SOUTHERN SECTION GOLF INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONSHIPS : Victory by Torrance Freshman Follows Form

With defending champion Tiger Woods having an off day and a tricky course sending scores soaring, an unheralded freshman stepped up to win the Southern Section individual golf championship Tuesday at Hacienda Golf Club.

Torrance’s Ted Oh defeated Eddy Lee of Corona for the title by making par on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff. Oh and Lee had shot two-over par 73 to force the playoff.

It was the third consecutive section title won by a freshman. Lee won in 1990. But Oh’s victory was surprising, even for Torrance Coach Will Boerger, who said Oh is the best player he has coached since he took the job in 1974.

“I expected him to be in the top 10 but I didn’t expect him to win it with Tiger Woods here,” Boerger said. “I wasn’t thinking a freshman could come in and beat all those experienced ball players but he did.”

But Woods, who played in the Los Angeles Open in February and last season won the Southern Section and CIF-Southern California Golf Assn. individual titles, wasn’t up for this competition.

In front of the tournament’s largest gallery--including a local cable television crew--Woods shot five-over 76. Going into the 15th hole, he was two-over but took a bogey on the 15th and a double-bogey on the par-three 16th. Woods had one birdie and five holes over par.

“I just didn’t have it today,” he said.

Although substandard for him, Woods’ score was good enough to place him among the top 22, who advance to the CIF-Southern California Golf Assn. tournament June 8 at San Diego Country Club in Chula Vista. However, Woods won’t be defending his championship there. He’ll be at Lake Merced Country Club in Daly City, attempting to qualify for the U.S. Open.

Woods said high school competitions pale in comparison. So he wasn’t too upset after failing to defend his title. He had spent a fruitful weekend playing the Lake Merced course to prepare for the Open qualifying. A week before, he had won a junior golf championship in Phoenix.

“I played bad in Phoenix and shot 69, 69,” Woods said. “I played bad at Lake Merced and shot 70, 70. I played bad here and couldn’t get away with it.”

Six golfers from Orange County finished in the top 22 and qualified for the CIF-SCGA tournament.

Dana Hills senior Scott Ricardson was the low finisher from the county, shooting 74 and tying for third. Ricardson’s father, Kemp, won the 1963 Southern Section title for Long Beach Millikan.

El Toro senior Joe Garner shot 75, finishing in a three-way tie for sixth. Garner’s younger brother Ben, a sophomore, shot 77.

Trabuco Hills junior Mark Mignone shot 76 and was the only one of four Mustang players to advance. Paul Hinkle of Estancia shot 76 and David Willbanks of Woodbridge shot 77.

Scott Gibson of Huntington Beach, John Lee of Valencia and Scott Ohls of Savanna each shot 78 but lost an eight-way playoff for the final spot.