Hogarth Comes From Two Down, Keeps Chance to Repeat Himself

Tim Hogarth of Northridge was on the ropes Thursday but rallied to keep alive his dream of repeating as champion in the 89th California Amateur Championship at Bayonet Golf Course in Seaside.

Hogarth didn’t have the lead until the 17th hole, when John Ellis of San Jose three-putted from the fringe for bogey.

That was the difference in Hogarth’s 1-up victory in the second round that put him in the quarterfinals today at 7:16 a.m. against Troy McKinley of Danville, who defeated Scott Terry of Pleasanton, 3 and 2. The semifinals will be played this afternoon and the 36-hole final Saturday.

“I was lucky to survive,” Hogarth said. “He played great. But I drove the ball better than I have all week and that gives me confidence the rest of the way in.”

Jim Chang of Los Angeles eliminated Scott Bashin of Northridge, 2 and 1, and Jim Wilson of Chico ousted Craig Steinberg of Van Nuys, 5 and 4.

Hogarth, 34, played the front nine in one-under par but was two holes down because Ellis, 20, who plays for San Jose State, had birdies on five of the first 10 holes.

Hogarth, the 1996 U.S. Amateur Public Links champion, got even by sinking a 30-foot birdie putt on the 13th hole and a 50-foot birdie chip on the 16th.

“[The 16th] was a strange hole,” Hogarth said. “John hooked his drive and I thought it was in a bush. My drive was perfect so I figure I’m looking at being tied.

“Then he gets his ball on the green and I sort of chunked-fanned my second shot and left it about 50 feet short of the hole and off the green. Now I’m thinking I might be two down and then I chip in for birdie. Go figure. That’s golf.”

Hogarth, a graduate of Cal State Northridge, is trying to become the first repeat winner since Dr. Frank Taylor in 1954-55.

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The Ventura City Council has approved two plans that will either upgrade or replace the Olivas Park and Buenaventura golf courses.

Implementation of a master plan for the courses was delayed for one year while the city awaits an offer by the Coastal Conservancy Agency to buy the land on which the courses are located.

If the city decides to sell the land, two new golf courses would be built on land purchased with the funds provided by the sale.

“The City of Ventura is committed to a golfing environment,” said Greg Gilmer, golf services manager in Ventura. “The land will not be sold without the guarantee of replacement land and replacement golf courses.

“It is the city’s intent and desire that the day we open the gates on any new course will be the day we put the locks on an old course. We do not plan to go without the opportunity to play two courses at any time.”

If the City of Ventura decides not to sell the land and implement the golf master plan, a golf architect will be hired to supervise the changes at both courses.

Perhaps the biggest project would be a $2.5 million replacement of the irrigation system at Olivas Park.

Additional plans provide for construction of a new driving range and expansion to approximately 14 acres of land owned by the city next to the course. The land would be used for a learning loop of holes for beginners.

“It would be an expansion of the driving range and teaching facility,” Gilmer said. “It will allow beginners to learn how to play without the intimidation of going to the first tee with good golfers in front and behind them.”

The proposal for Buenaventura includes a 350-yard reduction in the course to about 6,000 yards and the reduction of par from 72 to 71.

These changes would be made because of safety concerns and to reduce congestion on the course.

“That’s the most important aspect of hiring a golf course architect,” Gilmer said. “We would want him to develop plans for exactly how to do that. We’re not sure where the changes will be made. There are six to eight holes that might be affected.”

Plans include the construction of approximately five new greens and eight new tees at Buenaventura.

The Coastal Conservancy Agency is expected to make a proposal about its plans to the Oxnard City Council soon, but there has been no indication that River Ridge Golf Club would be affected.

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Jeff Sanday, a Northridge graduate, takes a three-shot lead into the final round of the California State Open today on the Champions Course at the PGA of Southern California Golf Club in Beaumont.

Sanday, who lives in South Pasadena, won the Southern California Open two weeks ago.

“I played fairly poorly all day [Thursday] until I reached the 13th hole,” said Sanday, who is at 68-67-67--202, 14-under par. “Then my game just exploded with three birdies in a row followed by an eagle--five under in four holes.”

Bob Jacobson of Irvine is second at 70-68-67--205.

Kyle Kovacs of Sherman Oaks, who is at 68-76-69--213, and Darren Angel of Northridge, who wound up at 72-70-71--213, are tied for 18th.

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Tamie Durdin, from Pepperdine, earned her first professional victory Sunday by three strokes in the SBC Futures Tour’s Lucent Technologies Hewlett-Packard Classic at Colts Neck, N.J.

Durdin shot 70-67-64--201, lowest score on tour this year, and tied the course record in the final round at Colts Neck Golf Club to win by three strokes and collect $7,000.

“I got off to a real solid start with three pars and just tried to ease my way into the round,” said Durdin, from Adelaide, Australia. “I didn’t go in with the idea of making a certain number of birdies. I just wanted to make my shots and I knew that things would take care of themselves.”

“I put a lot of pressure on myself, but I tried to relax and have a good attitude this week. I think that was the main difference between this week and the first few weeks.”

Clarissa Childs of Glendale was in a tie for seventh at 72-71-67--210.

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Hana and Ina Kim of Encino will play for the West girls’ team in the 11th annual Cannon Cup on Aug. 7-10 at Prairie Dunes Country Club in Hutchinson, Kan.

Brian O’Flaherty of Westlake Village was chosen to the boys’ team.

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Sara Jones of Valencia shot 82-77-77--236 and tied for eighth in the Compaq Junior Championship, an American Junior Golf Assn. event, at Port Orchard, Wash.