Trojans Get Some Bad Advice

The prep golf avalanche known as the advice rule, tenuously perched above the sport for three years, fell in on University High during the Southern Section South Divisional tournament Monday, leaving Orange County’s top-ranked team in limbo.

The tournament committee disqualified tournament champion University for violating a rule that prohibits players from communicating on the course.

Tournament manager Gary Sabella said the Trojans, considered a favorite for the Southern Section title, would have their divisional title stripped and would not be allowed to advance to the Southern Section finals next week.

The decision has been forwarded to Southern Section Commissioner Jim Staunton, who will make a final ruling today.

“It’s a nightmare thing to happen,” Sabella said. “They are the best team and they don’t deserve it, but based on what we know, result is disqualification.”

University Coach Patti Anduri blames misinterpretation of a confusing rule, one that the Southern Section has grappled with.

“The thing that’s really upsetting is nobody is accusing us of giving advice,” she said. “We’ve only been accused of communicating.”

The rule uses the United States Golf Assn. definition of advice, which prohibits “any counsel or suggestion which could influence a player in determining his play, the choice of a club or the method of making a stroke.”

Section officials amended the rule last spring to prohibit “communication between coaches, players, parents and spectators . . . “

Several players and coaches lodged complaints after witnessing on-course exchanges between University players. Trojan players Angela Won and Sunny Lee acknowledged on-course communication, but said the brief chats did not involve giving or receiving advice.

“The rule doesn’t say teammates, it says players,” Anduri said. “So you can pretty much disqualify anyone who talked to anyone during the round. My girls just saw each other and asked each other how they were doing.”

It’s a common practice in high school golf, but one that could be interpreted as an advice rule violation. For example, if Won knows that Lee is playing well, Won might change her strategy for the rest of the round.

“Every year this comes up,” said Santa Margarita Coach Tim O’Hara, whose team will be awarded the division title if Staunton upholds the decision. “For the most part, I disagree with the rule, but if I told my players to drop it, that would be doing them a disservice. I don’t think anyone would disagree that [University is] the best team, but the fact is they broke the rule.”

University, top-ranked in the county for the last two years, won the 1998 Southern Section and 1999 CIF-WSCGA titles and has not lost a match in three years. The Trojans feel they were singled out because of their success.

“I feel like the only reason it happened is because we are No. 1,” Anduri said. “If we were No. 20 or something, I don’t think anyone would have cared.”

Said Dana Hills Coach Steve Imbilli, whose team will advance if the disqualification stands: “There is a lot of animosity when a team goes undefeated like that. If it was an intentional act on their part to give advice, then they should be disqualified, but I couldn’t imagine any coach or player intentionally breaking that rule.”