Taft Runs Away With Team Title in City Section Golf Tournament

Taft High captain Jim Venetos donned a wide-brimmed hat for the second round of the City Section golf championships at Griffith Park’s Wilson Course on Wednesday, and with good reason.

No, not to keep the sun out of his eyes. And not because he had been carding any blinding numbers. He merely adopted the look of the Great White Shark because he thought it might help him shoot some Great Red Numbers.

“It’s a Greg Norman hat,” Venetos said. “Because I needed a Greg Norman comeback.”

And while Venetos didn’t break par, he led Taft to its fourth team title in five seasons, demolishing Granada Hills’ first-round lead in the process.

Trailing by a stroke after the first round, Taft shot a five-man total of 398 Wednesday, easily besting Granada Hills’ round of 430. In the 36-hole event, Taft beat Granada Hills, 816 to 847.

“It’s a great way to go out,” said Taft Coach Ray O’Connor, who will retire at the conclusion of the school year. “But for a while there, I was really wondering.”

After opening with a disappointing 82, Venetos shot a two-over 74 Wednesday--the second-best round of the day--to lead the Taft comeback. Jason Meshekow chipped in with a 76, followed by Chad Persons (81), Sheldon Mink (83) and Lonnie Mintz (84).

Josh Oring fired a 79 to finish fourth individually at 155, but his Granada Hills teammates didn’t provide much support. Kevin Kurhajec shot 81, but no other Highlander player broke 84--Taft’s highest individual score of the day.

Young Nam of Marshall won the individual title with 76-72--148, edging El Camino Real’s Tony Bordwell (76-74--150). Nam was rock steady all afternoon, hitting 13 greens in regulation, recording one birdie and one par.

He was rockin’ steadily too, listening to a cassette tape on a portable headset between shots.

“It calms me down,” Nam said.

Bordwell, a senior who will play next season at San Jose State, made a late run at Nam with birdies at 16 and 17, but missed a 20-foot putt for birdie at 18 that could have put extra pressure on Nam.

After Bordwell missed his birdie attempt on 18, Nam drained a nasty three-footer for par to lock up the title--although he didn’t think so at the time.

“I thought I needed it to keep us from tying,” said Nam, the Southern California Junior Golf Assn. points leader this season. “I thought he was only one over (for the day). I was shaking over that one.”

Bordwell was in the hunt for the individual title on the front nine, hitting the first eight greens in regulation. Bordwell then missed six greens in succession, recording four bogeys in the process.

“I lost focus for a while,” said Bordwell, who finished third last year. “By the time I got it back, it was almost too late.”

Taft and Granada Hills advance to the California Interscholastic Federation-Southern California Golf Assn. final June 11 at El Caballero Country Club in Tarzana.

Area individuals who qualified for the CIF-SCGA event were Bordwell, Oring, Venetos, Meshekow, Mink, Persons and Kurhajec. Also advancing were Yasu Amaya of Birmingham, who finished at 158; Josh Siegel of Grant (161); Aki Amaya of Birmingham (162); Renee Hunt and Adam Fox of North Hollywood (164); John Choi of Grant (166); and Kevin Trimble of Monroe (167).

Monroe finished third at 872, followed by Birmingham (879). Grant and Eagle Rock tied for fifth at 900.