SOUTHERN SECTION TEAM GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS : Valencia Takes to Water, Wins by Four

Because of a drenching rain, Sandpiper Golf Course played like a giant green sponge, but Valencia handled the poor conditions best and won its first Southern Section team golf title Monday.

Seniors John Lee, the medalist with a par 72, and James Wooley, who shot 75, provided two of the lower scores in the tournament, and Valencia’s five scoring players finished at 32-over 392, four shots ahead of their nearest competitors.

Torrance, led by Ted Oh’s 74, and Westlake Village Westlake tied for second at 396. Defending champion Sunny Hills, fourth at 398, was the final team to advance to the CIF-Southern California Golf Assn. tournament June 7 at Bernardo Heights Country Club in San Diego.

Santa Margarita finished fifth (404) and La Verne Damien and Santa Barbara San Marcos tied for sixth (405). Servite, the other Orange County entrant, finished ninth (411).

The conditions were poor at the start on the 6,600-yard layout and then deteriorated as a steady drizzle turned into a downpour that lasted about an hour and a half. Many greens had standing water by the time the tournament ended.

“It couldn’t get much worse than this,” said Sunny Hills sophomore Jin Park, who shot 77. “I couldn’t even grip the club.”

Park shot a one-under 35 on his front nine, but after the rain intensified, slipped to 42 on the back. Sophomores Mike Kim and John Park shot 76 and 79, but junior Terry Noe shot 80 and senior Jenny Lee shot 86 for Sunny Hills. Still it was enough to qualify for the SCGA tournament.

Not so fortunate was Santa Margarita, which last week won the Southern regional. Only Sean Lim (79) broke 80 for the Eagles. Servite also had a rough day. Jeff McGraw, the Golden West League individual champion, shot 78, but Dave Lauder’s 81 was the Friars’ next-best score.

Valencia’s Lee didn’t seem to be bothered. He had three birdies and three bogeys and shot one under on his front nine and one over on his back.

Wooley coped by continually changing his golf glove. “It was coming down to the point where I went through four gloves in three or four holes,” he said.

Apparently, that strategy was effective. Wooley, who shot 36 on his front nine, only dropped to a 39 after the weather worsened. His penultimate shot might have been his best. After teammate Lee had spun a wedge to within a foot on the 398-yard, par-4 hole ninth hole in the previous foursome, Wooley hit an eight-iron from 140 yards four feet past; it spun back and came to rest two inches from the hole. Wooley tapped in for birdie.

“If those shots would have dropped,” Valencia Coach John Winek said before he knew his team had won, “I think we would have been destined to win.”

Turns out they were anyway.