North Ranch Course Wins Respect From Sub-Par NCAA Golfers

Arizona State may have won the Southwestern Intercollegiate Championships on Tuesday at North Ranch Country Club in Westlake Village, but the course attracted most of the attention.

“I think it is as good as any course as we play all year,” USC Coach Randy Lein said of the 6,800-yard, par-71 course, which will be the site of the 1988 NCAA championships. “This is one of the best tournaments on our entire schedule, with a very strong field.”

Although five teams were ranked in the preseason top 10, none finished close to par in the 54-hole event. ASU finished first at 28-over 880, followed by UCLA (882), USC and Florida (884).

James Kim, a freshman at USC from Westlake who was playing in his first college tournament, finished a shot behind medalist Larry Silveria of Arizona. Silveria, who was one over at 214, won the title in a one-hole playoff over U.S. Public Linx champion Bill Mayfair of ASU.

Just hours after completing the tournament, North Ranch officials began preparing for next year and beyond.

“We expect commitments from virtually all of the nation’s top 24 teams at the tournament next year,” said C.W. Johnson, organizer of the tournament. “Since we are hosting the NCAAs in May of ‘88, most of them will be out here next October for the preview.”

Each team played 36 holes Monday, then 18 holes Tuesday. Finishing fifth was Arizona (885), followed by Arkansas and Oklahoma in a tie for sixth at 886. San Jose State and Brigham Young, rated first in a preseason poll, tied for eighth at 895.

Fresno State finished 10th at 898, followed by Oregon (900), Texas El Paso (906), Washington (919), Pepperdine (921), Stanford (930) and Pacific (933).

North Ranch officials plan to upgrade the course before the next NCAA tournament. Another nine holes, at 3,700 yards, are under construction, and several existing holes are being lengthened or altered to add to the degree of difficulty. And the par-71 layout is already rated at 72.1.

This year’s field found the course tough enough in its present form, however.

“The greens are so fast even the best players couldn’t break par, which is rare at this level of play,” Lein said.