Locals Shoot for State Amateur

Steve Conway of Newport Beach, runner-up in the Southern California Amateur Championship last year, leads a group of 11 county players who will compete in the California Amateur Championship, beginning Monday at Spyglass Hill and Pebble Beach on the Monterey Peninsula.

Conway, a graduate of Santa Margarita High who recently completed his freshman season at UCLA, was stroke-play medalist in the 1999 California Amateur and advanced to the quarterfinals of match play. He did not make the cut for match play last year.

Scott Manley of Dove Canyon, who recently finished his senior year at Santa Margarita, is also playing. Scott Henderson of Dove Canyon is the third Santa Margarita High graduate in the field. Henderson, who also went to Saddleback College, now plays at San Diego State.

William Coleman of Huntington Beach, D.J. Reeves of Mission Viejo, Kenneth Wertzberger of Fountain Valley, Nick Seymour of Tustin, Mark Warman of San Clemente, Michael Wanamaker of Costa Mesa, Rick Nolan of Trabuco Canyon and Ted Mamola of Mission Viejo also have qualified.

Nick Jones, a recent graduate of USC, is the defending champion. Scott McGhion of Bermuda Dunes, a UC Irvine graduate and the 2000 Southern California Amateur champion, is one of the favorites.

Major accomplishment

Seiko Onoue of La Habra shot a final-round 79 Wednesday in the AJGA Girls’ Junior Championship at Alvamar Country Club in Lawrence, Kan., and finished fifth with a three-round total of 239.

Onoue, who attended Sunny Hills High but transferred to the Leadbetter Academy in Florida, was seven shots behind winner Brittany Lang of McKinney, Tex. The tournament is considered a major championship in girls’ golf.

Morgan Pressel, the 13-year-old from Florida who recently played in the U.S. Women’s Open, shot 82-83-79--244 and finished 10th.

Upcoming AJGA events

Nico Bollini of Yorba Linda will tee off in the AJGA Justin Leonard Team Championships June 19 at The Northwood Club in Dallas. Bollini, a recent Servite High graduate, will team with Brad Shaw of Brentwood in the team Modified Stableford Scoring event . . . Angela Won of Irvine heads the girls’ field in the AJGA event June 19 at Legacy Golf Club in Henderson, Nev. Daniel Kush of Tustin is in the boys’ field.

Black Gold rates

When Black Gold Golf Club opens this year, golfers can expect to pay slightly less than the going rate these days for high-end golf in Orange County.

The Arthur Hills-designed course in Yorba Linda, scheduled to open in early Fall, will have green fees of $75 Monday-Thursday, $85 Friday and $95 Saturday-Sunday. Residents of Yorba Linda will get a $10 discount.

The fees place Black Gold in the lower range of the high-end pricing scale. Strawberry Farms charges $85-$135, Tustin Ranch is $105-$135 and Coyote Hills is $85-$105.

“Our goal is to present a product in the high end that isn’t priced in the high end,” Black Gold General Manager Mark Hoesing said. “We looked at what’s standard for the industry. I’m sure some people would like to see rates of $10, but we can’t accommodate everyone.”

Hoesing said maintaining a high-end facility at an affordable rate is tricky. If the rates are too low, the number of rounds played increases and lowers the quality of the course and the service offered.

Still, Hoesing said, the rates could be lowered if the play level warrants it.

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Tee Times

JUNE

* 18: UC Irvine Athletics Anteater Golf Classic, Mission Viejo CC. Cost is $210. Benefits the UC Irvine Athletic Scholarship Fund. Information: (949) 824-5550.

* 18: U.S. Senior Open qualifying, Redlands CC.

* 18: Aliso Niguel High School Wolverine Baseball Golf Classic, Aliso Viejo GC. Cost is $200. Benefits Aliso Niguel baseball team. Information: (949) 292-6666.

* 18-23: California Amateur Championship, Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill.

* 20-22: California Senior Amateur Championship, Poppy Hills.

* 20: U.S. Junior Amateur qualifying, Warner Springs Ranch.

* 22: USC SoCal Scramble Tournament, RedHawk GC, Temecula. Cost is $95. Benefits USC Student Scholarship endowment. Information: (213) 740-2733.

* 25: Estancia High School Golf Classic, Costa Mesa CC. Cost is $380 per foursome of $90 for individuals. Format is four-player scramble. Benefits the Estancia Athletic Dept. Information: (949) 515-6553.

* 25: ALS Orange County Chapter Celebrity Golf and Tennis tournament. Cost is $350. Benefits ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) Orange County Chapter. Information: (760) 632-7770.