Golden West Golfers on Course for Big Season

The Orange Empire Conference golf race is in its early stages, but Golden West already has reached new heights.

The team, which has never won more than four matches in a season as a member of the OEC, is 8-0.

The turnaround was easy for Rustler Coach Ray Shackleford to predict. He knew he had solid players coming in from high school.

“Kids that shoot 75 in high school are going to do about the same in college,” Shackleford said. “It’s a lot easier to predict than what a football player will do when he makes the transition to the next level.”

The Rustlers have six players who can shoot in the 70s.

Freshman Jeff Greenfield (Fountain Valley High) is the team’s hottest player, averaging 72 through four conference matches.

“We’re surprising quite a few people,” Greenfield said. “But even with the scores we are shooting, we know we can all go lower.”

Eric Newnam, who is also from Fountain Valley and is the only returning sophomore, and freshman Trevor Jones (Orangewood Academy) are averaging 77. J.D. Stern (Pacifica) and Matt Crawford (Los Alamitos), both freshmen, are at 79. Noah Mull, from Portland, Ore., is averaging 80 but that includes a round of 88.

Stern, who came out late because he was the starting quarterback on the football team, has been an important addition for the Rustlers.

Only five scores count in matches, but six are allowed to play so teams can throw out the high score.

Stern had never played competitive golf before this season but works at a golf course, so Shackleford knew he had an opportunity to practice often.

“He’s really competitive,” Shackleford said. “You just never know how someone will react in a tournament, but he’s the one guy who has been a big surprise.”

Shackleford is pleased with his team’s start but isn’t clearing space for a conference trophy.

Saddleback, which has won 17 conference titles in 19 years under Coach Bill Cunerty and returns six players from last year’s team that finished second in the state, and Santa Ana are the teams to beat.

Golden West scored lower than Saddleback and Santa Ana Monday, but Cypress was the home team, so only Golden West’s victory over the Chargers counted.

Golden West will get a better test Monday when the Rustlers meet Saddleback on the Gauchos’ home course, Tijeras Creek.

Golden West won’t face Saddleback and Santa Ana again in a head-to-head match until April 12 at El Prado in Chino.

“That was nice,” Shackleford said of Monday’s triumph. “It just showed that we can be competitive and it gives them a little more confidence. . . . But it’s a long, long season.”

ARIZONA TRIP

The Cypress baseball team will make its annual trek to Arizona next week to play two games and watch some spring training. The Chargers just didn’t expect to be participating in it.

After playing Central Illinois Thursday at Arizona State, Cypress will play the Seattle Mariners, or at least some form of the major league team, Friday in Peoria.

“I don’t know if it goes down as an exhibition or an actual spring training game,” sports information director Alan Lombardi said. “But we’re playing the Mariners.”

NAMES IN THE NEWS

Doug Bennett, executive director of the Orange Coast College Foundation the past 14 years, was inducted into the community college women’s basketball hall of fame Friday. Bennett, the announcer for women’s basketball games at OCC, has twice been chairman of the state tournament and also funds a scholarship for a sophomore on the OCC team. . . . Scott von der Ahe, a starting linebacker on Saddleback’s 1992 national championship football team, was picked in the 12th round by the Amsterdam Admirals during NFL Europe’s free-agent draft. He reports to training camp on Sunday. He also played at Arizona State and was with the Indianapolis Colts for one season.