Kim Earns Section Title in a Playoff

Anthony Kim made par on the second playoff hole Monday to defeat John Poucher and win the Southern Section Individual golf championship at Canyon Country Club in Palm Springs.

Kim, from La Quinta High, and Poucher, from Santa Barbara San Marcos, finished regulation tied with six-under-par 66, one shot in front of Taylor Wood of Santa Margarita. Defending champion Nico Bollini of Anaheim Servite shot 70 and tied for 10th.

There were 23 scores under par and only two players--Greg Wells of Glendora and J.P. Policarpio of San Dimas--shot over par and finished among the top 25 who advanced to the CIF-SCGA finals June 5 at the SCGA Members’ Club in Murrieta.

Kim, a 15-year-old sophomore, has shot 66 three times in his last four rounds. He had the same score during the section team finals two weeks ago and shot 66 to win a local qualifier for the U.S. Open last week.

“I knew my putting was good and I was going to have a decent round,” Kim said. “I was just hoping my swing would hold up.”

Kim said the scoring could have been lower. “You’re always going to think you left a few shots out there,” he said. “I easily could have turned this round into a 60 or a 70.”

Wood, who birdied three of the final four holes, might have been in the playoff or won if not for birdie putts that lipped out on his third and seventh holes and a chip that lipped out on his ninth.