Won Enjoys a Storybook Kind of Finish

The illustrious high school golf career of Ron Won ended Tuesday.

And now it is complete.

Won, a University High senior, used a hot putter to shoot an impressive six-under-par 66 on a wind-swept SCGA Members Club course in Murrieta and win the CIF-SCGA individual title.

In the process he broke the tournament record of 67 shared by Tiger Woods of Western and Charley Hoffman of Poway and finally put an elusive first-place finish on an otherwise impeccable resume.

Won, who finished three stokes ahead of Roy Moon of Simi Valley Royal and Chris Whitaker of Palisades, has used a barrage of top-five finishes in top junior events to earn the No. 10 national ranking among junior boys. But he seems to always come up just short of a victory.

“This is up there,” the Stanford-bound Won said when asked to rank the victory. “I really haven’t had any big wins. It’s a great way to finish my high school career.”

He is the second University golfer to break a high school tournament record held by Woods. Brian Sinay, a Trojan junior, shot 65 on May 20 at Canyon Country Club in Palm Springs to break the Southern Section record previously held by Woods.

“It’s pretty cool,” Won said. “It really adds to the glory of this.”

Won had seven birdies and a bogey in his record-setting round. He made the turn at three under then birdied 11 before making an 18-footer for birdie on No. 12 and a 16-footer for birdie on No. 13 to go six under.

Good putting was crucial amid 30-mph winds.

“I seem to putt well when it’s windy,” said Won, whose only bogey came when he hit his approach shot into the water on No. 3. “I just wanted to shoot as low as I could.”

He did. He tied his personal best round, most recently shot at the Southern Section championships, when he finished second to Sinay--the closest the four-time Pacific Coast League champion had come to winning a major tournament.

Santa Barbara San Marcos shot 370 to win the team title by three strokes over Servite, providing a perfect ending for retiring Coach Cliff Purcell, 63.

Lisa Chen, a senior from Cerritos High, shot 72 to win the girls’ championship.