Valencia TPC Course Off the Ground
When Newhall Land & Farming Co. sold Valencia Country Club in 1985, it planned to have another public golf course for the Santa Clarita Valley within a few years.
Two lawsuits, one redesign and 15 years later, work has begun on a Tournament Players Course that will be part of the Westridge homes community.
“We’ve started phase one grading,” said Marlee Lauffer, vice president of corporate communications for Newhall Land & Farming.
“There is very little access to the area so we are building roads and doing infrastructure work. We are planning to have the course open in mid-to-late 2002.”
Newhall Land & Farming’s legal troubles might not be over.
Santa Clarita Organization for Planning the Environment has vowed to appeal after Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Dzintra Janavs ruled in May work on Westridge could begin.
“Development in Southern California is very cumbersome,” Lauffer said. “But the court ruled that we’ve taken care of all the environmental issues, so we’re moving ahead.
“This community will be good for the Santa Clarita Valley, especially since it will add two schools--an elementary school and a high school.”
Originally, the Westridge golf course was to be designed by architect Ted Robinson, who opened the highly acclaimed Robinson Ranch facility in December.
But during the long legal process, Robinson dropped out and Newhall Land & Farming entered into a partnership with PGA Tour Golf Course Properties, which will operate the course.
Mark O’Meara, 1998 Masters and British Open champion, is design consultant.
“It’s always tough to get these things approved, especially in California,” O’Meara said. “It always takes a while for these issues to be addressed.
“Nobody wants to take down a nice oak tree. We tried to take advantage of them in designing the course. We want to keep the majority, or all of them, if we can.”
Lauffer said about 10% of the 1,400 oak trees on the site will be removed, but Newhall Land & Farming is replanting at a 2-to-1 ratio. Boy scouts collected acorns on the site a few years ago and the new trees are growing in a nursery until planting begins.
O’Meara said the TPC Valencia course will stretch to just over 7,000 yards from the championship tees.
“It’s important to me that everyone can play the course, from whatever tees they feel comfortable with, and not get beat up so they won’t have a good time,” O’Meara said.
“We’re going to add some water features and bunkering to complement the valleys, hills and oak trees. There are a lot of nice elements to the course.”
*
Helen Knight is streaking again.
Knight, who won the women’s club championship at El Caballero Country Club in Tarzana for 32 consecutive years through 1989, recently increased her mini-streak to five.
The 32-year streak is a national record, as are her 38 titles in 44 years.
Knight had a 72-hole total of 350, 14 strokes better than Brenda Cane and Pat Riedy.
Scott Golditch, who played at Taft High and California, won El Cab’s men’s club championship for the second time with a 54-hole total of 221.
*
Jeff Sanday of South Pasadena, a graduate of Cal State Northridge, won the Southern California Open last week in a playoff at Sierra Lakes Golf Course in Fontana.
Sanday shot nine-under-par 63 in the final round to finish in a tie with Mike Miller of Valencia, who wound up at 69-66-67--202, and Sung Kim of Aliso Viejo, who totaled 69-66-67--202.
Sanday, the 1995 California Amateur champion, finished at 69-70-63--202 and won on the first extra hole to collect $11,500.
*
Ali Siam of Westlake Village qualified for the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship with a 36-hole score of 148 at Minnehaha Country Club in Sioux Falls, S.D.
Siam joined Anthony Kim of Studio City, who qualified with a score of 141 at Western Hills Golf and Country Club in Chino Hills, and Brandon Christianson of Valencia, who shot 147 at Copper River Country Club in Fresno.
The 53rd U.S. Junior Amateur Championship will be played July 31-Aug. 5 at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club in North Plains, Ore.
*
Christine Shin of Glendale shot two-over-par 38 to win the girls’ 11-and-under division of the Crosby Memorial Junior at Recreation Park Golf Course in Long Beach.
