San Diego Section Golf : La Jolla's Rudolph Seals Win on 18th

San Diego Section Golf : La Jolla’s Rudolph Seals Win on 18th

By RICK HAZELTINE

May 21, 1987 12 AM PT

EL CAJON —

After scrambling back from a three-stroke deficit, University of San Diego High’s Phil Mickelson was in perfect position to deny La Jolla’s Harry Rudolph a record second consecutive San Diego Section individual golf title. Instead, it was Mickelson who was denied.

Tied with Rudolph, Mickelson had an unencumbered, straight line for his second shot to the green of the par-5 18th hole at Singing Hills Country Club’s par-71, 6,132-yard Oak Glen course.

But Mickelson, a left-hander who said he put his drive about 250 yards away from the pin, hooked his second shot over a storage building lining the fairway and out of bounds.

Rudolph seized the opening and parred the hole for a final-round 70 and a two-day total of two-under-par 140, one stroke ahead of Mickelson. Rudolph’s total was the best ever in the section tournament. He set the record of 141 last year at the Oak Glen course. No one had won the tournament twice before.

“I really hit it good but the wind was blowing left to right,” Mickelson said. “I thought I could put it up (on the green) in two and at least get a birdie.”

Instead, Mickelson didn’t reach the green until his fifth shot while Rudolph was content to reach the green in three and two-putt for par.

“I was thinking of getting a birdie to win it,” Rudolph said. “Then, when he hit it out of bounds, it was just play for par.”

Because he plays for La Jolla, Rudolph had already qualified for the Southern California Regional on June 8 at North Ranch Country Club in Westlake. All members of the Carlsbad and La Jolla teams automatically qualified for the regional because the teams placed first and second, respectively, in Monday’s team championship. Wednesday, the top 10 individual finishers who are not members of the top two teams also qualified for the regional.

Carlsbad’s Mike O’Leary shot his second straight 71 to finish third at 142.

Point Loma’s John McLaughlin, who was tied with Rudolph at 70 after the first day, stayed with the leaders until the 16th when he had a quadruple-bogey 8. McLaughlin finished with a 79 and a two-day total of 149. But McLaughlin later lost a playoff to decide the section’s final individual berth after tying three other golfers at 149. Sam Wilson of Army-Navy, Justin Whitehead of Ramona and Troy Barnes of Castle Park all advanced to the regional.

Mickelson shot a 68 in Tuesday’s first round for a two-shot lead over Rudolph and Point Loma’s John McLaughlin. But Rudolph rallied Wednesday to tie the score on the sixth hole.

“I felt I had to get an early lead and get those two strokes back,” Rudolph said.

Mickelson opened the day with a birdie on the first hole to move to a three-stroke advantage which he had until the sixth.

On that par-3, 160-yard hole, Rudolph made a six-foot birdie putt while Mickelson had a double bogey.

Rudolph extended his lead to two strokes after nine holes and three strokes after Mickelson bogeyed the par-3 11th.

But Mickelson began chipping away at Rudolph’s lead.

First he birdied the par-3 13th with an 18-inch putt. Mickelson birdied the par-4 15th by making a 60-foot putt.

Mickelson caught Rudolph on the 17th hole. Rudolph finally did what Mickelson had been doing most of the day on the back nine--he missed a putt from within four feet.

Although his lead was gone, Rudolph said he wasn’t worried.

“I didn’t feel like I was losing anything,” Rudolph said. “I felt he had to take it away from me.”

SAN DIEGO SECTION GOLF Individual Championship At Singing Hills Country Club Harry Rudolph (La Jolla)70-70--140

Phil Mickelson (USDHS)68-73--141

Mike O’Leary (Carlsbad)71-71--142

Mike Suckling (Torrey Pines)73-73--146

Geoff Heath (Mount Carmel)73-73--146

Tom Walker (Army-Navy)74-73--147

Randy Rose (Fallbrook)74-73--147

Mark Strickland (Valhalla)75-73--148

Lance Padden (Hoover)74-74--148

Sam Wilson (Army-Navy)78-71--149