After Hitting Bottom Last Year, Royal’s Moon Rose to the Top

Two steps beyond and then some.

That might be the best way to sum up the golf season for Roy Moon of Royal High.

Moon failed to advance to the Southern Section championships last year, but he tied for fifth in that event at Canyon Country Club in Palm Springs on May 20 before tying for second in the CIF-Southern California Golf Assn. championships at the SCGA Members’ Club in Murrieta on June 8.

“I didn’t play well at the end of the season last year so, I definitely wanted to this year,” said Moon, The Times’ Valley-Ventura County region boys’ golfer of the year. “I just wanted to go several steps [farther] than I went last year.”

Moon, a junior who fired a three-under-par 69 in both the section and SCGA championships, won the Marmonte League title with a three-over-par 285 for four rounds.

He had to survive a sudden-death playoff to grab one of the final four qualifying spots in the section’s Northern regional at La Cumbre Country Club in Santa Barbara on May 17.

Moon was among seven players who shot a seven-over-par 78 in the regional, but said he wasn’t particularly worried about advancing to the section championships.

“I knew par was going to make it,” Moon said of what turned out to be the only playoff hole. “It wasn’t that difficult of a hole.”

Moon, Ian Medlock of Westlake, James Logeman of Oak Park and Justin Grant of San Luis Obispo each made a par four to advance to the section championships.

The 6-foot, 195-pound Moon finished behind Brian Sinay (65) and Ron Won (66) of Irvine University, James Oh (67) of Lakewood and David Oh (68) of Cerritos Whitney in the section championships, but defeated all except Won, who shot a tournament-record 66, in the SCGA championships.

“Winning [the league title] gave me a lot of confidence,” Moon said. “There are a lot of good players in the league like [teammate] Scott Fulkerson, Ian Medlock, J.T. Kohut and Brian O’Flaherty of Westlake and Jeff Honaker and Mark Modglin of Simi Valley.

“So when I beat players like that for the league title, I figured I could play with the best players in the section.”

Moon shot under par in seven of his final 10 rounds to finish the season with a school-record average of 73.4.

That lowered his school record of 73.7 set last year, but it was Moon’s methodical play in the final two matches of the season that most impressed Coach Bob Misko of Royal.

“He was just very, very disciplined and deliberate,” Misko said. “I can’t recall more than one or two shots in those last two tournaments when I felt like he rushed a shot.”

Moon concurred.

“I tried to really think things over before each shot,” Moon said. “I wanted to feel good about every shot. When you’re over the ball, you need to feel like you’re going to hit it well. If you don’t, the chances are good that you’re going to hit a bad shot.”

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THE TIMES’ ALL-REGION GOLF TEAM

FIRST TEAM

ZACK KING

Ventura, Junior

* The Channel League champion shot one-over-par 73 in the CIF-Southern California Golf Assn. championships at the SCGA Members’ Club in Murrieta on June 8, a one-under-par 71 in the Southern Section championships at Canyon Country Club in Palm Springs on May 20 and averaged 73.1 strokes per round this season.

J.T. KOHUT

Westlake, Senior

* Kohut, who signed with UCLA, shot a 77 in the CIF-SCGA tournament after shooting a 73 in the Southern Section championships and a two-over-par 73 in the Northern regional at La Cumbre Country Club in Santa Barbara on May 17.

IAN MEDLOCK

Westlake, Senior

* Medlock, who will try to walk on at New Mexico, helped Westlake tie for fourth with Hart in the CIF-SCGA tournament by shooting a 72. He shot 71 in the Southern Section championships and his average round of 2.14 over par was only 0.19 of a stroke behind Kohut.

JEFF OSBORN

Flintridge Prep, Sophomore

* Osborn improved in the final three tournaments of the season, shooting a 71 in the CIF-SCGA tournament after a 73 in the Southern Section championships and a 77 in the Northern regional.

RYAN WYMAN

Hart, Senior

* Wyman, who signed with Long Beach State, won the Foothill League title and led Hart to its 10th consecutive league championship. He shot 78 in the CIF-SCGA tournament to help Hart tie Westlake for fourth and had a 72.09 average.

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SECOND TEAM

SHAWN ANDREWS

Nordhoff, Senior

* The Tri-Valley League champion struggled to an 82 in the CIF-SCGA tournament after shooting 74 in the Southern Section championships and 76 in the Northern regional.

SCOTT BASHIN

Birmingham, Senior

* The runner-up in the City Section championships shot a 79 in the CIF-SCGA tournament.

CHRIS GRAY

Rio Mesa, Junior

* The Pacific View League champion tied Kohut for region-leading honors with a 73 in the Northern regional before shooting a 78 in the Southern Section championships.

MARK MODGLIN

Simi Valley, Sophomore

* Modglin shot a tournament-leading, one-under-par 71 in the Northern team regional at River Ridge Golf Club in Oxnard on May 10 to lead Simi Valley to a fourth-place finish.

JUSTIN OHYE

Calabasas, Junior

* Ohye shot a 76 in the Northern individual regional before shooting a nonqualifying 83 in the Southern Section championships.

JEFF SIEMBIEDA

Hart, Senior

* Siembieda shot 79 in the CIF-SCGA tournament after finishing second in the Foothill League finals. He averaged 74.02 strokes.