Decision Overturned; University Gets Title

The University High girls’ golf team received new life Tuesday when Southern Section Commissioner Jim Staunton overturned a decision that disqualified the Trojans from the South Divisional tournament.

University, which won the tournament Monday but was disqualified for violating the advice rule, has been awarded the tournament title and will advance to the Southern Section finals.

Staunton ruled that the tournament committee had improperly applied the advice rule when it disqualified the Trojans for speaking with one another on the course. The advice rule prohibits communication between players, coaches and spectators, but Staunton said it is not designed to silence players.

“It is not the intent of the rule to eliminate conversation between players,” Staunton said in a statement. “The intent of the rule is to avoid giving one team or player an unfair advantage.”

The decision brought mixed reactions. University Coach Patti Anduri and her players expressed relief. But Santa Margarita, which finished second to University and was among the several teams lodging complaints, was bewildered.

Eagle Coach Tim O’Hara said it had nothing to do with University, only the integrity of the rules.

“There is no question that the rule was violated,” O’Hara said. “We teach the kids to play with honor and integrity, then we do something like this. If I’m going to be blasted for sticking up for a rule, then so be it.”

University players Angela Won and Sunny Lee acknowledged that they had brief conversations during the round, but said they merely inquired about scores. Staunton reasoned that University gained no competitive edge.

“There was nothing to indicate that an unfair advantage was gained by either player in this case,” Staunton said.

O’Hara reiterated his belief that knowledge of a teammate’s score can affect the strategy you employ.

“You can’t say it doesn’t have an influence,” O’Hara said.

Lee, a senior who was medalist Monday with a 72, wondered why her team was singled out. She said a player in her group was warned for talking with a spectator and when the talking continued the spectator was asked to leave.

“We didn’t get a warning,” Lee said. “I understand that a rule is a rule, but nothing happened to that team. Maybe if we had a bad day, we wouldn’t have been in this situation.”