STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS : Saddleback Loses Seven-Shot Lead, Finishes Second to College of Desert

After holding a seven-shot lead at the halfway mark, Saddleback wound up second in the 36-hole team championship at the State community college golf tournament Monday at Del Rio Country Club in Modesto.

Brian Ricketts of Cypress was the medalist. Ricketts, a 24-year-old sophomore from Alhambra High, had rounds of 75 and 72 for a three-over 147. The Orange Empire Conference golfer of the year was coming off a second-place finish in the Southern California championships May 1.

College of the Desert won with a score of 780. Saddleback had 787. Long Beach (791) was third and Cypress (795) fourth as the teams from Southern California took the first four spots.

Modesto (808) and San Jose (808) tied for fifth, Monterey Peninsula (809) seventh and Foothill (811) eighth.

Desert was first and Saddleback second at the Southern California championship May 1 as well.

Saddleback has won four State titles, including last year, under Coach Bill Cunerty. Cunerty’s teams have advanced to the State tournament 12 of the last 14 years.

Saddleback was in a good position for a possible fifth State title after the morning round when the Gauchos had a seven-shot lead, 388 to 395 over Desert. But Saddleback shot 399 in the afternoon and Desert 385.

“We just picked a bad time to have our worst round of the year,” Cunerty said. “I think after last week and this week, Desert is the best team in the State.”

Lee Kinney, the medalist at the Southern California championships, shot 154 (76-78) for Saddleback; Luis Barrutieta had 157 (78-79) and Jerome Valentin 158 (80-78).