Conway, Santa Margarita Score Record-Setting Victories

All season, members of Santa Margarita’s golf team have been saying that their best round was still ahead of them.

After losing the Serra League title to Servite, they said, “just wait.” Frustrated by a second-place finish to Servite in the Western Divisional, they reiterated the sentiment.

Even after an eight-shot victory in the Southern Section Championships last month, Santa Margarita still believed it hadn’t peaked.

With no more tomorrows to prove themselves, the Eagles unleashed that potential in record-setting fashion Tuesday at the season-ending CIF-SCGA Championships.

Led by UCLA-bound senior Steve Conway and his tournament-record seven-under-par 65, the Eagles scorched the SCGA Members’ Club in Murrieta with a tournament record three-under-par 357 to win by six shots over La Costa Canyon.

The team total, the first in tournament history under par, broke the previous record of 362 set by Westlake in 1987. Conway, who won the individual title by three shots over Brandon Coates of Clovis, broke the record of 66 set by Ron Won of University last year.

“We kept waiting and waiting for this,” Santa Margarita Coach Tim O’Hara said. “I guess we picked the right day to do it.”

Dave Hawkins shot 71 for Santa Margarita, Taylor Wood shot 72, Scott Manley shot 73 and Mike Farrell turned in a 76. The Eagles were so dominant that they would have had three fewer strokes if Andrew Price hadn’t been disqualified for failing to sign his scorecard. He shot 73.

It is the third time Santa Margarita has won the CIF-SCGA tournament, but this is the first time the Eagles have won the tournament the same year they won a Southern Section title.

“Doing that and shooting what we did today, it makes it pretty special,” O’Hara said. “I think the guys finally got tired of hearing about Servite and were like ‘What do we have to do?’ ”

Servite didn’t qualify for the CIF-SCGA tournament, but after Santa Margarita’s performance Tuesday, it probably didn’t matter.

“I don’t think they would have shot 357,” Conway said.

Conway, who did not make it through regional qualifying as an individual and was playing on a team exemption, said his early mindset was to play steady for the team.

After opening with a par, he made a birdie at the par-3 second hole and then made five consecutive pars. But a mammoth tee shot at No. 8 led to a birdie and served as the spark to the victory.

Making the turn at two-under-par, Conway picked apart the course with 300-yard drives, precision approach shots and steady putting.

He birdied 10, 11 and 13. He hit a wedge to within eight feet for a birdie on 15. On the par-5 17th, Conway was right of the green with his second shot, came up about 15 feet short with his chip shot and then drained the putt to go seven-under.

“I started feeling it after my drive on eight,” Conway said. “I hit that one right in the middle. My swing was perfect and it just clicked. I didn’t really miss any shots after that.”

Servite’s Nico Bollini, who won the Southern Section individual championship May 22, started as if he would run away with this title. He birdied four of his first five holes and made the turn at three-under-par before his putting stroke deserted him.

Bollini ended up with a 73 and tied for 23rd.