Golfers Carry On Tradition

The words “Santa Margarita” are printed in simple block letters on the golf bags, but they convey much more than the name of a school.

The name conjures images of football, basketball, soccer and volleyball titles.

But in golf, the name is downright daunting. Led by the solid, consistent play of junior Steve Conway, senior Ryan Dwight, sophomore Dave Hawkins and freshman Taylor Wood, the Eagles head to the Southern Section championships today at La Purisima Golf Club in Lompoc as one of the favorites in the 21-team field.

University, Brea Olinda, Servite, Irvine and Los Alamitos also are competing in the tournament, which begins at 7:30 a.m., but opponents catching a glimpse of that dark blue-and-gold bag on the first tee know they are in for a tough match.

Since opening in 1987, Santa Margarita has won seven section regional titles, a section championship and two titles in the CIF-SCGA tournament, the closest thing to a state title in golf. The Eagles also have 10 consecutive league titles.

“We get the sense that we’ve kind of set a standard in golf,” Santa Margarita Coach Tim O’Hara said. “We hear the other teams talking and they always mention Santa Margarita. Our goal is to keep it at that level, or even make it better.”

Better might be tough. Success has made Santa Margarita a marked team.

“All the other teams know who we are,” Dwight said, “and they see everything we do. They are always trying to get us on little technicalities--anything to beat Santa Margarita. Everyone wants to see us lose.”

After losing three seniors to graduation from a team that did not qualify for the CIF-SCGA tournament last year, nobody expected Santa Margarita to be strong. But the Eagles went 17-1, losing only to El Toro. They defeated most of the top teams, including Brea, University, Palm Desert and San Marcos.

In their first match, the Eagles shot a school-record, 10-under-par 170 at Coto de Caza, their home course. Three matches later, they shot 176.

“That was just unbelievable,” Conway said. “Everybody thought we weren’t going to be as good as we were last year, but that erased any of that.”

Individually, no Santa Margarita golfer has yet to make a name on the professional level. But Kellee Booth, whom Eagle Athletic Director Rich Schaaf credits with starting the golf tradition at Santa Margarita, was a four-time All-American at Arizona State and is considered a sure bet for LPGA Tour success if she turns professional.

Steve Wagner (UCLA), Kelly Craig (Pepperdine), Greg Pittenger (Illinois) and Nate Blauer (Oregon) are former Eagle standouts and names to watch.

“Whenever you play Santa Margarita, you know you are in for a tough competition,” said University’s Ron Won, who is ranked No. 10 in the nation among junior boys. “If you can beat Santa Margarita, it’s something you can brag about. But you usually don’t, really.”

Living up to such standards can put pressure on players, but they seem to thrive on the understanding that playing golf for Santa Margarita means more than hitting shots and adding up scores.

“We have a reputation to uphold,” Conway said.

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Prep Golf

* What: Southern Section team championship finals

* Where: La Purisima Golf Course, Lompoc

* When: 7:30 a.m. today

* Basics: Field of 21 teams includes six from Orange County: Brea Olinda, Irvine, Los Alamitos, Santa Margarita, Servite and University. Also competing is defending champion Palm Desert and last year’s runner-up Long Beach Wilson. Shotgun start on tees 1 and 10.

* Admission: Free

* Information: La Purisima GC, (805) 735-8395