Won Benefits From Friendly Rivalry

University’s Brian Sinay grabbed the headlines last year when he won the Southern Section individual golf championship, joining Tiger Woods and Ted Oh, who also accomplished the same feat as freshmen.

However, Sinay doesn’t even play in the No. 1 slot for the Trojans.

That person is junior Ron Won, who has won three consecutive Pacific Coast League titles, beating Sinay for the last two titles.

In the league finals at Coto de Caza this year, Won led Sinay by two strokes with two holes remaining. The sophomore finished with a birdie on 17, then chipped in for eagle on 18. Won had birdies on 17 and 18 to win by one, at four-over-par 146 in the two-day tournament.

“Brian gave him a run for his money,” University Coach Craig Huff said. “It’s a friendly rivalry between the two. They help each other.

“And there’s not much difference in their scoring. Ron has been around .1 to .4 strokes ahead of Brian during the season.”

Although Won may have the lower profile, his demeanor is a big reason why he is the team captain.

“Ron is an extremely hard worker,” Huff said. “And he’s an excellent student.”

Won said his parents, Kyoon and Yoon, always stressed academics. His older brother James is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Ron Won would love to go to Stanford. Won, an A-student, says he might even consider passing up a golf scholarship to another school if admitted to Stanford, even without a golf scholarship.

But Won may get his dream scholarship if he keeps playing this way.

He shot a two-under-par 70 at Canyon Country Club in Palm Springs last week to post the third-lowest individual score and help the Trojans finish third at the Southern Section Team Championships, qualifying the team for the Southern California Golf Assn. finals.

Won played better at Canyon Country Club this year after shooting 76 last year at the Southern Section Individual finals, seven shots behind Sinay.

“Ron prepares by visualizing an entire match, every shot,” Huff said. “He mentally plays every match before going out. He normally plays a very smart game.”

Won made four birdies and two bogeys at last week’s section team finals, but don’t expect him to repeat one of those bogeys, which came on the 18th, a 498-yard par-five.

“He put his second shot in the water,” Huff said. “That’s the first mental mistake I’ve seen him make in three years.”

Won eagled the hole last year at the individual finals, but was fooled by the conditions at this year’s team finals.

“I drove it into left the rough, but I had a good lie,” Won said. “There was about 225 yards to the green, and so I hit a one-iron. The water was 10-15 yards in front of the green so I thought I had plenty of club.

“I hate playing conservative. But I should have laid up.”

Won wasn’t the only one fooled on the hole last week. Sinay, who shot 72, also put his second shot in the water, though he salvaged par.

Although Won and Sinay give the Trojans a strong combination in the section, they know they can’t carry the team.

“We’re so much better top to bottom this year,” Won said. “Our No. 6 guy, Brandon Fella, has really improved and he scored well in some key matches this year.”

“Ryan Miller could be a No. 1 player at a lot of schools,” Huff said. “He shot 73 at the team finals.

“My No. 5 player, Joe Chang, would be the best player on my team in the eight years before this group.”

Like Won and Chang, No. 4 player Chris Kugel is also a junior.

“Last year, our focus was on trying for a perfect season,” Sinay said. “We had no post-season goals. But now, we just want to get through the season and win CIF or state.

“And we’ll all be back next year too.”

Won isn’t thinking about next year just yet.

He will tee off in the Southern Section Southern regional individual tournament today at El Prado in Chino. The top 36 finishers and ties in the 78-player field will advance to Thursday’s Southern Section individual finals at Friendly Hills in Whittier.

Won didn’t remember much about his first appearance at the section individual finals in 1996 at Sandpiper in Goleta.

“I was really nervous,” Won said. “I could barely grip the club.”

Won’s game has grown since then. He has played in numerous American Junior Golf Assn. tournaments and he placed sixth at an AJGA tournament at the TPC at The Woodlands, site of the PGA’s Houston Open, this past spring break.

“That gave me some confidence,” Won said. “This year, I’m more relaxed, more comfortable in the big tournaments. The mental approach to my game last year was maybe a little immature. Now I know what to do.”