Eden Battles for Lead in Amateur Golf Play

Kevin Eden of Granada Hills led all Valley-area players in Tuesday’s opening round of qualifying for the 79th California Amateur Golf Championship, to be played next month on the Monterey Peninsula.

Eden shot a 68 on the 6,292-yard, par-71 North Course at Los Serranos Golf Course and Country Club in Chino and trailed overall leader Harry Rudolph III of San Diego by just three strokes.

Half of the field played on the tougher, par-74 South Course. The golfers will switch courses for today’s final round; 100 of the 400 golfers who began play Tuesday qualified for today’s action.

The top 43 golfers from Southern California will qualify for the state amateur championship, which will begin June 25 at the Cypress Point Golf Club.

Four strokes back at 69 on the North Course was Paul Holtby of Simi Valley. Chris Etue of Thousand Oaks, Mitch Voges of Simi Valley and Cameron Collins of Ojai shot 70s, and Robert Veeh and Jim Netto of Glendale and Ed Watts of Camarillo were at 71.

Also playing the North Course and qualifying for today’s round were: Phil Hurlbut and Marc Stevens of Sherman Oaks and Chad Holden of Thousand Oaks (73); and Jim Cromie of Glendale, Todd Eskelin of Woodland Hills, George Gottschalk of Lancaster and Michael Grotefend of Van Nuys (74).

Qualifying on the South Course were: Dave Berganio Jr. of Sylmar (75); Michael Turner of Van Nuys and Charlie Wi of Thousand Oaks (76); and Michael Flanagan of Glendale, James Jordan of Encino, Yukinori Miyashita of Simi Valley and Chris Zambri of Thousand Oaks (77).