Golf / Rich Tosches : Joon Swoon Leaves Park High, Dry

The morning of the sixth day of June was a good one for Joon.

That was the morning the 16-year-old from Glendale’s Hoover High shot a 77 in the opening round of the Southern California Golf Assn.-CIF championship in La Jolla, leaving him just three strokes off the lead.

But the afternoon of the sixth day of June was not so good for Joon.

Joon Park, who goes by the name Junior, finished with a second-round 81 and fell into a tie for eighth place. He finished eight strokes behind the winner, Manuel Zerman of University High in San Diego.

Park was born in South Korea and moved with his family to Sao Paulo, Brazil, a year later. His father joined a country club there and Junior began playing golf about six years ago. But his course demeanor is that of one who has played the game for 50 years and has learned to accept all of the quirkiness that comes with whacking a hard rubber ball with a harder metal stick.

“He’s really an unusual kid in that his attitude is so perfect,” said Dee Kohlmeier, the Hoover golf coach. “He is such a great competitor and has just the right temperament for this game. No one had really heard of him, but I honestly felt going into the state tournament that he had a chance to win it. All because of his attitude. He just never gets flustered on the course. Never. And for a kid this age, that’s so unusual.”

Park’s opening-round 77 came without any knowledge of the course. His first view of the course along the ocean in northern San Diego County came less than an hour before he had to play it. But he overcame that handicap with a hot putter. By the second round that afternoon, the greens had dried and become treacherous. And Park’s putter failed him.

“It became very tough to putt down there,” Kohlmeier said. “His putts were just sliding off the cups. The undulating greens got dry and hard and it was real tough. He had a few putts downhill toward the ocean, and they just flew. He had to just bunt it and hope it stopped.”

While he finds golf relatively easy, Park struggles with the English language. But Kohlmeier said Park soon will be as proficient with a verb as he is with a sand wedge.

“He’s a very smart kid,” Kohlmeier said. “He picks up everything in a hurry. We talk and I make some gyrations and a few signs and he knows what I’m talking about. I’m looking forward to having him back for another year.”

Benefit tournament: The 17th Kingsmen Golf Classic to benefit the Cal Lutheran football team will be held June 13 at Wood Ranch Golf Club in Simi Valley. The tournament is open to the public and carries a $200 entry fee.

Former CLU football player Hank Bauer will be honored with the Kingsmen Alumni Achievement Award afterward.

Bauer is the school’s career rushing leader. He graduated with honors from CLU in 1976 and played for the San Diego Chargers for seven years. Bauer works as a radio broadcaster and part-time sports anchor on the CBS-TV affiliate in San Diego.

He will become the fourth recipient of the award, joining Sam Cvijanovich, Brian Kelley and Mike Shepherd.

Registration deadline for the tournament is Friday.

Information: 805-493-3400.

Not so masterful: Ron Commans of Westlake Village struggled to a final-round 73 in the British Masters on Sunday and finished at 289, 16 strokes behind winner Sandy Lyle. Commans opened the $465,000 tournament in Woburn, England, with a 2-over-par 74 but recovered with rounds of 72 and 70.

Commans played at USC and turned pro in 1982.

Fund-raiser: Taft High will hold a fund-raising tournament June 27 at the Braemar Country Club in Tarzana. The $125 entry fee includes greens fees, a cart, dinner and prizes. All proceeds go to the school’s athletics department.

Information: 818-348-7171.

Sponsors sought: The 20th Western Regional Amputee Golf Assn. tournament will be played June 23-26 at River Ridge Golf Course in Oxnard. Tournament chairman Jim Polson said sponsors are needed for the event, which is expected to attract more than 100 disabled golfers.

Information: 818-342-8945.