Southern Section Prep Golf : Baugh Solves La Purisma to Win Title by 3 Strokes

La Purisma, as much a mine field as a golf course, humbled all but one of the Southern Section’s best players Monday, and that was from the white tees. The blues, normally used for tournaments, saw no action, and nobody was complaining.

Especially not Matt Baugh of Huntington Beach High School, who decisively beat his competitors and finished even with La Purisma at 72 in winning the Southern Section individual championship.

Don’t be fooled by the 72. Baugh finished under the course rating (one of the highest in California), was three strokes better than second place and, impressively, kept his cool on a course where clubs were flying out of frustration.

“It’s a hard course, but I don’t think it’s unfair,” Baugh, a senior, said. “The adrenaline was flowing, and I was pretty pumped up, but I maintained.

“I wanted to win because I feel, as a player, I’ve been underrated. I think my clubs did the talking (today).”

La Purisma does its damage on the back nine, which features narrow fairways and blind drives, and many of the favorites fell behind there.

Jeff Manson of Long Beach Millikan, the defending champion, finished at 85.

Six players finished at 75, including two Westlake golfers--Charlie Wi and Chris Zambri. Wi won on the second hole of a playoff for runner-up honors.

The top 22 finishers qualified for the California Interscholastic Federation-Southern California Golf Assn. Southern California Championships June 6 in La Jolla. The Southern Section team regionals are May 16, with the finals on May 23 in Palm Springs.