Canyons Discovers Its Ace in the Hole With Emergence of Shive on the Golf Team

Chris Shive has done nothing but surprise Coach Gary Peterson since he arrived from Texas last year and joined the College of the Canyons golf team.

Shive came west on a lark, following his then girlfriend to school. When she tried out for the golf team, Shive played the course with her and told Peterson afterward that he wanted to join the team. By the end of last season, Shive was Canyons’ No. 1 golfer and placed third in the state tournament.

This year, Shive again is Canyons’ top player, helping the Cougars to a 14-8 record, and he twice has surprised Peterson and himself in the past six weeks.

For the first time in his career, Shive recorded a hole in one, scoring an ace at Rio Bravo Country Club in Bakersfield on Feb. 11.

In eight years at Canyons, Peterson had never had a player score a hole in one. Six weeks later, Shive struck again. On Wednesday at Spanish Bay Golf Links in Monterey, he scored his second ace.

Each time, Shive used an eight iron. At Rio Bravo in a Western State Conference match, he aced the 16th hole, a 163-yard par three, en route to a 74. In Monterey, his ace on the 158-yard, par-three 13th hole enabled him to shoot a 78 in the Don Borden Invitational.