Sailors Capture Divisional

The trophy was presented, the banner will soon be raised in the gymnasium and, yes, Newport Harbor really is a Southern Section champion.

The Sailors shot a team total of 10-over-par 370 Monday at El Prado in Chino Hills and won the Southern Section South Coast Divisional golf championship by six shots over Woodbridge.

To put golf on par with other sports, the Southern Section amended the boys’ golf bylaws this year to award section championships to each of the eight divisional winners. Previously, only the winner of the Southern Section finals had been crowned champion.

Newport Harbor and Woodbridge will each advance to the Southern Section finals Thursday at Saticoy Country Club in Somis, which is in Ventura County.

“Everyone was real focused today,” said Newport Harbor’s Scott Tippett, who led the Sailors with a 71. “We knew we had one of the best teams out here and we knew we had a chance to win it and everyone did what they had to do.”

Newport Harbor picked a good day to shoot its best score of the season. It produced the first section title in golf in school history.

“This is considered an easy course,” Sailor Coach Jim Warren said. “But there were only two sub-par rounds. I think that is some indication that it wasn’t playing very easy today.”

Nate Yates and Billy Moon each shot 72 for Woodbridge, which made it a Sea View League sweep. The Warriors were runners-up to Newport Harbor in league.

“My hat’s off to Newport,” Woodbridge Coach Tracy Roberts said. “Those guys played a fantastic round of golf today.”

Orange Lutheran, led by Matt Amen’s 72, and San Clemente, which got 76s from Casey Strohsahl, Cole Phipps and Sean Miller, each shot 385 and tied for third.

“We would have been happy with just our Sea View League title,” said Tippett, who had two birdies. “This and everything else is just extra.”

Daniel Kush, who recovered to shoot 73 after bogeying the first three holes, said maintaining consistency was key.

“Every match we go out and don’t shoot anything really really high or really really low,” he said. “But we seem to put up some low team scores because everyone shoots right around the same.”