Boys’ Golf: CdM takes Battle of the Bay
A whipping wind and bumpy greens challenged the golfers in the Battle of the Bay rivalry match on Wednesday afternoon at Costa Mesa Country Club’s Mesa Linda course.
Newport Harbor Coach Scott Tarnow delivered a blunt message about those conditions.
“Every day is a new challenge,” he said after Corona del Mar won, 187-195, on the par-35 front nine. “The golf course is supposed to be challenging in different ways. Today it was the greens and the wind. Both teams had to deal with them. That was not the difference in the match. They played better than we did and it’s as simple as that.”
The Sea Kings sophomore duo of Guy Clauss and Clay Seeber stepped up, as Clauss grabbed co-medalist honors with a one-under 34 and Seeber finished at even. Lawrence Shih, another sophomore, shot 38. Sophomore TJ Jenkins was at 39 and junior Zach Glabman carded a 41.
Tarnow said the Sailors did not perform at their peak potential. The greens that were punched on Monday had something to do with that. Newport Harbor shot 179 as its team low at Mesa Linda earlier this season against Los Alamitos.
CdM Coach Mike Starkweather was pleased with the win but saw room for improvement.
“The 187 is a decent score, but I think we are better than that,” Starkweather said. “I know how it was hard for these guys.”
Both Clauss and Seeber opened the match with a bogey. But that was the only bogey for Clauss on his scorecard. He birdied the hole Nos. 5 and 7, both par fives.
Newport Harbor also has an elite-level sophomore in Ethan Barnes. He shot the low for the Sailors and shared medalist honors with Clauss. Those two were a part of a talented foursome in the first group, that also included Seeber and Newport Harbor senior Noah Mayne, who shot 38.
They know each through the junior golf circuit. Mostly everyone got to know Seeber on the Toyota Tour Cup, as he was named the Player of the Year in 2016. Seeber won four Toyota Tour Cup events, and collected two runner-up finishes and a third-place finish on the junior tour.
“I’ve been pretty consistent this year,” said Seeber, who has helped CdM to a 9-3 record and its second straight Battle of the Bay win. “I’m just happy with where my game is going but there is still stuff that I need to work on. But just trying to keep it simple and keep everything in play.”
Clauss remained steady against the Sailors. He enjoyed playing with Seeber against Barnes and Mayne.
“I know Ethan well,” Clauss said. “This was kind of a normal match, but obviously you want to win because it’s Battle of the Bay.”
Said Barnes: “I played with this group last year, it’s definitely fun. We’re all competitive with each other. It’s a good competitive nature out here. We like to represent Newport Beach but out here we’re rivals.”
Clauss and the Sea Kings are also excited about their match against Beckman Thursday at Newport Beach Country Club. CdM (4-1 in the Pacific Coast League) is hoping to pay back Beckman after losing to the Patriots at Tustin Ranch on Monday.
Newport Harbor, which fell to 8-3, is in second place in the Sunset League. The Sailors will take on Marina at Meadowlark on Thursday. Campbell Norris, Billy Shannon and Ted Perry each shot 41 for Newport Harbor.
“It’s been a great season so far,” Mayne said. “The guys have really grinded well and we’ve pulled out some close wins. It’s been fun.”
Twitter: @SteveVirgen
