ALL-STAR PREP GOLF : Shiwota’s Patience Helps South Team Win Again

After 10 holes of the Orange County all-star golf tournament Wednesday at Newport Beach Country Club, Dave Shiwota was struggling.

Down three holes in match play to Brad Miller of Estancia, Shiwota of Huntington Beach remained calm.

“I was just patient with my game,” said Shiwota, who will attend UC Irvine in the fall. “I didn’t want to lose my head.”

Shiwota didn’t. He rallied to defeat Miller 2-up, and Shiwota and partner Grant Callaghan, also of Huntington Beach, were the only twosome to sweep its competition as the South team defeated the North, 15-9.

“The whole year, Dave has been coming back on back nines,” said Callaghan, who will attend UC Santa Barbara. “He’s really good at that.”

It was the South’s third victory in the three years the all-star tournament for seniors from county high schools has been sponsored by the Southern California PGA. But it was the narrowest margin of victory--the score was tied, 9-9, before Callaghan and Shiwota swept the final foursome.

Callaghan and Shiwota, whose Huntington Beach team finished ninth in the Southern Section Championship, shot 81 and 83 on the par-72 course. They hadn’t played in competition since the section team championships May 13 and said they were rusty.

UCLA-bound Dan Dalton of Sunset League champion Marina and the North team, shot 75, the low score of the day. Marina’s Blake Alban shot 77 as did North teammate Erik Wolf of El Dorado.

Ryan Davis and Tim Pieper, of three-time Southern Section team champion Estancia, each shot 79 but they were defeated by the North team of Wolf and Jamon Nestor of Capistrano Valley, 4-2.