the others. Servite senior Patrick Cantlay placed in a tie for fifth with John Lee of Los Alamitos. Both players had an even-par 72.
"I didn't putt very well today. I hit it really bad ... I got a couple of birdies down the stretch, but I didn't play very well. I didn't hit it well with the driver and I didn't get my irons close," Cantlay said. "But that (winning as a team) is what it is all about. It is all about the team. It is not an individual tournament by any means."
But Jako still seemed a bot concerned afterward. His team shot a 369 in this tournament last year with every Friar posting a score in the 70s. Cantlay had a 1-under 71 that day. On Monday, four of the six players Servite brought to the tournament broke 80 - Cantlay, Preston Valder, Nick Komin and Tyler Little.
Valder, who has received an offer from Notre Dame, bettered his score by two strokes on Monday. In 2009 he finished with a 75, this year he had a 73.
"We didn't play very well today. But we did that few times last year, too," Jako said. "Even if you don't play well and win, you always feel better than playing well and losing. We are going to get better."
