Just Call Him Angel of the Morning : City Section golf: Defending champion tees off in first group at Knollwood, where he holds the course record of 63.

No sense messing around. Send out the big kid first to set the tone for everyone.

Then again, Darren Angel might not only blaze a trail, he might burn the place to the ground.

When the City Section high school golf championships begin today at Knollwood Country Club, Angel, the individual favorite, will tee off in the first group.

Angel, who plays for defending team champion Granada Hills, also is the defending individual champion. Knollwood is the Highlanders’ home course and Angel practically owns the place.

Last month, Angel broke the Knollwood course record with a nine-under-par 63. Two weeks earlier, he tied the record with a 64.

For the first time in several years, due in no small part to Angel’s presence in the field, the tournament is generating fan interest. Knollwood officials anticipate a notable gallery, which prompted some fancy footwork on their behalf.

Because of liability concerns, it was uncertain whether spectators would be allowed to walk the course. Los Angeles County, which owns the course, decided to permit fans to follow the action. Spectators will be charged $1 and must sign a liability release beforehand.

It could be a long tournament for everyone in the individual race if Angel’s short game is in order. Known for his length off the tee, Angel has experienced difficulties of another sort lately.

“The wedge has been all right,” Angel said. “The driver’s the problem. I can’t keep it in the fairway. Even Knollwood’s fairways.”

Don’t shed too many tears. Angel hasn’t been over par at Knollwood in a match or practice round this season, a span covering an estimated 30-40 rounds. In Bakersfield on Tuesday, he won a U.S. Open preliminary qualifying tournament with a one-under 71.

Scott Golditch and Art Weiner of Taft and Josh Jacobs of Grant rank among the favorites in the individual race. Golditch, who will play next season at California, won two national tournaments over the winter and boldly predicted he would upset Angel in the finals. Golditch and Jacobs will play in the first group.

Play, which concludes at Knollwood on Thursday, begins at noon each day.

Granada Hills edged Taft in the final match of the season to win the City 5-A League title. Taft and Grant are Granada Hills’ primary threats in the team competition.

The top two teams advance to the 18-hole CIF-Southern California Golf Assn. championship on June 6 at Redlands Country Club. The CIF-SCGA tournament includes teams from the City, Southern, San Diego and Central sections.