Smith Shoots 69 but Can’t Bring Hart With Him

Charlie Smith of Hart High kept waiting for a day like Thursday at the Southern Section team championship golf tournament at Canyon Country Club.

Smith played what he called his best high-school tournament and shot a 69 to share medalist honors with Palos Verdes Peninsula’s Jun Lee.

Smith’s 69 wasn’t enough to propel the Indians to the CIF-SCGA team final June 2 at the SCGA Members’ Club at Rancho California in Murrieta.

The top four advanced and Hart tied for sixth at 384 with Santa Margarita, the 1997 CIF-SCGA champion.

Brandon Wallace and Adrian Tan each shot 78 for Hart.

Palm Desert used its depth to win the team title at eight-over 368. Mike Beard shot 71 and the Aztecs’ five scoring players shot 77 or better.

But the Aztecs didn’t have anyone to keep up with Smith.

Smith, a senior who will play at UCLA next season, used a hot putter to make five birdies.

He made a 50-foot birdie putt on the 434-yard par-four third hole and drained a 40-footer for birdie on the 389-yard par-four eighth.

“Coach [Dennis Ford] has been playing me as the No. 1 guy,” Smith said.

“But in the big tournaments before, I’d shoot like 77 or 79. Today, it came together. I was really putting well and I hit a lot of greens.

“You might make a few long ones but I had three birdie putts on my last three holes, all about 15 feet, and missed them all. But you just try to make pars.”

That strategy worked for Long Beach Wilson, which finished second at 374 with no player shooting worse than 77.

Irvine University was third at 375 and Fountain Valley fourth at 378.

San Marcos, the defending champion, shot 392 and tied for 11th.

Nordhoff finished 14th at 394. Jeff Coburn led the Rangers with a 77, Shawn Andrews had a 78 and Ryan Blatz finished at 79.